Painful Rejection - Fate in Blood Trilogy: Book One

Painful Rejection: Chapter Six - The Second Strike

Chapter Six

The Second Strike

The remainder of the day went by quickly and the following morning, Harmony found herself wandering the pack house in search of the kitchen; nearly twenty minutes passed until she finally stumbled into the room. The gentle chill of northern air made the tiles cool under her bare feet, bringing a shiver through her as she tiptoed towards cooking area of the kitchen before realizing someone was already. Thought the intention as to find herself some bacon and eggs, Harmony instead found a short, slim woman hunched over the large sink scrubbing away at a pile of dishes, her short brown hair hung like a curtain concealing her face but she soon found herself recognizing the woman.

"Lori," she inquired cautiously.

The woman raised her head quickly as if startled and her eyes widened as she gazed upon the younger. "Harmony?"

With a bright smile, Harmony nodded.

"Oh my dear, it's been so long! I'd hug the life out of you if I weren't soaked and pruney," she exclaimed, her accent thick and rich with the speech of her British origin.

The short woman before her was slender with blonde waves of hair cut to her shoulders, and a smile to brighten any room and was none other than Lori Haven, the mother of Archer. Though Lori had had Archer at a young age, she always looked so much older to her with deep set wrinkles and dark bags lined under her beautifully deep, forest green eyes. Harmony could vaguely remember a time before the stress of leading a large group of people hadn't taken it's toll on Lori and her husband; during this time, Harmony could recall the bright, silky beauty of Lori's long blonde here that was now short, dry and messy with the sight of some grey and the glowing charm of her youth as she smiled and laughed with a younger and calmer Archer.

"Lori, you look exhausted," Harmony commented, taking into notice the flushed, paleness of her skin and the exaggerated dark shade under her eyes. She took Lori's arm gently in her grasp and lead her to a chair. "You look like you're going to collapse."

She gave a short laugh. "It's nothing, love. I'm just tired. I don't sleep much anymore, not since Marcus anyway," she gave the statement calmly enough as she gave a smile of reassurance; this reaction to such a topic hardly surprised Harmony as much. It had been over five years since the death of her husband yet the trauma of his passing remained silent throughout the pack as everyone seemed to choose to ignore that the ordeal even happened.

"Why don't you head to bed? You could use a nap," Harmony urged.

"Oh no, I couldn't. Archer had friends over this morning and I'm not even half done with these dishes," she stated, gesturing to the large pile of dishes seated beside the sink before moving to rise from her seat before Harmony gently pushed her back into her seat.

"Not a chance. I'll finish up for you while you get some rest," she insisted again.

"Don't be ridiculous, you're our gue-"

"I'm not a guest, Lori. I grew up here, remember?"

Lori gave the younger women a weary smile and suddenly reached her hand up to gently touch Harmony's cheek, startling her with the chill of her fingertips. "You're so lovely, Harmony. I remember when you were quiet as a mouse when you spoke to me and could barely look people in the eye. So different, strong, confident and beautiful," she murmured before sighing. "If only my ditsy son could see it."

A heated blush came over Harmony's cheeks at the woman's words, thinking back to the statement her son had made just the day before. "I, uh . . . H-he does see it, I think. A-and it's quite flattering-"