The Bellwood Breed

The Bellwood Breed-43

*Ryder's POV*

"One of you should go talk to her. This is a shock to all of us, and she's hurting the most." Shannon said in a sad voice.

"I will." Avery and I said in unison. He looked at me, his expression unreadable. I averted my eyes as I squared my jaw. I was going to have to get a hold on my emotions. I knew I couldn't have Riley right now. The world was playing some sick joke on us. What was the point in have our hearts tied together if we couldn't even actually be together.

Avery sighed in defeat after a moment or two. "You'll know where to find her." He shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked off towards his bedroom.

I took a deep breath and looked back at Aspen. Her eyes were sad as she looked at me, running a hand through my hair, I squared my jaw and headed off to where I knew Riley would be.

I was led directly to where she would be. I took my car because I knew she had went to the same cliff where I had first found her when our hearts connected.

I walked up the path slowly as I thought about what I was going to say. She was sitting with her back to me as she looked out at the sky that was slowly fading into night.

"I knew you'd come." She sniffed.

I sat down in the opposite direction, facing they way I'd just come from. "Yeah?"

She nodded a little as she wiped at her eyes. "Would you be weirded out if I said I felt you?" Her voice was small and confused.

I hung my head, allowing my hair to shield the side of my face and took and deep breath before looking up at the sky. "Not at all." I sighed. Riley and I were tied to each other for the rest of our lives. I believed that we had always been. I knew this the moment I first laid eyes on her. What I didn't know, was why? She and Avery were perfect for each other., just as Aspen and I were.

"It hurts Ryder." She sniffed after the silence had stretched on for some time.

I hated seeing her like this. "I know Ri."

"God I feel so stupid." She began to cry again, leaning into me as she did.

I took a deep breath and hugged her, squeezing her quivering body close to mine. I still hadn't closed my self off to her yet, so I felt what she was feeling, and it hurt like hell.

She allowed me to hold her as she continued to cry, and when she was done, she looked up at me, her face hollow. "Why are you here Ryder?"

I was caught off guard by her question. "What?" I asked dumbly.

She stood to her feet and pulled her hair back from her face. "I don't get it." She said quietly. "You hate me, yet you always know where I am, you always know when I'm hurt, and you always know when I-" she stopped, casting her eyes to the ground.

"When you what?" I took a dangerous step towards her, placing my self just inches from in front of her.

Her bottom lip quivered as she looked up at me with those beautiful eyes of hers. "When I need you." She whispered.

I could only stare at her as she stared back at me. I still wasn't sure if she knew exactly what had happened between us, but I was almost positive that she was starting to fall for me. And that wasn't good for either of us.

"Ryder when I'm hurting...it seems like you're the only one who can make it stop. It's like...I need you, and I don't know why. None of this makes sense to me, I just...I just know that I...I..." Her words wouldn't form together. She sighed shakily and turned away from me.

"Riley." I said quietly.

She turned to look at me. The sky was dark now and her pale features were bathed in nothing but soft moonlight, my heart thumped unevenly in my chest.