We are the Answer {boyxboy} ✔ (Dogs, Bats & Monkeys series, Book I | Rhys)

Chapter 36

I reached for the water bottle at the back seat and drained it all at once before throwing it back to where I'd taken it from.

I could do this... I had to do this.

But what if I failed?

What if I misunderstood how he felt about me, what if everyone was wrong when they'd told me Riley was glowing whenever he looked at me?

I could lose him for good.

Was there a greater pain than losing a mate?

Could I even go on living if he denied me or would I simply crumble to dust, the tiny particles that once formed who I was scattered by the cold wind of rejection?

"Riley loves you, it's obvious," my mom had said, caressing my cheek.

"He blushes at the slightest sign of attention from you," Kennedy had added.

"And you'll have to tell him one day, son." Even now, hours later, I could almost feel my dad's reassuring grip on my shoulder.

"The sooner, the better," Keri had noted, her cousin and brother nodding in agreement. "It will be easier to protect him if he was here with us and he can't move in without you telling him what we are."

"You once told me that love makes people biased, that people cannot not appreciate how much you care for them." Everett had smiled at me, his wife placing her hand in his. "Riley senses how much you care for him; there's no way he wouldn't appreciate such strong affection."

Everyone knew what I'd set out to do tonight, praised my decision and cheered me on. But I could see the worry on their faces. Not because they questioned Riley's love for me, but because they were unsure if it was enough to help him come to terms with what we were, to make him stay with me.

I turned the engine back on and drove to my mate's apartment. He was waiting for me in front of the building, nervous, but not as much as he should be.

I licked my lips and got out of the car to open the door for him.

"Hey." He tried to sound cheerful, but it was nothing close to the greeting I'd gotten over the phone earlier.

I had to pull myself together.

For my sake, for Riley's sake, for our sake.

I had to ignore all my nerves, prickling at me like tiny needles, and concentrate on the task at hand: telling the boy I loved that I was a shifter and that he was my mate.

"Hey." I leaned down and kissed him deep, the bitter knowledge that this might be the last time I did so seeping into my brain and nesting there like a dark, ominous bird.

Our lips parted and I breathed in his scent; would I ever experience the ecstasy of being this close to him again?

I shook my head and opened the door even further, silently inviting Riley into my vehicle.

I can't let my thoughts take that direction, I told myself as I got back in the driver's seat. I have to envision us together after tonight, I had to calm down so I could explain everything clearly: what we are and how I feel.

If anything was going to keep us together, that would be our feelings for each other.

I had to make mine clear... But how?

How could I proclaim my devotion, my adoration without scaring him off with the force of my feelings for him?

I had to find a balance, to show Riley that he was the most important person for me without coming on too strong.

How?

Just how?

I brought his hand to my lips and kissed it; he seemed a bit surprised, but he obviously enjoyed it, his eyes locking on mine. I saw the affection in them and prayed he could perceive how I felt by looking at mine.

I gave his hand a squeeze before I let it go and drove off to my house.

Not my parents'; mine.

If all went well tonight, it would be ours.

Riley's and mine.

Throughout the whole drive, I silently begged the Great Spirits and every deity out there that that would be the case, that I would finally experience the divine blessing of having my mate beside me for the rest of my life.

*****

A/N: So. September 6; what's the big deal?
IT'S WE ARE THE ANSWER'S BIRTHDAY!

Yep. Chapter 1 was uploaded on September 6, 2015; can you believe it's been a whole year?

To celebrate, I'll be posting several Dogs, Bats & Monkeys series goodies and all of the links to them will be given in Ch. 37, which will be uploaded next Tuesday. The goodies are:

- Alec's story sneak peek;

- Which You Are The Answer Character Are You quiz;

- A giveaway - I'll dedicate a chapter or name a pack/a character after the winner, or give them a shout-out (the winner picks which)

Are you excited about the birthday and the goodies?

And maybe for what's to come in the next chapter?

What did you think of this one?

Please support it with a VOTE if you enjoyed it! Have a great time wattpadding!