Beaten, Bruised, and Kissed

Chapter 12

"I was guilty and irritated and full of love and pain. I wanted to kick him and I wanted to take him in my arms." James Baldwin

Ryder's P.O.V (flashback)

"Wake up honey. Today's the day." my mother says softly, gently rubbing my shoulder. I groaned, wishing for it to be like any other day. My mother sees my lack of energy and asks "Aren't you excited to shift for the first time?"

"Suuure," I exhale sarcastically. Lucky for me, she thinks I'm serious and leaves me alone to start the day.

I look at the mirror and slowly go through my routine, taking as much time as possible to avoid the inevitable.

I'm Tiana's friend, but I've been acting like such an a**hole to her, ignoring her texts and calls. Ever since that conversation with my mom, I've felt terrible and incomplete. I just hope my mate is someone else so I can avoid any conflict.

"She is our mate. DO NOT REJECT OUR MATE!" Raudolf, my wolf, shouted in my head.

Shut up!!  

I'm more than annoyed by him at this point because all he ever talks about is Tiana which makes me feel worse each second I'm away from her.

I just have to push forward and hope for the best, but now I have other concerns that are invading my mind.

"Heyyyy mom," I say in a sweet I-want-something tone once I've entered the kitchen.

"What do you need dear," She sighs, knowing my intentions are selfish.

"I want to try out for the baseball team this year," I stated, thinking this would be no big deal.

"Absolutely not," I was sadly mistaken.

"What do you mean no? It's just baseball and it's not even a super dangerous sport," I exclaimed, getting heated and angry.

"You will have a lot more responsibility after you shift. We will expect you to partake in the same tasks as any other pack members," she said matter-of-factly. "The truth is, you just won't have the time. Being a pack member is time-consuming, honey."

"But why can't I do all of my tasks before or after practice. I want to make it work, please mom!" I begged.

"The answer is no. Now go finish your homework before tonight. I'm sure you'll want to spend time with your mate,"

"But.."

"Go now," she commanded in an intimidating voice.

I rolled my eyes and went upstairs to play video games, hoping time will stop and tonight will never come.

(Fast forward to that night)

"I am so proud of you, son," my father smiled and patted me on the back. "You're finally going to become a true member of our pack and eventually follow in my footsteps."

"Thanks, Dad," I said, not paying attention to his encouraging words because all I could think about was her. Please oh please moon goddess, let my mate be anyone but her.

"Sweetie!" My mom called out, shuffling to catch up with everyone. "So I talked to your father and decided to let you try out for the baseball team. If you think you can juggle it all, then we should let you try at least,"

"Are you serious!?" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes darling, we want you to be happy," she hugged me close then handed me a bottle brown liquid. "Here, it's a protein shake. It's good for physical exertion so I thought you could use it for tonight,"