Dinner with Amilia and her family wasn’t at all how I expected it to go. I was shocked when Ethan invited me. I thought it was a set up for Amilia to reject me but it wasn’t, it was an actual dinner. Amilia seemed surprised herself when she saw us but hid it well. During dinner she and I talked here and there, I even held her hand and she let me. It may be a small thing to a lot of people but for her to let me touch her after what I did, is an amazing thing.  

I went home after spending a little time with Garrett and took a shower to get ready for bed. Tomorrow I plan on asking Amilia if we could go for a walk and talk, even if it’s for an hour. With that thought after I took my shower I went to bed, with my mates pretty face filling my dreams.

The annoying beeping of my alarm woke me up and I groaned as I shut it off. I yawned and sat up, went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth washed my hands and face and got dressed in a pair of tan shorts, a gray tank top and my white nikes. I made sure I smelt good and my hair was styled before walking downstairs to see my brother at the stove cooking breakfast. 

"Good morning Mikael." Andrew said as he flipped a pancake.

"Good morning. How are you?"

"Good thanks, how are you and how are things with you?" He asked and turned the stove off and turned towards me. 

"I'm better, things are better, not perfect but better than two days ago. Dinner last night was nice and Amilia actually talked to me." I said, smiling. I haven’t stopped smiling since I left the Alpha suite last night. 

“That’s great. I like seeing you like this.” He said and I looked at him confused and he chuckled.

“Happy Mikael, happy. It’s nice seeing a smile on your face for once and one that isn’t forced. I hope it stays.” He said and I hoped it did as well. 

“Are you going to eat?” He asked after he was done making breakfast and I looked at my phone to see it was almost eight and nodded, Amilia is probably just waking up or eating with her family so I’ll wait to go see her. 

“Thanks Andrew.” I said and Jeff walked in and kissed Andrew, grabbed his plate and ruffled my hair and sat beside me. Frederick was still sleeping.

“Good morning Jeff.” I said and he sipped his coffee before sighing happily, Andrew and I laughed.

“Good morning.” He said and started eating. He’s not much of a talker until he’s had his breakfast and at least one cup of coffee. 

I was eating and looking through my phone for a minute until Jeffery started choking and I looked at him and his eyes were huge and he was looking at his plate like it was going to run away.

“What’s wrong? Are you alright?” I asked and went to grab his hand to get his attention when he stood up and took Andrew into his arms and they were laughing and crying. 

“What’s going on?” I was getting worried, they weren’t saying anything, just crying and holding one another. 

“We’re pregnant!” Andrew and Jeffery shouted and I gasped and joined in on the hug. 

“I’m so happy for you guys!” I said and started crying as well. They have been trying for years to have a baby and finally, it happened.

“I found out this morning. I woke up feeling really sick and I remembered it was the same with Fredrick so I went to see the doc and I’m six weeks along.” Andrew said and I couldn’t be happier for them. 

“Congratulations, you two. I’m so excited!” I said smiling and after we calmed down some, I sat back down to finish my breakfast watching them as Jeffery kept touching Andrew’s belly and smiling at him as he ate. 

When I was done I left the happy blissful couple and went outside to sit on the swing, just watching as the pack woke up and came to life. I watched as birds flew, rabbits hopped, squirrels ran up and down the tree in the yard and everything around me was beautiful. This place is beautiful. 

I heard a door opening and looked toward the packhouse and out walked Amilia with her dad, Kody and they walked down the path, away from the packhouse and walked into the woods, talking as they went. Alpha Ethan soon came out with Corey and his other mates and followed them. I guess they are doing something as a family. 

I noticed Ryker was walking out of his house with his dad, Mr. Altan and they spoke for a minute before Mr. Altan got into his truck and drove away and Ryker looked around and stopped when he saw me and I waved him over. 

He isn’t very social but he has his reasons I guess. He walked over slowly and scanned the yard and smiled when he saw the pups playing and I wondered if he only ever smiles just for the pups. 

“Hey man.” I said to him when he walked up the few steps to the porch.

“Hey. I will only say this once and if you say anything to anyone about it, I’ll deny it. You ever hurt Amilia again, I’ll kill you.” He said looking me directly in the eyes, I gulped and I nodded. He sat down on the step and looked out at everything around us, much like I did.

“Since you brought her up, do you know what she’s doing with her family?” I asked and he shook his head.

“Yup but I’m not saying, it’s a family thing and even if you are mate’s, you aren’t family, yet.” He said and I understood so I didn’t say anything more about it.

“Want to go do something?” I asked, hoping he will want to. He needs some friends or at least spend some time outside instead of in his room or at the daycare center.

“Like what?” He looked at me and I thought for a minute.

“We can throw around a football. I know you play.” I said and he stood up and walked off the porch and I followed him. We walked to his house, to the shed outback in their yard and he got a football out and I walked over to one side and he went to the other and when I was in place, he threw it and I caught it, barley as it slammed into my chest, hard and fast.

“Damn you got a good arm.” I said and threw it back to him.

“I’ve been playing since I was like three when papa got me my first ball. I grew an obsession with it over the years. I know I’m tall and may be a big buff guy but I know how to play without using my ‘brute’ strength. I don’t use my tiger at all for games, the games we win are because we work our asses off.” He said as he threw the ball back, a little gentler that time.

“No I get it, I’m not a little guy either and I play basketball so I understand. The wolves on the team are the same as you so no need to defend yourself man.” I went to throw the ball back but he ran and told me to throw it to him as he was running and I haven’t really played football so I hoped when I threw it, he would be able to catch it but it went way above his head and like the player he is, he ran after it, grabbed it once it bounced once off the ground, turned around mid turn and threw it back to me. 

“Good catch!” He said as he jogged back to his spot and I smiled.

