Why did you hide it 71
973 Words
Chapter 71
Ripley POV
The second she ran, I was right behind her. I didn’t even think.
Didn’t hesitate. I just went.
“Amber!” I called, pushing through the back doors and into the night air.
She was fast, but not faster than me. Not like this.
Not when my dragon was practically clawing its way to the surface, desperate to reach her.
“”She’s hurting,”” "Ax growled. Fix it."
“I’m trying,” I muttered under my breath.
I followed her scent, sweet, mixed with smoke and something wild now… her wolf.
It led me past the training grounds, toward the edge of the forest.
And then I saw her.,standing in the clearing.
Back to me.,Still..Too still.
“Amber…” I said more carefully this time, slowing my steps.
She didn’t turn around.
“Go away, Ripley.”
Yeah. Not happening.
“I’m not leaving you out here alone.”
“I said go away.”
Her voice cracked, and that was all it took.
I closed the distance anyway.
“Not a chance.”
Amber POV
Of course he followed me.,Of course he didn’t listen. Why would he start now? I could hear him getting closer. Feel him. That pull again…,Stronger now. It made my chest ache.
“I don’t want to talk,” I said, even though my voice betrayed me.
“Too bad,” he replied quietly. “Because we need to.”
I let out a shaky breath and finally turned around..Big mistake.
He was right there. Too close.
Close enough that I could see the conflict in his eyes… the emotion he wasn’t even trying to hide anymore.
“Why?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated with himself.
“Because the second I did… everything would change.”
“It already changed!” I snapped. “I shifted into a wolf I didn’t know I had, and found out the guy I…”
I stopped myself..Too late. His eyes locked onto mine.
“The guy you what?” he asked softly.
My heart started pounding..“Nothing,” I muttered.
“Amber.”
“Drop it.”
“No.”
I glared at him. “You don’t get to push me right now.”
“And you don’t get to shut me out,” he shot back, stepping closer.
That pull snapped tighter between us. I sucked in a breath.
“Stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Getting so close.”
“I’m not even touching you.”
“That’s the problem!” I snapped.
His brows furrowed.
“I can feel you,” I admitted, my voice shaking. “It’s like… like something is pulling me toward you and I don’t understand it and I hate it.”
That last part wasn’t fully true.,and he knew it.
“I don’t,” I said quickly, even though I hadn’t said it out loud.
His lips twitched slightly.
“Yeah,” he murmured. “You do.”
Ugh. Infuriating.
“Explain it then!” I demanded. “Explain why I feel like this!”
He hesitated.,That hesitation? It pissed me off more than anything.
“Ripley.”
His jaw tightened.
“It’s the bond,” he finally said.
I went still.
“The mate bond,” he added quietly.
My stomach flipped. “I figured that part out,” I said. “What I don’t understand is why it feels like this.”
He exhaled slowly, like he’d been holding it in for too long.
“Because I’ve been fighting it.”
That caught me off guard.
“What?”
“The cloaking spray doesn’t just hide my scent,” he explained. “It suppresses the bond… dulls it.”
My brows pulled together. “Then why do I feel it now?”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“Because I’m losing control of it.”
Oh.
“Oh.”
Silence stretched between us. Heavy..Charged.
“Why would you fight it?” I asked, softer now.
That question hit him. I could see it.
“Because you deserve a choice,” he said. “A real one. Not something forced on you because of some bond you didn’t ask for.”
My chest tightened.
“And what if I would’ve chosen you anyway?” I asked before I could stop myself.
He froze.,Completely.
“Amber…” my name sounded different coming from him now.
Careful. Hopeful. Dangerous. I swallowed.
“Instead, you made that choice for me,” I added, even though my voice wasn’t as angry anymore. It was something else now.
Something more complicated.
“I know,” he said quietly. “And I’ll deal with whatever you decide because of it.”
My heart twisted.,Why does that make this harder? My wolf stirred.
“”He didn’t do it to hurt us.””
“I know,” I whispered internally.
“Know what?” Ripley asked.
I blinked. Oops.
“Nothing.”
He stepped closer again. Slow this time. Like he was giving me time to pull away.,I didn’t. And that… That changed everything.
We were inches apart now. My breath hitched. His hand lifted slightly, like he wanted to touch my face, but he stopped himself.
“Tell me to stop,” he said softly.
I should. I really, really should. But I didn’t. Instead.
“I don’t understand what’s happening to me,” I admitted.
His gaze softened. “That makes two of us.”
A small, shaky laugh escaped me. And just like that…
Some of the tension broke. But not all of it. Not even close.
Because the bond? Still there. Still pulling.Still waiting.
And neither of us had any idea what would happen next.
- Writer
