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Alle Kapitel von Riley and The Riptide: Kapitel 31 – Kapitel 40

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Chapter 31

As soon as the latch clicks, Mom sits in the chair next to me and rests her elbows on the table. She looks defeated, but not ready to accept it. After an eternity of silence, she supports her forehead on her thumb and forefinger and looks at me.“Primrose and I are sorry you had to see that.” She sighs. “Far from our best moment, and we were out of line.”“Did you hit Charlotte?” There’s a heavy knot in my chest.“No, Eva stopped me.” Mama Prim’s raspy voice comes out of Mom’s mouth.“Would you have if she hadn’t stopped you?”“Yes.” Her black eyes don’t look remorseful.“Did you hit Caleb?”“No, and I don’t know if I would have if Eva wasn’t there.” She sighs.“Why?” I continue to grill her.“Because I didn’t want to hurt you.” She falls back and gives Mom control. Mom presses her lips together and shakes her head. “If I would have hit him, it would have hurt you.”She drops her hands and curls them into fists on the table. “Even if it wouldn’t have, and I had hit him, I would have r

Chapter 32

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

Chapter 33

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

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

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

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

Chapter 37

“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’

Chapter 38

I don’t remember how I got to bed. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. I keep trying to find my feelings. That’s what my therapist always tells me to do. Find your feelings and recognize them. Figure out what’s causing them so you can figure out what’s causing them. Right now, I need any emotion at all to tell if this is real or a dream. I can wake up from a dream. If this is reality, I don’t know what I’m going to do.Mom comes in and brushes my hair out of my face. Her hand feels warm against my cheek. She says something, but it sounds like she’s underwater. I can’t find words to ask her if I’m sleeping or not.Caleb’s worried blue eyes fuss over me. He’s safe. It doesn’t matter if it’s real or a dream, he’s safe.I hear him think to me, but it’s staticky and too quiet to make out. I blink at him. What if he’s part of a nightmare? Then what? Who will wake me up? Worse yet, what if I’m awake? What happens next? Cal holds my hand and kisses it. I close my eyes. When I open them, he’

Chapter 39

“Ainsley, how are you feeling?” Alpha Lucas laces his fingers and places his hands on the desk.“Guilty?” I chew on my lip. “I don’t remember attacking those warriors, Alpha, but I did, so I understand there are consequences. That’s what the Grands always say.”“The Grands?”“My grandparents.” The dull ache of homesickness spreads in my belly. “That’s what me and my friends call them.”“I see.” He smirks. “Well, in this case, there won’t be consequences for you. Your wolf will have to answer to me when she wakes up. Rhodes’s injuries are moderate. He’ll be healed in a couple weeks. Wilson on the other hand, well-”“Beckett told me.” I stop him. I don’t know if I can bear to hear it again. “Alright. His mate asked to meet you.”“Wh-what?” My fingers grip the chair. “Why?”“Don’t worry, Ainsley. Heather is upset, but she understands you weren’t in control of your wolf. The Luna and I discussed it, and we feel like it’s only fair to give her an opportunity to say her piece.”“I-I-I, o-o

Chapter 40

“Kayla!” I hold the key in my palm as if it were a precious stone. “How?”She takes me by the shoulders with an exaggerated pout. “You know how they say dreams come true?”“Yeah? But most of my dreams are nightmares.” I frown.“Not this time.” She says in a sing-song voice while she smiles until her eyes turn squinty and turns me around.My eyes bulge out of my head. The key falls from my hand. This can’t be real. If it is, it’s the best dream I’ve had in years. In the doorway to my new bedroom, Grandpa and Grandma are waiting with huge smiles on their faces. Grandma clasps her hands against her chest and tilts her head to the side. Grandpa opens his arms with a breathy laugh, inviting me in for a hug. My feet move on their own until I throw myself into his arms. He catches me with ease and gives a hearty laugh and squeezes me tight. “Aw, Sweetpea! We’ve missed you!”It feels like my heart is going to explode with joy. I try to say something, but a lump of tears makes it stop.Gran

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