Chapter 24
I avoided Ryker for the entirety of the day. I knew he would be in his room but I didn't want to risk seeing him and locked myself away in my
room.
I knew Eve was curious as to what happened but she didn't push me to answer any questions and simply nodded when I told her that I would be having all my meals from the comfort of my room.
My avoidance tactic lasted up until the next morning. I had taken a bath and was getting dressed when there was a knock on the door that I instantly recognized as Eve's. It was a bit early for breakfast but I didn't think much of it as I pulled open the door.
Eve stood there but right behind her was Ryker and as soon as they saw me, Eve turned on her heels and left. I tried to shoot her the harshest glare I could muster but she just responded with a smile of her own and disappeared around the corner.
"You look better," I began not sure what else to say now that he was standing in front of me.
He was standing tall and fully dressed in slacks and a simply shirt. I couldn't see the texture of his bandages under his shirt so I assumed he had gotten rid of them- he did say he would be fully healed in about two days and half that time has already gone. His cheeks also had a little bit more color and honestly if I didn't see him in the hospital bed two days ago I would have never thought that he was hurt in any way.
"You're avoiding me." Ryker said simply not wasting any time with pleasantries.
"I'm not," I lied, "I just-,"
"You don't have to lie to me." he cut me off, "Come, we have to leave now."
"Where are we going?"
"You told me you wanted to see the lake, didn't you?" I was shocked that he remembered, I was more shocked that he was offering to go with me when he was still healing, "Or do you not want to go anymore?"
"I do, it is just that I-,"
"Then let's go."
se et me expectantly and although one part of my
The Rejected Werewoll Princess
brain wanted to refuse and continue my self imposed isolation, the more curious part of me nodded and stepped out of the confines of the room. He led us towards the back of the house and towards a trail in the woods. that I hadn't noticed before. As we walked, I noticed a few guards walking a few steps behind us and I knew it was for our protection in case some rogues wandered onto the territory.
I smelled and heard it before I saw it; the sound of rushing water and the smell of an array of flowers. By the time we walked into the clearing, I was staring in complete and utter awe. The view from my window had done no justice to the view sitting in front of me.
It was like the picture perfect image of springtime with a wonderful flowing stream and a small waterfall I didn't notice before. Different flowers bloomed around the edges and all over the large expanse of land and I wondered if someone planted them or if it was just nature taking its
course.
Ryker placed his hand on the small of my back and led me to the edge of the lake where we sat and I could help but take off my sl*ppers and dip my toes into the water.
"This is beautiful," I breathed, "Thank you for bringing me here."
"You're welcome." he waited for a beat of silence before he spoke again, "The guards are close enough that they can see us but not close enough that they can hear us so I wanted to apologize."
I tried to clamp down on my hurt as he spoke. Of course he would have realized by now that k*ssing me was a mistake and I wasn't who he wanted but it still hurt to hear him say it.
"You don't have to apologize; we both did it so it wasn't your fault."
"I am not apologizing for k*ssing you Camilla," the sincerity in his tone had me looking up at him and his eyes told the same story his words did, "If I had the chance I would do it again. What I am apologizing for is the timing. You weren't ready- I know that now."
"I don't understand."
"If I were to k*ss you again would you run?" I stayed silent but he already knew the answer, "I should have thought about that before doing it but I didn't know how else to show you that you were the one I wanted not Lauren. I figured we could try to be friends."
"Friends," I echoed not sure I heard him right.
Lite Rejected Werewoll Princess
He chuckled softly, "It is not ideal for me either but that seems to be all you are ready for and Camilla I want you in any way that you can have me. If being friends is all that you have to offer then I am ready to take it."
I swallowed not sure how to respond. My mouth opened and closed. repeatedly but no words would come out. That was as close to a declaration of love that I had ever heard and that was the first time since. Eve that anyone had ever expressed the desire to want to be my friends. I still wasn't sure how to react to that.
He seemed to notice that I was unsure of what to say next because he turned to face the waterfall.
"My nanny used to bring me here when I was a child," he began, "My parents weren't the best parents and when things got hectic at home, she would bring me here and I knew that I wanted to live here. At the time I wanted to live in the lake but I guess I took the next best thing."
I couldn't help but laugh softly at his revelation, "What are you doing?"
"Well friends know things about each other and I figured that since we are friends now, you should know things about me." he ended his statement with a small smile, "Most of what you hear about my pack are true- or at least they were."
I didn't know how to react to that revelation. "What do you mean?" "My father was a brutal leader. People were hanged and executed for as little as talking out of turn of speaking back to him. His tyranny never stopped in the pack, he always brought it home. My mother and I took the brunt of his rage. She wasn't his mate but an omega that he wanted to have but would not have him so he took her by force. He wasn't even loyal to her, he still fucked anything that moved."
That sounded awful and I suddenly felt bad for his mother because I could relate. Although I was Tyson's mate he took me by force too and he planned to have other women on the side. I wondered how Ryker would react if he knew the truth.
"When I was ten, she got pregnant again and for a while everything stopped until she delivered. She gave birth to a girl and that infuriated him. He said it wasn't his child and he beat my mother to the point I couldn't recognize her anymore. I shifted for the first time that day."
"What happened to her?"
"Che took her life the day after and it was just me, my sister and him for a
very long time." He cleared his throat before continuing, "When I was seventeen and my sister was seven, she was playing around the house and broke a vase. I had gone for patrol and I got back and saw him choking her so I lost it and I killed him. I wasn't thinking about being Alpha in that moment, I just wanted to save my sister and it worked. Not one missed him much if I am being honest."
"I started to reform the pack. I changed a lot of his rules but I realized that the fear of him had instilled respect in other packs so I never cleared up the rumors and I allowed people to believe that I was just as ruthless as he was. My pack members agreed to fuel the rumors as well."
"What happened to your sister? Is she still here?"
"She went on some trip a week before you came. She should be back soon but I'm not quite sure with her. Riley has always had a mind of her own."
"She sounds lovely."
"She is, although she is a huge pain in my ass." I laughed at his choice of words, "Tell me about you Camilla. You don't have to tell me the details but tell me about you."
I paused wondering what was safe to tell him and what was not. I was quiet for a while before I finally cleared my throat.
"You already know that I was an omega." I began, "I never knew my parents. According to the Alpha, I was left in front of the pack house as a baby in a blanket and his mate was the one who advocated to be taken in. When she died, all my privileges died with her. I was five when she died. so I can barely remember a life before the one I had."
"There isn't much to say except I was mated to the Alpha's son and he rejected me on the spot because he found out in front of his friends. It hurt but I didn't quite mind it to be honest. Somehow it got out that we were mates and he made a public statement that I lied about being mates. because I was obsessed with him. I couldn't take the shame so I ran. That's all there is to know honestly."
"I am sorry that happened to you." He placed his hand over mine and I knew he was being sincere so I offered him a smile, "Who was your mate?"
I pondered over his question for a while and wondered what use keeping Tyson's name would be. If Ryker wanted to find out, he could and keeping Tyson's name wasn't doing me any favors.
Ryker had turned back to face the waterfall, probably thinking I wasn't going to respond to his question when I spoke in a soft voice. "Tyson Woods of the Two Moons pack"