CHAPTER 4 JARED #2
The whole scandal surrounding Mark and his incarceration could be seen as my salvation, but it terrifies me at the same time, because it also leaves me defenseless against the Ring… so now I have to be proactive and find a way out of this situation.
Once again, with that in mind, I force the dark thoughts away, frown with determination, and focus on the road.
Stay positive, Jared! Take action; don't give up hope.
I repeat it to myself like an affirmation mantra.
I'm only twenty-five, hello! I still have a chance to build a life for myself. I know having a small child is a drawback for many alphas, but I believe my True Mate will accept Tommy.
If not, he’s probably not the right match for me…
Finally, exhausted from the long drive, I arrive in Rainbow Springs.
What awaits me is a cute little town, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how charming it is.
Small houses are scattered across gentle green hills, and the compact downtown centers around a circular square lined with shops, restaurants, and public buildings, all gathered in one place to conveniently serve the people who live here.
The marketplace is beautiful, overflowing with ornamental plants and evergreen shrubs. Everything is spotless, carefully maintained, elegant.
The people strolling through the streets look… happy. There’s none of the frantic pace of a big city here. Those folks look cheerful, greeting one another as they pass with wide smiles, sometimes exchanging a few words before waving goodbye.
A cute little bakery catches my eye, a huge rainbow cake displayed in the window, and an older beta behind the glass smiles at me and winks.
I smile sheepishly, feeling strangely at ease.
Farther down, I spot a small bar, but if I was expecting the stink of alphas and beer, I’m surprised to find it packed with families instead.
There’s a cheerful hum of conversation and a warm, almost homey atmosphere, while the little patio beside the bar is occupied by several couples leaning into each other affectionately.
Something aches inside me as I move among these people, carrying all my unhappy, dark energy, a past broken by pain, and I feel this strange longing to be part of a place like this, filled with its energy…
I’m about to pass a café when a short omega in a colorful hat suddenly holds out a small cookie on a plate. His strange eyes are a vivid lime green.
"Uh… I don’t eat sugar," I say, swallowing nervously.
"Oh, sweetheart, it’s a fortune cookie. I can see that little cloud hanging over you, but the sun will come out. You’ll see. Read your fortune."
I feel silly. This has never been my world, these little, cozy, colorful towns, friendly people, idyllic atmosphere.
I grew up in the heart of a huge city, surrounded by skyscrapers, where metal and glass closed in around me and hurried, restless people with cold eyes rushed from one place to another, never caring, never stopping.
But I crack the cookie open anyway.
A small piece of pale green paper reads:
"Follow the green."
I blink. It sounds weird to me. Probably some useless fortune.
"Th… thanks," I say out of politeness and quickly move on.
"Good luck, sweetheart," I hear behind me.
I turn around again, but there's no one there.
The omega in the colorful hat is gone.
I stand there for a moment, staring, but I can't see him anywhere. Wait… something just caught my eye.
High in the air above a red-tiled roof, where a little grocery store sits beneath it, something flutters.
What the hell? Am I imagining things?
The thing drifting lightly through the air looks like… a fairy?
Tiny, colorful, translucent wings shimmer with every color of the rainbow.
What the fuck did I just see?
I must be hallucinating. I blink rapidly and hurry toward the little central square.
There's plenty of greenery there, and being around plants has always calmed me down. This town is turning out to be seriously bizarre.
Feeling completely bewildered and confused, I step onto the paths paved with colorful stones.
Why am I even going this way?
Downtown isn't my destination; as Storm marked on the map, the place he'd become obsessed with lies about two miles outside the town limits, deep in a wooded area.
I'm just about to turn toward where I parked, but… I notice a man sitting alone on a bench in the park, an older omega. He looks just like a regular normie. Maybe this is a good chance to ask around, so I walk toward him.
He gazes up at me with eyes framed by fine wrinkles and tilts his head curiously.
There's a bag of candy resting on his lap.
"Good afternoon. Sorry to bother you, but I'd like to ask about a place not far from here that doesn't seem to be marked on the map."
I unfold the printout. The old omega lowers his gaze to it, though his eyes seem slightly unfocused. I can't tell whether he simply needs a much stronger pair of glasses or whether he has no real interest in studying the map, preferring conversation instead.
"Do you happen to know what might be here?"