“Thanks, sorry about the throw, I’m used to basketball.” I said and he chuckled.

“No worries man. Hey ah want to go on a run?” He asked and I nodded so I put the ball back in the shed and went to my house real quick to change into different shorts and met Ryker outside and we started on a slow jog into the forest. 

"I know you get a lot of shit from people right now and have heard a lot of bullshit about Amilia but Mikael, that girl is a good person. I may be younger than her but I see how people including you have treated her. I want it to stop and you have been doing better, just have to get everyone else to lay off. She may put up a tough front but it hurts her, especially knowing now that one of her mates was part of it. I know Garrett hurt her but he's making up for it. I also know it will take some time for her to trust you but take it from me, don't give up. She is one of the best people I know, even if she doesn't know I pay attention to her." Ryker said as we stopped at a small pond to take a rest for a few minutes. 

"I'm trying to be better. I know I have a lot to make up for and I regret to this day and probably will for the rest of my life for hurting her. I don't blame the curse because I wasn't blacked out for over half of what I did but I can't remember that day I…" I couldn't finish my thought, it was too hard to think about what I almost did to my mate. 

"I know, don't be too hard on yourself about it. She knows you don't remember that day and you didn't have control but she has a fear of it happening again. That's one of the things holding her back from being with you. You know how she is, stubborn as all get out but she's just protecting her heart. That's one reason she had her surgeries so fast. She was tired of people seeing her differently which is such bullshit given what the fuck we are. Who the hell cares if she was different? That's what made her even more unique and beautiful. All of you forced her to change herself before she was truly ready. She may say she's happy and that she likes how she looks which very well may be true but she made the decision too fast. She just talked to uncle Kody about it and a few weeks later if that she gets it done. She was different like me and that was ok, she didn't need to change herself to please everyone just because everyone didn't like that she wasn't fucking 'normal'." He looked upset more than pissed off and I felt the same. 

Amilia was perfect the way she was, we all were just to blind to see it. 

"What do you mean that she was different like you?" I asked because I was curious as to what he meant.

"Nothing, that's no one's business but mine and my families. If you want Amilia to trust you, to forgive you, show her she can." He said and shifted into his tiger and stretched out, shook his fur and got low to the ground and looked at me.

"Want me to get on your back?" I asked and he nodded his head so I got on his back and gripped his fur gently and he took off on a run.

Riding on his back though the forest was something I never thought I'd do. It was awesome going as fast as he ran, feeling the wind, seeing things from a new height since his tiger is tall. We were out for a couple of hours before he took us back to his house. I got off and opened the door for him and he ran upstairs. I'm sure to get dressed.

"Hey, did you guys have fun?" I heard from the kitchen so I walked toward the voice and saw Gary. 

"Yea, he's not so bad." 

"No he really isn't. He's a good kid who is misunderstood just as you and Amilia are. He doesn't spend much time outside nor talks to many people so whatever you did, thank you. He hasn't shifted in weeks, so to see him running like that is wonderful. What did you do?"

"Nothing, I was outside on my porch and waved him over. We exchanged a few words and threw around the football, went on a run and talked and suddenly he shifted and here we are. All I did was wave him over." 

"No, you took the time to want to talk to him. He may be popular and play sports and has friends but I haven't seen him like that in a long time Mikael so thank you." 

"Sure no problem. I had fun hanging out with Ryker. Maybe it doesn't have to be a one time thing." 

"I did to Mikael, and it won't be. I like you because I saw the real you today. The you I used to like before you became a dick." Ryker and his bluntness which doesn't really surprise me given his whole family is blunt.

"Hey son." Gary greeted Ryker and Ryker kissed his cheek.

"Hey dad. Need help making lunch?" 

"No I'm ok, are you staying for lunch Mikael?" 

"If it's alright, sure. Thanks." 

"No problem. Why don't you boys go play video games or something? I'll let you know when lunch is ready. Oh and your papa will be here soon Ryker." Gary said and Ryker nodded and we walked out of the kitchen to his bedroom. 

His room was not what I expected. There were books everywhere, on all different kinds of subjects, posters of famous smart people, quotes on the walls with drawing and one wall was painted in many different colors and I noticed one drawing in it was of a Phoenix and a tiger.

"You and Amilia?" I asked pointing to it and he looked over at me to see what I was talking about. 

"Yea, she doesn't shift for many people for her reasons so one day we were hanging out and we let our animals out and I came home that night and painted it." He smiled and it was a nice smile, one I haven't seen before.

"You're really good. These paintings are beautiful, they all blend together as one." 

"Thanks. I paint when I need an escape from everything so my dads told me I could paint only one wall if I didn't paint stuff that was dumb. I had always drawn and painted since I was a little kid." 

"Definitely not the typical jock are you?"

"Nope, people think what they want about me and I don't correct them. I don't feel a need to because they don't matter to me. The only ones who do are my family and they know me for me, not what others think they know. People want to impress you, they want to be accepted and normal, but what the hell is normal anyways? My thing is be you, fuck everyone else and what they think. That's why it upset me so much that Amilia changed herself because of others, not because she truly wanted to." 

"I'm starting to see that. If I could turn back time and do it all again I would but I can't. I'll make things right somehow, someway. She's my mate so I need to make things right between us." I said and he nodded. 

We played a few video games and ate lunch with Mr. Altan and I spent the rest of the day hanging out with Ryker. 

I wanted to see Amilia but I also wanted to reconnect with an old friend and I'm glad I did, Ryker isn't as bad as people think, he just doesn't give a shit what people think.

I went home, took a shower after I told my brother about my day, went to bed feeling good about myself and the day I spent with Ryker. 

I wanted a chapter with Mikael and Ryker hanging out, to give a little insight to who Ryker is and his personality. I hope you enjoyed it!