The Syndicate’s Bride

30

Vanessa

After a long drive, Ryan finally came to a stop beside an eerie space with tall, mountain-like trunks.

I climbed out of the car, eyeing the space suspiciously as Ryan began walking ahead. Noticing I wasn’t following, he stopped and turned, raising his brow in question and extending his hand to me.

“What’s wrong? Let’s go.”

I immediately smiled, shaking my head, hoping I didn’t seem rude. It was my first time being taken to his werewolf side so I knew I had to contain certain hesitations – like walking through eerie woods to locate his pack.

God, we hadn’t even started and I already had so many questions.

Taking extended hand, we wordlessly entered the woods.

As Ryan led me, looking straight ahead like a man with a known destination, I looked around, suspicious and curious like a woman with an unknown destination.

The deeper we got, the more anxious I became. How the hell did Owen walk this same path in the night? That was something people only did in movies. I could never have such a level of curiosity or bravery.

“Not to sound cliché,” I started, making Ryan turn to me. “But this isn’t the part where you murder me and bring me to your pack as a sort of sacrifice or something? Especially since I’m, you know... human, after all.”

He stared at me as if I had grown another head. “What?”

“You know,” I said, jumping, a bit startled by the sound of a twig sapping in half. “Like they do in the movies.”

He chuckled. “What type of movies do you watch, Vanessa?”

“I watch anything actually,” I shrugged. “as long as it’s interesting.” I paused, wanting to ask him about the type of movies he watched but wasn’t sure if he’d share or not. But after a few seconds of mulling over it, I decided to ask anyway.

He responded immediately. “I don’t watch many movies,” he responded, “but when I do, I either go for something light and romantic or violent and action packed.”

I blinked. “You watch romance movies?”

He chuckled at my tone. “You’d be surprised at the number of things I do, amor.” Then, turning to a clearing I had been too busy talking to notice, he said, “We’re here.”

I gaped at the large building in awe. Draped in white and brown colours, it stood almost as tall as father’s estate. The atmosphere was quiet, ancient looking, but you could also tell it was a lived in property.

I looked at Ryan. “How do you guys even build something like this here?”

“Money,” he pointed at the building. “this is the main pack building. A little bit further down is the pack village, where the citizens reside.”

I eyed the building. “Who lives here then?”

He replied as the door began to swing open. “Orphans, healers, some other werewolves closed to the Alpha’s clan, the Beta, Luna and the Alpha.”

Alpha, I thought. “Is that the leader?”

“Exactly.”

“Who’s the Alpha?” I cluelessly asked.”

Just before he could reply, an elderly woman standing by the entrance dramatically gasped as she immediately dipped low in a bow at Ryan.

“Alpha! We weren’t expecting you.”

I gape at him. Alpha?! Of course he is. It just made sense. I couldn’t see him being under the control of a superior being

A small smile played on his lips as he acknowledged the woman with a nod. “Nice to see you too, Gwen. It seems you’re healthy now,” he said, walking us into the house.

I drowned their conversation, suddenly immersed by the vintage interior of the house. As big as the mansion was, it wasn’t designed to be modern and chic like half of the mansions I knew. This one was clearly made to look like a home with the warm colours and heavily furnished look.

For the first time in a long while, I could feel my shoulders relaxing. I fell in love with the house immediately.

Behind me, Ryan wrapped a hand around my waist, taking me by surprise as he pulled me to him. Gwen circled us, stopping a few steps away before bowing like she did with Ryan.

Confused, I blinked at her, a bit startled by the gesture but she just smiled at me, taking her warm hands in mine. “Luna.”

I frowned. What did that mean?

Before I could reply, Ryan spoke. “Don’t scare her off, Gwen. She only just got here.”

Gwen gave me an apologetic smile. “My apology Miss. Logan,” then she turned and walked further into the house with Ryan and I trailing behind her.

I looked at Ryan, wanting to ask him the meaning of the word, but Gwen spoke again.

“You came at a good time,” she addressed me over her shoulders. “The noisiest bunch aren’t here today since it’s Sunday, but, there are some little gremlins who’d be here any minute from.... now”

Immediately, three little children, the oldest seeming to be seven, came running towards, their eyes lighting up when they saw Ryan.

“Alpha is here!” They chanted.

Ryan grinned – grinned – as they circled us chanting before finally stopping before him. He looked so much younger and at ease.

“Hey, kids,” he said softly.

“You promised to tell us when you were coming next time,” the oldest looking boy said, pouting sadly at Ryan’s broken promise.

Ryan ruffled his hair. “I know, king. It was urgent. I promise to do so next time.”

“What did you bring for us?” the second one yelled excitedly, jumping excitedly. Ryan grimaced. Clearly he hadn’t brought anything but in order to not disappoint them, he promised to take them to the store in the village tomorrow.

