Chapter 20
Reid
I take a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
It's been a rough week. I knew it was coming, but it’s still been brutal.
Riley and I have barely spent two minutes with each other all week.
The only time we get together is when we run in the mornings and then the few minutes when we drive home.
With practice, classes, schoolwork, and my growing pack responsibilities, I’ve barely been around.
I know it’s only going to get worse once we both start traveling for games.
And now tonight, I saw the look on her face when she stepped outside.
I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen Riley look dejected enough she might cry.
Tonight, there was a droop to her shoulders and a sadness to her that I hate.
And then, to top it all off, some guy wants to help her, practice with her, probably touch her all over and claim it’s just to help her.
My wolf tries to rise, and I force him down.
I don’t care that he’s my teammate’s brother; I don’t like him.
I also don’t like that he’s in practice with Riley when I can’t be.
I glance over at her now. She stares out the window sullenly, and I hate it.
This isn’t my Riley. My Riley is full of life and excitement.
Her eyes dance with mischief most of the time, and she’s always wearing her beautiful smile.
Her smile is nowhere in sight tonight, and I can’t help but wonder what happened at practice tonight.
I reach over and take her hand in mine. She lets me, but she doesn’t respond in any way.
“Are you hungry? I grabbed a salad for you.”
“Thanks, but I’m good.”
“Was Cameron respectful to you?” I manage to keep my words calm.
She doesn’t look over at me when she responds. “Yes.” She doesn’t say anything else, and I will her to. “He played opposite me most of the night.”
I take a steadying breath. “Did he hurt you?”
This earns me a look. “Cameron? No, he was fine.”
“Then what—” That’s all I get out.
“Please, Reid. I just want to forget tonight, okay?” Her voice is soft and dejected. I hate it, but I won’t push her and make it harder.
“Okay.” I squeeze her hand lightly and keep her hand tucked in mine on the seat between us.
Thankfully, she doesn’t pull away from me.
As soon as we get home, she pulls her hand from mine and is out the door before I have even put the car in park.
I hurry to follow her, grabbing her bag when I see she left it in the car.
By the time I lock my car and walk to the front door, she’s already disappeared inside.
I hurry in after her but don’t make it very far.
As soon as I close the front door, Zane is in my face.
“Care to explain why my sister looks like she’s about to cry. Riley never cries.”
His words rub me the wrong way, and I resist the urge to shove him out of my way.
I force myself to talk to him, even though I don’t want to.
The only reason I do is because he’s her brother and if she won’t talk to me, as much as it pains me, maybe she’ll talk to him.
“I don’t know,” I say quietly. “She came out of practice like that and won’t talk to me. ”
His whole demeanor shifts. “You think it was the coach? I’ve heard horror stories about the women’s basketball coach.”
“Yeah, me too.” My words are grim.
“Want me to try talking to her?” he asks, and I appreciate him asking instead of just doing it.
“Hey, what’s wrong with Riley?” Evie asks, joining us. She looks up at me and then Zane.
“We’re not sure yet,” Zane says.
The front door opens, and Quint steps inside. He stops when he sees us gathered. “Who died?”
Evie laughs. “Nobody died.”
“Then why do you all look that way?”
“We’re just trying to figure out what’s wrong with Riley,” Evie fills him in.
Quint frowns. “What’s wrong with Riley?”
“I literally just said that’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Evie says in exasperation.
I leave them to it; I don’t want to stand out here and talk when my mate is alone and hurting.
I head to my room and take a quick shower and throw on a pair of shorts before grabbing the salad and heading over to her room.
I’m just about to knock when I hear her talking.
I listen just for a moment to make sure she’s okay and realize she’s on the phone with her mom.
As much as I want to be the one to comfort her, I just want her to be okay.
I sit at my desk and work on a paper I have due for class, but I keep an ear tuned to Riley.
I don’t listen to her conversation; I just listen for when she’s done.
Eventually, I don’t hear her voice anymore.
I wait for a little while but then reach out before she goes to sleep for the night. You okay?
She answers right back. I’m good.
I’m here if you need me.
She waits a beat, and I wonder if she’s going to talk to me. But all she sends back is, I know. Thanks, Reid.
She doesn’t say anything more, and I let her be.
It won’t help to hound her. I spend the next hour working on my paper until the words start blurring on my screen.
Finally, I shut it down and climb into bed for the night.
I haven’t heard anything from Riley’s room for a while now, so I’m assuming she’s asleep.
At least, I hope she is. I lay in bed and stare up at the ceiling, wondering if maybe I should just go for a run instead.
My wolf’s on edge; I’m on edge. Maybe it’d just be best if we went for a run.
I lay there a little while longer seriously considering it.
The only thing holding me back is the fact that my mate's sleeping across the hall, and it feels like she’s extra vulnerable tonight.
