Chapter Twenty
To say that I was in trouble was an understatement. As soon as I had reached my house, my mother had scolded me. I was home later than I should’ve been, however after making up some excuse, I was off the hook. I felt bad for lying to my mother, but I couldn’t have said ‘Hey mum I nearly was kidnapped by werewolves and half the school happen to be them too’. What I didn’t know was that Ryder had told Summer that he was going to drop me off at my house, so she didn’t seem suspicious. I do feel guilty for ditching her though, after all we went together.
When I woke up the next morning, I saw that I had a text from Ryder.
Meet me in the woods-
Ryder
I read the text remembering Ryder had told me he was going to explain to me more about the werewolf world. It still came as a shock to me that they even existed. I had gone through with my daily regime of getting changed and ready. However, as I was changing I stumbled into my draws.
“Stupid draws” I mumbled angrily. I looked at the draws and remembered the little box in it, the little box that contained all the letters. I opened the draw hesitantly and took the little box out. I should take them with me, I decided. After what had happened yesterday, I didn’t want to take any chances. With that in mind, I threw the letters into my little satchel.
I checked all of the rooms and saw that my mother and Sophie were asleep. Knowing that later I was going to be in trouble for this, I snuck out of the house, leaving a small note saying that I was going to be with my friends and to not worry. A rush of excitement walked through me, as I snuck out. It wasn’t like me to be this way, but it felt nice.
As I approached the edge of the woods, I saw a shadowed figure. I clutched my bag closer, the outline of my pocket knife touching my wrists. I had kept it in there just in case; I didn’t want a repeat of last night. It turned out that the shadowed figure was none other than Ryder. Letting out a breath of relief, my heart returned to its normal rate.
Ryder was leaning against a tree, wearing some grey jeans and a black hoodie. Subconsciously, I pulled my hoodie tighter. The weather was still cold, especially at this time in the morning. It was only ten am.
“Hey” I quietly said reaching the destination. The wind softly blew the strands of hair that escaped my loose ponytail. It was a better day than the others. Although the weather was still a bit chilly, you could see the sun softly shining, highlighting the tops of the trees. Towards my right were the woods, and on my left you could see in the distance houses and a few cars. I looked at Ryder who was also looking at me.
“Hey” he replied, after that followed a long awkward silence. I internally groaned. Just once I would like to speak with someone without the horrible awkwardness!
“So...” I drawled, “Why did you call me here?” He seemed to be having an inner conversation with himself; I have to ask him about that. It was a stupid question to ask since I knew why I was here, but I guess that’s what awkward situations make you do.
“You need to know about us werewolves” he said seriously, and continued on, “There are things you need to know, I know it may seem overwhelming, but bear with me”. I nodded my head feeling the anxiety swell in my heart. I suddenly felt nervous. It felt kind of like those times when your teacher says they need to talk to you and you feel scared that you did something wrong, or there was something wrong.
“Now that you know that we’re mates, your duty as the luna of the pack will have to begin” he said seriously. I gulped nervously.
“I don’t want to force this role on you but as a Luna, that is if you choose to be, you have to meet the pack”.
“How many people are in the pack?” I asked nervously, praying it was a small pack.
“Our pack is not the biggest-” I sighed in relief, “but it one of the strongest. Not only do you have to meet the pack, but you’d also have to meet my family” Ryder hesitated before saying the word ‘family’. My heart stopped for a minute. I had to meet his family? Granted, I met Anna and had an unfortunate meeting with Blake, but I had to see his parents?
He seemed to notice my sudden change of mood and grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. It was nice seeing the gentle side of Ryder. Normally he’s really serious. I understand he has to take control over his pack, but he’s only eighteen.
“Can you give me some time before I see them?” I spoke quietly. We were now sitting on the floor, both of us leaning against the same tree. My hand was still held by Ryder’s.
“Take all the time you need Tess”
I rested my head on his shoulder, thinking about his parents. Ryder never really told me much about them, actually he didn’t say anything. Everything I already know about them, I know because of Summer.
“Can I ask you something?” My voice softly echoed throughout the woods. I took his silence as a yes and continued.
“What happened between you and your family” my voice loosed its confidence once I felt him stiffen. It may seem like an inappropriate question but since we’re giving ‘us’ a go, I want to know about him. Ryder never really talks about himself to me, about his life or family. However, the question sounded a lot better in my head and now that I’ve said it, I regret it.
“That story is for another day. It’s a long one and quite a depressing one too.” He chuckled but I knew it was forced and could hear the pain in it. I suddenly felt guilty and felt as though I crossed some boundaries.