Satisfied, the two boys ran away excitedly chatting about what they’d buy during tomorrow’s outing, leaving a cute six year old girl in a yellow gown and two pig tails tied with light blue ribbon.

She walked closer, smiling shyly at Ryan as she held out some yellow flowers in her hand to him.

Ryan, chuckling, knelt to her eye level and eyed the flowers amusingly. “Now, how many flowers did you disturb this time, Sally?”

She pretended to think, swerving her dress side to side as she grinned, mischievously. “Not much.”

Ryan gave her a knowing look.

She giggled. “A lot.”

Ryan took the flowers, thanked her and she scurried away happily.

It was like a new person stood beside me and the Ryan I knew was long gone and in his place was a soft compassionate girl dad. An image of the brooding man I had always known flashed in my mind, and I shivered looking at the man standing beside me.

I just couldn’t reconcile the two.

“What?” He asked, finally noticing me staring at him.

I snapped my eyes away, cheeks heating.. “I guess I have some competition.”

He laughed. “Believe me, Sally is everyone’s favourite. There’s no way I could keep her to myself.”

After that, he excused us and took me to a room upstairs.

I gasped as I entered the space. It was the biggest room I had ever seen, and that was an understatement given the large rooms I had previously lived in. It had everything – a TV, a little fridge, a small bar – it was as if the owner didn’t want a reason to leave his room.

I turned to Ryan with a questioning look.

“Yeah,” he chuckled nervously, “I know it’s a bit much but it’s comfortable for me.”

“No, it's fine. I just didn’t think you had a lazy side to you.” I teased.

He playfully scoffed, pulling his shirt over his head. “You’d be surprised at the amount of things you don’t know about me, amor.”

I looked away shyly. There’s that word again.

Slowly peeling my eyes back to him, I let my eyes run over his bare chest, stopping at the gun wound that was now bandage free and almost completely healed.

I walked to him, keeping my eyes on the mark and slowly running my fingers over it once I was within reach.

“Perks of being a werewolf,” he explained. “I heal fast.”

I hummed, running my fingers from the wound to his skin, tracing the lines of his fading scars to his broad chest. I peered at him from under my lashes. “What do I not know about you, Ryan?”

He grabbed me gently by the waist, pulling me to him. “What do you want to know?”

A simple yet dangerous question if I ever heard one. Maybe it was because there was a new hunger in me to know everything there was about Ryan Winchester, his secrets, his fears, his thoughts, his worries. And a part of me was beginning to believe he won’t hesitate to bare himself to me.

My first instinct was to run away from that vulnerability, not because I didn’t want it, no, it was exactly the opposite. It was because I was beginning to crave it.

“What’s a Luna?” I asked instead.

He hesitated, a flicker of disappointment flashing before he masked it. He looked away. “It’s not really important, don’t worry.”

“But it is,” I protested, turning his face to me. “If not Gwen wouldn’t have addressed me in that way.”

He sighed in defeat. “Okay. A Luna is basically the Alpha’s partner, his only equal, the ‘mother’ of the pack,” At my surprised look he quickly added. “Don’t think about it too much, it’s not shocking that she addressed you that way. Everyone believes we’re actually together.”

At the stark reminder of our actual relationship, I slowly began to pulled away. Without realising, I had allowed myself to settle in his warmth, and in doing that, I had forgotten he was nothing more than my Nominal fiancée, an arrangement made for the sole purpose of an alliance, nothing more.

Somewhere along the line, I had stopped pretending. I had stopped pretending to kiss him just for the spies lurking in the corners, I had stopped pretending to crave his warmth and the feel of his hands on my body. I had stopped pretending he didn’t stir my heart like no one else did. And now, what was I to do with these feelings?

They had been there for a while, I just couldn’t bring myself to accept it because I had always told myself it wasn’t supposed to be. I was supposed to hate him, to eventually tear myself away from the arrangement and evade my father’s control all at one.

But without meaning to, my heart skipped multiple beats when he was near. When he looked at me in certain ways, I stopped breathing, when he protected me so fiercely, my heart stirred away from our facades and hatred. And anytime I think I might lose him, I feel my heart ripping into pieces.

But that was just all me. A little bubble of unrequited love I had made for myself without even knowing. And now all I had created for myself was a recipe for heartbreak over a man I hated or never thought I’d fall in love with.

God, I was so pathetic.

“Yeah, you’re right,” I chuckled nervously. “Sometimes I forget.” Finally breaking free of his hold, I turned away, now wanting to get as far as possible away from him, but Ryan was quicker.

He pulled me back, placing my back against his front, his breath warm against my ear. “But that’s not what I wanted you to ask.” he breathed. My heart beat vigorously against my chest and I closed my eyes, practicing my breathing to make it stop, but it just wouldn’t. “What do you want to know about me, Vanessa?”

