Tressandra
I squeeze my lips shut, not quite knowing what to say when Ryk fights Alpha Veiler in a verbal battle. I just stay quiet. Veiler wants to send me home with my family after all that's happened to us. My father and sister are dead, and he says I should be at home with my family where I belong. I agree with that.
Ryk disagrees. He wants us to have a private place of our own. I also agree with that, a lot. I'm afraid to be out of his sight. He might disappear.
He holds me tightly in his arms as he walks. I'm high off the ground, and I clutch at his neck with everything I have. I'm not used to being toted around, but something tells me I'm going to have to get used to this because this won't be the last time it happens. With the way my mate is acting, I know I'll be dealing with his protective nature.
"She belongs with me. I'm her mate."
Veiler sighs, holding back fury as he tries to catch up with my ruthless mate.
"And they are her family."
Ryk growls, stopping in his tracks, refusing to walk alongside the stoic Alpha any longer. His strong arms clench around me, and I don't mind. Feeling him hold me reminds me that I'm alive.
"Why don't we ask her. It should be Tressandra's choice where she stays. I will only respect her decision. We can't tell her where to go and what to do." Ryk insists, and I lean against his chest. If I didn't think I could love him any more, then I was definitely wrong.
Wait a minute, love? Did I really just think that? I am falling for Ryk, but I don't quite know if I'm in love yet. How can I know if I'm in love? I'm so confused. I should just go with it, and figure everything out later.
I quickly decide where I want to go.
"I want to come with you." I tell him, only looking at his eyes. I know that being with my family would be what's best for them, but I don't want to go back to that house. Being under that roof, I sometimes forget to breathe, and I don't want to be there. I wake up every morning with a pit in my stomach.
Do they really need me to grieve? How useful am I really? Guilt swamps me. Am I a horrible person because I want to be alone after going through a trauma?
I'm shaking by now, still stuck in Ryk's arms as he's taking me away. I'm dimly aware of our housing being discussed, but I can't stop my mind from bugging me.
Even after everything that has happened, I'm terrified that Mother will ruin all of this. What if she escapes? What if she finds out about Ryk? What if she tells him how horrible I am and he leaves me?
Every thought rattles around in my skull like a nightmare. I don't know how to make it stop. I'm startled when a hand drops onto my head and the rocking of my mate's body stops.
"Angel, what's troubling you?" His voice murmurs in my ear, and I lean into him as the trembling settles down. "You are my heart, and I can't be at peace unless you are happy."
Of course his words are so sweet, and it melts me from the inside out. My guilt grows when I see him worry. I forget that mates are so in tune with how the other is feeling. It's the Moon Goddess's way of making sure that things run smoothly. I'm so scared to communicate how I'm feeling.
"Everything is happening so fast." I murmur, and I try to close my eyes, but every time my eyes are closed I see Martha, I see my Dad, I see Mother waiting to further me again.
It's a nightmare. I'm living in hell, and Ryk is a beam of light shining onto me.
"Yes, and I'm sorry, my little mate, but we will get you home and you will rest. Trust me to care for you." Ryk soothes me, and he's walking again, but now he's holding me a little higher up.
I'm so safe and secure with him, he doesn't need to ask me to trust him, I already do. I feel like I've known him my whole life.
Eventually a door closes behind us, and I blink away tears of relief when the warmth of the indoors embraces me. I didn't realize how scary the outside was until now.
Ryk won't put me down until we get up a flight of stairs. I wonder in the back of my mind where we are. I know there are plenty of empty cabins around the edge of the pack, mostly for the border patrol members in a pinch.
Obviously they quickly arranged for us to go somewhere to get Ryk out of the way. I'm thankful. I hated being around all of those people. I'm glad to be safely hidden away so I can grieve.
My mate settles me down on something soft, and it takes no time at all to figure out I'm on a big bed. I spread out, all the aches and pains catching up with me as the adrenaline dwindles. The wound on my neck is still bothering me. The bite pulses and throbs, reminding me of its presence.
Ryk's fingers brush the gauze wrapped around my throat that helped stop the bleeding. A sinister glare is painted across his pale face, and I almost shrink away at the feel of the waves of energy that are coming off of him. He's so dangerous, and yet I'm not afraid, it's like my body knows he could never hurt me.
"I want to kill him all over again for hurting you, angel. I hate the idea of anyone hurting you. It won't happen ever again." He murmurs, hovering over me with the lightest pair of blue eyes I've ever seen.
He's so overwhelmingly protective of me, and I kind of love it, even as I stay silent. Ryk keeps going, each word more shocking than the next.
