My Challenging Mate

Last Day of Freedom

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After I got dressed, I went downstairs to greet the guests. There was no more questions about mates because I'm assuming everybody heard what had happened yesterday. You see, being an Alpha, I had a set time when I was supposed to meet my mate. As any other Alpha, it was supposed to be the year when I turned thirteen... but that didn't happen to me. After I turned fourteen, I kind of gave up on the idea of having a mate. It's just something I learned to deal with.

When I had talked with everybody for the second day in a row, I looked around and I saw Wes, conversing as if he'd never even left at all. I smiled at the fact that they welcomed him with open arms. I looked around the room again and saw that my father was no where to be seen. I walked out the back door and saw him sitting on the porch, looking into the woods.

"Dad." I said softly. He patted the spot next to him and I went down and sat next to him.

"Today is the day she died." He began. Then he pulled down the collar on his shirt, showing a scar running across his neck. "I got this the day she died." He said quietly.

"Dad, how come you didn't die?" That question has been on my mind for ten years.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that whenever something happens to your mate, you get it too. When mom died, how come you didn't?" We sat there in silence for a good five minutes before he decided to answer.

"When your mate dies fast, the bond is broken and you don't die. The time it takes for what's happening to them, to happen to you, is too slow to actually kill you. Sometimes, you may end up with some bruises, or scratches, but that's it. Now, if your mate dies a slow death, then you most likely will die too. That's what happened with your mother." He paused, taking a long, slow breath. "Her throat was slit, Ravyn. She was left on the field to die. Right over there." He pointed in the middle of the yard. "Rogues took her out of the house when you and Weston were young, and I was away at council, and they killed her. I felt her pain. I was suffering along with her. But, what I had that she didn't have, was help. I was taken to a hospital, screaming for them to let me die. To let me go with her. But they didn't listen. By the time I was better, she was already gone. I'm glad the bond was broken because I don't think I could've survived. But, there will always be a hole in my heart, where her heart matches up." A few tears fell from his face and my eyes got watery.

Enough crying, Ravyn. You've cried enough in the past month to last you a lifetime. Then, I let the extra water in my eyes dry and I sat there with a stone cold expression on my face. I laid a hand on top of my dad's and after another five minutes, we were done mourning and he told me he was going inside to the party.

I sat there for a while before I heard rustling from the woods. I snapped my head to the side to see none other than Ryder, stepping out from the woods. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a black jacket over it and dark jeans. He was also wearing black converse and his hair was cut short, way shorter than when I met him in the woods. I couldn't stop from staring at him as he walked up the porch.

"Hey." He said as he reached me. Ryder sat down next to me and I smelt his cologne. I secretly breathed it in slowly through my nose so he wouldn't think I was a freak.

"Hey. You cut your hair, it looks nice." I said, not really knowing what I should say. Something happened to me when he walked out of those woods. I don't know how to explain it, but I suddenly got all nervous and awkward, something that I never was around him.

"Yeah -" he said running his hand through his hair. "- it does look nice... but more like pretty freaking awesome, right?" Ryder smiled and looked at me.

"Oh, yeah, it's sooo awesome." I said, sarcastically, also smiling.

"Pfft, of course it is!" That made me laugh.

"Oh, god. Why am I so awkward?" I laughed more and so did Ryder. Soon, we just started laughing for no reason and my sides hurt so bad.

"Stop laughing!" Ryder yelled at me as he leaned his head against the house.

"I can't help it! I have no idea why I'm laughing!" After that, the laughter died down, but a smile remained on both of our lips.

"Ah, that was pretty fun." Ryder said, running his hand through his hair again.

"Yeah, we should do it again sometime." I said, another awkward moment. I hate being awkward around him, he probably think I'm stupid or something. Ryder suddenly got a worried look on his face. He scrunched up his eyebrows and stayed like that for awhile. And he just looked at me, like he was studying me, trying to read me, trying to concentrate.

"What?" I asked him. I wasn't really uncomfortable, but I didn't know what he was doing.

"You're not awkward." He said, answering my question from before... I think.

"Really? I kind of think I am. But, it's all good. It's probably because I'm subconsciously thinking about my duties of being Alpha and not being myself. It'll go away." Ryder started studying me again and this time, I studied him, too. We were just sitting there, looking at each other.

"You deserve better." He mumbled while he brushed a piece of my hair out of my face.

"What?" I asked, no longer studying him. This seemed to take him out of his daze, as well and he didn't seem to realize what he said.

"What?" He asked.

"You just said -" I started.

"Let's go inside, people are waiting for you." Ryder told me as he got up from his sitting position. I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion, but decided it was better to talk about it later.

"Yeah, I guess so..."

"Ya know, since I'm here, the party can finally start." He flashed me his best smile and walked in side. Ryder held his arm out for me and I wrapped mine around his.

"Cause the party don't start til you walk in." I said, mocking him from when he said it yesterday. He just laughed.

"Always remember that." Was what he said before we reached everybody else.

I just couldn't help thinking about what he had said before.

You deserve better.

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