Reaching You

Chapter 5: Ryder

I called Chase and Louise down for dinner. The meal that my mate cooked was amazing. She was incredible. I felt myself smiling as I remember her swift movements. My wolf yips as he thinks of his mate. Chase came down holding Louise's hand. "Wow! The appearance is superb!" he comments, as he takes a seat. "However, what matters is the taste. Let's go!" He announces, pulling his mate into a chair beside him.

Chase takes a bite of the food. He gasps and chokes on his food. Louise pats his back and laughs. "Is it that bad?" She says, laughing. She takes a bite and she whips her head towards me. I smirk at their reaction. They dive into the food like they haven't eaten for years. "When the fuck did you learn to cook?" Chase asks, moaning. I laughed as I thought of my little mate in the kitchen. He looks at me with confusion. "I didn't," I responded. Louise laughs and shakes her head.

"Did you order take out? Which restaurant? It's so good." Louise asks, looking relieved that my cooking had not surpassed hers. "Nope. Paige Smith made it for us." I explained. Chase and Louise grin widely. "I love her. She is so gorgeous and the kids love her!" Louise says, pleased. Her words sting and ignore my wolf's demands to mark her. Chase laughs at his mate's sudden enthusiasm. Louise gives him a look. "Do you know what she looks like? I'd kill to have her body! Her mate is so lucky." She says, a smile on her face. Chase pulls Louise's chair next to his. "Well, I'm lucky to have you." He whispers, making Louise turn red.

It seems like they had forgotten that they were not the only ones in the room. Chase lifts Louise and they head upstairs. "Useless lovebirds," I mumbled under my breath. Chase peers from the corner and flashes me a wink. My wolf whines in my mind. It could have been you and Paige. Ever since my father died, I promised that I would never accept my mate. She was still young and I was sure that there were many wolves that could care for her. My wolf snarled at the thought of other males. But I rejected her so she was not mine. She could choose a suitable mate. It was better for her.

But Paige Smith just had to make things complicated. She was pure, innocent, and kind. She was every wolf's dream. But she was also fragile. I clean up the plates and food. The truth was that my wolf was lonely. He wanted Paige's wolf. But I couldn't. As much as I wanted to kiss her silly, I wasn't worthy of such love.

These thoughts of my mate made my wolf restless. So I shifted into my wolf and made my way into the woods. I sat down in the grassy meadow. The moon was shining all alone in the dark. I knew that I had made the right choice. My father and mother were mates. I knew what could go horribly wrong with mates.

I was 11 years old. My mother was wearing a pink dress and her hair was nicely put together. My father storms into the room. His eyes land on my mother with disgust. "What the fuck are you wearing?!" Dressing up for someone? He jeers, making me jump. Her eyes well up in tears as she tries to walk away. He grabs her wrist and she flinches. "Ryder, go to your room. Your mother and I are going to have a little discussion about obedience." He demands, the Alpha command clear in his voice. I nod and run upstairs. I hear my mother pleads and yelps of pain. "YOU WILL SUBMIT TO ME!" The roar from my father shakes the whole house. I cover my ears and hid inside the closet. I must have fallen asleep but I hear a creak. I hold my breath to see my mother's tearstained face. "It's okay. Alphas are just temperamental." She explains, gently. I shook my head. "Mom, he hurt you," I said, worried. She smiled and shook her head. She stroked my hair and tucked me into bed. "He loves me." She says, trying to convince me and herself.

The thought of Paige in the place of my mother hurt me deeply. I couldn't do that to her. She deserved a man who would treat her like a princess. I recalled the last time I saw my mother which was a month after my 12th birthday.

Tears were running down her face, her hair was tangled and her dress was wrinkled. She wrapped her arms around me and her tears soaked my shoulder. I held her close to me. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She pleaded with me to understand. I knew that she had reached her breaking point. I knew that this would be the last time that I would never see her, again. I nodded. I watched as she got into the car and drove away. The car slowly disappeared from my sight. As soon as she left our pack territory, I felt her break out of the pack. I heard a howl. It was my father's. He looked for her for months but she was never found.

That was when I promised myself to reject my mate for her happiness. I saw what the mate bond did to my mother. The light in her eyes died and my father went mad after her departure. He turned to me to manage his rage and hated my eyes. They were her eyes. Eyes of a devil. He called them. I remembered how he had trained me night and day. He taught me that emotions and love made you weak. He despised mates. "Women and mates are curses. They are monsters." He yelled when he caught me snooping in my mother's stuff.

I knew better. We were monsters. He taught me his ways and I knew that I could never ever let my mate go through what my mother had.