Chapter 9

Mateo

I thought I could stay away, that the pain of Rylan"s betrayal would be enough to keep me from returning to him. But as the days turned into a week, my heart ached with his absence, and the weight of my own mistakes bore down on me. How could I have thought that staying away from him was okay? I couldn"t even recognize myself.

I realized that despite it all, I still loved him, that our bond was stronger than my anger and hurt. After all, we were meant to be together. That was the reason why we were having those dreams.

I found myself drawn back to Sebastian"s apartment, my eyes searching for Rylan, my heart yearning to be near him, even if he didn"t know it. I kept my distance, my presence a shadow in the background, but I couldn"t stay away.

He couldn"t know. After all, what would I say if he knew? I had no idea. This entire time, I was battling against myself, trying to figure out what I would say when we met again.

I worried about Rylan, about our unborn child. What if he went into labor without me? What if he needed my help, my protection? Those things couldn"t happen without me around.

The thought of him facing those dangers alone tore at my heart, and I knew I had to make things right, for him, for our baby. But, how? I didn"t know.

The words stuck in my throat, my pride and hurt warring with my love for him. Those things had always been weaknesses of mine. I had no idea if I could get rid of them now.

I wanted to apologize, to tell him that I still loved him, that I wanted us to be a family, but the words eluded me, trapped behind the wall of my own stubbornness.

I hated myself so much for feeling that way, but at the same time, I was powerless to stop it.

Tonight, as I stood in the shadows of Sebastian"s apartment, my eyes fixed on Rylan"s swollen belly, I knew I had to act, to put aside my own hurt and do what was best for them.

No matter what, this time, it was going to be different. I was going to figure out something.

However, there was something that required my attention more than anything else, and it was the appearance of someone I thought I would never see again. After so much time, he showed up again. Vance.

Vance"s sudden appearance, his menacing presence filling the small apartment, jolted me into action. I saw the fear in Rylan"s eyes, heard the desperation in his voice as he insisted he didn"t know where I was. It all happened so quickly. I didn"t even have time to react before they were already face-to-face.

Vance"s words made my blood boil. "You"re lying, omega," he snarled, his eyes narrowing. "Mates always know where the other is. Where is he or I"ll take you away, and your pup will never know his father."

I snarled. That motherfucker was going to get what was coming to him. I was going to make sure of it. He was going to feel what it was like to be hunted by me.

Rylan"s eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat as he processed the threat. Before he could respond, Sebastian stepped forward, his eyes flashing with anger. "Get out of here," he said, his voice steady. "You"re not welcome here."

I was surprised by Sebastian"s reaction. I thought he would never stand up against a bully. But, there he was. He was doing more than that. He was protecting my beloved.

Vance smirked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Or what, asshole? You"ll throw me out? You"re no match for me."

I knew he wasn"t, which was why I had to move quickly. I had to go there before it was too late, and I was already moving. I was dashing forward.

With a swift movement, Vance punched Sebastian in the stomach, sending him crumpling to the ground, unconscious. I snarled again. He was going to pay so much for what he was doing.

Rylan cried out, his eyes widening in fear as he realized the true danger they were in. But he didn"t need to worry. I was already getting there. I was climbing the outside of the apartment building as fast as I could.

"Now," Vance said, his eyes narrowing on Rylan. "Where is he?"

I saw the fear in Rylan"s eyes, the desperation as he searched for an answer that wouldn"t result in more violence. I was moving as fast as I could, but it still felt like it wasn"t fast enough.

Only a few more seconds and… Finally. Here I was.

"He"s right here," I growled, my voice deep and dangerous. I wanted to punch Vance"s face until he was begging for forgiveness, which I wasn"t going to give him. "And you"ll never touch him again, Vance. Not while I"m breathing."

Vance"s eyes widened in surprise, his gaze flicking between Rylan and me. He came here looking for me, but he didn"t think I was around. We had always been enemies, we had always hated each other, so this was a long time coming.

