Chapter 6 - The Shadow In The Rink

Riley

I looked at Fantine as she stood in the middle of my room and various thoughts, racing through my mind, stormed against my heart and mind. I continued staring bluntly at her and the way she was now looking as me was a league apart from the cold glares I was getting once we were out of my room, at least I felt as if my wolf finally stopped moving and began to calm down.

She looked a little delicate leaning in front of my cluttered desk and disheveled bed, I walked closer until I was able to take in that smell of hers again, and it was like some kind of a combination of honey and something that I can't really identify.

"So you really want to make a clean break? I just don't think my heart can endure another slap in the face today," I said, fighting to keep my voice playful as the pull toward her was suffocating me.

She chuckled softly and glanced down at her shoes, "I'm serious, Riley, I just have to get used to trusting people and the whole mate thing is new to me, so bear with me as I navigate through things."

"I have all the time in the world for you, Fantine, but you have to meet me halfway because I'm tired of chasing you down hallways just to get a word in," I said, and I reached out to take her hand, a spark of electricity shot up my arm as soon as our skin connected.

We sat at the end of my bed and she was already firing questions at me about the team and how I got into hockey, and I felt, for the first time, like someone was really talking to me and not just staring at the jersey I had on.

We talked for what seemed like hours and she told me a little bit about her family, although she was pretty vague and I wanted to know everything about her before she turned up at Blackwater.

My cell phone vibrated on the nightstand, interrupting the moment, I reached over to grab it, my mood instantly soured when I recognized the name on my screen.

Meet me at the Pack house in twenty minutes. Really don’t be late again, Riley.

"Is everything okay? Fantine asked, leaning in closer and placing her hand on my knee, making it all the more difficult to think about walking away.

"It's only my father, he believes all he has to do is snap his fingers and I'll come running back to the pack lands like he wants to give me a lecture on my responsibilities," I muttered as I flung the phone back onto the bed.

The last thing I needed was to be trapped in a cold office listening to Marcus Porter drone on about legacy."If it's important, you really ought to go; I don't want to be the reason you get on the bad side of the Alpha," she said, but she didn't move her hand, and I could tell she didn't really want me to go either.

"He can wait, he doesn’t care about me anyway, he just cares about how many goals I score and if I’m a perfect heir for the cameras, so I’m staying right here with you,” I said, and I meant it because being here with her was the only thing that mattered in that moment.

We were sitting there for a while, talking and being quiet, and I told her that I really wanted to study physics and that I hated all the pressure from the hockey team, and she was looking at me so understandingly that I felt like I could tell her anything.

But then my phone started ringing, and I knew Marcus would not give up until I answered or showed up, so I emitted a frustrated growl and got on my feet.

"I have to take this, but don't go anywhere, ok? Be right back," I said, as I walked out to a tiny balcony and locked the sliding glass door behind me.

"What do you want Dad? I’m busy," I hissed into the phone the moment I pressed ignore on the third call and dialled him back.

"What are you so busy doing? I read the reports about the PR manager you’ve been following around, Riley, and I’m telling you now, to quit playing around and come home, because we have some things to discuss about the border security—and your future as Alpha," Marcus growled, his voice commanding.

“I'm not kidding, and maybe if you treated me like a son and not a soldier, I wouldn't find it a hard time to come to your meetings," I retorted, and I heard him take a sharp breath on the other end.

“Don't test me, boy, you are a Porter and that means you are at my Beck and call, and if you're not here within fifteen minutes, I'll send the Enforcers to fetch you and we can see how your little girlfriend takes that scene," he threatened as he cut the line.

I paused for a moment, my fingers curling around the rail so tightly my knuckles turned white, I hated how he always found a way to taint every good thing I'd managed to find in this place. I went back inside and found Fantine paging through one of my textbooks, and the sight of her soothed every bit of anger, only to be replaced by an intense need to prevent her from stumbling into the mess that was my family.

“I have to go deal with him, Fantine, but I’ll come get you at the rink tomorrow morning before practice begins,” I said as I put on my jacket and made my way toward her.

“Is he mad? Riley, you look so tense,” she said, as she rose and placed her hands on my cheeks, and the tenderness of her touch made me want to erase everything and never leave.

"He's always angry, but don’t you worry about him. he can catch his own and I will make sure he doesn’t get near you,” I said, bending down and kissing her on the forehead before I turned for the door.

Down in the parkinglot, I got in my truck, but as I turned on the ignition, I glanced up to my window and there she was, standing there as she’d been waiting for me. I knew Marcus was waiting for me, but as I pulled out of the lot, I caught myself heading in the opposite direction of the pack lands, because I knew Fantine ran to the library or the little park by the dorms at this time of night.

I was not going to the meeting, I was going to look for her and make sure she was okay, because there was something about the way Marcus spoke of her that made my skin crawl. I circled the campus, peering in the darkness for that distinct head of dark hair, not caring what trouble skipping out on the Alpha would bring. I stopped by at the old fountain, whose lights were now flickering, and I noticed a figure sitting on the stone rim, but as I drew near, I saw it wasn’t Fantine. It was a woman I’d never seen before - dark clothes, a map - and as she raised her head to me, she gave me a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Looking for someone, Alpha? Because I think you're looking in the wrong place," she said, her voice smooth and cold, and I felt my wolf stand up because this woman looked exactly like the girl I had just left in my room.