Wolfblood
Forbidden
"Rhydian, can I ask you a stupid question?" Ollie asked, running into the room with Joe just behind.
"Better than anyone else I know." Rhydian said, not looking up from the Argos catalogue. It was Maddy's birthday soon, and he needed ideas for gifts.
"Rhydian, be nice to him for god's sake!" Mrs Vaughn yelled from the kitchen. Rhydian guessed he had maybe another half an hour before he had to grab his wallet and head to Bernie's before she made him eat a salad instead of what he really needed. While he loved the Vaughns to the end of the earth, he just couldn't put up with the vegetarianism. Meat may be murder, but vegetables were just a perversion of good food like burgers.
"Why do you have two girlfriends, but only spend time with one?" Ollie asked, causing Mrs Vaughn to drop the salad bowl with a crash and causing Rhydian to choke on the drink he'd happened to take a gulp from at that second. Even Joe had stopped what he was doing. He was just frozen there with his finger inches from the power button on the Wii. Mrs Vaughn came running in, brandishing a salad fork with an almost crazed look in her eyes.
"I have two girlfriends?" Rhydian muttered to himself. "I didn't even know I had one."
"Yes you do!" Ollie said loudly. "You have that brown-haired girl who was over for dinner last week."
"That girl's name is Maddy." Mrs Vaughn growled. "She's turning sixteen in two weeks isn't she?"
"That's one girl; who's the other one?" Rhydian asked, dreading the answer.
"There's that red-haired one that you bunked off work experience with." Ollie said. "I hear you mentioning her to people all the time. I bet you dream about her as well!" Ollie put on his cute little kid voice for the last bit. Mrs Vaughn was looking more and more livid by the second.
"If Jana was in that dream, it would be a nightmare!" Rhydian shuddered, trying to keep his mind blank. He stole a glance at his hands to double check the black veins weren't appearing before pulling his sleeves a bit lower. He was getting better at controlling the wolf, but he'd never been subjected to torture like this. He didn't like talking about girls. He also didn't find that talking to Jana had the same feeling as talking to Maddy did. Jana was bearable, but he would spend an eternity talking to Maddy if he could. Suddenly, Mrs Vaughn smacked her hand down on the sofa, startling all three boys and making Joe jump so violently that the Wii remote snapped off the strap and went flying through the TV screen.
"Are you daydreaming about Jana?" she shrieked.
"It's not Halloween yet." Rhydian muttered.
"So you're daydreaming about Maddy?" Now Mrs Vaughn was close to boiling point. "She's not even sixteen years old yet, Rhydian!"
"Not every daydream about a girl is something from a website!" Rhydian felt the veins were dangerously close now. If he didn't find a way to end this soon, he'd likely transform. Rhydian vowed that if he did end up transforming in the house, then before animal control reached him, he'd eat Ollie for asking the stupid question; and then Joe for breaking the TV.
"Did you hear me?" Mrs Vaughn shouted at Rhydian, snapping him back to attention. "I said you're not to see her anymore!" Those words smacked Rhydian so hard that he was physically dazed. He wasn't actually sure that he'd just heard Mrs Vaughn say it, but the look on her face was all the confirmation he needed. "I'll ring the Smiths and let them know immediately." Rhydian could feel his temper boiling over. He jumped up and made a move for the stairs. This couldn't be happening again. He'd been barred from seeing Maddy once before. He'd spent the next twenty-four hours wallowing in his own sadness, before having to chase Maddy after she'd gone crazy from Eolas. Maddy was perfectly sane now, but he was the one who felt like he was losing his mind. Just as he was about to go up the stairs, Mrs Vaughn blocked him. "Give me your phone!" she demanded. Rhydian handed it over and she deleted Maddy's number off his contacts list. He shoved violently past her, not bothering to take his phone back. If Maddy's number wasn't on the phone, it was useless to him. His eyesight was starting to become sharper, so he knew his eyes were about to change. He raced to his room and reached under his bed, knowing this situation called for his last resort. There was a metal box hidden under his bed. As he ripped it open, he prayed the smell hadn't gone. There it was at the bottom. A small, cuddly toy wolf sat at the bottom of the box. It was the only object in there. He'd done that on purpose to preserve the smell of the person who'd given it to him. He hugged it close and inhaled Maddy's scent. Immediately, he felt himself calm down. Rhydian sank back against his pillow as the taste of blood filled his mouth. His teeth had started to change as well, and he'd bitten through his bottom lip. He'd been closer to losing it than he thought. Just then, a knock at his bedroom door made him stuff the wolf under his pillow. If anyone saw him with a cuddly toy in his room, his reputation as the lone wolf would be gone. Not to mention the thought of Mrs Vaughn confiscating one of his most precious last connections to Maddy. Just as he hid the box back under his bed, Joe walked in with a glass of water,
"I thought you might be crying over not seeing your girlfriend again." Joe put the water on Rhydian's bedside table.
