Chapter 7
RYDEN
“Mom, do you remember Amelia?”
My mother smiled and squeezed her hands. “Of course. How can I forget? You used to tease her and call her ladybug.”
Amelia’s cheeks turned red, smiling at her. Nothing could be more beautiful than her smile. “Hello, Mrs. Braxton.”
I couldn’t deny our bond, our attraction to each other no matter how hard we fought it. One of these days, it would ensnare us and fall us both hard into our own most profound and frightening feelings.
“I’m glad you’re back, Amelia. The pack wasn’t the same without you. I know you didn’t disappear. Where are your parents?”
“Dad can’t leave the duty early, but he’ll be here later. Mom is babysitting my brother.”
“You’ve grown up, Amelia, into a beautiful woman,” my father said, hugging her. My parents had always loved her and protected her when she got bullied by some of the pack members.
“So, you’re staying, right?”
“Um—”
“Of course, she is, Mom. Her family is here. She belongs to this pack.” I was still confused with how Zarah had reacted upon seeing her and Ren. The moment I felt Amelia’s presence yesterday, I knew there was something unexplainable about her.
“How’s your brother, by the way?”
“He’s still healing, Elder Seth, but he wished he’d be here tonight. Great party, like always.”
When the party started, food and refreshments were served, the music blasted, and the young mateless members began dancing.
“Alpha Ryden, our guests are waiting in your office,” Seven came and whispered. He was one of the youngest unmated members. He enjoyed breaking orders once and a while, but he was also loyal and reliable.
“Thank you. Go and have some fun.” Once he joined the others, I faced my parents. “I have some important matters to discuss with our guests.”
“Of course, son,” Dad said. I could still see the pride in his eyes, the same as when I took over the pack years ago.
“Can I get you both a drink?” Amelia offered. “I’m parched.”
“We’re good, my dear.”
She left without asking me.
I wasn’t disappointed because I knew what I’d done. It was unforgivable. What I put her through may have made her something today but it was also horrible. For a young woman who just turned eighteen, still without a wolf, no one had to go through that.
“What’s going on between you two?” Mom looked at me. She may have sensed something, a tension between me and Amelia. I hoped to the Goddess, that she would not find out tonight.
“Nothing. She’s just worried about Zeph, and she doesn’t like how some of the members look at her as if she deliberately burned their house years ago.
“I know what’s going on between you and Nora, but she’s been too hard on Amelia, Ryden. I heard what she said earlier, and I’ve seen enough if there’s something serious going on between you two. I suggest you end it now because of the way you look at Amelia, and I wish I wasn’t wrong.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I kissed him on the cheek. “I have to go. It’s rude to keep the guests waiting.”
Amelia was chatting with my cousin, Maddie with a Champagne glass in her hand. She looked gorgeous in her red dress but showed a lot of skin for my taste.
Understandably, I could be possessive of her. She was my mate in the first place, and everyone who looked maliciously at her would piss my wolf off.
Her expressive eyes narrowed the moment she noticed me coming in her direction.
“Maddie, may I excuse Amelia?”
Maddie smiled widely. “Of course, she’s all yours. Forever.”
“What do you want?”
“The witch wants to see you.”
“What does she want?”
“You can ask her that,” I told her as I gestured to Ren talking to Theia, stuffing a bite of cheese into her mouth.
“We’re a package deal, Alpha. They’re not going wherever you’ll take them without me.”
“Of course, I know that.” I watched Amelia go head towards the hallway to my office because she knew where it was. She often helped clean it with Maddie.
That was when I noticed a unique and beautiful tattoo on her back.
“Amelia, wait.” I grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the hallway where it was dark and secluded.
“Let me go.” Of course, she resisted, pulling her hand off. “What do you want?” Her eyes narrowed.
“Since when did you get tattoos?”
“Wait. You, too, can see her tattoos?” Theia asked.
“I said they’re not tattoos. They’re runes,” Ren said, correcting her.
Amelia’s mouth agape, blinking rapidly at me.
“What did she mean by that, Amelia? And what is Ren talking about?” I held her shoulders so she could turn her back on me. I pointed at the runes of somewhat flames from her backbone spreading over her shoulder blades. “I can see them, like flames from your spine.”
“He’s—”
“He’s not,” she stopped Ren.
“Are you guys coming or what?” Alpha Knight appeared from the door of my office.
“Apologies, Knight.”
We entered my office. Zarah, Knight, Califf, Shadow, and Nirvana were already there, drinking wine and whisky.
I locked the door once we were all gathered. I gestured at Amelia who just rolled her eyes at me. “Guys, tell me what do you see.”
“A beautiful flawless sexy back?” Nirvana smiled, giggling with Shadow. “Why didn’t you tell us she’s your mate?”
“We’re not,” Amelia said, resisting the truth.
“He rejected and banished her,” Zarah said casually while I almost flinched.
“What the fuck?” Califf reacted, turning to Knight. “Do you know what’s going on here?”
“Don’t look at me.” Knight shrugged off.
“Focus, kids,” Zarah cut them off. “What are you trying to show us besides her back, Ryden?”
“You can’t see her tattoos?”
Everyone, except Ren and Theia, tried to find on Amelia’s exposed skin, but none of them had confirmed it, including Zarah.
“Oh, for Goddess’s sake,” Amelia grunted, covering her exposed skin with her arms. “They’re runes. Not tattoos.”
“Turn your back, Amelia,” Zarah asked her. When she complied, Zarah began chanting something in Latin, and her runes lit up like flames under her skin.
My guess was only me and Zarah could see it. None of them reacted the way we did.
“You’re right, Ryden. It means Spirit Fire and flame of God.”
“Excuse me?” Shadow’s eyebrows shot up.
“No one supposed to see them unless, they’re one of us,” Ren finally broke his silence.
“When you said one of us, what’s that supposed to mean, Ren? What are you exactly?” Nirvana asked.
“Our late Sensei Taiyo called them Reika and Kenshin.” When Ren undid the cufflink on his left wrist, the hair at the back of my neck started standing. He pulled the sleeve up his elbows and showed his glowing tattoos written in Japanese.
My guess was they were runes, too. He ran his palm on the runes, causing Zarah and me to gasp. “Now you can see them. These are Fujin and Kazeshi.”
“I still don’t see anything,” Califf complained. “Meaning?”
Zarah looked at Califf. “They’re elemental werewolves. She’s fire and he’s air.”