Bullied By My Alpha Stepbrother novel Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Hardin's POV

It was hard to not hit the steering wheel of my car with my fist in anger as I drove back to the mansion.

To be very honest, it was not hard. It was just that Jasmine was sitting so still in the car, trying to stop herself from shaking even though she was failing horribly at it and I understood that anything could scare her into crying because she looked like she was an inch away from breaking into tears.

And I swallowed the growl that was making it's way up my throat and continued driving down to the mansion.

But as I parked in front of the mansion and Jasmine jumped out of the car, heading inside, I rushed after her and grabbed her hand, turning her around to face me, with a growl that I could not stop anymore.

"You don't need to lecture me, I already know that I could have been hurt out there." She said shakily, her eyes avoiding my gaze and I released her, frustrated beyond measure at the fact that she had come so close to being mortally wounded.

"I don't think you know just how close you came, Jasmine. That arrow was a split second away from hitting you. And it would have been a deadly shot. It was not meant to maim, but to kill" I yelled even as my brain spun as I thought of who could want Jasmine dead.

Who wanted her gone so badly that they would take that route?

"You think I don't know that, Hardin?" She screamed, her facade of calm finally cracking as tears rolled down her eyes and I looked away, surprised that her tears made my chest tighten and rubbed me off the wrong way.

I wanted to reply but Camilla walked out of the kitchen towards us, her brows raised as she found Jasmine and I standing head to head, the air around us tense.

"What's going on?" She asked and I realized that I was close to roaring in rage so I walked away immediately, pointing in Jasmine's direction.

"You should ask your daughter."

Heading into the bathroom, I could feel my claws and fangs extending and I turned on the shower and stayed under, trying to organize my thoughts. Trying to remain calm.

Because anger did not solve anything. And rage did not change the fact that if I had been a second too late, that arrow could have hurt Jasmine. Or worse, killed her.

I hated the fact that it hurt to even think about it. That I was in this much agony just imagining what I would have done if I had not gotten there fast enough.

And then there was the fact that my father would only make me feel worse and incapable, if something had happened to Jasmine under my watch. It would be an utmost shame to even think about it. The greatest embarrassment in fact and it would be almost impossible to explain what had caused my incompetence, given that he still believed that I hated his wife and her daughter and would do anything to see them leave the pack.

Unfortunately, I couldn't even say that I wanted Jasmine and Camila to leave anymore. And I didn't like the fact that I felt this way. That I felt like I had to protect them. Especially Jasmine.

Slamming my fist against the bathroom tile hard, I placed my bruised knuckles under the shower and as blood ran to the ground, I sucked in a deep breath, reminding myself to remain calm.

By the time I came out of the bathroom, my phone had rang and when I saw who the call was from, I quickly returned it.

The warriors had been out searching for the person behind the arrow shooting and I wondered if the person had been found yet.

Because if the person missed, there was almost an assurance that they would try again. And why? Was Jasmine their real target? Or was she just about to be a victim of circumstance?

"Hello, Hardin." Eric, the pack warrior that I had asked to get back to me greeted and anxiety made my throat tighten as I waited for the answer to the order that I had given.

"Hello, Eric. Any news yet?"

He waited a second before he answered but that second felt like years and I could already feel my anger rising again.

"No. The archer has not been found. We've scoured through the entire woods and were unable to find anything that could help us catch them. All we had was a scent and even that is gone."

My grip on my phone hardened even as I listened to him reassure me that they were going to do everything in their power to make sure that they found the culprit and when the call ended, I felt even more lost than before.