Chapter 26

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A/N: I'm thinking about entering YATA in the Wattys. Do YOU think it stands a chance?

PS: 75K reads, 3.4K votes and 1K comments on YATA. I want to take this opportunity to THANK YOU for reading and supporting my story with your votes and comments; I really appreciate it!

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Rhys had led me to his parents' home. It had been obvious he'd shared with them what he'd planned to do tonight; there was no surprise when they saw me in their house, just immense relief that I was with their son and brother. I had not felt like talking to them so I'd given the six Flemings - Everett and Lisa were also in the living room - a nod and followed Rhys upstairs. He'd handed me a short-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of slacks to sleep in and kissed me good night on the forehead before he'd left.

Now that I was all alone, lying on my right side, I felt even more out of place in his room than I'd been the first time I was here.

How was it possible that I already missed him?

He'd gone to Everett's room not fifteen minutes ago and he'd done so as per my desires.

I still though that it was better to put some distance between us so I could collect my thoughts, but my mind refused to cooperate.

I should be reflecting on the wolf I saw in that house and what it meant - that Rhys wasn't human - as well as how that would influence our relationship. Instead, all I could think of was the immeasurable pain that I felt when he'd told me we'd never meet again; pain that I knew crushed him too, that had been clear in his voice as he spoke.

Was I losing my mind?

Throughout my eighteen years of life, I'd been convinced that werewolves or shape shifters or whatever you'd call them didn't exist.

Now I'd been proven wrong.

The logical thing to do would be to hightail it out of here: out of this house, out of this neighborhood, out of this town; perhaps out of this state, just to be on the safe side. Hell, if it wasn't Rhys who had shifted, I'd probably be robbing a bank and buying a ticket to Europe. And if I got caught during the robbery, I'd be put in jail and away from the werewolves.

But no. It had been Rhys and not only did I plan to stay in Woodbury, not only was I not breaking up with him, but I still had dreams about the two of us forming a family. I was not in the slightest repulsed by the idea of marrying him and adopting a bunch of kids. All I had to do was imagine him playing with our children in the yard of our house and that was it: after that picture was stuck in my head, I could not leave him.

Never.

So yes, I must've completely lost our mind.

For crying out loud, in my dreams there were a few dogs in the yard along with the children... Who needed dogs when one of your dads could turn into a wolf?

I frowned as a new thought came into my head: how would we adopt if there was the chance of the children seeing Rhys or someone else from the Bullets shift?

It wouldn't be fair to take a child in, spoil him or her rotten with love and when that child returned our affection to suddenly go 'Oh, by the way, your daddy has fangs and claws'.

There was no telling what effect that could have on the youngster. We could be permanently marking them psychologically. And what if the child ran away and told a human about all they'd witnessed here?

How were we to build a family when that would put everyone involved in danger?

I shook my head.

I shouldn't be indulging in optimistic fantasies about a family I could have with the man I loved or dreading what could go wrong in that hypothetical situation; I should be a realist and try to figure out what was ahead of me now that I knew what Rhys was.

I should look at the situation with unbiased eyes and muse over what could go downhill in real life and what obstacles we could face as we were now; only after I'd figured that out could I think about what awaited us further in our future.

But against my will, my thoughts drifted to a sunny day, a few years from today, and once more I saw the picture of our yard. This time Rhys was in his wolf form and was lying on the ground. A girl with light hair styled in pigtails clumsily climbed on tip of his back - she was no more than five - and buried her small hands in his fur. When she had a firm grip on it, Rhys rose and ran across the yard, the girl giggling in delight...

I shook my head again and with a sigh, I got up.

I won't be able to think this over tonight, I thought as I walked towards the door. I might as well be with Rhys.

I got to the hallway and walked towards the room I knew as Everett's, the one next to Rhys'. It took a single knock for him to open the door and surprise was etched on his face the moment he did so.

"Hi," I greeted, fidgeting with my arms behind my back.

"Hey..." He trailed off. "I thought it was you but... Is something wrong, Riley?"

"I want you to come to your bedroom with me," I admitted. "I can't... I can't really think about what's happened. It's like my mind is blocking it out; I can't form a clear thought. And I miss you," I added to his delight.

Rhys smiled as he nodded. He stepped out of Everett's bedroom, closing the door behind him before heading to his own. I walked beside him in silence.

"I missed you too," he whispered gently and opened the door for me. I tried to walk into the room, but he grabbed me by the wrist.

"What is that?" His voice was too loud for my liking. I followed his gaze to my right elbow.

