Mate's Redemption || ✔

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Days after the rogue attack, I stood in the training room as I threw punches at the deflated bag in front of me—we really needed to get a new one; I thought as I watched sand drain from the bag.

Mace was being the amazing friend he was and took over for me when it came to training the helpless Midnight Forrest pack while I trained myself—them in the garden while I stuck myself in our very own gym.

Each blow had more and more force, my mind wondering as I did so.

The thought of rogue attacks happening terrified me—it brought me back to the past which was never a good thing. I squeezed my eyes shut as I continued to swing at the bag.

While the Midnight Forrest would say differently, the reason for my parents' death was due to a terrible rogue attack that happened over a decade ago when I was only six.

As a family, we had gone on a run and I was so energic and young that I ended up running off and finding myself outside of the border—both my mother and father didn't notice, they were too busy telling Lane off about something, I wouldn't know I was only six I barely understood what was happening around me.

All I saw was Lane—a nine-year-old boy-- getting a stern telling off from the parents and I wandered away, bored by the entire situation.

I didn't realise that I had gone over the border until I heard a deep growl from behind me. It was four different rogues watching me as a fifth one was slowly coming over to me—as if they were stalking prey.

My parents had noticed that I had wandered away and when they found me surrounded by rogues, my father had lunged at him—however, five bloodthirsty rogues happened to be too much for my father.

After watching the love of her life get ripped apart, all my mother saw was red. She ran into the pile and managed to rip apart two of the rogues until they managed to overpower her.

I couldn't watch, my tears were blinded my tears as I ran away from the scene. I didn't see one of the rogues lunging over to Lane however before they could reach him, the Alpha had appeared followed by his warriors—the border control must have heard the cries and alerted the Alpha.

That day I lost my parents, and in a way, I lost everyone else as well. Even though I was so young, they blamed the little pup that walked off without supervision. If I hadn't walked off, the rogues wouldn't have been able to surround me and my parents' paternal senses take over and give up their lives for me.

I fluttered my eyes as I huffed, pushing off of the punching bag, my eyes slightly moist as they watered. I sniffed, ripping off my gloves and throwing them on the floor.

I sighed, moving to leave the room but then jumped in shock, a gasp escaping through my lips as my heart skipped a beat.

"For fuck sake, Hayden!" I yelled, my hand on my heart as I tried controlling my breathing.

Hayden sat there on the side, watching me as I trained. For how long, I wasn't sure—I was too engrossed in my thoughts that I hadn't smelt him come in and I didn't even feel hoe content my wolf felt in this moment.

"What the hell?" I snapped, ripping my earphones out and put them into my pocket, narrowing my eyes at the peeking wolf. He leaned on the bench, almost scanning me as he watched.

"You have good technique." I squinted my eyes at him.

"What do you want?"

He shrugged, lifting himself off the bench. "That is a very loaded question." I huffed through my nose as I crossed my arms over my chest, avoiding eye contact as he walked closer to me.

"We've discussed this." He shook his head at me, his eyes lowering down to meet mine as he got closer. He was a good few inches taller than me. Being so close to him made my wolf yip in joy, my eyes flickering up and down his face—scanning every feature.

"No," His warm breath hit my face, my wolf yearning to inhale however I refrain. No way was I doing that. "You said what you wanted to say, and I listened, now it's my time." I held my breath and I watched him speak, huffing lightly through my nose as I thought about it.

Was I really going to listen to him? Did he even deserve that?

"We need to have a proper conversation, Reese." I rolled my eyes, backing away slightly to create distance between us—being so close to him was making me feel almost intoxicated. I bent down and grabbed the punching gloves I threw off and walked around Hayden, placing the gloves in my cubby.

"You had that chance, three years ago." I pointed out, looking through the mirror in front of me to see Hayden turn to me. He looked clearly frustrated, it made me slightly proud I could affect him so easily.

"You can't hold me for what I did from something I said in a brass moment at eighteen!" Hayden exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air and letting them fall back in frustration. I turned to face him and crossed my arms, tilting my head at him.

"What you did, changed me."

"And you haven't thanked me yet." He chuckled dryly, his attempt at a joke. "Ever since I got to this pack I have tried and tried to talk to you, I have followed behind you almost every second of the day and you've ignored every single one of the advances. Let me speak!"

"Speak then!" I raised my voice, almost shouting at him. "Tell me how you celebrated breaking my heart!" I almost screamed, stepping closer to him. "You broke my heart within the span of five seconds and you didn't even blink when you did it!" I was almost to the point of breaking down in tears, my voice slightly breaking as I spoke but I continued to hold my ground.

I wasn't going to cry in front of him, he wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing that.

"I regretted that the second I did it, I was a young idiotic man. Even if I hadn't rejected you, I wouldn't be worthy of being with you.

After you left that day, I couldn't stop blaming myself. I saw how the pack were treating you and I ignored it and you which I shouldn't have. I may not have participated but I didn't stop it and that was wrong and I'm sorry. " As he spoke, he could closer to me with each sentence and I made no move to get away.

"I blamed myself for pushing over breaking point and I beat myself up about it since. I would cry just seeing your room empty and every day I would think of the chance of you coming back, each day passing made the chance slimmer but I never gave up hope that I would find you." He was now inches away from me, his hands hesitantly moving to touch both of my arms. I looked in his face, his eyes squinted as he tried holding back his tears however his eyes had turned to a pool of saltwater, a few drops falling from the corners of his eyes.

"I'm begging you, now that I have finally found you again, I am begging you—please, forgive me. Give me a chance, I was stupid and immature back then and all I could think about was myself and my freedom but you are my true freedom. I don't want to risk losing you, not again Reese I beg.

"You're all I want," His hands lifted up to my face, cupping my cheeks as he inched closer to my face. I knew what he wanted to do. "I need you." His voice barely a whisper as he leaned down, gently pressing his lips on mine with his tears wet with tears that had fallen during his speech. The kiss was short and sweet, Hayden pulling away from me as I stood there frozen.

"Give me a chance."

With all my heart—

--I didn't know what to do.