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Chapter 19

Author: Neener Beener
last update Last Updated: 2025-11-03 08:30:52

“Ainsley, wh-what are you doing here?” Charlotte runs to the side of the bed and tries to crush me in a hug, but Caleb puts his hand out to stop her.

“No, Sunshine!” He says quickly. “If you hug her, it’s gonna hurt both of us.”

“But, Cal I just wanna-” She drops her arms and scrunches her nose. “Wait. Both of you? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Caleb.” Mom appears in the doorway. She lowers her chin and glares at him.

“Just that… you know, I-I’m still in a lot of pain, and shaking the bed is gonna hurt.” He changes his tune. “Plus, Ainsley hasn’t had to struggle to escape your death grip in eleven years. Give her a minute to get acclimated.”

“Oh, um, yeah.” Charlotte looks deflated. “You’re right. Sorry, Ainsley. I’m happy to see you, but I still don’t understand what you’re doing here.”

I look at Mom who has her jaw clenched, glaring at me now, too. Clearly, she doesn’t want Charlotte to know the truth.

“It’s alright. My mom and your parents freaked after what happened to Caleb, so
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    “Excellent shot, Ainsley.” The range trainer wiggles his eyebrows. “Do those gold eyes help your vision?”“Uhm, no.” I fake a smile. “My grandfather taught me to shoot.”“They say Alpha Nicholas is the best.” The trainer chooses his words carefully now. “Yeah, they do.” I stare him down.“We’ll put you with the Level One warriors.” He clears his throat.I engage the safety and place the handgun on the counter. “Thank you, Sir. My grandfather will be here in a few days. He’d love to hear your thoughts on his training methods.”“Maybe he can put on a special range training session.” He chuckles. When he sees I’m not laughing, he adds, “I heard you’re good with knife throwing as well.”“Yes, Sir. My grandmother taught me that.”I look back and see Mom beaming with pride from behind the thick plexiglass. She gives me a thumbs up and nods.“Do you have your own set?” He pulls a flat packet out of a drawer next to the counter.“Yes, Sir.” I tighten my ponytail. “They are at my grandparents

  • Riley and The Riptide   Chapter 36

    “Oh.” Her cheeks flush, and her cheery aura dims. “I guess the wolf’s out of the bag. Is it that easy to tell? I still have six months until my birthday.”“Uh, yeah it’s that easy to tell!” I feel so confused. Grandma Jane says there is only ever one Luna rising in a pack to make sure there are no conflicts among packmembers. “I don’t understand. I thought Charlotte is our future Luna?”“Well, she basically is.” Kayla explains, avoiding eye contact. “Because she’s most likely Caleb’s fated mate. If not, obviously they’ll take each other as chosen mates.”“How are there two shewolves in the pack with Luna blood?” I lead her to the sofa and sit down facing her. “Cause Charlotte for sure has Luna blood too. Her aura is practically exploding with it.”“My parents were Alpha and Luna of a small pack called Quiet Waters back in the day. It was about an hour southwest of here, on the shore. The numbers were getting too small to sustain. It got down to everyone in the pack being related, so t

  • Riley and The Riptide   Chapter 35

    My breath catches in my throat. The questions pour out of my mouth before I can stop them. “They found him? Is he safe? Can I talk to him? Where is he? Can we go get him? Does Tony know? Do the Grands know? Did he ask-”“Ainsley, slow down.” Mom tilts her head and speaks slowly.Someone takes my trembling hand. I look down and see Beckett’s fingers intertwine into mine and give me a gentle squeeze. I glance up to see him looking at me with a huge, hopeful smile. They found him. Beckett’s smile gives me permission to smile too.“No, Sweetpea, we didn’t find him yet. I said we have a lead. They know where the pay phone he called from is. It’s a huge break. Chief Milton can get the security footage to see which direction he went, what time, if he was by himself or with someone, witnesses, all that. That will help our trackers narrow things down.” She takes my other hand. “We’re getting close.”My smile falters. The full feeling in my chest deflates. It doesn’t take a genius to read betwe

  • Riley and The Riptide   Chapter 34

    Ainsley’s POVFor the first time in a long time, I slept peacefully. No nightmares making me cry in my sleep or making me bolt upright in a panic like I need to run for my life. It reminds me of when Riley was allowed to sleep over at my house. I haven’t opened my eyes yet, but I know he’s not here. His powerful arms are not holding me. His breath isn’t warm on the crown of my head. It’s someone else.I let my eyes open to find Beckett sleeping next to me. He has one arm under my head with his hand curled against my rib cage. His other arm hangs lazily over my waist with his hand on the flat of my back. It makes me feel safe. I could lie here all day, but I can’t. Just like Riley’s not supposed to be here, neither is Beckett.“Beckett?” I whisper.“Hmm?” He stretches his body long and lets out a growling yawn before he pulls me closer, burying his nose deeper into my hair. “Hm. Raspberries.”“Becks?” I try out the nickname Mom and Caleb use. “Um, where’s Mom?”“Uhm.” He hums, still mo

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    Maggie’s POV“Alpha, I have time now.” I send a mindlink. “Beckett is home, so Ainsley won’t be alone.”“Do you really trust them to be alone together?” His tone is grim.“Yes, she’s exhausted. She’s going to fall asleep any minute. And Caleb is in his room. I think after what happened earlier, if anything happened, he would feel it and scream it from the rooftops.” I hide my annoyance. He’s really going to question my parenting right now? There’s a long pause. Maybe he changed his mind about reprimanding me. What am I thinking? Lucas isn’t changing his mind. He’s still deciding my punishment.“Eva and I will come to your apartment.” He finally responds.“Eva can use her key to come in.” I go to the kitchen to put on a kettle. Eva never has serious conversations without a cup of tea.I open the cupboard and pull out the tea tin. A little glass bottle tips over behind it, making me freeze. Every time I forget, it shows itself. Smokey brown with a gray rubber cap. An empty reminder. I

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    Mom has done everything she can think of to overcompensate for years of absence in my life in the last few days. After what she confessed in the conference room, I guess I understand why. It doesn’t mean I have to like it. She admitted she would have hit Charlotte and Caleb. I try to push the thoughts to the back of my mind. When we get back to the apartment, Caleb gives Mom a glare, then slams the door to his room, locking himself in. Grandpa would have grounded me and taken away my motorcycle key for being that disrespectful. Mom just shakes her head and focuses on me instead. Beckett is working the dinner shift, so she puts the food from takeout containers onto nice plates so we can pretend everything is perfect.It’s kind of nice getting to spend quality time with her. We keep the conversation light. We mostly talk about Rambling Hills gossip and the differences in how the Grands raised her versus me. She is proud to hear that I got top marks in knife throwing and promises she wi

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