“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have asked” I said embarrassed and with that we left it there. If he wasn’t ready yet I won’t force him to tell me, because I wouldn’t want the same done to me either.
I jumped up surprising Ryder. He chuckled as I rummaged through my bag trying to find the letters. I pulled them out, confusing Ryder.
“I forgot to tell you something. Um, I don’t know how to say this because I don’t quite know what it is either, but I’m pretty sure I have a stalker” I said calmly, shocking myself at how sober I sounded. Ryder looked confused; I nudged him to read the notes. As he read them I saw how his emotions raced from dazed, to concerned, and finally to anger. He clenched the notes, scrunching parts of it in his hands. I could see him trying to keep his wolf at bay. I hesitantly placed my hands on his hands, and watched as his anger cooled.
“What is this?” I could see him trying to restrain his anger.
“I don’t know. I think someone is following me, sometimes I can feel them watching me! I don’t know how or why. The second note I found in my bag and the first one in my home, I don’t know if this is a prank or what. For the past few months I felt as though-”
“Wait. This has been going on for months and you’re only telling me now” Ryder said quietly but I could hear the anger in his voice. I didn’t like him like this, I may sound like a child but it is scary. His eyes are turning darker indicating just how mad he was.
“I was scared” I said quietly. His eyes softened and soon his eyes returned to their normal colour. He sighed running a hand through hair.
“I’m sorry for being angry with you” he spoke with sincerity, something you don’t find in many men, something that I like about him. I gave him a small smile to tell him it was alright.
“I’ve been thinking lately that could it be that my stalker is a werewolf? Since the murders started the same time as the letters, it could be a possibility” I stated. The thought of this person, or thing, being a werewolf scared me more. That gives my stalker another upper hand. Ryder looked impressed by my findings, almost making me grin. Then he brought the letters up to his nose and sniffed it and it definitely freaked me out.
“Why are you sniffing the letters?” I said slowly, my eyebrows scrunched in confusion.
“I’m sniffing it to see if there are any traces of a werewolf scent on it, but there is no scent” he looked rather confused himself. I’m guessing everyone has a certain scent, right? So if there is no scent does that mean the person isn’t a person, or they’re just an evil genius? I sighed, realising we have no lead on this person whatsoever. I sat down on the floor, fiddling with a not-so-interesting twig.
“So what do we do now?” I breathed out. Ryder looked at me determinedly.
“I’m going to have one of the fighters in the pack follow you so you can-”
“No” I firmly said surprising Ryder. He raised his eyebrows, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips.
“Did you just say no?” he questioned me. I crossed my arms standing my ground. There was no way I was going to have someone follow me around all day; I have enough stalkers as it is!
“Yes I said no” I replied. Ryder crossed his arms too, our eyes battling with each others. He tried to stare me down, but after a few minutes of no progress, he sighed. I tried to contain my smile as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“Then what do you think we should do?” he asked me and I grinned at him, finally happy that he asked.
“Teach me how to fight” I said my voice as hard as stone. Ryder seemed to be taken aback by my request. He looked at me, as though as he was trying to see how sure I was about this.
“Think about it. Right now I’m weak, defenceless. Sure you could get me a bodyguard, but at one point I will be by myself and I want to be able to defend myself. Then, at least you have the ease of knowing that even when I am by myself, I can still defend myself. It’s the holidays as well which means you can train me without any interruptions” I tried to persuade him. I really wanted to fight so that when we fight this battle, I’ll know that I’m not completely defenceless.
“Fine” Ryder’s quiet voice echoed throughout the woods.
“Really?” I asked excitedly, jumping in joy when he nodded. I ran over to him and hugged him, thanking him thousands of times. Ryder’s arms hugged my waist as I grinned against his chest. I looked up at him smiling. I could see the hint of a smile of his face and his eyes full of amusement.
“I won’t let you down” I whispered firmly. He leaned closer, his breath fanning my face. I closed my eyes leaning towards him too.
“Training begins tomorrow at six am. You better not be late” he whispered back. My eyes snapped open as I saw him wink at me before walking away.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Soo... I've been gone for a long time huh? Let me start off by saying, sorry! I wasn't meant to be gone for so long, but past couple of weeks, I seriously lost interest in writing. I don't know if it was my story or me, but I didn't feel like it. I know it's not fair to just leave like that and again I'd like to apologise. However, do not fear because I still plan to be here! See what I did ther ^.^ I'm happy to say I'm back and I will continue this story and continue to stay on Wattpad. Now that's out of the way I would like to say Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Birthday (If you recently had your birthday). One of my new years resolution is to write more frequently and I'm starting now! Thank you all who have read, supported, followed and voted my book! I love you ;)
Stay out of jail!
C.I.A