Chapter 24: Paige

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Just as I get ready to sleep in the guest bedroom, the door slams open and I see Giana storm into my room uninvited. She jumps onto my bed with a wide smile. "So, how did it go? Are you guys together now? You guys look so good together! Your pups will be so cute. I'm so happy for you. We can be Lunas together and go on double dates-" She starts to ramble. I took a deep breath and turned to face her. Her expression falls as she sees my face. "I'm not going to stay with him," I whispered, quietly cutting her off. Unfortunately for me, my cousin has ears like a bat. "What the fuck?" She gasps, staring at me. She takes a deep breath to calm herself. I step away from her. "We just aren't compatible," I stated, weakly. She shakes her head in disbelief at my words. She forces out a laugh. "I get it now. You're scared." She says, her voice cold. She points at the side on the bed that is open. "Why? He loves you, Paige. You love him. It's plain to see for anyone with eyes." She remarks as I take a seat beside her. "I can't." I tried to explain, but there is a lump in my throat. She sits up and fiddles with her necklace which Wesley had gifted her. "Mates are gifts from the Moon Goddess. Wesley annoys me but I wouldn't give him up for the world. It's him or no one." She explains to me, her voice soft.

That was exactly what I feared, I couldn't fight the mate bond. We were all enslaved by it. The tears that had welled up in my eyes spill over and roll down my cheeks. "I'm scared, Giana." I blurbed out. She cocks her head. She pats my shoulder but she looks at me sternly. "He is not going to hurt you. He is your mate." She injects, I shake my head. "I don't- I just don't want to lose anyone else in my life," I mumbled. She scoffs loudly like she can't believe what I just said. "So what you rather lose him forever?! I don't want to be mean but girl, you make no sense." She insisted, pleading with me to understand. Her angry expression softens as she looks at me. "Paige, I know that you lost your mother and your father. But you are only losing more if you push us away. I'm here for you. Wesley is. Ryder is. Heck, even Ainsley!" She declares, making me crack a watery smile. "It's Ashley." I corrected, making her roll her eyes. She waves her hand dismissively. "Well, I just met her today!" She defends herself. She clears her throat and takes my hand in hers. "I won't force you to bond with him but I cannot let you join our pack. I'm sorry." She explains, looking every inch the strong Luna that she had become. I wipe away tears as she looks at me sadly.

"Do not use me to run away from your problems." She scolds me. She looks at me with a determined look in her eyes. "I understand that you are scared and that you've been hurt but you must take a chance." She says, firmly. She was right. Only a couple of months ago, I was hurt by Ryder as he had refused to give me a chance. Now he had opened himself up to and made himself vulnerable to me. "One chance. If you tried and failed, you can join my pack. But until then, I can't welcome you with open arms." She declares. She gets off the bed and takes my hand. She drags me out the door into the hallway. "Come on!" She says as she leads me in front of the guest room which Ryder was staying at. She steps away and says, "Just one week." She then turns and leaves me in the empty hallway. I take a deep breath. She was right. I lift my hand and knock. The door opens and Ryder appears. His grey eyes widen in surprise as he sees me. "Can I come in?" I asked, wringing my hands about. My heart is pounding in my chest as I see his face.

He opens the door and I slip past him. He closes the door and gives me a smile. "I-umm. I-I" I stammered, unable to form a proper sentence in front of me. He chuckles and says, "Why don't we take a seat?" He invites me over to sit beside him. I walk over there and sit. My wolf goes crazy at our close proximity. He needed to know how I felt. "Ryder." I started, my hands start trembling as I gathered the courage to tell him. He waits patiently as I collect myself. "I just- I'm scared," I confessed. I look away as I realised that he might not understand. He takes my hands in his. His touch is warm and gentle. He looks at me with a serious look in his eyes. "I am, too." He says, softly. He understood. I remember Giana's words and smile to myself. I needed to face him properly. "I thought it over and I want us to try," I explained. His grey eyes shine with hope and I swallowed nervously. "For a week," I say, my throat going dry. How was he going to react? He looks deep in thought as he considers my idea.

"Okay, one week. So by the end?" He trails off and I bit my lip. I would either stay or leave. He grins and kisses the back of my hand. "Thank you. Thank you." He mutters, making my wolf howl happily. My cheeks are heating up by his kisses. My heart skips a beat and his lips send pleasurable tremors down my spine. He looks up at me with a twinkle in his grey eyes. "Starting now?" he asks, hopefully. My lips curve up unconsciously as he offers me a shy smile.

"Starting now," I whispered.

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