Chapter Five

Chase had to swallow his pride and he presented a clean bill of health to Melissa two weeks later on her birthday. She looked at the results of the blood test and then smiled as she kissed him. He had humiliated himself but in the end it paid off as Melissa finally accepted him.

We had two months of school left and then we would also attend the Illinois Dragonkin Ball to present our bonded halves to the Elders for acceptance of that bond. Our parents would attend as well to witness the forming of the bond and after that night we’d be seen as an official couple within the lair.

I had been looking at a promise ring for Tia, a promise that I wanted to make to her on our bonding night, that she’d always be the only one for me. Rylee was helping me with it and she was just as excited as I was. She didn’t know Tia personally but she was happy for me.

Lucas didn’t say much since he had messed up his own bonding with our mother a few times but in the end he pulled his head out of his ass, as she liked to say, and manned up. Rev and Hannah seemed pleased for us although for some reason Emily didn’t like Tia and that bothered me a bit.

Those two months passed swiftly and soon it was the last day of school and tomorrow night we’d attend the ball. I was sitting in my final class of the day which happened to be detention because I threatened to stick a pencil in Derek’s ear. The teacher hadn’t seen what prompted me to do it but technically it had been self-defense as Derek had wanted to trip Chase.

The bell finally rang for the last time and I saluted the teacher as he laughed at me and I walked down the empty hall. I realized I wasn’t alone when I reached my locker to empty it. I turned around to see who was following me.

“Oh hey Megan,” I said surprised to see her.

“Can we talk?” she asked me looking worried.

“Sure,” I said. I knew who Megan was and we’d talked but I didn’t really know her that well. She was a lot like Melissa, quiet, reserved, shy, nerdy and awkward and just a bit on the curvy side.

I followed her outside to the parking lot where she walked to my car and she opened the passenger door the moment I unlocked it. I climbed in on the driver’s side and sat back and looked at her.

“So you wanted to talk?” I asked her.

“You don’t deserve this Ryder, you’re actually really one of the good guys so I’m sorry in advance but I can’t in good faith sit back and let this happen,” she said to me.

“What are you talking about?” I asked her.

“Just listen,” she said.

She took her phone out and then pressed play on the video and she turned the audio up all the way. I sat there and watched the video as my heart broke and shattered around me. If I hadn’t seen this video and heard this for myself I never would’ve believed her. I was gripping the steering wheel so hard that my knuckles were turning white.

“When was this?” I asked her after the video had ended.

“Last night,” she said and I could only nod.

“What the fuck ..." Abeloth murmured in my head, shocked like I was.

“I’m sorry,” she said and opened the door.

“Megan,” I said as she climbed out.

“Yes?” she asked me.

“Who else knows about this?” I asked her.

“You and me,” she said.

“Keep it like that,” I said and she nodded before closing the door.

I sat in the parking lot and I watched as Megan drove away dragging my hypothetical heart behind her car. I drove home feeling angry, humiliated and hurt. Abeloth was seething inside my head swearing like I had only ever heard my father swear.

I put my phone off the moment I parked my car in the garage and I headed upstairs and locked my bedroom door behind me. I didn’t cry, the last time I had cried was when I was five and I saw crying as a weakness.

Chase almost broke my door down because I didn’t answer him and he could smell me inside and I could hear him as he spoke to me through the door. I wasn’t ready to face my family yet although I knew I would have to soon, like in five minutes because it was dinner time and that’s why Chase was banging on my door.

“What?” I asked with irritation as I yanked the door open.

“Mom asked me to call you for dinner, who ate your sandwich?” he asked me.

“Nobody,” I said and closed the door behind me as I started walking down the hall to the stairs.

“Hey man, what’s wrong with you?” he asked me.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I said to him.

“I’ll go kick their asses right now, just give me a name,” he said and cracked his knuckles.

“Leave it alone Chase,” I said to him.

We sat down at the table and Chase had invited Melissa over for dinner to formally introduce her to the family. I should have invited Tia but I had actually forgotten to ask her. She hadn’t been at school today and I had ended up spending my last hour of school in detention.

“Hey Melissa,” I said and mustered a smile.

“Hi,” she said and smiled as she looked nervous at meeting the whole family.

“Great, let’s eat,” Preston said as they had also joined us for dinner.

The whole extended family was there and we were squeezed in around the dinner table. I should feel happier but I didn’t and I couldn’t talk about what I had seen because this changed everything for me. I faked it pretty well though and Chase was the only one who really noticed that something with me was off.

