#Chapter24I don't know how long we have been laying beside the lake. Aurora is laid with her head against her paws with Ryder resting his head on top of hers."Ryder wants to meet you," Rhydian commented through our link.He wants to meet me? Why would he want to meet me?'We're his mate. He's met me, now he wants to meet you.' Aurora whined.'Suppose so...' I groaned as Aurora moved her head slightly making Ryder grunt."Make sure he stays where he is," I warned Rhydian through our link.Ryder sat on the ground, keeping his eyes glued on us. Aurora crouched low and we began the shift. The sounds of bones cracking and snapping filled the air. My bones snapped back into my human form as the fur disappeared.I kneeled in front of him, waiting for him to come to me. He stood up and wandered over to cautiously. He stopped maybe a foot in front of me, sat down and just watched me.When neither of us attempted to move, Ryder laid in front of me, resting his head on his paws. I gigg
#Chapter25I tossed and turned trying to fall asleep, but I'm too agitated, it just isn't happening. I have every possible scenario running through my head at how tomorrow will play out. My conversation with Rhydian on the walk home has made everything ten times worse.Every time I close my eyes I see the pained look of guilt and regret spiralling around Rhydian's eyes. This must have something to do with the conversation I heard between him and Lucas. I'm kicking myself for spending time with him...I growled, flailing myself around on my bed like I'm possessed. I'm so fucking angry at myself. Why did I let him get this close?! It's almost like he's in my head. I know the mate band works in mysterious ways but how can you be so drawn to someone you don't want?'But we do want him.' Aurora whined.'No. I don't want anything to do with the mate bond. We still don't know if this is real.' I groaned.I don't trust him but hell, if I don't want him here right now. I pulled the pillow
#Chapter26I sat staring at Lucas dumbfounded. Blinking rapidly like a dear caught in headlights. "I... Um... Rhydian's lying." I spluttered. That didn't sound very convincing at all. Lucas raised his brows at me and frowned. "Rhydian didn't say anything to me." I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding in." I worked it out on my own." He shrugged."But how?" I asked, confused. He chuckled and placed his coffee cup down. "You didn't hide it very well if that's what you were trying to do." He smiled. "I had an inkling, after the situation with Selena." He explained, leaning back on the sofa. "But it wasn't until you ran that I knew." He sighed.I took a deep breath before sighing. "He was distraught Amaris. He didn't understand why." He explained, "I could see it in his eyes, he was confused." He sighed. I sighed and let myself fall against the sofa. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked a hint of sadness laced his voice. I closed my eyes and sighed exhaustedly. "You know," He h
#Chapter27"What?" I choked.Of everything I thought he was going to tell me, that wasn't even on the list. I definitely must have heard wrong. I mean, if it was his fault, why the hell is he still here? I turned to run but before I could, Rhydian grabbed my arm. "No, wait!" He gulped, gripping my arm. I turned, growling at him. He flinched but kept hold of my arm. "Don't fucking touch me," I warned. "Let me explain." He pleaded, I could see so much emotion in his eyes. I shook my head vigorously, screwing my eyes shut. "You killed my dad." I hissed, trying to keep my anger in check."What? No, I didn't." He grumbled. I snapped my eyes open and glared at him. "You just said and I quote..." I growled. "Your dad's death it was me it was my fault." I mimicked him, without pausing. He paled and let my arm go, shaking his head. "And you instantly thought that I'd killed him myself." He sounded offended. "What was I supposed to think?" I yelled, getting frustrated. I started pacing ba
#Chapter28I sat up, gripping hold of Rhydian's shirt and dragged him up. I wrapped my arms around him, bringing him against me. "He was unconscious most of the time I was with him. When he was conscious, he kept asking for his sister. I asked for her name but he never told me. He just kept saying she was safe."My heart was beating faster every second he was telling his story. It sounded so familiar but yet so different. Like a different side to the story. My breath was caught in my throat, tears were streaming down my face and I made no attempt to wipe them. This was bringing back awful memories, ones I haven't thought about for years. He glanced up and looked at me. His eyes went wide, he used his thumb to wipe the falling tears that kept falling. "Amaris." He whispered quietly. I shook my head, letting out the breath I was holding in. "Plea... Please carry on." I managed to speak. He nodded, bringing me against his chest.I crawled onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his back,
#Chapter29I sat there shocked. "She tried to get me to mark her, said it was only right we marked each other because we were having a pup. But I still couldn't do it." He sighed, "I didn't know why I couldn't mark her then..." He added. 'He knew we were out there somewhere,' Aurora chimed in.'I'm surprised you've only just spoken now,' 'I'm letting you two do this. You both need this.' She added before retreating to the back of my mind. "Anyway, long story short, she wasn't pregnant. She wasn't even who she said she was. Her name was Malia, she was related to the group of rogues somehow." He shrugged. I cringed, that name... I know that name. "What's wrong?" He asked. I shook my head. "Nothing. So, where does my dad fit into all this?" I asked, slightly confused. "Malia told me most of the rogues had escaped and had been in touch with her. Malia said she wanted to go back to them, so we let her." He sighed, "It was the wrong choice, but I couldn't wait to be rid of her. I
#Chapter30I stared out at the open road as we made our way to my favourite spot. A little nature walk, every summer my dad used to take me. It's run by a lovely couple who are both werewolves. Every now and again, they only open for our kind, it's amazing running through there in our wolfs."I can't believe I let you drive my car," Rhydian complained for the second time. We've only been on the road for 10 minutes. I rolled my eyes and giggled."Don't worry. I'll be gentle." I chuckled. I put my foot down on the accelerator, causing the car to jerk forward. "Fucking hell, Amaris! Go careful." He shrieked. I glanced at him quickly, his hand was gripped onto the door handle, his eyes were screwed shut and his bottom lip was stuck between his teeth.I took a deep breath, looking back at the road. I stole a glance at him again, zoning in on his lips. I bit back a groan, he was making me feel all kinds of things."Eyes on the road, Thorne." He smirked, with his eyes still shut. I snapp
#Chapter31Werewolves don't get their wolfs until their sixteenth birthday usually, but we don't shift until we're eighteen. That was different for me too."I woke up one morning and Aurora was there. I could hear her and I was so confused. My brother's wolf had appeared too." I took a deep breath. "We were twins," I whispered. I heard Rhydian gasp. We carried on walking and even though I could tell Rhydian had questions, he never spoke and I was glad. "Our parents didn't say much about it, they took us to see our Elders who had an idea of what was happening," I explained."They say there's a legend about our packs name. One of my ancestors had a rare wolf. They called it the Dark Wolf. They didn't possess any abilities or anything like the legend of the White Wolf. They were stronger and faster than a normal wolf. Their temper and aggressiveness was something to be afraid of." I explained. "But because it was a legend, no one knew much.""We were told not to tell anyone we had our