I had mixed feelings about leaving the lake house. I was going to miss it dearly.I thought about asking Christian if we would be able to come back here once we were settled but I changed my mind.Assuming we would be together when all was said and done was scary. I hadn't thought that far.As for Riley, I know she was eavesdropping on our conversation yesterday and I also knew that she had a lot to say.But for some reason she was awfully quiet. It was both endearing and scary at the same time.On one hand I knew she just wanted me to think things through but on the other, she would've been buggering me to spill by now.I chalked it up to the fact that we were going back home and she was probably processing now.As for Christian, the last time we spoke about him leaving the pack, he said he was a rogue.Would things still be the same now that he was going back. I had this ever present feeling at the back of my mind.I didn't know what to make of it and that scared me a little. I just
I ran towards him hurriedly, almost tripping on myself in the process.The minute I came in contact with him I felt tears that had been bottled up for the longest time spill out immediately.I missed him so much, just the thought that I wasn't going to be stuck in some house or cellar for the longest time gave me cause to squeeze him even more.“Oh dad” I said, crying on his shoulder like a pup that had been ripped from his mother's breasts.“My baby. Oh Celeste. I thought I had lost you forever” he said, gently patting my back over and over again.Fresh tears threatened to pour out at the sound of that but I maintained my cool. Coughing, I let go of him slightly and just looked at him.He seemed to have aged a lot since the last time I saw him. His weight had greatly reduced and he had worry lines on his face.I frowned, taking in his composure and stance to detect any signs of illness or maybe it was just fatigued.“Dad?...” I began to say but he waved me off and just took my hand.
My father had tried to distract me throughout our meal, bringing up conversation after conversation of what happened during the time we were hiding.I had entertained him up until I noticed he was finding it hard to breathe as he talked. This bothered me a lot. I wanted to know how serious his health issues are.I wanted to know why he was also keeping it from me, it's not like I wouldn't find out eventually.I didn't know how to go about the conversation and it was beginning to feel like a burden on my chest.“Dad,” I said suddenly, cutting him off as he spoke.He looked at me sharply, probably noticing the change in my countenance.“Are you going to tell me what's wrong with me? Do I have to beg? Tell me, please. I'm sure I can help” I said pleadingly.He looked at me with eyes filled with sorrow. His lips quivering a bit as he continued staring at me.But just like that the look was gone and he was back to his cheery self.“You don't worry about this old man. I will be good before
“No, that's nonsense!” I said, my eyes flashing with anger.What in the hell did she mean by punishing? And I wasn't born from a human. This was definitely nonsense.“They're wrong” I shouted, turning back to walk back towards my house.I wasn't hearing any of this nonsense anymore, but she stopped me.“Hey! Don't just storm out, I– I am just trying to help you, don't go” she said forcing me to halt in my tracks.I sighed heavily, she was right. I didn't mean to be rude to her, it just came out of nowhere.It hurt me deeply to hear that about my dad. They were wrong. They had to be wrong. If they were right then why wouldn't he tell me?“Look” she said, trying to steer me to a tree where we could sit for a while.“We can't know for sure if these rumors are true or false,” she said, shaking her head at me.“I'm sorry I shouted at you” I said solemnly, looking down at my feet.I heard her chuckling, but she didn't say anything immediately.“Why don't you just ask him? It's time you knew
"Come on, we're going to be late!" I screamed excitedly as I struggled to put on my shoes.I was excited about the party we had planned for so long!"I'm going to leave you, Riley!" I said scowling dramatically.I bite my lip as I look at my reflection in the mirror.I look so good…tonight is going to be so fun and memorable.As Riley made her way down the staircase, a string of expletives flowed out from her lips, leaving me intrigued about her current state of mind."Ugh, oh my gosh" Riley exclaimed as she continued down the stairs toward meThe tone of her voice and the words she used conveyed a sense of frustration, anger, or perhaps disappointment. It was clear that something was bothering her, and I couldn't help but wonder what it was. "What's wrong?" I asked a little skeptical about the interaction.What is going on with her now?As she walked away, a sense of helplessness washed over me. I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was bothering her deeply, but I didn't k
The silence that followed was deafening, and my mind was racing with a million thoughts. My heart raced and my mind couldn't comprehend what was happening.Why was Alpha Christian looking at me like that? And what did he say?I held my breath, waiting for him to say something else. But instead, he kept his gaze fixed on me as if he was searching for something deep within my soul. His eyes were intense, yet casual, and I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.Damon, his Beta, whispered something in his ear, causing him to finally look away from me. At that moment, I felt as though I had been released from a hypnotic spell.What the hell was that?I wasn't sticking around to find out.Next thing I know, the once-empty room is now abuzz with excitement. Everyone seems to have found their mate, except for me, of course. As I scan the room, my eyes land on Riley, who is staring intently at a guy across the room.Curiosity getting the better of me, I creep up to her quietly, just to
“Where am I?”I whispered, trying to stand up but it was proving hard to do.My bones were weak and it felt like I had been drained of every drop of blood in my body. I tried to remember the last thing that happened and how I ended up here. Where was here anyway? I was in some kind of cellar thing. No windows, one door. Chains on top and the floor and upon looking I realize my hands were chained to the ceiling and my feet to the floor. What the hell? Turning my head from left to right trying to understand my surroundings.“Ouch, that hurts so much,” I said, panting slowly. Even speaking hurts a little too much. The last thing I remember is I was in front of my house when I heard someone.Wait, was I kidnapped? What happened last night? Where is everybody?“Hello! Is anybody there?” I said as loudly as my voice could allow me to.Struggling I tried to get up on my feet, but something was weighing me down. I succeeded and I noticed the iron door to the place I was kept immediately
The voice I heard was definitely Riley. It brought tears to my eyes to know that she was close by.I took in a deep breath and asked, “Are you okay?... Where are you? What's going on?” “I'm so glad I can hear you,” she said and she was crying, “I thought you were dead C” “Me too Ri and I didn't know what to do,” I said, clutching my chest in desperation.I had been wearing the same clothes for God knows how long and it was evident from the way I smelled. I required a hot shower."It's obvious that they had a specific target in mind, and they had inside help," she said confidently, her voice steady despite the intensity of the situation. "But we're not going to let them get away with this. We're going to figure out who they are, what they want, and how we can stop them. We won't rest until we've got this all under control.”It had to have been an inside job because everything happened so fast.My mind was swirling with different possibilities and to say I was scared was an understat