Laying on the floor, Darren squeezed his eyes shut and put all of his brain power into blocking out Jasper.
Upon returning, the young Alpha had ranted about being ignored by his mate before going to bed. Darren at first wanted to say something snarky about how arrogant he was being, yet he didn't want to draw attention to himself and figured he could wait till later to bring it up.
Checking the time, he realized the screen on the clock read 5:00 A.M. Groaning, Darren rolled over and tried even harder to shove the presence out of his mind.
Whatever Jasper was doing, it was really straining the Rogues Collar. If this was how bad it was with the collar on, Darren could only imagine how much stronger it'd be if he ever removed it.
Praying that the Alpha didn't somehow discover a way to track him, he managed to get at least one hour of sleep.
The next day, Jasper got out of bed bright and early, leaving Darren laying on the floor in misery. He had a massive headache that throbbed against the backs of his eyes and head. He wasn't looking forward to enduring this in the car all day.
Jasper didn't say a word as he quickly dressed and left the room. Darren momentarily considered if he should slip out of town and leave the missing kids to the authorities, but then he remembered that he was also under suspicion and running would definitely make him look bad. Plus there was probably some sort of criminal offense he'd be charged with if he tried to leave before getting cleared.
Realizing he didn't have many options, he decided to just keep doing what he was doing and head downstairs for breakfast. Once again he found Liam, Mary, Garret and Jasper sitting at the table. Still uncomfortable in the Alpha's home, he took the seat farthest away from everyone as usual.
"Garret told us what happened." Mary was saying to Jasper. "Trust me, she's just nervous. Heaven knows I was when I found out I was bonded to an Alpha." She turned and put a loving hand over Liam's. The man smiled fondly back at her.
"But she blocked me out all night." Jasper huffed, pushing a few strips of bacon around on his plate. "Why would she do that? We could at least meet and talk about it before she decides to reject me."
Garret pitched in. "I'm sure she's not rejecting you. It's like Mom said. She's probably nervous since you're in line to be the next Alpha. Put yourself in her shoes. What if she's not sure that she's fit to help lead the pack?"
"That's right." Mary agreed. "That was my first concern. I actually tried to hide from Liam at first, but of course he tracked me down and assured me that I had nothing to worry about."
"But I can't track her!" Jasper pounded the table. "I can sense her, but I don't know where she is, and when I try to find her, it's like she completely blocks the bond."
"That's impossible." Liam spoke for the first time, his face serious. "The only way a bond can be blocked would be if someone was using some form of ability or artifact to do so."
Darren gulped.
With a sigh, Jasper ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Maybe. I could sense that she was pretty powerful. That's probably it."
This conversation was a rollercoaster of emotions for Darren. He was nervous about being discovered, frustrated that everyone kept trying to encourage Jasper, and angry that the man wouldn't accept being rejected. He wanted to say something, but Darren knew his temper would flare and he'd most likely say something he shouldn't.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when Jasper pounded the table again. "But that doesn't excuse avoiding me!" He grit. "I can sense her presence constantly, so it's not like I can just ignore her. Why wouldn't she want to talk at least? I just want to know why she doesn't want me."
"You ever think that maybe it's someone you know?" Darren spoke up before he could stop himself. The arrogance this guy was showing had grated his last nerve and while he had wanted to stay out of it, someone had to be the voice of reason. As usual, everyone around Jasper was being encouraging and acting like he could do no wrong, so of course he would think he had some sort of right over whoever he was bonded with. Darren needed to set the record straight.
Jasper glanced at him, confused. "Of course. I know everyone in-"
"So what are the chances that it's someone you treated like shit back in school?" Darren interrupted.
That caused the younger Alpha to pause. "I wasn't that bad."
"OH REALLY?" Darren asked skeptically. "So you're saying you never asked another student to be your slave? Or called anyone names? Or attacked them after school JUST BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T TALK TO YOU?"
"Darren!" Liam shouted, causing a new force to bore down onto the collar.
His Alpha presence was not enough to stop Darren from his current rant though, and he persevered. "I'm just saying, if I found out I was bonded to my old bully, I would have skipped town the instant I felt the connection."
"Do you know who it is?" Jasper suddenly asked, a look of shock crossing his face.
Darren instantly shut his trap, realizing he said too much like he knew he would, but it was too late. Jasper jumped out of his chair and approached the rogue. "Is that why she's avoiding me? Because I did something bad to her back in school? Who was it? Tell me!" He put his hands on Darren's shoulder and bore into him with a manic expression.
"Even if I did know, I think it's the victims right to make the first move. Not the abusers." Darren growled.
Jasper's face twisted in unknown ways, and Darren couldn't read his emotions anymore as he fell to his knees. Gerrit and Liam jumped from their chairs and were instantly by Jasper's side, helping him up.
Darren then watched as the two nearly dragged the man off into another room. Mary followed the three, looking panicked and unsure of how to help. This left Darren sitting at the table by himself. He twiddled his thumbs, remorseless, then helped himself to some breakfast.
