Chapter 3 - Riley
I stood quietly as Janella looked around my house. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she scanned.
I bought the house just last year when I decided I didn’t like living in an apartment. I wanted more space and a bigger garage. It was a two-bedroom with an unfinished basement at the time. The basement had been converted into a gym with a sauna for over six months.
The upstairs bedrooms were furnished with a small office area. The main floor was an open floor plan. A huge kitchen that had floating shelves and black countertops. The living room had a large U-shaped couch in front of a tall fireplace with a tv mounted on top.
I kept the space clean and organized. I didn’t like clutter. If it didn't have a purpose, I didn't need it. There was no need for artwork or decorations.
She scrunched her nose up as she looked around the space, which I didn’t understand because anyone else who came over was always shocked. I got endless compliments about the tile flooring and the large wall-to-ceiling windows.
“The spare bedroom is upstairs.”
She huffed. “Like I get a choice.”
I ground my teeth together. Ever since the first moment she spoke, she’d done nothing but spit fire at me. I expected her to be angry at first, but then I thought her normal meekness would eventually surface as it simmered. But there was nothing calm about Janella.
She’s hardened since I last saw her. Her eyes were sharp, and her lips were pressed into a fine line. That shy, scared girl was not the same one standing in my house. She’d grown.
She’d grown in more ways than one. Her blond hair was longer, growing past her shoulders down her back.
It sparkled when the light hit it. She had bangs that changed the shape of her face.
And her brown eyes seemed soft like honey minus when she was looking at me.
They were filled with nothing but pure hatred.
She was wearing a short pencil skirt and a white ruffled blouse that showed her figure. She had an ass on her now, and I could see she had boobs to match. Her legs were slender, and her nails were freshly painted. She was wearing earrings and a matching necklace. She looked good.
I was shocked when she came into the conference room.
The Janella I used to know, who wore baggy clothes and hunched down.
She walked in with confidence and purpose.
I couldn't stop staring at how much she'd changed. She’d turned into a completely different person, and I almost didn’t recognize her.
“I hope you know when this is all said and done, I’ll be leaving. So don’t think I’m going to be getting comfortable around here.”
I watched as she turned back around, taking in the living room. She clicked her tongue as she took a few steps forward.
She kept saying those words, but I didn't think she understood that wasn't the case. It wasn’t going to be that simple. “You make it seem like that will be so easy, Janella. You’re bound to me, remember.” Whether she liked it or not, she was my mate, and I wasn’t just going to let her leave.
“And bonds are easy to break.” She grumbled as she turned back to me. “You act like this is permanent.”
“It is.” She might not have felt that snapping of the bond, but I had. I didn’t think she was worthy of being my mate, but that didn’t change the fact that she was. Whether she believed it or not, she was my mate.
She stood up a little straighter now, her eyes narrowing on me. “Riley, I will never truly accept that. I might have agreed, and you might have lied to get me there, but this is all temporary. Because in the end, I will be going back one way or another.”
I ground my teeth together. “And what makes you think I won’t drag you back here if you do try leaving?”
“Because everything will be done, and you don’t want a human tied to you.
” She threw the words at me like daggers, and I couldn't even say anything.
She looked outside the window, taking in the backyard.
I lived right next to a lake, so the view was nice.
But she gave me a reaction away to show me if she liked it.
“You're not going to ruin my life twice.”
I curled my hands into fists, feeling that anger starting to bubble to the surface. I thought they said it would calm now that we were bonded. Maybe it takes my body time to realize.
But I also felt like someone had punched me in the gut. I always knew I was a big reason for her leaving, but to hear her say the words only confirmed it.
I needed air.
“Bedroom is upstairs.” I grabbed my keys. “Or sleep outside. Your choice. Since you want choices.”
I left and went for a drive. I rolled my windows down and popped my sunroof open. It wasn’t great weather, but I just needed to shut my mind off for a little while.
I hadn’t thought about the next steps. I should have, but my mind was focused on getting her here. Not what happened next. Not how we were going to live together.
I drove around for a couple of hours. It was dark by the time I got back, and the house was quiet. I could see a light was on upstairs, and I could hear her on the phone.
“Yes, once I know more, I’ll give you an update, Scott. I really am sorry about the sudden leave.” She’d said he was her boss, but I didn’t know if that was true. Was she dating him? Was she dating anyone?
I went up the stairs and stopped at the bedroom door. She was sitting in the chair in front of the window. She nodded her head as she held the phone up to her ear. She looked frazzled as she listened.
Her eyes snapped to me as soon as she saw me. I could see irritation fill her face instantly. She got up and walked towards me. She grabbed the door and shut it.
Well, at least she wasn’t yelling at me.
