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29- Rewards and rom-coms
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2024-03-14 11:45:55Related chapters
Strings of Fate 30- Dates and dinner
I stare at the message for a moment. Before this, all the meals we've shared together have been purely because we were already in the same place. Was he going out of his way to specifically invite me for dinner? I remember what Darrien said about Bellamy seeing me as his mate sooner than I expect. Surely he isn't trying to ask me out. I take too long to reply and Bellamy texts again.Bellamy- My sister wants to go out this evening and prefers to take Darrien. Your evening guard won't be by until around eight. I've been stuck working all day and am due for a break for dinner. This kills two birds with one stone.Ahh, that explains it. I release a breath that I didn't realise I was holding. I'm not ready for him to try and ask me out. Another text from Bellamy comes through.Bellamy- ??? Pick you up in an hour???Ryann- Okay, see you soon.I quickly update Darrien on the plan.“I'm just going to take a quick shower and get dressed, Logan has been in my room all day so I never got to cha
Last Updated : 2024-03-14Strings of Fate 31- Dinner and dominance
“It's not a problem.” I say. I place a hand over Bellamy's arm to reassure him that I can take care of this. She clearly meant no disrespect... to him. The hostesses eyes zero in on where I'm touching him. Releasing his arm, I push up the sleeve of my dress. It's difficult since it's fitted, but the fabric is stretchy so I manage to get it rolled up all the way so that my mark is visible.“Is this enough evidence for you?” I ask her, keeping my tone pleasant. While I would usually keep my eyes down, this time I am sure to make proper eye contact with her so that she can feel the full force of my unnatural eyes. I can see her discomfort as her eyes flit to the floor. I can feel the second she gives in. Her expression remains polite, but where she stood up straight before, she keeps her head bowed slightly. She also refuses to make eye contact again as she mutters something about the evidence being sufficient and shows us to a table. She then leaves us to consider the menu and promises
Last Updated : 2024-03-14Strings of Fate 32- Fighting and flirting
Bellamy nods.“Yep, the Alpha position is not technically handed through family ties, but it is quite common as dominance runs in families, although there is a big nature versus nurture debate about it all. Megan is much higher in the pack hierarchy than Tristan is. Marrying her would definitely raise his status, and should something happen to me, he would be a serious candidate for the new Alpha.” I frown.“What about Megan? Couldn't she be the Alpha. Or is there some annoying, guys only type rule happening here?” Bellamy laughs.“Don't worry, we aren't being all sexist about this. Women can be Alpha. Technically whoever I end up with would be considered the Alpha female. There's a reason I'm expected to hurry up and find a mate. Usually the job of Alpha is considered a job for a pair. That's why if something were to happen to me and Megan took over, marrying her would make Tristan the Alpha. Really it should be phrased as 'one of the Alphas' as in plural since there are basically tw
Last Updated : 2024-03-14Strings of Fate 33- Sharing and staring
The car has barely stopped moving when I climb out. Bellamy follows me but once again I refuse to take his arm. I make my way up the stairs on my own although Bellamy still follows close behind me. I ignore him. Waiting by my door is Shaun. My new guard for the evening. I greet him and unlock my door. I step inside then turn and stop, standing in the doorway so Bellamy can't follow.“I'd invite you in but I am apparently not intelligent enough to make decisions about these things.” My tone is falsely polite but I'm sure Shaun can tell that. Oh well. I fumble with my purse and pull out thirty dollars. I thrust the cash into Bellamy's chest. He catches some of it but a couple notes fall to the ground.“For my share of dinner.” I then step back and slam the door shut in his face, locking it behind me. I pause to take a few deep breaths. I can hear Bellamy talking through the door, but not to me.“Unless it is for the sake of her safety, you are not to enter her home, even if she invites
