Chapter 23 - Riley
I felt my body shaking as this new feeling of anger settled into my body. It was like a burning sensation spread, like someone was shaking me, telling me to wake up to what was going on.
My wolf growled angrily in my head, telling me that I needed to protect her. That I had to keep Troy away from her if I really wanted this to work.
I looked back, and my eyes went to Troy, and I felt pure rage.
He had meddled in something that he shouldn’t have.
I moved forward, grabbed him, and shoved him back.
He slammed into the wall, and the pictures hanging shook and fell to the ground.
I could hear glass shattering as Troy shoved at me, knocking me back a few steps.
Who did he think he was? Coming into my house and talking like that. You are the leader of this pack, and he had no business coming into it.
I threw my hand up and punched him right in the face. Troy stumbled back a few steps, and Janella screamed. I could smell blood and smirked, seeing he had a busted lip.
“Riley, stop!” Janella grabbed at my shoulder, but I shook her off.
I charged at him, grabbing him and slamming hard into the ground.
We collided hard into the ground, and he tried to shove me off, but I held onto him.
I threw another punch and another. I let the anger take over.
Janella screamed even louder, and I could feel her hands grabbing at me, trying to stop me, but I didn't.
Troy blocked my punches before he threw one, landing it on my right side. I turned slightly to the side as he grabbed me, shoving me hard onto the ground. He punched, sending one straight into my jaw.
“Stop it! Stop it!” Janella's voice only got louder, but my eyes were glued on Troy.
Who did he think he was? He might have been her brother, but he didn't need to be around her like this.
I threw another punch, and this time it knocked Troy aside. I pulled myself up when Janella moved in front of him. She looked horrified as she stood there, her entire body shaking. “Stop it, Riley! This isn't you.”
I moved towards her, watching her take a step back, but she didn't move from being in front of Troy.
I could see the fear in her eyes, but my body moved towards her.
I had to protect her even if it meant getting her out of the way.
I grabbed her shirt, and her hands flew up, landing on my chest. “Riley.”
I stared at her, taking in her eyes. This was Janella. My Janella.
“Riley, this isn’t you.” Her voice quivered, and I could see tears in her eyes. “Please, dig deep and realize what’s going on. Don’t let it win. You’re a good man. And I know you're still in there somewhere.”
My fingers curled around her shirt, but she pulled her hands up, placing them on my face. “Please. Come back to me.”
It was like a light flip went off. This anger wasn't towards her. She was right. This wasn’t me.
I loosened my hold on her. I felt my hands shaking as I tried to pull myself together.
But the anger wouldn’t stuff down. It kept trying to push itself up.
I took a step back from her, scared that if I didn’t, I would hurt her.
I didn’t want her to end up like Troy, who was still lying on the ground.
I took another step back, the anger feeling like it was going to bubble over in my body. Janella didn’t let me retreat, though. She took a step towards me. Her hands reached out, grabbing onto me.
“Please,” I begged, not wanting to hurt her. I couldn’t control this, and I didn’t know how to calm myself.
“Riley, I know that you are capable of calming yourself. I know it.” She placed her hand up, cupping my face again. “Just focus on me. Focus on me and allow yourself to calm.”
I felt her skin touching against mine, and that soothing feeling started to spread over my body. But she started to grow brighter as she did. Her skin started to shine, and I felt my body relaxing.
I felt like someone ripping my anger away. I stepped into her, feeling that brightness warming me from within. I pressed my forehead against hers and soaked it in. I hadn’t been this calm in a long time.
“Janella...” I held her tightly against me, feeling she was lighting up the entire room. It was like someone had turned on a ton of lightbulbs. I could see it was spreading out the windows and moving in waves.
She wasn't just healing me, but her magic was spreading through.
It was pushing out of the house, and I was amazed.
It meant that her magic had fully taken effect.
We had thought her magic had already fully come in, but maybe it was happening now.
She was a wave of energy, and it was just exploding out of her.
I looked down at Troy, who was starting to come too. But the bruises and cuts on his face were gone. It was like we never had a fight to begin with.
I looked back at Janella, and the light started to turn off until she was fully back to herself. She looked stunned as she looked down at her hands and then around the space. She looked at Troy, who looked at us with wide eyes now.
“What just happened?”
I tried to find words, but I couldn't. And for the first time since the ceremony, I felt the shift in our bond. It was strong like a twine has been tied between us.
Janella must have felt the difference, too, because she looked at me with amazement in her eyes. I smiled, feeling calmer than I have in months. Like, there was nothing screwing with me.
“Did you...” I couldn't even utter the words.
She slowly nodded. “I think I did.”
“What is happening?”
“She's healed us. She healed our bond. I...” I pulled her into a tight hug and smiled. “I always knew you could do it.
“I still don't understand.” Troy started to pull himself up. “I don't understand.”
The moment was short-lived when I turned to him. “You don't feel it?”
“Feel what? What is it that I’m supposed to be feeling?
My stomach sank, and I wondered if I was just imagining it. But I looked at Janella, and I knew I hadn't. I could feel the cleanse that she'd just done. I could feel that the air felt cleaner. I knew she’d done something.
We went to the council right away, and word traveled fast. Our pack was healed. Members of the pack felt the shift and explained that their bonds, which felt like they were just holding on for dear life, were suddenly stronger than ever.
But only our pack. Troy couldn't feel it. I could see how it ate at Janella while she spoke to her brother. She had done something so beautiful, and he had no idea what she'd accomplished.
“This is good news,” Jasmine said, offering us a smile. “The pack has already started to feel the shift. The members who were in the infirmary are making a remarkable recovery. This is good. Great news, actually.”
I held Janella's hand tightly and felt a weight lift from our shoulders.
“A job well done,” Dean added.
Janella cleared her throat. “What about the other packs?”
Dean waved a hand. “We will figure out more about why it didn't reach then, but the other packs are not your concern.”
I could see that those words didn't sit well with Janella, considering Troy was her brother. I gave her hand a squeeze. “We will figure that out. We can help them.”
We left the meeting a few minutes later. Janella looked sad as we walked the hallway out to the car.
“You look sad.”
“I just...I'm glad we helped our pack, but what about the others? What did I do? Can I do it again?”
We didn’t know the answers to all the questions. “We will help them. I promise you. We’re going to figure it out.”
I pulled her to a stop, wanting her to recognize what she’d done.
“Janella, you have done something that no one could have expected.
You have been a guiding light for me since you arrived.
You've done nothing but step up to the plate and take everything that's been thrown at you. Even this. You have just saved this pack. And I love you.”
Her eyes widened.
“I have loved you for a while, and I should have said the words sooner. I should have admitted my feelings years ago and maybe saved us both a lot of pain.”
She smiled. “You do?”
I pulled her closer to me. “I do. And I know there is still a lot we have to figure out. But I don’t want this moment of relief to be ignored.”
“I love you too.”
I cupped her face and pulled her in for a soft kiss. “Good. Because I don't ever plan on losing you. You are my mate. My wife. My person. And I don’t want anyone else.”
I kissed her again, letting myself hold her close. I couldn't believe that I could be so lucky to have someone who stood by my side through everything. And to know that she cared about the pack as much as I did was only a bonus.
“Oh, by the way, the pack is throwing a party for you.”
“What?”
“Yeah, so smile and accept it. You are our savior.”