"Solstice," he snarled. His fur was already beginning to show. He was already transforming and getting himself ready for the fight we were going to start. "I should"ve known you were around. You never cease to surprise me in a bad way."

I shifted, my body transforming into my wolf form, my fur bristling with aggression. I felt like I was finally letting it all out. This entire time, I didn"t realize how much I was itching for a fight.

"You should"ve stayed in prison," I snarled, my eyes fixed on Vance. And after saying that, I couldn"t help but wonder how he got out of there. I thought he was going to stay a lot longer. I supposed we all had our ways. "But now, you"ll pay for what you did to Rylan, to us."

It wasn"t just about the now, after all. It was about the abuse against Rylan when we were still in prison. For all that, he was going to pay.

Vance shifted as well, his body transforming into a massive black wolf, his eyes glowing with malicious intent. "Oh, I"ll pay, all right," he growled. "With your blood."

He also thought this was a long time coming. He had always wanted to fight with me without anyone getting in the way or anything stopping us. Finally, we were going to make that real.

With a fierce growl, he lunged at me, his teeth bared, his claws extended. I dodged, my body agile, and countered with a swift strike to his flank, my claws slicing through his fur.

He howled in pain, spinning and lunging at me again. Our bodies collided, a blur of fur and muscle as we rolled across the floor, our teeth snapping, our claws slicing. The apartment shook with the force of our battle, the air thick with the scent of blood and fur.

Rylan stayed away, of course. He also dragged Sebastian away from the fight. He understood exactly what I was thinking. He knew I just wanted to fight Vance in an environment where I didn"t have to worry about anything.

Vance and I circled each other, our eyes locked, our breath coming in short, sharp pants. He lunged again, his jaws snapping at my throat, but I was faster, dodging and countering with a strike to his muzzle, my claws raking across his face.

He howled in pain, his eyes flashing with anger. And as for me, I felt triumph surging in me. I was close to finishing him off.

"You"ll pay for that, Solstice," he threatened. "You and your omega will suffer."

I bared my teeth, a low growl rumbling in my chest. He could make out the threats he wanted, but it wasn"t going to change anything. If anything, it only showed he knew he was losing.

"Never," I declared. "You"ll never touch what"s mine."

With a fierce growl, I lunged, my jaws closing around his throat, my claws digging into his fur. I felt his body go limp beneath me, his eyes widening in surprise as he realized his defeat.

Finally. At long last. The moment I had always wanted to see was unraveling right before me, and I was the catalyst behind it.

"Mateo," Rylan"s voice cut through the apartment. "Stop, please. Don"t kill him."

I hesitated, my jaws still clamped around Vance"s throat, my eyes locking with Rylan"s. I wanted to do it. I couldn"t understand why Rylan was begging for his life. It didn"t make sense. Vance threatened to kill him and our little one. He didn"t deserve to continue living.

And I saw the fear in Rylan"s eyes, the desperation, and I knew I had to let Vance go. It wasn"t what I wanted, but for my omega, I would do anything, including that.

With a growl of frustration, I released him, my body shifting back to human form, my eyes never leaving Vance. I couldn"t take any chances. He could try anything. He was a slimy bastard.

Vance staggered to his feet, his hand reaching for his throat, his eyes narrowing. What happened here, he would never forget it. That was my real victory.

"This isn"t over, Solstice," he threatened. "You and your omega will pay."

With that, he turned and stalked out of the apartment, his men following close behind. They were here, watching everything. They didn"t get in the way because they knew they would be mutilated by me.

I stood there, my body tense, my eyes fixed on the door, my heart pounding with the knowledge that Vance would be back, that our troubles were far from over. And yet, I knew that the next time it happened, I would win again. I knew that for certain because I had my omega.

I turned to Rylan, my eyes softening as I took in the sight of him, his swollen belly, the fear still lingering in his eyes. Despite his decision to keep Vance alive, I didn"t hate him. I couldn"t anymore. "Are you okay?" I asked softly. "Did he hurt you?"