Last Updated : 2024-03-14Strings of Fate 34- Crumbs and compromise
I immediately feel guilty.“Sorry, I know my eyes make people feel awkward, I shouldn't have asked I-” he stops me.“Miss Gale, I submitted. I wasn't uncomfortable. You're just more dominant than I am. Alpha Kane must be correct about you. At the very least you're more dominant than I am.” he explains. I frown.“I don't know, I'm not even a Shifter. This doesn't make any sense to me.” Shaun shrugs.“It makes sense to me. It explains how you talk back to the Alpha the way you do. I could never manage it. Not unless he allowed me to.”“Which really ruins the whole point of talking back.” I comment. Shaun shrugs. I feel awkward again, I don't want to participate in another conversation about my interactions with Bellamy. I decide to avoid further conversation by heading back inside. I grab the empty plate from the windowsill where Shaun placed it.“Well, thanks for your help. I should put this inside and attempt to get some sleep...” I trail off when I realise that Shaun isn't actually l
Last Updated : 2024-03-14Strings of Fate 35- Tossing and turning
I suddenly realise that Bellamy is still talking.“So we're okay then?” he questions.“Yeah Bellamy, we're okay.” Now that we've made up, I'm sort of reluctant to hang up the phone. I'm still not ready to sleep yet.“Shaun mentioned you tested your dominance. I meant to help you with it earlier but we never really had the chance.” His tone is apologetic, but, as usual, he doesn't actually apologise.“Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal.”“But I was right, you are more dominant. We'll have to test you against Megan sometime, and me.” He comments. Okay, not good. I don't want to give him too much evidence about our fates just yet.“Um, yeah, maybe.” I say casually. A beeping sound comes from the phone.“I have another call coming through. I've been waiting for this call so I really need to get it...” Bellamy trails off. He doesn't sound like he really wants to hang up.“It's fine. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight Bellamy.”“Goodnight Ryann.” The phone clicks as he hangs up. After
Last Updated : 2024-03-14Strings of Fate 36- Caffeine and contests
Now that we are under a proper light rather than the shadowy front hall, Darrien notices how tired I am.“You look dead on your feet. Did you sleep at all last night?” he questions. I shrug.“I slept a little, but I don't really feel like I did. My head is killing me.” I groan. He turns and rummages through a cupboard that is high enough that I would have to climb on a bench to reach it. He then grabs a bottle of coke from the fridge and pours a large glass. He places the glass and a little box in front of me.“Take two of these and finish the drink. Painkillers and caffeine. You should feel a bit better once they kick in.” I gratefully down the pills and start on the drink.“Thanks, I definitely need it.” We sit in silence for a minute or two as I finish up the coke. I can already feel the sugar and caffeine perking me up a little.“So, what's the meeting for? Megan told me to come this morning, she didn't mention any meeting.” Hopefully this isn't some super secret Shifter thing tha
Last Updated : 2024-03-14Strings of Fate 37- Bears and birds
The first voice is male, but so high pitched that at first I'm not sure.“You can hardly be surprised, Alpha Kane, that someone keeps arranging these attacks on you. As the youngest Alpha and an unmated one at that, you're sure to be seen as the most vulnerable.” The voice declares, the tone is snide and I instantly dislike whoever the man is that is speaking. The next voice is also male, but far more quiet. I struggle to catch the words.“There is nothing that Alpha Kane can do to change his age other than wait. It is the second matter that is of more concern. He should find a mate. Perhaps then his position would not offend people as much. It would also secure his position. Perhaps then the attacks would cease, or at least become less frequent.” The second man suggests. His manner doesn't seem outright rude like the last man. More bored, like he just doesn't really care all that much. A third man speaks. His voice is loud and boisterous, but seems friendly, at least in comparison to