I’m not sure I can leave her. I’ve finally convinced myself that I should do it when I hear a soft sound.
The door to my room opens next, and her scent hits me hard.
“Reid,” she whispers softly, uncertainly.
I hate that; I don’t want her ever uncertain with me.
“Hey, Baby, I’m here.”
“Can I—” she pauses.
I don’t wait for her to finish. I pull back the covers and pat the bed next to me.
She crawls into bed next to me, and I don’t hesitate to wrap my arms around her and pull her close.
I think we both sigh at the contact. She lays her head on my bicep, and I breathe her in.
My wolf relaxes for the first time in hours, and I feel myself relaxing as well.
I run my hand up and down her spine, hoping to soothe the tension in her body.
I don’t ask her anything; I don’t want her to tense up any more than she already is.
I just want her to know that right now, she’s safe.
I feel her begin to relax against me. Her breathing starts to even out, and I know she’s getting close to sleep.
“I played for three hours tonight.” Her voice is quiet and tentative.
Riley's a lot of things, but tentative is not one of them. Not usually, anyway. “I was terrible.”
I rub my hand up and down her spine and can’t resist disagreeing. “I know that’s not true.”
“No, it really is. She put me under the basket, which I just knew was going to happen. I was terrible. I don’t ever play down there.
She yelled at me constantly. It was really bad.
” I force myself to stay calm, even as my anger spikes.
I will never understand why coaches scream at players.
It’s not like getting yelled at makes us play any better.
She’s quiet a moment, and I force myself to stay quiet so she can process.
“She told me she doesn’t care who my brother is or the fact that I have a scholarship.
She said if I can’t prove myself tomorrow, I won’t play for her.
” She’s quiet a beat. “And she told me I dress like a bum.”
I stiffen against her, my hand freezing on her back mid-stroke. “What?”
She blows out a breath. “She told me that if that’s the way I dress and carry myself it’s no wonder I’m so terrible on the court.
” Her words are barely a whisper. “And then she asked me,” she pauses, and I hear the catch in her voice.
I force myself not to react, but this is killing me.
“She asked if I’ve actually played basketball before. ”
“She’s an idiot.” I can’t help my words or the force of them.
“No, I’m the idiot because I told her I’m not used to playing that position, and then she just leveled me—asked me if I was trying to tell her how to coach, said that players that can only play one position are worthless, and that I have one more chance to prove tomorrow that I deserve a spot on the team.
Oh, and I made the mistake of saying ‘Yes Ma’am’. ”
“How were you supposed to address her? Sir?” I bite out.
“Coach.”
I bite my tongue, so I don’t give in to my desire to tell Riley what I really think about her coach.
It won’t do her any good, not when she has to face her coach tomorrow.
Instead, I pull her closer. “I’m sorry. If you want, tomorrow, we’ll go to the court and do some drills.
We’ll get you ready for tomorrow afternoon. ”
She makes a sound. “Neither of us have any extra time in our schedule.”
“Hey.” I wait until she’s looking at me. I use my wolf sight to see her clearly. “I’ll cut class if I need to. You will make it onto the team, and you’ll show your coach what an amazing player you are.”
“I don’t know, Reid. Maybe I just need to hang it up.”
“Riley, no. You’re good, really good.”
“But what if I’m not?” she whispers. “Sure, I was good...in high school. That was a smaller pool. This is much bigger. What if I’m just not cut out for college sports?”
I don’t refute her. “Okay. Let’s try this. Do you want to play? Do you want to be on the team?”
She doesn’t wait even an extra second. “Yes.”
“Even with the coach from hell?” I ask.
She laughs. “Yes, even with her.”
“Okay, then you can’t give up. If you give it your best shot and don’t make it, then fine.
Walk away from it, but don’t walk away from it before you’ve even tried.
You’re not a quitter, Riley. You’re the strongest person I know; now it’s time to prove it.
Where’s the girl that refuses to give up?
That keeps running even when she has a stupid leg fracture. ”
She smiles as she remembers. She hurt her leg when she was younger, fractured it in an obstacle course race against Zane and me.
But she wanted to win so badly, she kept going and didn’t tell anybody until the end of the race.
Pretty sure her mom’s never forgiven her for pulling that stunt.
Good thing shifters heal quickly. “Okay.” She yawns, and I can practically feel the exhaustion coming off her.
“Can I stay in here just for a little bit? I’ll go back to my bed as soon as I get the energy. ”
I pull her closer. “You can always stay in my bed.” I know that I could carry her back to her bed, and I would if she wanted me to. But she seems as happy to be in my bed as I am to have her here. I lean towards her and kiss her temple. “Get some sleep.” But I’m pretty sure she’s already asleep.