Chapter 8

DECLAN

“Rose, what is that look on your face?” I asked, my brows furrowed. I loosened my necktie with my left hand and walked closer to her. Rose was in the living room, fumbling with her hands as she watched me walk in. I was returning from my son’s wedding, which I left early because Greta was beginning to annoy me. The last thing I wanted was to ruin my son’s happiest day because of her.

Chloe, my son’s bride is short, young beautiful, and even though I didn’t want to admit it, she had the same hair as Maria, the woman who had been on my mind all day. I had always found it annoying to return to the house because it was lonely. Rose is my housekeeper but she is married to the love of her life and she is blessed with two kids. The oldest being twenty-five and the youngest eighteen. She has a family of her own, a family she has to return home to. So for the longest, I have always returned to an empty house. I hated returning home, I hated that it was just me in there, no wife, no kids, no lover. Which is why I hated going home, I’d rather go the bar, drink, fuck a couple of ladies to reduce my blue balls than to come to the empty house.

But today…today, it was different. After speaking to Greta and my son, letting him know of my desire to make him my successor, all I wanted to do was go home to Maria. All I wanted was to come back home, sit in the same space with her, watch her talk, listen to everything she was going to say, watch her eat, watch her sleep. I just wanted to go home and bask in her existence, breathe the same air as her, and maybe help her heal from her broken heart.

What I did not expect to see was my housekeeper, standing in the living room, looking at me like she had gotten in some trouble. She looked worried, anxious, and scared. The last time I saw Rose like this, it was the day her oldest daughter was in labor, She was worried for her daughter because she said the doctor said, the baby was coming out with its leg which means, the labor was going to be tough.

“Rose, what happened? Is everything okay, Are you okay?” I yanked off my tie and surged towards her, I placed my hands on her shoulder, moving her slowly to the couch. “Take a deep breath and tell me what happened.”

There were several things that ran through my mind. Due to the nature of my job, my position in the country…I have a lot of enemies, enemies that would do anything to take my place, to ruin my life, my family, the people I have in my life, the people that are important to me. Rose is important to me, and I never fail to show how important she is in my life.

What if my enemies attacked her? Or her family.

“Rose, please say something.” I urged.

“It’s Maria.” She finally muffled.

“Maria? What about her?” I asked, confused, looking around the living room, checking to see if she was anywhere in sight but it was then I realized.

Her presence.

Her presence is …gone.

I frowned, turning back to Rose, “Where is she?” I snarled… that wasn’t me, that was my wolf, angry, frustrated. Maria is the first person we have felt this intense with and now she is gone. She can’t be gone. We need her. I need her.

“I don’t know.” Her voice came off like a whimper. “One minute I was in her room giving her soup and telling her that she could always talk to me if she was having it rough and the next, she is gone. I went to her room to ask what she wanted for dinner but her room was empty, her bag was gone… she was nowhere to be found and the guards said she left.”

She left?

Why?’

Did I do something?

Did she finally get things sorted with her sister and her cheating ex? What the fuck? Did she return to them?

“Why don’t you call her and at least ask if she is fine? Safe?” Rose's worried voice yanked me out of my thoughts.

I was reaching out for my phone when I realized something very annoying.

“What are you doing, Call her.” Rose's voice came like a haunting truth.

“I don’t have her number.” I groaned, tightened my grip on my phone, my left hand slid into my pocket and my face buried into the ground.

“Okay, what about…uhm… her house? Her friends? Can you call anyone to check on her?” She once again hit me with another harsh reality.

“I don’t have,” I whispered, barely audible, but she didn’t hear me. I know she didn’t… not in the way I hummed.

“What? I didn’t get that.” Of course, Rose would make me repeat myself.

“Ugh, I don’t have her number, I don’t know where she lives, I don’t know any of her friends or email address… I don’t know shit…I only met her at the bar last night, we talked, drank, my wolf got attached for reasons I don’t fucking know, he kept yelling mark her and then  I saw her, looking devastated like her whole world crumbled on her shoulders so I offered her a ride and a space in my house… are you happy?” All my frustration fell out of my mouth before I could control it.

“What if she were a serial killer, one of your enemies new way to bring you down?” Rose didn’t sound convinced with what she said, so I just tilted my head, glared at her and she swallowed.

I might have been blinded by my desire for her but I wasn’t stupid enough to let my guard down and not investigate the possibility of her being a spy.

“So are you going to look for her? Maybe this is the moon goddess's way of telling you that she is not the one and besides, she is like what? Twenty? What are you, a pedophile? She is old enough to be your daughter.” Rose scolded.

She is right, Maria is young, very young, definitely old enough to be my daughter. You know what, Rose is right, this is a good way to end whatever tension is between us. This is a way to draw the line.

I convinced myself to give up, to listen to Rose but I was up on my feet, heading out of the living room.

“Uhm, Mr Declan, where are you going?” She sang, almost like she knew her advice went through the right ear and came out from the left.

“You are right, Rose, she is old enough to be my daughter but she is NOT my daughter and I am going to look for her, even if I have to tear down the whole country, I would find her. Now, if you’d excuse me, I have a friend to find.” I winked and stepped out of the mansion before she could say another word, leaving her jaw dropped.

I got into my car, I pulled out my phone and called John, “Hey John, I need you to check the system for a girl named Maria, in her twenties, an orphan, has a sister, I don’t know her name, she lives in this city, send me the pictures, and once I do, I need you to track her whereabouts and forward it to me… You have ten minutes.” I ordered.

-----MARIA----

I know leaving without waiting for him to say goodbye, after how much he helped me was not right but I didn’t think I had the right mind to meet him, after I embarrassed myself in front of him crying and besides, I needed to speak to Chloe.

If she were wearing my wedding dress, getting married to my ex, then it also means she would be going on the honeymoon meant for me.

Which also meant that in two hours they would be on a plane to Bali for a romantic honeymoon that I planned with Jason.

I didn’t want anything to do with Jason, our relationship was based on love, we were never each other’s mate and you can’t have one and not have the other. I guess that was why I had doubts about marrying him. But Chloe…. I need to know why she did this… why she lied to me, pretended to me, acted like she cared when all she cared about was Jason.

It has always been us, forever and always so why… why would she do this?

I stood outside my apartment, watching it slam shut, lock. She was gone… gone.

Where do I go from here? Who do I run to?

After Mum and Dad died, it has always been just us, just the two of us, no distant relative, no uncle, no aunty, just us. I could call Cara but her energy would be too much to handle.

Just then, the rain decided to bless me with a heavy downpour, leaving me drenched and soaked. I didn’t know where to go, who to call.

I pulled out my phone, checking my account balance, and checking if it was enough to at least book me a room for one night.

I was moving out of the room when a black BMW parked right in front of me, blocking my path. The driver’s door opened and a man stepped out, holding a black umbrella as he slowly walked up to me. He stood right in front of me, lifting the umbrella so I could see his face.

It’s … it’s

Oh shit, I don’t know his name but he is here, in front of me, holding an umbrella, “Let’s go home, Maria.”