Reaching You

Chapter 26: Paige

I swallowed as I watched my mother's coffin get lowered into her grave. I was glad that she was being buried right beside my father in the meadow. The meadow was empty with only Giana, Wesley, Ryder, and I. The letter that my mother wrote to me felt heavy in my pocket. I was scared to open it. The grave was quickly covered and I placed my mother's favorite flowers, lilies on her gravestone. It simply read "Beloved wife and mother" which was a large understatement. She was my best friend, my role model, and my rock. I took a deep breath and looked up at the endless blue sky that enveloped the green meadow. It truly was a beautiful day.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, breaking me out of my thoughts. Giana gives me a sad smile and says, "I'll be waiting in the packhouse." I nodded and she pulls me into a warm hug. She gives a meaningful look before she walks away with Wesley, leaving me alone with Ryder. I turn back to the grave and sit down on the grass. I tried to convince myself that she was happier with my father. That she was no longer suffering. But a small part of me felt betrayed. I was all alone now. I couldn't rely on Giana too much. She had other things in her life. I would be fine. My wolf whimpers as she retreats into the back of my mind. A breeze runs through my hair and reminds me of the days I had spent with my mother in my childhood.

My mother loved this meadow. We used to have picnics. I could still see the sandwiches that she prepared and the lemonade whenever I closed my eyes. I hear footsteps and I look up to see Ryder offering me a handkerchief. I didn't realize that tears were running down my cheeks. "Thank you," I whispered, my voice hoarse. I take it and his kind gesture makes me cry even more. I turn my face away. I gasped as his arms pull me close. He doesn't say anything. He just lets me cry. "Why does it hurt so much?" I sobbed, frustrated by myself. He runs a hand through my tangled locks. "Your mother died the happiest wolf. You did everything you could for her." He says, softly. I wipe my eyes and give me a smile.

He gently leads me back to the packhouse where I am greeted by Lindsey. Her hair is neatly braided into two pigtails but her overalls were a mess. There were paint splatters all over her pants. She flings herself around my leg. I giggled at her warm welcome. "AGE! Today, mummy and I painted together." She explains, with a smile. I looked up to see her mother, Leslie shyly standing beside her mate. Landon gives her an encouraging smile. "Paige, I...hope that you like it. Just something to remember your parents." She says, handing me a canvas. I gasped. It was a portrait of my parents holding hands in the meadow. Tears welled up in my eyes. I engulf her into a hug. "Thank you so much. I-I love it!" I exclaimed, wiping away my tears. Leslie smiles as I show Louise the painting. Leslie blushes at our compliments and ends up hiding her face behind Landon who has a smug look on his face.

"My mate is very talented, isn't she?" He remarks proudly. Chase walks over and takes a look. Chase glances at Louise. "Well, my mate can't paint for shit." He announces, making Louise shoot him the death glare. Wesley chuckles, making Gianna slap his chest. I feel a light tap on my shoulder. I turn to see Ryder looking at me nervously. "Paige. You can refuse if you want to but ... could you stay in my room for a week. Just Liam being anxious." He asks, his grey eyes pleading with me. I remember Gianna's words and I nod. I trust him not to force me to do anything that I wasn't ready for. "Ok, just let me pick up a few things from my house," I answered. A smile light up his face and it takes me by surprise. My heart jumps at the shyness of his smile. Louise walks up and ruffles Ryder's hair.

"Classic excuse. Blame it on your wolf." She teases, making Ryder's cheeks turn slightly pink. I giggled at his flustered expression. He composes himself and then ignores Louise's wide grin. "Should we start cleaning out your house?" He asks, calmly. He holds out his hand and I take it. Sparks tingles as his large hand engulfs my hand. Wesley lets out a loud sigh making us turn to look at him. "Fucking newly mated wolves." He whispers, making Gianna elbow him for swearing. "Fabulous. Fabulous, I mean." He corrects himself, as Landon glares at him. Lindsey giggles as she sees Wesley pout. "Landon, cover Lindsey's eyes," Ryder says. Landon scrambles over to his daughter's side and covers her eyes just in time as Ryder flips them off. We walk out of the packhouse after I thank Leslie for the painting. Ryder gives Louise, Wesley, and Chase the silent treatment. I feel his eyes on me as we walk. I cannot help but giggle as I thought the sight of two of us walking. I was barely 5' while Ryder was 6'4. He was practically was towering over me like a palm tree.

He shoots me a confused look and I shake my head. We continue walking in silence but I find myself blushing under his steady gaze. My wolf was screaming at me to pounce on our mate. The mate pull was getting stronger and it was getting hard to control my feelings. We arrived and I am greeted by the sight of my empty house. I sighed as I reminded myself how my mother lost everything when she lost her mate.

The mate bond was a dangerous fantasy that I was not going to give into.