"Call me Davos, sweetheart."
I slide the map even closer to him again, hoping he will focus on it.
The elderly omega finally leans over the page.
"I'm afraid that's just forest," he murmurs uncertainly. "I don't remember there being any houses in that particular area."
"What about a little farther out? Within a mile or so?"
He looks up at me before glancing at the map again.
"Hmm. About half a mile from there is the Santoro family's estate. They own the construction company around here, along with the local sawmills and lumber yards. They also build vacation cabins around town, but I don't think they have any in that exact area. That's just untouched forest."
"Are you sure? No vacation cabin? Maybe an old ranger's lodge?"
"No… sorry. I can't say I remember anything like that, child."
He leans back against the bench and gives me another long, thoughtful look.
"Wow… look-at-you, you're a stunning omega. I have never seen a beauty like you!"
Damn, not that! I swallow nervously. I've never been comfortable with people casually commenting on my appearance.
"Like some breathtaking elf out of a fairy tale. In all my years, I haven't come across anyone like you. Unreal, simply unreal."
I clear my throat, desperately hoping he'll get back to the map.
"Thank you, but about the map—"
"How does it feel to be so gorgeous?"
Gosh, what a silly question. I feel my impatience rising.
"Hunted. A hassle. Inconvenient. Please, the map!"
The omega's expression subtly changes at those words, as if he can sense the weight of the energy behind them, but eventually looks back down at the printout, a hint of contemplation still in his expression.
"Did someone tell you there was something out there?"
"Yes… that someone lives there."
Mr. Davos tilts his head.
"You know, my information might be a little out of date. I used to spend a lot of time wandering these woods, foraging for mushrooms, when I was younger, but my legs aren't what they used to be anymore…" He sighs. "The arthritis keeps getting worse."
I pray he doesn't start talking about illnesses. Thankfully, he catches himself when he notices the miserable look on my face.
"Maybe someone built something new out there," he adds in a more conciliatory tone. "But I can't really tell you anything more. I think you should go to the Santoros. Renato will definitely be able to help you."
"Santoros? The estate you mentioned?"
"Yes, right here." He taps the map with his finger. It looks like the place is located on the outskirts of the area Storm marked. "As far as I know, that whole stretch of forest belongs to him, though I really don't think it's been developed in any way."
A faint uneasiness settles over me. Could this Renato be my True Mate?
"Renato? Is he an alpha?" I ask, feeling a slight blush creep across my cheeks.
Davos’s eyebrows rise, and he lets out an amused snort.
"No, dear. Renato's a beta. He's in his sixties by now."
Relief hits me immediately, followed by uncertainty. I doubt this man is my True Mate, although… you never really know. Fated mates can be any age or subgender.
"And you're sure no one else lives with him?"
"Sweetheart, I'm not especially close to Renato. He's… a peculiar sort. He's of the forest folk, while I'm just a regular person."
I gape and the omega suddenly bursts into a strange laugh, and I have no idea what it's supposed to mean.
"I stay in town, you know. I'm just a man, and he… well, you know. He’s more. A powerful guy. People around here take him very seriously."
I fall silent for a moment because the way he puts it is downright bizarre. If the omega is ‘just a man’, so what exactly does that make Renato?
I keep pressing.
"So he lives there completely alone?"
The man sighs with mild impatience.
"No, no. Let me think." He scratches his chin. "Hmm… Old Silvio is probably still alive, Renato’s dad. If he had died, the whole town would be talking about it. He must be somewhere around eighty by now."
Davos closes his eyes as if searching his memory, but I have a feeling he doesn’t have to strain it too much. These kinds of gossip are probably too juicy to forget.
"Renato had three brothers. One of them, Tomasso, was a troublemaker and a gambler who treated his much younger husband, Gianni, terribly. Renato took Gianni in and gave him a place to stay because Tomasso became horribly abusive whenever he was drunk."
I stand there shifting from one foot to the other, suspended between decisions. This information is of no use to me, but I wait patiently, hoping maybe something more will come out of Davos’s mouth.
"Well, I also heard Renato's oldest brother lives with him. Emilio. He was widowed young, and Renato took him in too."
"Sounds like a good guy, Renato."
Davos giggles. "Well, I would say he’s… benevolent if he wants to be. But he's also dangerous if you cross him."
Then he becomes pensive and adds,