A/N ok so the age of the twins is going to be 15 instead of 12, I didn't think much about their age when I started planning this book, just that they were twins and put Ryker through a lot.
"Do you think papa is ok?" Martin asked me as he sat on the floor, picking up my discarded pencil that I was writing with in my notebook.
"I don't know. He was quiet during dinner and didn't talk to us much before we went to bed last night or this morning during breakfast. It's like he's a robot just doing things on autopilot." I said and he nodded and tapped the pencil against his knee.
"Do you think it has anything to do with Ryker?"
"Definitely. We need to do something to start apologizing to Ryker for everything we did to him." I said and he gave me a thoughtful look.
"What do you suggest? It's not like one thing we do will make up for it all? We put him through hell." He said and I groaned as I sat beside him.
"So? I don't care Martin. We were in the wrong and it's time we owned up to our actions and make things right with Ryker." I said and fixed my tank top strap and smoothed out my skirt against my long hairless legs. I started shaving and dressing more like a girl these past few days and my twin and papa have done nothing but support me.
I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to get seen and finally start my transition from male to female and I'm excited but also scared which is why papa already set up an appointment with a therapist so I can work on the issues and get the comfort and help I need.
"So what is your new name going to be? You kept me waiting long enough." He asked and I smiled, showing him the keychain I had made with my new name, the one I felt I was born to be, the one I wished to be called for the past few years.
"Maya, I love it. I am so proud of you, you know? You are becoming who you were meant to be with such grace and you are truly beautiful. I'm happy for you, Maya." Martin said with a slight blush on his tan cheeks that match my own.
"Thank you. You have no idea how much your support means to me." I looked down and smiled when I felt his hand on mine and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Before he could reply, there was a loud knock on the front door so we got up and went to answer the door, only to have my blood run cold and my body starting to tremble with fear as Ryker stood on the other side, mouth agape and his hand mid air. He was also frozen and Martin looked nervous between us and stood in front of me, to protect me.
"What are you doing here Ryker?" Martin asked and Ryker looked at me and him and back at me before he put his hand down and cleared his throat.
"I was looking for Altan but now I can't stop wondering, why are you dressed like a girl?" He asked me and I sighed, not wanting to face him but I have no choice now.
"Would you like to come in?" I asked and he narrowed his eyes at us.
"Why, so you can torture me again? No thanks."
"Ryker, please?" We begged and he kept his eye on us as he walked through the door. To see him be so guarded hurt and it's our fault he's like this. We made our big strong tiger shifter brother scared of us, what the hell did we do?
"Would you like something to drink?" Martin offered Ryker and he slowly shook his head but Martin got him a Gatorade anyway because he looked like he had been at practice because he had his gym bag with him and he was wearing basketball shorts and a tank top.
"Thanks." He took a big gulp and I couldn't help but notice how a drop left his lips and rolled down his chiseled chin onto his strong neck. I licked my lips as I looked at his muscular arm as it wasn't even flexed but you could see his muscles and they were such a turn on, I just wanted to run my tongue along every single one on his beautiful artwork of a body.
"Here, you look like you need a drink too." Martin handed me one with a mysterious glint in his eyes, making me blush.
"So you want to know why I'm dressed like this? It's because I'm um I ah amen I'm transitioning from male to female." I said and he didn't seem surprised or even shocked by my confession, he seemed rather pleased for some reason.
"I had a feeling something was different when we were growing up, now it makes sense." He said, managing to shock me because he didn't say anything horrible to me about it.
"So that's it, no degrading words, no nasty looks, no harsh words, nothing?" Martin asked, shocked just as much as I am.
"No, she can't help who she is, right?" He said and I felt my throat get tight at the lump that formed and my eyes get watery.
"Besides, you're not the only one who's different. Turns out, I am intersex. I have female insides and male outside. I even started having a period a few days ago so if anyone can understand this, it's me." Again, Ryker shocks us both that we have to sit down and we all three look at one another and after a few minutes of silence, Ryker starts laughing and it's so contagious that Martin and I join him.