I knew what I wanted to know, but when the mere thought crossed my mind, a part of me rebelled against voicing it out, calling it reckless and stupid. But the other part of me, soft and fragile, edged me on, telling me to go for it. Who knows? It said, you’d both be dead by tomorrow.

“What am I to you, Ryan?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. I felt him tense up behind me and go quiet. The regret came almost immediately, washing over me like I had been dunked with ice. I quickly moved to take back my words.

“Don’t mind me, Ryan,” I chuckled nervously, tears of embarrassment rising to the surface. “I was just–”

“I don’t want anyone but you, Vanessa.” he chuckled nervously. “I don't even know how to explain it.”

I spun around so fast I almost spun out of balance.

“What?” I breathed out, holding his eyes with mine.

“I...”He started but trailed off, peeling his eyes away from me. He exhaled sharply, walking to the other side of the room, running his hand through his hair to express frustration. “I’m not sure what I feel but I know how I feel and that’s enough for me.”

I took small calculating steps to him, making sure to stop mid way to not intrude on his space. I held my trembling hands together, my heart beating rapidly and my breath gradually ceasing with each passing anxious minute.

“And how do you feel, Ryan?”

He finally looked at me, his eyes glistening with an emotion I had never seen on him, a mix of him being overwhelmed and anxious.

“It’s like if you died,” he breathed, “I’d have no reason to live.”

I inhaled sharply at his words and the heavy honesty behind them. I started to take small steps to him, light and unsure, until his words soaked my bones, pierced my heart, and I broke into a light jog and jumped in his arms.

Luckily, I didn’t really take him off guard as he immediately reacted, catching me mid air and holding me close to me. He hoisted me up, adjusting my position to allow my legs wrap around his waist.

With our faces only a few inches away, we breathed the same breath in our silence. My eyes frantically searched his, softening at the warmth in them.

I smiled, my eyes dipping to his lips. “That’s what I needed to hear.”

His eyes softened. “I’m sorry to spring this on you,” he whispered. “I just couldn’t –”

I chuckled. “You’re so f*****g clueless, “ and for the first time, I made the first move and closed his lips with mine.

I took the lead this time, easing him into the kiss to match my slow but eager rhythm. And he followed without protest, breathing against our kiss like a starved man.

We pulled apart for a second, panting from the intensity of the kiss, before joining our lips. He sighed against my lips, the tension in his shoulders easing as I pulled him back to me. This time, the kiss was different. It was slower, deeper, an unspoken promise shared in the quiet space between us.

He shifted, hands gripping my waist as he lifted me effortlessly onto the nearby table. His movements were sure but careful, like I might break if he wasn’t gentle enough.

I wrapped my legs around him instinctively, my fingers finding their way to his jaw, moaning as he caressed my thighs in his palm, squeezing the soft skin.

He groaned against my mouth, flushing my body closer to him as he slowly slid his tongue into my mouth, clashing it with mine in a slow sensual tease.

When we finally pulled apart, we were both breathless, our foreheads resting together as our breaths fanned each other’s faces.

Ryan’s hands slid down my arms until his fingers found mine. “No more lies, no more secrets,” he said. “So I’ll be honest. I’m not sorry about taking the necessary steps to protect you, amor, but I am sorry for making you feel deceived.” He brushed a stray strand of hair from my face. “And I’ll do it all over again if I have to,” he said sternly. “I won’t let anyone take you from me.You’re far too precious.”

“Do... do you mean that?” I whispered, my eyes stinging with unshed tears.

Releasing one of my hands, he tilted my head up to meet my eyes, his eyes glinting with something raw and fragile. “I mean every word, Vanessa. You make me want to be someone I didn’t think I could ever be,” he sighed. “You’ve made me hold on to emotions I had long discarded for my own sanity.”

Tears burned my eyes as I smiled, shaky and disbelieving.

“I know love doesn’t come easy for us”, I whispered. “Not with the kind of lives we’ve lived. But maybe it doesn’t have to be easy. Maybe it just has to be real.”

He leaned in, pressing a kiss to my forehead, a tender gesture that made my chest tighten.

“I love you, Vanessa,” he murmured. “At least that’s what I think it is when I look at you and realize with every bone in my body I can’t live without you.”

My throat closed up, tears threatening to spill. For the first time in my life, I felt safe, secured in another presence that wasn't my mother's or even Owen’s. It was beautiful, comforting, and I let myself exist in the warmth of his arms, and it was enough.

A sob finally broke loose from me. I buried my face in his chest, letting the tears come, the sound of his heartbeat a warmth to my feelings.

“I love you,” I whispered, the words trembling but certain.

And I believed them.