In terms of Melissa meeting the family, it was huge success. Everyone liked her and approved of her and she liked the rest of the family. They talked about the ball the next night which was also why Jasper and Brandon had joined us since we were hosting the ball in Aurora this year. I excused myself right after dinner and I didn’t emerge again until it was time to go to the ball.

“Are you ready?” Lucas asked as he stood in my doorway.

I was wearing a tuxedo and I was just finishing with my tie when he had knocked and opened my door. He looked at me with a mixture of pride and sadness.

“Almost,” I said as I struggled with that tie. He walked over to me and made me face him as he fixed it for me.

“I wanted to tell you that I’m really proud of you Ryder. You’re an exceptional young man and I know that you’ll be going places,” he said to me.

“Thanks Dad,” I said to him as he pulled me into a hug.

“Whatever’s bothering you, you know you can always talk to me,” he said.

“I know, it’s nothing really,” I said to him and he smiled briefly.

“I screwed up a lot as a kid Ry, I made my fair share of mistakes and the one wish I always had was that my father was there to guide me, I can’t guide you if you don’t let me,” he said softly.

“We’ll talk tonight after the ball,” I said and he smiled.

“I’ll always make time for you, for Chase too, you’re my life blood, my reason for getting up and fighting onwards every single day,” he said.

“I love you too Dad,” I said and he chuckled as he looked at me.

“Damn I make handsome sons, even if I say so myself,” he said and I laughed for the first time in two days.

I opted to drive myself to the ball and Emily chose to drive with me. Chase had taken his own car as well since he was picking Melissa up and would formally meet her parents as well. They were already excited because he was a future Sire and that was always a good match for someone’s daughter.

Emily was quiet the entire way as if she knew that I didn’t want to talk and she just listened to the music I played and she smiled as I escorted her inside to the ballroom of the hotel. She looked beautiful since she looked more like Hannah than Rev but she had that same vicious streak that made you afraid of Rev.

“Good luck cousin, whatever you choose,” she said and I looked oddly at her. It was the first time she had ever said anything remotely weird like that to me before because everyone had wondered if she would inherit Hannah’s gifts. It seemed that she had and I only nodded.

Everyone had arrived and I had sneaked two drinks from the bar as I waited. Lucas had pretended not to see me drinking and Rylee had just shaken her head at me and looked away. I secretly thanked them for not giving me shit tonight.

The lights dimmed, I headed to our table, and I saw Tia as she waited and looked around for me. She beamed when she saw me and kissed me lightly on the mouth as she hooked her arm into mine and I led her to our table where my parents were already seated.

“Mom, Dad, everyone else this is Tia,” I said and pulled her chair out for her.

They exchanged pleasantries until the music died down and I saw the Elders as they made their way to the stage. Two of them stood to one side as Elder Michael took the microphone and tapped it twice.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, this will be our tenth annual Illinois Dragonkin Ball!” he started off and there was loud clapping and cheering.

“We have been notified of eleven matches already made and hopefully a few more before the official bonding ceremonies take place,” he said and the guests all clapped again.

We ate dinner and my parents asked Tia a lot of questions which she happily answered. We danced and we witnessed a few more matches being made and my eye caught Megan as she stared openly at me. Her eyes had widened slightly when she saw Tia at my table and I quickly averted my eyes.

The Elders announced that it was time for the bonding ceremonies to start and from everywhere youngsters stood up and we all made our way to the hallway from where we would be introduced. They had a list and I asked Elder Victor to move us to the last spot.

“Do you Melissa O’Hare accept Chase Grey as your bonded half? Do you vow to remain faithful to him and your bond? Do you accept the placing of his mark on your neck tonight?” Elder Cliff asked her.

“I Melissa accept you Chase as my bonded half and I vow to remain honest and faithful and I accept your mark on my neck,” Melissa said.

“Do you Chase Grey accept Melissa O’Hare as your bonded half? Do you vow to remain faithful to her and your bond? Do you accept to place your mark on her neck tonight?” Elder Victor asked Chase.

“I Chase accept you Melissa as my bonded half and I vow to remain honest and faithful and I wish to place my mark on your neck,” Chase said.

The Elders then proceeded to make a cut on their palms and they joined their hands together accepting one another and waiting for approval from the dragon realm. If his mark started to appear on her neck within the next five minutes then they were bonded for life.

There was loud clapping as Chase’s mark started to form on her neck and I knew that he was probably kissing her and I smiled as I felt his happiness. I could feel most of his emotions through the twin bond and it was stronger because we were dragons too.

I never truly understood how the bond changed you but I would see it in Chase as he became responsible and caring and he truly loved Melissa. He cherished her and looked after her and I had to say she did the same for him. They really were a perfect match.