"And I'm the only one who can put my teeth on you." He rumbles, and my heart skips a beat. "Make no mistake, it will only be for your pleasure when I leave my mark. I would sooner rip off my own tail than hurt you. These hands are for your enjoyment."
I didn't expect to be this turned on this quickly by a few words, but it sure did the trick. I clear my throat, looking away awkwardly. I'm not quite ready to go there yet. Marking leads to other things. I need a distraction.
"So, maybe we should get to know each other." I offer, and I can't seem to force myself to make eye contact with him. I stare at his white eyebrow hairs. His eyebrows quirk, and I can tell he's amused.
"Alright. I'll start, I suppose." He's suddenly not over me anymore, but sitting on his side right beside me, leaning on his elbow while he props his blonde head up.
"I'm from rural Sweden. I was born in the early 1950's. My favorite color is red. I smoke frequently, but I'd be willing to give it up for you if you don't like it." He says quickly, ending his rant with a heart stopping smile. I'm not surprised that he's from that era of time, it suits him.
I don't exactly know what to say after the information dump. I gulp, scratching the side of my head to give me something to do. My head is so full of thoughts that it's hard to pin one down.
"Well, that would explain the accent." I mumble, and Ryk chuckles. My face burns. That was kind of a stupid thing to say. Does he think I'm stupid?
We sit for only a moment of complete silence. I look up slowly, aware of his observant eyes focused on me. It takes me a second to realize he's waiting for me to say something about myself. It's only fair, I guess. I find my palms becoming slick with sweat as my nerves climb.
What should I tell him? I'm not very interesting, or smart, it'll be obvious to him when I open my mouth. I can't imagine how disappointed he'll be. I might as well tell him the complete truth before he hears it from someone else.
"I was born here, raised here, I've uh, never left." Boring, boring, boring. I look away when I see how intently he's listening to me. I've never had someone listen to me before, or even act interested in me.
He won't be soon, and that's what hurts the most.
"I have 9 siblings, uhm, I mean 8 now." I choke, because it's not quite settled in that we lost Martha today. I wasn't close with her, or any of my siblings, but it's a shock.
Ryk simply runs a hand across my face, and I'm immediately calm again. I can tell he's about to say something to cheer me up, so I force more word vomit out.
"I'm a triplet, but we're fraternal. My favorite color is blue. And I'm the pack bitch."
I say it simply with a casual shrug. I don't expect the reaction it wards. He's on me in an instant, hovering over me, and I react with a shocked gasp. Ryk is back to glaring, and I miss his smile. I hate that his anger is directed at me.
The truth is painful, but it had to be said. Now I know that he hates me, he has to with this reaction. I want to cry suddenly, I feel so empty and sad. A single sob escapes me.
I close my eyes. I can't bring myself to see the rejection in his eyes, I just can't do it.
"Why would you say that about yourself?" Ryk growls, and his hand gently comes up to cup my face again. I stop crying. My eyes flutter open.
He doesn't hate me?
"Because it's true. Everyone knows it. Stick around and you'll hear it once or twice. Every pack has a bitch, and I'm it." I explain, sniffling while my words soak in to my mate.
"Just because people call you something, it doesn't mean it's true. How people perceive you is not your problem. Don't ever call yourself that again, or I'll go kill every pack member that even looks at you wrong. You're perfect."
"I'm far from perfect, Ryk! There is no hope for me, no redemption. I've said and done terrible things. How can I come back from that? How do I deserve you?" I demand, trying to sit up and failing when he shoves me down again.
He stares down at me, his crystal blue eyes glistening with determination.
"I've killed. I've slaughtered. I've done unspeakable things, and I know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for one as evil as me. That means there is hope for you, my angel."
"And how do you know that?" I ask bitterly.
He presses his fingers to my chin, tilting my face up to stare down at me.
"Because as soon as I saw you, I knew there was hope."
Ryk explains it like it's so simple, and then he proceeds to shove his face in the side of my neck that isn't injured. He takes a deep, shuttery breath of my skin and settles half of his weight on top of me, effectively pinning me to the bed. I don't mind, I don't fight him, I'm too busy trying to dissect what he said. It's a revelation, something I didn't even think about.
We're both being redeemed, because we've been given a second chance when we found each other,
I'm tingling from head to toe, inside and out, and I realize that this is the first time that someone has ever said something that made me smile.
My mate is a miracle.
✄❥ ✄❥ ✄❥ ✄❥ ✄❥ ✄❥ ✄❥ ✄❥ ✄❥ ✄❥
If you're reading this, you're worth it:)
I'm very very very very very sorry for how late this chapter is. I've been quite busy, and when I'm busy I prioritize Hendrix. I hope y'all understand.
Any thoughts on the chapter? Leave them in the comments.
Next update will be on Wednesday. See you then!