Last Updated : 2024-03-14
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Strings of Fate 205- Sweethearts and safeguarding
My automatic reaction is to panic and to mentally scream NO ABSOLUTELY NOT! She is just a child. She is way too young to already find the person she is fated to be with, not to mention she has been through too much. What if he is immature or goes through a jerk phase as he grows up? Or worse, what if he is a lot older than her? Four or five years might not mean much when she’s an adult, but at her age that is a LOT. And who could it be? Is he going to be good enough? What if I don’t approve of him, what if he’s a bad influence. I’ve seen people with red threads who hated each other and were terrible for each other when they were young and as they matured became more right for one another. Is it too soon for them to meet? She’s just gone through an incredibly traumatic circumstance and she does NOT need some guy messing with her head right now. I take a deep breath and try to relax. I don’t know who it is, we might not even be meeting him right now. The thread just tells me that he’s s
Strings of Fate 204- Adapt and adjust
The next few days pass almost too quickly. Bellamy and I have our meeting with Sara and her father. He was a little curious as to why I was there, but he didn’t say anything. He wasn’t pleased, but he did agree to back off of Sara a little bit and seemed to appreciate the added security that we are arranging for the university students. On the drive home, Bellamy is grumbling about it. “He was barely polite to you.” He complains. I roll my eyes.“He was polite enough, how polite should he be to a stranger in his house telling him how to parent his child?” I point out Bellamy shakes his head.“You’re his Alpha, my mate, he should know better.” He continued to scowl.“It’s not like he knows that. We haven’t actually told everyone.” I remind him gently. Now it’s his turn to roll his eyes.“Of course he knows. It’s the worst kept secret around, remember? He’s just the traditional type. Isn’t sure how he feels about having a non-Shifter as an Alpha. He’ll get over it.” He says firmly. I f
Strings of Fate 203- Beads and bonding
“Well, I think that it might actually be nice having an extra person around the house. Extra security and company. Besides, you spend most of your time here anyway. Might as well save you the commute. That is, as long as no one else has any objection?” I say pointedly looking at Megan. Sure, Bellamy could object but I already know that he won’t. Megan briefly makes eye contact with me, gives a slight nod, then finds something to stare at on the ceiling. She is clearly trying to look like she doesn’t care but she is blushing bright red. True to form, Darrien is watching her closely trying to work out how she really feels about my suggestion. Realising that she isn’t going to provide any input, he decides to push it a little. “Megan? I would like to hear your opinion. I am still courting you and I don’t want to screw anything up by making a decision like this without your input.” Darrien says clearly. His voice is mostly calm with just the slightest hint of anxiety as he monitors her r
Strings of Fate 202- Calories and clothing
I wake up late in the morning, it might even be early afternoon. I wriggle around a little which prompts Bellamy to do the same, he is apparently already awake. He raises a finger to his lips to shush me before I speak and I can see why. Kiara is still sleeping, lying in the bed between us. She is still loosely holding onto my arm, even in sleep. I slowly disentangle myself from her light grip and slide out of bed. Bellamy follows, clearly doing his best not to jostle her and wake her up. She definitely needs the sleep. She was restless for a good part of the night and almost definitely was having nightmares, but she seems like she’s sleeping soundly now. My own sleep was blissfully quiet. No visions or anything thank goodness. I’m looking forward to having several weeks of steady sleep and so help me if anything tragic or dramatic happens for the next few weeks then whoever is responsible should probably be terrified of me. We step into the hallway to talk without disturbing Kiara.
