His eyes land on me, and he tries to sit up, wincing immediately. “Sh*t. Bad idea.”
“Don’t move,” I rush forward, grabbing the chair beside his bed. “Don’t even think about moving. You absolute idiot.”
Ryder chuckles, and Callen’s mouth curves into the faintest grin. “I missed you too.”
The sound that escapes me is somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and I press my fingers to my mouth again.
“I didn’t think I’d get to see you again,” I whisper.
“I didn’t think I’d get to see anything again,” he says. “But I’m too damn stubborn, and besides, I’m still holding you to that talk you promised me, so I couldn’t die until after that.”
I shake my head with a smile and reach for his hand, careful of the IV. I wrap my fingers around his.
His thumb brushes mine. “I’m okay, Paige. Promise.”
“I’ll give you two some time alone. I have a few things to do while I’m here. Don’t leave this room. I’ll be back soon,” Ryder says, leaning down and kissing the top of my head. “Go easy on him, and no matter how much he tries to convince you to climb on top of him, he’s not up for it.”
“Wow, thanks, bro. I almost died, and you still c*ckblock me,” Callen grumbles as Ryder walks out.
I smile, happy to see he hasn’t lost his humor.
“How long will it take you to heal?” I ask, my eyes taking stock of his injuries.
“A couple of days, I think. As soon as the wolfsbane is out of my system and my wolf is strong enough, I’ll shift and heal in no time. I won’t come home until I’m fully healed. I don’t want Jax to see me like this.”
I shake my head. “Thank you for thinking of him, but you don’t have to do that. We can work around it if we need to. I could even take him home for a few days. I don’t want you to stay away from home because of us.”
“It’s not safe for you to go back there, Paige, not with him. And I know you’re not sure about me, but Ryder needs you. He’ll go crazy if you leave him, even if it’s just for a couple of days.”
Guilt eats at me. He thinks I’m not sure about him, and that’s not it, not really. I have to tell him the truth.
N.O Darling
Sorry I couldn’t fit the whole scene in the word count limit for this chapter. I’ll get the next one up as soon as possible.
** Paige’s POV **
“I wasn’t fair to you,” I whisper. “Before it happened. I was scared and confused. I ran without explaining myself, and then I thought… God, I thought… what if the last thing you remembered from me was rejection?”
His brow furrows, but his hand tightens around mine.
“Are you rejecting me, Paige? Because I remember your kiss,” he says, his voice shaky. “And that didn’t feel like rejection.”
“I saw you that morning, Cal… in the woods… with Remy,” I admit.
Callen sucks in a breath, and then winces.
“s**t. Paige. I’m so sorry. I convinced myself you’d be okay with it. That when you said to do whatever it takes, you were giving me permission, but then afterwards, when I wasn’t lost in the heat of the moment, I had some time to think about it. I realised what a d**k I was. We were going to tell you, tell you all, but then you ran away before we got a chance. I fully understand if you want to reject me,” he says, turning his head away from me as if he can’t bear to look at me.
I squeeze his hand. “I didn’t run because I felt betrayed, or hurt. I ran because I liked what I saw, Callen, and that scared me.”
“Wow, I mean that’s so hot, but not what I was expecting, or what I deserve,” he says, swallowing audibly.”
But why did that scare you?”
“Because it’s not who I am. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything, and every time I think I’m coming to terms with something, I get something else thrown at me. It’s just been so much. This time last week, I was living a normal, boring life.”
“Yeah, it’s been a week for you, huh?” he rubs his thumb over the back of my hand, giving me the only physical comfort he can.
“You could say so, and you only know half of it,” I half laugh. “So forgive me if I need a moment to catch up, and maybe freak out a little.”
“You’re right. It’s all been too much, too soon. I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have dumped all this on you so fast, but in my defence, it was extreme circumstances. I couldn’t let you leave with Jax that day. You needed to know, and I couldn’t hide the mate bond from you. That would have only left you more confused about why you felt drawn to me.”
I nod. I understand what he’s saying, and why he did some things he did. I also know exactly what he means about me only being more confused if he hadn’t explained the mate bond. Maybe if Parker had told me sooner, I wouldn’t have been so flustered about how he was making me feel, or how watching Callen and Remy together had affected me.
“So… you and Remy, huh.” I smile. “How long has that been going on?”
Callen groans. “Too long for it to be nothing,” he admits. “Remy told Parker yesterday, but Ryder doesn’t know yet. We’ve kept it hidden. We were going to come clean yesterday, to you and Rye, but then I kind of got attacked.”
“You’re stupider than I thought if you think Ryder doesn’t know,” I laugh.
“Why, what did he say?”
“Nothing, but he’s your brother, your twin. Do you really think he wouldn’t have seen the way you and Remy are around each other? Hell, I worked it out in a couple of hours.” I shrug.
“I doubt it. You don’t know what he’s been like, he barely knew what day it was most of the time, never mind what I was up to. I always knew something was bothering him, but I didn’t realise it was this serious. It all makes so much sense now, and I can’t wait to finally know the real version of my brother now that he has his mate back.”
His words strike something in me. Has Ryder really been suffering that badly all this time? Has he been missing me as much as I’ve missed him?
“You have no idea how important you are to us, Paige, but I promise, if you give us a chance, we will make sure you understand.”
I nod, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
We sit in silence for a moment. His hand in mine. My heart thudding too fast, too full. There’s so much I want to say, but none of it feels like enough. I need to tell him about Remy and Parker, but it doesn’t feel right, not yet. It’s a conversation the five of us should have together.
“Have you spoken to Remy today?” I ask.
“No, the nurse said he came in earlier, but I was sleeping. I tried to reach out to him when I woke up, but
I’m not strong enough yet.”
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