He shook his head, his eyes filling with tears. He looked so afraid and vulnerable. He needed me now more than ever before.

"I"m fine," he whispered, his hand coming up to wipe away the tears that escaped. "But Sebastian—"

I nodded, my eyes flicking to the unconscious form of our friend. He wasn"t even thinking about Vance. He was mostly thinking about the person who had been helping us so much recently. Rylan really had a heart of gold, no denying it.

"I"ll call an ambulance," I said softly. "He"ll be okay." I knew he was going to be. Sebastian was tough.

Rylan nodded, his eyes never leaving mine, his breath coming in short gasps as he processed the events of the past few minutes. It was going to take some time until he was back to his normal self. And until we left this place for good, he wouldn"t be the person I knew he was.

"Thank you," he whispered, his voice shaking. "For saving me, for protecting us."

I took a step towards him, my hands reaching for his. He didn"t need to thank me. I did the bare minimum. I wished I could"ve done more.

"I"m sorry, Rylan," I said softly. "For the way I treated you, for not trusting you. I was wrong, and I"m sorry."

I was panting. I had always wondered what it would be like when I said those words. I didn"t even know it was going to be those words exactly. But, it happened. It was something I had to do.

He searched my eyes, his breath catching in his throat as he processed the sincerity of my words. "I"m sorry too," he whispered. "For keeping secrets, for not trusting you with the truth. Can you ever forgive me, Mateo?"

I took his hands in mine, my thumbs brushing away the tears that escaped. Of course I was going to forgive him. It was the easiest thing I could do.

"I already have," I said softly. "And I want us to be together, to build a life for our baby. Please, Rylan, give me another chance."

He nodded, his eyes shining with tears he didn"t want to let out. That was easier than I thought it was going to be. I thought he would never want me by his side again.

"I want that too," he whispered. "I love you, Mateo. I always have."

I pulled him into my arms, my body surrounding his, our bond strengthening with each passing moment. "I love you too," I whispered, my lips brushing his hair. "And I promise, no matter what happens, I"m here to stay."

We stood there, our arms wrapped around each other, our hearts beating as one, our love stronger than ever. He pressed himself against me more. He wanted every part of my body.

I knew we had a long road ahead, that Vance would be back, but in that moment, with Rylan in my arms, I felt a sense of peace, a certainty that no matter what came our way, we could beat it.

As we waited for the ambulance to arrive, Rylan sat on my lap, his back resting against my chest, my arms wrapped protectively around him. He trusted me again. Today was a turning point in our lives.

My hand roamed his swollen belly, my touch gentle as I felt our baby kick, a reminder of the life we had created together. Soon, very soon, he would be with us.

"I love you, Mateo," Rylan whispered, his eyes gleaming with tears. "I always have, and I always will."

I pressed a soft kiss to his temple, my lips lingering on his skin. Then, I breathed in his scent. It was just as I remembered it. I didn"t think I could ever forget it.

"And I love you," I whispered. "No matter what happens, I"m here to stay. Our baby will know his parents" love, no matter what."

He leaned back, his eyes searching mine, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. His touch was gentle and warm. He made me feel like never before. We were the only ones who knew how much I missed this.

"Promise me," he whispered, his voice shaking. "Promise me that, no matter what, you are going to stay with me."

I kissed his cheek again. "Sure, my love. Don"t worry about it. I can promise you that. In fact, I"m already doing so. I"m going to stay with you. I will never make the same mistake again."

He leaned against me, letting out all the air that was in his lungs. "It feels so good to hear those things coming from you. I can really trust you again and you can trust me."

I brushed a stray lock of his hair to the side. "I trust you. I know that, from now on, you are always going to tell me everything."

Rylan breathed loudly again. "I know. I"ll always tell you everything."

And, in that instant, we knew our lives from that moment on were going to be much easier.