Rhys' eyes were narrowed, fixed on the marred skin and I gulped, realizing I'd have to tell him what I'd been through. I'd planned to do so eventually, but with all that had happened tonight, I wasn't sure I'd be able to go on another emotional roller coaster. What I was pretty certain of was that Rhys wouldn't give me the chance to back out of this.

I pulled my arm out of his grip. I'd done a better job at hiding my scars the last time I'd slept over. I'd taken advantage of the darkness during the night and the sheets in the morning. But now I'd walked out with nothing to cover those lines under the light of the lamps. How could I had gotten this careless?

"Let's go inside and I'll tell you," I said and walked into the bedroom.

"Who did this to you?" He asked as soon as he closed the door.

I sighed.

Rhys was already upset. Angry was probably a more accurate term. I knew his fury wasn't aimed at me though; its target was Bobby even though Rhys had never even heard of him.

"Why don't we sit down?" I suggested and without waiting for his reply, I placed my butt on the bed, making room for him by crossing my legs underneath me. Rhys sat in front of me, the mattress dipping as he did, and I began to talk.

My words were like an overflowing river. The first sentences came out fast so that I would not change my mind and to make sure he did not interrupt me. And once I began talking, I couldn't stop.

I told Rhys about how I met Bobby, how he'd made me feel and who I thought he was; then I told him - with some undignified crying involved - who Bobby had really turned out to be and what I had to endure because of him.

Rhys had gone livid, but once the tears had started rolling, he'd hugged me tight and began kissing me; kissing my hair, my forehead, my cheeks, my mouth, my scars. It was the only time I'd made a pause in my narration. Once the sobs were under control - due to Rhys' consolation - I'd commenced with the rest of my tale.

His arms had tightened around me as he kept rocketing me back and forth. I could feel his jaw - rested upon my shoulder - clenching. He did not speak when my story was over; he simply continued to sway our bodies until I could no longer bear the silence.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked.

"That I want nothing more than to slice his throat open with my claws, but that that isn't punishment enough for what he'd done to you."

I turned around in his arm and pushed myself away.

"You cannot seriously be thinking about that!"

"Oh, I assure you, Riley, that is exactly what I'm thinking about."

I had never seen his eyes so cold; I had not even imagined they could be that way. The grey had turned to steel, the green into acid... Such a cold, cold glow...

And it was for me; it was in my defense. The rage in his gaze frightened and flattered; no one had cared for me to such an extent before. But I couldn't let him go through with his desires; not even when a part of me wanted it.

"You are not going to do it thought, right?" I placed my palms on his cheeks. "Bobby..."

His teeth gritted and his body began to quiver. Was he going to transform now?

I could see the tremors in his muscles, tiny waves that moved underneath his skin. He was breathing heavily through his nose and I realized he was doing everything he could to keep his control. I caressed his face with my thumbs - the shaking subdued slightly - and I decided it would be better if I didn't use the name of the guy who'd scarred me.

"He's in jail where he belongs." I went on. "And when the time comes for him to get out, I want you to stay away from him. For me. For us. I don't want you rotting in a cell because of something you did to him; he's not worth it."

The trepidations ceased but his mouth was still shut tightly; his gaze had not changed either.

"He's already ruined my past; don't let him ruin our future," I kept pleading. "And I do want a future with you, Rhys, more than anything else I've wanted in my life."

"Even though," his voice was croaky and he licked his lips, "even though I'm not human?"

"I know I should be worried about that, but I'm not," I said. "It could be shock, but I'm pretty sure it's..."

I took a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes; they were much softer now.

"I'm pretty sure it's because I love you."

Whatever traces of anger his gaze had held were gone. His mouth formed into a bizarre, deformed circle as if he was trying to smile, but his jaw was too slack to cooperate. I watched as his eyes filled with tears and he sniffed before he spoke:

"We recognize our mate from the instant we lay our eyes on them. I knew I needed to be with you from the moment I first saw you, Riley Rivers; love came a little bit later when I got to know you."

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A/N: The ending of this chapter is one of my favorite quotes EVER. That is why I posted the picture you see here on Instagram a week ago. Anyway... Did you enjoy this chapter?

I hope so and I hope you'll support it with a VOTE, maybe even share it and recommend it to your friends.

I didn't go into detail about Riley's scars as some of that was told in Ch. 21, but I plan to write more on them in Rhys' POV. You've already read the summary and sneak peek to We are the Answer, right?

As for Rhys' scars - that will be in the next chapter. Excited to read about them? ;)

Here's what I plan for next week's updates: YATA, Ch. 27 - Wednesday, HMD, Ch. 55 - Friday, YATA, Ch. 28 - Sunday. I'll try to keep to that schedule even with what's going on in my life now.

PS: I'd really appreciate your opinion on whether or not you think YATA should be in the Wattys.

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