"You always were my favourite of the two of you." Rhydian said, trying to smile as he ruffled Joe's hair. "You'd be even better if you brought some anti-depressants with you. Oh, and she's not my girlfriend."
"Deny it if you want to." Joe hopped on the bed and rested his head on Rhydian's shoulder. "She wouldn't give you that really cute wolf toy if she wasn't your girlfriend."
"Don't tell Mrs Vaughn!" Rhydian begged.
"I'll take all that's in your wallet." Joe said bluntly.
"I need that to go to Bernie's for burgers." Rhydian said. "You can have my pocket money for a month."
"I suppose I could settle for that." Joe muttered. "Why do you always go out for burgers anyway?"
"I can't live vegetarian." Rhydian told him. "If I try, I just end up starving. Not to mention, I'm not talking to Mrs Vaughn until she lets me see Maddy again."
"Stick by what you think is right." Joe said, giving Rhydian a small hug and going to head back downstairs.
"Don't forget the anti-depressants next time!" Rhydian called after him. Downstairs, Rhydian heard the stiff crack of the buttons on the home phone as Mrs Vaughn rang the Smiths.
Line Break
"Maddy jolted awake in bed to the sound of someone howling. The eerie noise bounced off the walls, carrying a note of anguish and loneliness. Then she realised it was her. Tears streamed down her face as her dream replayed in her head. Her mum was in the room in a split second and was holding her close
"I've not had to do this in a few years." That remark got something between a laugh and a sob from Maddy.
"I miss him." Maddy hadn't planned to say that, but it was the first thing out of her mouth. Maddy's mum had a confused expression on her face.
"Miss who, pet?" she asked. Suddenly, Maddy realised that in her anger and confusion, she'd forgotten to tell her mum about the phone call from Mrs Vaughn.
"Mrs Vaughn rang to say that Rhydian was forbidden to see me any more and that she was going to ring the school and have him move classes and everything!" The black veins raced through her arms and neck as the words gushed out of her mouth in such a flurry that Emma struggled to make sense of them. After a second though, it clicked what her cub had just said. Suddenly, her own eyes ignited with a primal fury.
"Who the hell does she think she is?" Emma fumed as Dan traipsed past the door to Maddy's room and down the stairs to get a drink. Clearly this was an alpha female thing that was important enough to keep him awake but not important enough to let him in on. That was fine with him. He was a self-employed woodworker, so he could always start work a bit later in the morning.
"I was planning to spend my birthday with him." Maddy sobbed. "I wanted to tell him how I felt about him, but now that's not going to happen and I can't imagine another day knowing I can't see him, never mind two weeks." By this point, Maddy's eyes had changed too. Emma pulled out the bottle of rescue remedy she kept in the pocket of her dressing gown for emergencies and downed a quarter of it. "Oh, you've got to be kidding." Maddy muttered as she swallowed the rest of it with a grimace.
"Don't worry pet." Emma stroked her cub's hair soothingly as their veins receded and their eyes returned to normal. "I'll pay a visit to Mrs Vaughn myself tomorrow and cry havoc. She'll reconsider quickly enough."
"You know Rhydian will probably be suspicious." Maddy said. "Your history with him is pretty sketchy to say the least."