I ate and went to bed. I tossed and turned, unable to get any good sleep. My mind was everywhere. I kept replaying the day over and over in my head. I was starting to question if I'd made a bigger mess than what I had.
The next couple of days were difficult. Janella avoided me, and I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. I hadn’t shared space with another person. Even when I dated, I liked to make it clear that it was my house.
I went for a run every morning. I took my normal route, which was a couple of miles. I always came home, showered, then headed out for the day. I wasn’t sure what Janella did. I figured after a few days, maybe things would calm between us, but they hadn’t.
I arrived back home and found her standing in the kitchen. She was sipping on a cup of coffee while typing on a laptop computer. Her eyes were focused, and I wasn’t sure she even knew I was back.
I entered the kitchen, and her eyes looked up at me. But they went back to her screen just as quickly.
“Morning.”
Her fingers continued to type. She took a sip of her coffee, never seeming to pause.
“What are you working on?”
Her fingers stopped, and her eyes narrowed. “Is there something you need, Riley?”
“I’m just trying to talk to you.”
“And I don’t want to talk to you,” she snapped, her hands landing flat on the counter. “You have fucked my life up enough, and I'm trying to keep it from being worse.”
I ground my teeth together. Seriously, though, where did this viper girl come from? Because I’ve never seen her like this. Not even once.
“I’m just trying to be nice.”
“You’re not a nice person, so you can drop the act. Stop asking how I am. Stop trying to weasel your way into my life. I’ve built something great for myself, and you are not going to screw it all up for me.”
Her words grated against me, and I knew she had every right to be mad.
But another part of me hated it. So, I pushed back.
“You haven’t told Scott that you’ve moved in with me?
Might be a little difficult to work like this.
Could end up losing your job and have no reason to go back to that life you created. ”
She snapped her computer shut and got up. “I’ll be just fine. Because like I’ve said before, when this is all done. I have a life to go back to. So, figure out what you need to do for the pack, so I can leave.”
“Still clinging onto the hope it’s going to be that easy?”
“It will be,” she snarled.
I hate the way my stomach clenched at the idea. I hated everything about this. “And what if I said I wouldn’t allow that? Hmm? I told you that you're bonded to me. I don’t like the idea of my mate leaving.”
“And I don’t like the idea of being a prisoner, yet here we are, Riley. You are once again coming into my life and screwing it all up.” She grabbed her laptop, holding it to her chest. “And to think your Alpha. I fear for this pack because you haven’t changed at all.”
Anger hit me like a whip as she turned, starting up the stairs. I felt my grip on my anger loosen, and my mouth moved before I could think..”You’re never leaving, Janella. You should accept that. You're stuck here. No way out.”
She paused. Her head turned to me, and I could see fear form in her face. I felt my stomach dip at this. She looked exactly like the girl she used to be, and I knew just how badly I was fucking this up.
She didn’t say anything as she ran upstairs. I heard her bedroom door slam, and I sighed. “Fuck!” I knew I was going about this all wrong. I wasn’t the same guy I was before, but apparently, when it came to her, I couldn’t help but be.
I felt my phone vibrate, and I pulled it out. I frowned when I noticed it was Troy calling. I’d been dreading this call. I knew once word got around, he was going to be livid.
I answered it. “Hey.”
He was quiet for a long moment. But his voice spoke up, and it came out threatening. “What the fuck are you doing?” I could hear he was holding onto the very last bit of restraint from charging over here and beating the shit out of me.
I scratched my neck. “Who told you?”
“Everyone is fucking talking about it, Riley. Jesus Christ, why didn’t you fucking tell me!? Was that the entire reason you came to the family dinner? So you could dig up information on my sisters' whereabouts? How low of a friend do you get?”
I frowned. “It sort of just happened. I didn't plan it this way, Troy.”
“It’s my sister!” His voice rose. “My sister! Didn’t you think you should call me and inform me that you are fucking bonding my sister? That you are living in the same house! Have you no respect for me and my parents? After everything we have done for you over the years?”
I understood his anger, but it wasn't like I had much pull in anything. The council told me I needed to get her here, so I did. “I didn’t have a choice in the matter, Troy. The council told me she was my mate and that I needed to bond with her to keep my anger under control. It wasn’t like I was jumping at the idea. ”
I could hear him sigh. “You should have come to me. You should have told me! Instead, you went behind my back.”
I sighed. “Do you want to talk to her? Does she need to tell you she's safe for you to get off my back?”
“No, I’m going to talk to my sister in person. I’ll be coming down tomorrow.” He ended the line before I could say anything. I softly sighed and turned, heading up the stairs.
I pulled my hand up to knock on her door and give her a heads-up. Maybe fix what I’d done just a moment ago. But then I heard it. That soft sniffle and the sound of a whimper.
She was crying, and I was truly the same guy I was all those years ago.