Destined for Disaster ✔️

Chapter 47

"Because your body – and I'm guessing your wolf too – likes this development. They're in overdrive. You need to wait for the mark to fade a little before you can reject him."

"How long will that take?"

"I don't know. I have no experience with situations like this one. I'm guessing a week or two."

"A week or two?" Ryleigh repeated, her voice changing pitch halfway through.

"I think. It could be shorter, could be longer. I don't know, Ryleigh. What I do know is that his mark is the only reason you're alive right now."

She was breathing in small pants and wrapped her arms around her legs. With a little, strangled groan she dropped her head on top of her knees.

"You don't have time for a mental breakdown," Ridge said. "I've been keeping Austin and the others out of here because I figured you wouldn't want to wake up to an audience, but he's been linking me constantly to ask about you. I can't keep him off for long."

She lifted her head just enough to glimpse at him. "They know who I am."

"Yes. I told Julie you weren't from Golden Dawn – sorry 'bout that, by the way. That's why they went looking for you. And apparently you used magic to save them from Golden Dawn soldiers and they figured out you're a Shadow Walker."

She picked up her head fully now, regarding him. "When did you know?"

He smiled. "Pretty much when I first saw you. I used to have a friend who's a Shadow Walker. He told me Shadow Walkers tend to silver their children in small doses to help them build up a resistance against it. You survived more silverings than any ordinary werewolf could. That had to be the reason why."

She kept her dark eyes trained on him a moment longer, then pursed her lips. "You're smarter than people give you credit for."

"I've been saying that for decades."

She rolled her eyes. Her amusement was short-lived, however. The crushing weight of reality soon made her return to the matter at hand. "I imagine they have questions."

"Tons. I have a few of my own, but I'm patient. They're not."

"If I go see them, I'll have to tell them, won't I?"

He gave her a one-shouldered shrug. "They'll try to get it out of you, for sure."

"Did Ellis tell Alder yet? Am I going to be arrested and executed?"

"I don't know, but I doubt Ellis is going to let anything happen to his brother's mate. Especially now. You've saved the life of both beta's. That's impressive."

She shook her head. "It's crazy. I'm crazy."

"Not going to argue with you there. So, are you ready to face them?"

"No. Please don't link them. I'm not ready." She looked past him at the backdoor.

"Looking pretty inviting, huh? You can leave that way. I'm not going to stop you. I'll just tell you it's a bad idea."

"Why? I know it's cruel to leave without rejecting him, but I can't wait two more weeks. I don't have that long."

"There's something you need to understand about that mark there."

Her fingers found the mark again. She couldn't stop touching it. Every time she did, a shiver ran down her spine. "What is it?"

"You're alive right now because by marking you, Austin gave you a bit of his health, as it were. It's his strength battling the silver inside your body, not your own. So when the mark fades..." He paused. "Ryleigh, if you reject him, you're going to die."

She was silent, staring down pensively. "This floor really needs a clean."

"Ryleigh, this is serious."

"I won't die."

"Yes, you will. I know you're strong, but the moment that mark fades, you're right back to dying. You can't deal with that much silver on your own."

"I won't die, Ridge," she said. She raised a hand to stop his objection. "I have been silvered seventeen times. Do you think there's currently seventeen doses of silver in my body?"

"No. There can't be," he said. "That would have killed you ages ago. But how? Our bodies can only break down silver in tiny amounts."

"Call it a Shadow Walker secret. I have ways. I'll live. So the backdoor is an option. A good option, even."

"I have so many questions," Ridge said, "but I'll let it go. Don't you think you owe them a story? You know, forget that. Do you really think you can leave without rejecting him and move on with your life? Do you think you can live with doing that – not just to him, but to yourself?"

"I don't know," she said, "but if I go talk to him, I'm not sure he'll let me go. Or what if Ellis won't let me go? They all know I'm a Shadow Walker now. It's illegal for me to exist. If they turn me in..."

"There's only one way to find out," Ridge said. "Besides, who's going to stop you? Julie told me you took down four wolves on your own, and that after you'd crashed off a cliff into a river with a feral wolf. I would like to see them try." He got up with a groan and extended her a hand. "We both know you're not going to walk away from this. Shall I link them?"

She grabbed his hand and let him pull her upright. "No." She glanced at the clock. "Are they at breakfast?"

"I imagine so. You shouldn't be leaving the infirmary yet, though. You can barely walk."

"I have to. I need to meet them on my own terms."

"You don't always need to be strong, you know," he said. "You've already proven you are."

She almost seemed to consider it, but then shook her head. "I just need to get out of here. I can't breathe. Please, Ridge. Don't link them. Let me go."

"Alright," he said. "But I want you to come right back afterwards. I need to keep you under observation a while longer."

"Fine," she said. She pushed her hair out of her face and straightened her back. Her hands fluttered over her nightgown and she glanced up at him. "Do you happen to have any clothes here?"

He smiled. "Of course."

It took her ten minutes to change. Ridge consistently told her he could help, and she constantly declined. She slipped on her shoes and nodded a few times, gathering courage from reserves she didn't know she had.

"Good luck," Ridge said.

She walked to the front door, shooting him a grin over her shoulder. "I'm a Shadow Walker," she said. "I don't need luck."

The walk to the pack house had her out of breath and she took a minute standing in the hallway, eying the door to the breakfast parlour with rising trepidation. There was no use in postponing the inevitable and so she forced herself into motion again and walked into the room.

All the important people were there, and they all stared at her as though they saw the dead rising. In a way, they weren't wrong. Complete silence fell.

Austin was on his feet instantly. "Ryleigh!" When he got too close, she set a step back. She moved a hand up, drawing her hair over the mark on her neck, hyper aware of it. A glance around the room told her that everyone else present – the brothers, Julie, Sky and Carry – was staring at her and Austin in silent curiosity to see what would happen next.

"Are you alright?" Austin asked, reaching for her. She jerked back.

"I can't believe you marked me."

His brows slanted towards each other. "I had to."

She made the mistake of glancing up at him. Goddess, was it just her or had those eyes only gotten more gorgeous since she'd last gazed in them?

"We'll discuss it later," she said. She turned to the others. "I think I owe you a story." 

________

A/N: Could this be the moment you've all been waiting for? Is Ryleigh going to tell the truth - the truth, the full truth, and nothing but the truth? Stay tuned to find out ;) 

Thank you for reading!