It wasn't until he decided to check in on everyone in the living room that he realized something was amiss. Jasper's face was now blank as he sat on the couch, with Garret and Mary sitting on either side rubbing his back. He also spotted Liam pacing the room and talking urgently on the phone.
Darren wanted to ask what was going on, but he knew this was probably his fault and he didn't want to draw attention to himself, so he stood awkwardly in the entryway until Garret noticed. "I don't think you'll be going out today." He said.
"What's going on? Is he really that shocked over what I said?" Darren braved to ask.
"Yes and no." Liam replied as he put his phone away. "A mate bond is extremely powerful. To be rejected is one thing, but to cause harm to your bonded partner is much more dangerous. It goes against our nature as mates. Suggesting that Jasper hurt the woman he's been bonded to has caused him to go into shock. I don't think it'll be a good idea for him to do his usual run around town today. He'll be staying home." The Alpha's poker face returned as he faced Darren. "And I think it'd be best if you stay upstairs for a bit."
He wasn't showing it, but it was clear that Liam didn't like that Darren had caused this. How was Darren supposed to know he'd break Jasper so easily? If he had known, he'd have done it a lot sooner.
Not feeling the least bit guilty, he nodded in agreement and tried to leave, only to hear Gerrit and Mary yelp in surprise as Jasper suddenly leapt off the couch towards the rogue. Darren barely turned in time to find the man just inches away from his face.
"You'll tell her I'm not like that anymore, right?" He asked desperately.
Darren glanced at the others who were watching with worried expressions. Jasper still had a manic, almost insane look on his face as he waited for a response. Darren could be forgiving. He could say something like, 'oh sure, you've been great!', but that'd be a lie. Darren wasn't the sort of person who would say something nice to a known asshole. It was just as hypocritical as going to a rapists funeral and only saying good things out of 'respect' . He refused.
"You mean tell her that you didn't make me sleep on the floor and threaten me the first night I stayed here? Or that you didn't ever rough handle me down the hall? Or maybe lie and say you actually apologized for what you did to ME back in school?" He spit. "No. I think she has every right to know just what kind of person you really are." And with that, he stomped upstairs towards Jaspers room and slammed the door.
It was a bit awkward since this was Jasper's room and he knew the guy would have to return, Unfortunately it wasn't like Darren had his own room to lock himself in.
Luckily no one followed him. So, to pass the time, he went through his things for a bit, regretting leaving his phone in his aunts back yard. He wanted to barrow a phone so he could ask Sophie to drop it off, but everyone was probably pissed at him now, so that was out of the question.
At some point in the day he started hearing people coming over to visit. Glancing out the window, he saw that a doctor had arrived to examine Jasper. After he left, Beth and Kenny arrived, along with a few other people he didn't know. As a matter of fact, it seemed like Jasper's entire fan club was visiting.
The smell of food wafted up from the kitchen, and Darren knew that Mary was probably preparing lunch for all their visitors. His stomach growled hungrily.
A knock at the door caught his attention as he tried to ignore the tempting smells. A moment later, in walked Gerrit. He nodded towards Darren. "Hey, I thought I'd check on you."
Darren stared at him for a moment, not having expected anyone to bother visiting him. After all, this drama was his fault. "I'm fine." He eventually replied.
Gerrit glanced back into the hallway as he rubbed his neck. "Right, well, I just wanted to make sure. I know it might seem like they're upset, but my parents are usually pretty understanding. I mean, we all know what Jasper was like back in school so I don't blame you for being hard on him."
Darren huffed and turned away. If they had known then they should have done something about it.
After a moment of silence, the bed dipped as Gerrit sat beside him and continued. "Look, I want you to know that I'm not mad at least. I've always known that Jasper can be bull headed when he wants something, and my parents had a habit of handing him everything like it was no big deal. Once he gets over this, maybe it'll serve as a good learning point."
Their conversation was interrupted by Darren's belly as it growled loudly, cutting the tension and causing Gerrit to laugh. "Maybe you should come down and grab some food?"
Darren hesitated. He knew there were a lot of people visiting now and he had no idea who any of them were. Plus he hated large gatherings in general. Between their distaste for rogues and the potential that at least one of them was being haunted, he thought it might be best to stay upstairs, but another growl from his stomach encouraged him to suck it up, so he agreed.
Back in the living room, Jasper was still sitting on the couch as though he hadn't moved an inch since that morning. A few of his friends were standing around, some patting his back, others speaking encouragingly. Gerrit nudged Darren and explained that it was Liam's idea to surround him with supportive people to try and snap him out of his current stupor.
Then a familiar face blocked his view.
"YOU DID THIS!" Kenny snarled from across the room, spotting the rogue and pointing him out like he was Phoenix Wright. All heads snapped in Darren's direction.
Before Darren had a chance to react, the Beta was right in his face, fist pulled back and ready to swing.
---
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