Theirs ☾mates☽

Chapter 9: Explain

"ASPEN! STOP!" I hear Carson yell from behind me, both of my mates chase after me as I run blindly through the woods. Twigs snag in my hair, on my face, and feet, where they hit me, it burns. My arms swing through the air as I run and my lungs burn with the need for air. Layla begs me to stop and let my mates confront me, to stop and to explain what's wrong but I don't listen.

I can't.

I don't know what will happen if I stop.

My breaths grow ragged as I run barefooted, my body begins to betray me and I feel light-headed because of the loss of blood. I felt the stitches tug and protest as I was suddenly taken down to the ground. I expect to see one of my mates has caught me but I feel no sparks from their touch so I know that this man is not my mate.

I hear them growl from behind me, still trying to reach me as I struggle under the wolf holding me down. He has his fangs bared and is threateningly close to my neck, his paws dig into my shoulders and I feel blood leak from the wounds and into the snow. I peek my head back and know that my mates are too far away, Layla cant shift in time nor under this giant ass wolf to save us, I have no weapon, but I do have my magic.

The thing is, if I used it, they would know...

Would I rather die or reveal my power?

My heart pounds as Layla makes up my mind for me and takes over, I am now acting on pure animal instincts and I scream out as I feel teeth pierce my neck near my jaw, but that scream isn't one of pain but of raw fury. I watch, feeling numb, as shards of ice well up above my head and shoot right into the chest of the wolf atop me. He howls out and as he scurries off me I draw my hands up to cup the wound by my jaw, it leaks with blood that I can't afford to lose. My head looks down at Ryder's shirt that is now stained with blood, and I suddenly feel like crying out in misery.

I am just so fucking done, I'm done feeling this pain. I'm done feeling as I can never be myself and relax, I am done being the tough mean guy.

I sank to the ground, my knees close to my chest as I cried into my bloody kneecaps. I feel two bodies around me, staring at me, tearing my skin raw with only their eyes.

"Go away." I cry into my knees, "I know what you will say, I know you hate me for what I am and you know what, I would too...I do. I am done pretending! Just leave me alone!" I beg into my knees. I curse the moon goddess for giving me these two mates, these two men who can't take a fucking hint!

"Aspen," Carson says softly from next to me. He had his arm around me and was slowly bringing me down and into his side, I resisted but not for long. His body was warm and his touch comforted me. I needed this more than ever. I needed Carson, I needed Ryder. And holy hell it sucked donkey balls to admit that.

I rested my head under his chin and felt tears well up in my eyes once more, "Why won't you guys just reject me?" I whisper.

Carson's hand runs up and down my arms and legs, he nudges my head to the side with his and sniffs my neck before pressing a kiss against me that causes me to shiver, he smiles against my throat and pulls away to look into my eyes. I feel Ryder behind me, rubbing his hand into my back as Carson sighed, "We will never reject you my love, and believe it or not we are just like you." He said sincerely.

I shake my head and turn to Ryder to see him nod his head with approval, "That's impossible." I deny.

"Show her," Carson says.

Ryder grins at me and pulls away, I turn in Carson's arms to see Ryder magically from a ball of dirt in the air and watch as a small tulip grows in the muddy floating dirt right before my eyes. My mouth dropped open and I leaned back into Carson's chest in shock, "What the hell?" I watched in amaze shock as he lowered the ball of dirt and the flower to the earth.

He plopped down in front of me and grins. "Pretty cool right?" He asks with a hopeful tint to his voice.

I nod my head vigorously, "Yo-you can control it?" I ask in amazement. Ryder nodded his head happily and rubbed my hand in between his.

"Carson taught me how." He hummed.

"Carson?" I repeated dumbly and turned to look at my handsome black-haired mate. "And what can you do?" I asked in curiosity.

Carson smirked at me, his eyes glowing as static filled the air. I watched in anticipation as a small burst of electricity jumped between him and me. I jumped and squealed when that small tiny bolt felt like a thousand against my arm and gave me goosebumps. "Holy shit you are like me!" I squeal and suddenly feel thousand times more comfortable than I did three seconds ago.

I relaxed against Carson and squeezed Ryder's hand tighter in mine, "Wow." I breathe. "I-I can control the ice," I whisper. This was the first time I have ever said it aloud and admitted to the power I have inside of me. It felt like the storm that brewed in me every day had finally calmed to a peaceful breeze. I have never felt so relaxed in my entire life.

"We kinda figured that." Ryder laughed into my neck and I blushed. But then I remembered.

They weren't like me, they had powers, yea, but, but they didn't kill their parents with their curses as I had, they would hate me when they learned what I had done. "But you are both wrong." I shake my head and they watch as the cloud settles back onto me.

Carson rubs my hips with his hand, his hands coming back covered in the blood that stained my body, "How so?" he asked.

I shook my head in fear, "No, I can't tell you." I mutter and admit to what I have been thinking,

Ryder growled and I felt his lips attach to my ear as he sucked on it, "Well never hate you my darling." he purred, his voice vibrating against my ear in ways that had me relaxing as I had just felt. Carson's hands kneaded into my hips as Ryder sucked on my lobe, my legs wrapped around Caron's hips and I leaned my back against Ryder's chest, "What did you do?" He asked me once again but not unkindly. His voice almost sounded purely desperate to understand what had me so scared to let them have me, to accept my mates.

I moaned as Carson's hands moved harder and Ryder's mouth moved from my ear and to the base of my jaw, he sucked on my skin and my mind became much as I relaxed further into their bodies, "I had parents once," I said numbly and they continued to nip love bites on my exposed skin, "But they are gone now, they are gone and it's my fault." That was all I could manage to say. I fully expected them to throw me to the ground and declare their rejection. I expected to feel the wrath of more hate.

But what I didn't expect was for them to sandwich me between them, for them to hug me tightly against them, tighter than I have ever been held before, and to feel a sense of understanding flow between the bound between the three of us. For them to accept me for my past and instead of blaming me for it, they accepted it, and instead of feeling alone, I finally felt like I had somebody who understood me. Or in this case...two of them.

And after fighting it for so long, I gave in and I hugged my mates.