"Where is Ryleigh?" Austin linked her guards. He was asking that question more often than he liked lately.
"She's at the school."
That was a first. "What is she doing there?"
"Far as we can tell, she's following Camden's class."
Austin walked to the school, shaking his head. He entered the building, memories of his own time spent there washing over him, and walked through the long corridor to where he saw Seth and Nate. They were standing right outside one of the classrooms, leaning against the wall.
"You're not in there with her?" Austin asked, wincing as his voice reverberated through the empty hall. There was no window through which they could gaze into the room and for all he knew, Ryleigh had used this opportunity to escape.
"Camden wouldn't let us," Nate said. "Said it would distract the teens."
"And Ryleigh wouldn't?"
"Camden said he'd manage her."
Camden was far past his prime and Austin had little doubt who would win if Ryleigh decided to fight him for her escape. But then there were about twenty teens in the room with her, some of whom where promising fighters. This was Ryleigh, though, and you could never be too careful.
The door squeaked open and a teenager slipped out of the room, halting in his tracks when he noticed Ryleigh's entourage. A slow grin spread over the kid's face. "Your mate is funny," he said, then walked on to wherever he was going.
Austin just managed to get a glimpse inside the room before the door clicked shut again. Ryleigh was sitting near the back of the class, beside Carry. Just like the night in the hall, she was sitting with her head propped up on her hands, watching Camden intently.
"How long ago did the class start?" he asked.
"About an hour? I think they'll be done soon."
Austin nodded and decided to wait, if only so he could ask her why she had reduced herself to a schoolgirl. Not five minutes later, the door opened again and this time a stream of adolescents trickled outside.
It had been a fair while since Austin had last set foot in the classrooms and when he entered Camden's class then, he remembered how much he had enjoyed history classes.
Carry and Ryleigh were still sitting at their desks at the back, chatting and chuckling. Camden leant against the desk across from theirs, smiling along with their conversation. All three of them looked up when Austin came in.
"Beta," Camden said, inclining his head. "It's been a long time since I've last seen you in here." He turned to Ryleigh. "Did he tell you that he used to be my star student?"
"No," she said, her eyes flitting to him. "I'm not surprised."
"I was looking for you," Austin said.
Her brows shot up. "O, Goddess, what have I done now?"
"Nothing. What are you doing here?"
"Ryleigh expressed to me how much she enjoyed my stories," Camden said, pride shining in his eyes, "so I invited her to join my class. I must say, Beta, she has been a great addition. The students love her and she asks all the right questions."
"You flatter me," Ryleigh said, getting up. "Thank you for letting me sit in. It was very interesting."
"I teach another class tomorrow morning. Interested?"
"Definitely! I'll be there." She grinned at Camden and Austin wondered if she'd ever smile at him like that.
"Alright, I'm all yours," she said, shooting Austin a look before leaving the classroom. "Thanks for waiting for me, guys." She smiled at the guards, who smiled back at her and followed beside her rather than behind her as she left. She glanced back over her shoulder to see if he was coming or not.
"Since when do you two get along with her?" he linked the guards.
"Since pretty much the start. She's very nice, Beta."
He frowned and hurried after them.
"What did you need me for?" she asked, pushing open the front door and stepping outside. She tipped her head back, shaking her hair from her face, and closed her eyes against the light. She ran her hands through her locks and stretched a little.
"You can go," Austin said to the guards, shooting them mildly annoyed looks because they had allowed themselves to be charmed by Ryleigh.
"Bye, Seth. Bye, Nate. See you in a bit," she said, shooting them another smile. Austin was pretty sure she was doing it on purpose – making friends with everyone but him just to show him he was the problem. Well, he wasn't.
"I didn't know you were following Camden's classes," he said.
"This was the first time. Carry took me with her. I enjoyed it. I've been awfully bored, you know. Imprisonment is tedious, especially since you won't let me join training either."
"Ridge said you're not nearly strong enough to be fighting. Besides, I don't trust you."
She scowled at him, but dropped the topic. "So, why are you here? Did you miss me?"
"Goddess no."
Ryleigh chuckled. "Want to take a stroll? I'm restless." She didn't wait for his reply and started walking, trusting he'd follow. And he did.
"How's the shoulder?" he asked.
"Still a bit painful, but I can move it around just fine." She lifted her left arm as proof. "I have to say, I thought anyone willing to be your mate has to be at least a little bit delusional, but I like Julie."