"Listen, we may have our differences, but if anyone at school gives you a hard time, come to me and I will put them in their place. No one but me can mess with my sister, got it?" Ryker said and I didn't know what the heck to say. I was at a loss for words because after everything, he just proved yet again how amazing he is.
"Do you really mean that Ry?" Martin asked and Ryker nodded.
"I do. I learned some truths recently and as much as I am hurt about our papa, this has nothing to do with him. I want us to try and move on. All this hatred I feel isn't healthy and at one point when we were kids, we were inseparable and I want that again. It won't be overnight but I think with effort on all our parts, we can be better siblings towards one another. What do I call you now because I assume Matthew isn't going to be your name much longer?" Ryker said and for the first time in years, it was nice being able to talk to him again, without having our dads in our ears about hurting Ryker.
"Maya." I said and he smiled.
"That's a beautiful name. So Maya, Martin, why did papa leave those two after all these years?" He asked so we told him everything, not holding back, even the abuse they did to papa.
"So he wasn't lying. They really did hurt him?" He asked more to himself, but we nodded anyway.
"I know it's going to take more than a simple I'm sorry from us Ry but we are. We are so sorry for everything we did to you. We knew it wasn't right but we did it anyway and we will regret it for a very long time." I said and Martin and I grabbed each of his hands and he looked at us and sighed softly.
"Why? Why did you do what you did?"
"We were told you were a hunter's son and that you couldn't be trusted, even if papa was also your dad. That Brent couldn't be trusted and hearing that every single day of our lives, being so young, we believed them. We didn't truly understand how negative they were until dad Gary flipped on Maya for being herself. We now know what we did was wrong and we will do everything in our power to make it right with you Ryker, no matter what."
"You can start by taking me back to the pack so I can talk to Ethan about all of this." Ryker said and his eyes just like papa Amars went neon blue when he would show himself with papa.
"What are you going to do?" I asked and he shook his head.
"You don't need to worry about that. Just ask papa if you can use his necklace because you need to go back to the pack, if he asks for what, tell him it's a favor for me."
"Ok, over the weekend? You still have school and I have an appointment tomorrow that I can't miss plus we need to get registered for school this week."
"Sure, that gives me time to talk to daddy and make some plans." He said and smiled at the mention of Brent.
"He's a good dad to you isn't he?" I asked and he nodded and smiled even more.
"He's the best. He doesn't realize how amazing he is." Ryker had such a fondness to him when talking about Brent that I almost wouldn't recognize him if he wasn't here in front of me.
"Yea he would put us in our places before we could even say a word. I have a lot of respect for him. He went through a lot and it didn't seem to change him." Martin added and I had to agree with him.
"That's why I'm the way I am. He raised me to be the best me I could be no matter what is thrown my way. Now that you two are out of that toxic environment, you will see that not all parents are like yours and that life isn't how you lived it. You have a whole new life here and you can choose to make better choices and choose to be better people. I love it here. I'm glad daddy wanted to live here. There are many different shifters here, a small wolf pack but most aren't in packs or clans or tribes, we're a group of well rogues but not you know what I mean? We live with the freedom that comes with being who we are without the shit that comes with being part of a pack or whatever. Papa and I aren't the only tiger shifters here, there are vampires, warlocks, witches, wolves, fairies, elves, hybrids and they are all amazing. You'll see as you get to know the town and come to school. Our café is a safe place, not just for people to eat but daddy and Austin have helped many creatures throughout the years by healing them and taking care of them, letting them stay with Austin in the apartment. No one is treated any differently for being who they are here and it's beautiful." He said and I was in awe at the story he told and saw Brent in a whole new light.
"That's amazing, I can't wait to get to know everyone, see how things are here." I said and he smiled and gosh it's a beautiful smile.
"Ok I'm gonna get going, here text me and let me know how your appointment goes and any time if you want, both of you." Ryker wrote down his number and handed it to me.
"See ya later Ryker." We said and he left.
"That wasn't at all what I was expecting when he knocked on the door. I had a hard time believing that was actually Ryker in our house talking to us the way he was. I liked it." Martin said and I agreed, it was nice being able to talk to our brother again, like before.
Maybe things will be better for us now that we are talking and being the siblings we were supposed to be all along.