Strings of Fate 201- Touch and trust
I cross my arms in irritation. “Kiara would never! How would she even do that? She’s just a kid!” I object. Dr Dae rolls her eyes at me.“Oh calm yourself girl. I’m not saying she chose to murder anyone. I assume that she was forced to comply somehow. You’ll have to ask the girl when she’s ready to talk. As for the how, the child is a Reaper.” She says it as if it’s obvious but it really isn’t. I know that Reapers exist, but they’re the kind of Magic that most people have heard of but no one has ever met. I suppose Kiara’s dad must have been a Reaper too and why the MRO was so secretive about her markings. Most people are kind of scared of Reapers, they’re kind of the boogeymen of our society. Mostly because they can kill on a whim. All it takes is one touch and they can free your soul from your body. Obviously with no soul you die, and I guess your soul moves on to wherever souls go when you pass on. I suppose that a Reaper would make sense for the representative of Atropos. Her add
Strings of Fate 200- Healing and hunger
Since Kiara probably isn’t up to braving the stairs and she really doesn’t want to be carried around everywhere, we decide to ask Dr Dae to come up to the bedroom. It’s actually kind of weird having so many people in here. Bellamy is a fairly private person, he doesn’t generally invite people to hang out in his… our room. Dr Dae shuffles in clutching her usual bag. I’m surprised that Bellamy isn’t carrying it for her because it looks kind of heavy, but I suspect that she wouldn’t hand it over anyway. I immediately greet her.“Thank you so much for your help. Your contact has become a great friend and she’s a huge part of the reason we were able to find Kiara here.” I nudge Kiara gently with my elbow and give her a little smile. She looks very small and delicate in the oversized, mismatched clothes with her hair dripping down her shoulders. She’s so pale that the bruises on her skin stand out and look even worse than they actually are. Dr Dae gives me a half nod of acknowledgement then
Strings of Fate 199- Clean and covered
We all turn to face Alex in confusion. I glance up at Bellamy to see if he has any idea what’s going on but he looks just as lost as the rest of us. I continue to stroke Kiara’s hair trying to keep her calm. “Explain.” Bellamy says firmly. Alex flushes red under the attention of everyone in the room. “Uh, well. I assisted Miss Gale in updating her registration with the MRO, and uh, since her position is one of… well almost authority, over the fate’s representatives the updated registration reflects this. So she should be able to make decisions about Kiara’s care like an Alpha would for their Shifters or like a Coven leader would for their Witches. Admittedly it’s a very small group of Magics, but according to the Magic Registration Office, she is in charge of it.” He explains, his voice starts off weak but gets stronger as he becomes more confident in what he’s saying. The police seem a little stunned but I guess Alex isn’t technically wrong. If Kiara were a Shifter, her Alpha would
Strings of Fate 198- Stolen and sure
When we pull up to the house, there’s a police car waiting. There are two cops standing by it, one looks bored and irritated and the other has a fake ‘customer service’ type smile plastered on his face that I know well from experience. Yeah neither of these guys want to be here. They’re probably pissed that we made them come down here. Not to mention uncomfortable being in the Shifter compound. Non-Shifters aren’t invited here often, although I suppose that isn’t exactly true anymore with all our new friends stopping by regularly. Standing beside them looking awkward and uncomfortable is Alex. I bet they’ve been taking their impatience out on him. I narrow my eyes at them and prepare myself. One snotty comment and I am going to tear into them, it’s been a long night. Bellamy parks the car and I wait for him to get out. He speaks with the police briefly and Alex escorts them inside the house. Bellamy returns and opens the door next to Kiara. “Hey, can I help you get inside? The police
Strings of Fate 197- Leaving and leaning
As we step outside, I’m confused to find that I actually have no idea where we are. I really was just running and following the tracking spell. I don’t know how far I ran. It’s a good thing the others are here to bring back the cars because I would be wandering all night trying to find my way back. I’m also fairly sure that I left my phone in the car when I jumped out in a hurry. Kiara clutches my hand tightly as the cars pull up on the street in front of us. “Megan, Darrien. You stay here and speak to the police when they arrive. Direct further questions to me. Shaun, you stay with them too.” Bellamy directs as Shaun hops out the car. At Megan’s insistence he stays a good couple of metres away from us.“Yes Alpha Kane.” He responds cheerfully. Aaron and Rio also climb out of the vehicles. Rio stops to chat with one of the other Shifters whose name I still don’t know. Aaron immediately approaches me. Actually a better way to phrase it is that he storms over. He looks almost angry. Or