"You do?"
"O, yeah. She intrigues me. I'm glad she's back."
The slightest crease formed between his brow. "You are?"
"Are you serious? Yes. Of course."
"Why?"
Her eyes found his. "You ask so many questions. Because it's all a bit too intense, isn't it? Everyone wants us together except for us. And Conall, but he doesn't really count, since he's just against everything. Julie is on our side, I imagine."
"Right. Our side."
"Yeah, you know. The side that wants me out of here by the end of the month. Or sooner, preferably, but you won't let me."
He turned his eyes skywards and decided a change of topic might be wise. "So, how come you don't already know all the things Camden is teaching? It's pretty basic stuff."
A shadow travelled over her face. "I'm not dumb, you know."
"I wasn't saying –"
"You were calling me out on not knowing the things he is teaching teenagers."
"I don't think you're dumb. I'm just surprised. Most packs teach history. Doesn't yours?"
She hesitated, regarding him with narrowed eyes. "They do."
"But?"
"You're fishing for information."
"Yes, and you're refusing to give it to me. Come on, this you can tell me, surely."
She pressed her lips together, regarding him with a look he couldn't quite measure. "I was sick a lot as a kid. I missed a lot of school. My parents taught me some things but history wasn't important to them, so they didn't bother telling me too much. I've tried reading up on it, but I haven't had many opportunities."
"You were sick a lot? Werewolves aren't sick often."
Ryleigh moved her gaze down to the muddy ground underneath her feet. It was rare that she voluntarily broke eye contact and Austin wondered if he'd crossed a line he hadn't known was even there.
"I have a long and complicated history with silver," she said. "The first time I got silvered, I was six. It was a wrong place, wrong time kind of moment. Took an arrow to the abdomen." She lifted up her shirt and showed him a silverish scar. She shrugged. "Took me out of the running for a while."
Austin knew enough about silver to know that children reacted even more strongly to it. "I'm sorry to hear it."
"Don't be. Did you know that if you get silvered with little quantities, you build up a sort of resistance to it? If I hadn't gotten silvered back then, I might not be breathing right now."
"I didn't know that," Austin said. "You must have quite a resistance by now, then." He glanced at her, not sure in how much of a sharing mood she was. "Most of your scars are from silver, aren't they? The one on your shoulder seems the worst."
Her hand moved to cradle her shoulder, a frown marring her features. She caught herself doing it and stuffed her hands into her pockets instead. "I don't talk about that."
She avoided his gaze and something pulled at his heart. Sympathy? Maybe. Was it the mate bond giving him a taste of her pain? Who knew.
"You've had a difficult life, haven't you?"
She didn't respond to that, but the way her eyes fluttered close for a second and her whole body tensed said it all. And Austin knew that when the month was over, she was going to go back to that life.
******
That night, Austin listened to Ryleigh stirring fretfully. After a few minutes, she drew in a sharp breath.
"Austin?"
He rolled onto his back, turning his head to look at her. They'd been laying quietly in the dark for a while and his eyes had grown sufficiently accustomed to the night to make out her shape, and the dim glow of gold that glazed over her eyes.
"I need you to get in bed with me," she said, a gasp cutting off her words.
"What?"
She writhed, clenching her teeth. "Please."
He pushed his covers away and pushed to his feet. "Are you sure?"
"Now."
He slipped into her bed – his bed. She released a shaky breath as his scent surrounded her at its full force.
"Give me your hand," she said, flinching. He moved his hand under the covers, searching for hers and finding it with little trouble. She wrapped her fingers around his and her eyes returned to black. "Thanks."
"No problem." She was so close her breath fanned his face. He didn't think he'd ever been this close to her. "So, should I just stay here?"
She nodded. "Yes. At least until it's over."
"Do you want to tell me what 'it' is yet?"
"Nice try. Make yourself comfortable. I have a feeling this might take a while. Best to just go to sleep if you can." She was lying on her side, facing him, her eyes shut and her warm hand still in his. Her hair was framing her face and sprawled out over her pillow, which made her look far more innocent than she was.
"I can feel you staring at me," she said.
He closed his eyes, but it didn't matter. Her face was burned into his memory.
______
A/N: Ryleigh's going back to school and Austin finally gets to sleep in his own bed again, even if just for the night. Interesting things happening ;)
Thanks for reading!