"I know I didn't take to him at first." Emma said, gently laying Maddy back down on her bed. "But I know what it felt like when your Gran on your father's side caught us together and barred us from seeing each other. I also know that I love you. All I want is for you to be happy. And I've never seen either of you as happy as when you're together." Maddy just nodded as Emma left and she slowly drifted back into a doze. She hoped to any guiding force up there that her mum could sort things out. It wasn't just that she wanted to see Rhydian. She physically needed him. She needed to be near him. She needed to feel his presence and have that feeling of her energy coupling with his in that inexplicable way that just seemed to work. She'd never admitted it to herself until it recently. It was actually only the last day of not being able to see him that told her. She, Maddy Smith, loved Rhydian Morris. Suddenly, a noise at her window made her turn suddenly to look at the intruder, her eyes blazing like golden pits of fire. Then a familiar smell made her relax and tense at the same time in the best and worst way possible at once. It was a smell that there could be very little mistaking. The intruder peeked his head through the curtains, and there was no doubt.
"Oh my god, Rhydian, you frightened the hell out of me!" Maddy was instantly relaxed by his scent. Rhydian clearly felt the same way, because he visibly relaxed. When he smiled at her, it was with the emotions that he'd spent the day thinking he'd never feel again. Happiness overwhelmed him to the point that hot tears sprang to his eyes. For the millionth time that month, he cursed the fact that they had two weeks until her birthday. They'd made plans to spend the day together after she'd opened her presents. He'd been saving up for ages to take the birthday girl out for anything she wanted and spoil her rotten for the day. Then at the end of it, he'd planned to take her to the howling tree that Jana had shown him, and tell Maddy how he truly felt about her.
"Did you really think that Mrs Vaughn could keep us apart?" Rhydian buzzed with tired energy that told Maddy that he'd spent all day worrying as she had. Just then, Rhydian threw the cuddly wolf back to her. "I've had to use it so much today that your scent's gone." Maddy held her arms open and he walked over and wrapped her securely in one of those hugs that she'd been secretly craving ever since he'd first held her hand on Lindisfarne Island. What Rhydian hadn't been expecting was for her to lift the corner of her duvet and pat her bed, calling him in.
"Can you stay with us?" she asked. She sounded so desperate that he couldn't bring himself to resist. Her eyes had this pleading Bambi-eyed look that said he was in no position to argue anyway. Without missing a beat, he bent down, unlaced his shoes, took them off and climbed in with her. Maddy cuddled into his chest and he rested his head on top of hers. He could feel their hearts beating in unison. If there was ever any doubt that they were perfect for each other, this was the proof to smooth it over. They were perfectly synchronised. They breathed at the exact same second. Their hearts beat in unison and soon as his hands wrapped around her small body, her arms circled him. They also fit perfectly as well. Everyone made fun of Maddy's short size, but Rhydian didn't mind. In fact, he liked it. Maddy's bed was just perfect for them. She slotted in next to him like a warm little cushion.
"I love you." Rhydian wasn't sure who'd actually said that, until Maddy looked up at him with an expression of pure emotion.
"I love you too, Rhydian." As though a magnet drew him down, he captured her lips in a searing kiss. Suddenly, something changed right then. The contact between them became a welcome burn that they wanted to cover every inch of themselves at once with. It certainly wasn't lust, but whatever it was, it was perfect. Maddy suddenly picked up the cuddly wolf from where it was sitting on her duvet and stuck it in the neckline of her nightie so that its head was sticking over her collar.
"Is that how you got your scent on it last time?" Rhydian asked.
"You don't mind that, do you?" Maddy asked, making a move to take it out. Rhydian stopped her.
"I think it looks cute." Maddy gave him a confused look, tilting her head to one side as she did. Since when had he thought anything was cute? She must really be making progress in softening him up. Suddenly, a click snapped her out of her trance, followed by Rhydian's quiet laughter. He'd taken a picture of her pulling that face! He turned his phone round to show her and even she couldn't help but smile. She'd never liked her own face, but somehow this time she saw it as though looking through Rhydian's eyes. It was a cute expression, and the fact there was a cuddly wolf sticking out from her top made it all the more comical. Once they'd stopped chuckling, Rhydian rolled round to lie on his back and Maddy put her head on his chest. He turned his head to the left and nuzzled into her
"Mum's going to sort this thing with Mrs Vaughn out tomorrow." Maddy said.
"Just remind her not to eat her." Rhydian muttered. "I may not be on the best of terms with her, but I still want her alive so that I can still have a foster home in Stoneybridge. If I had to leave here after finding you now, I don't think I could live."
"I know what you mean." Maddy whispered. In a sense, she knew exactly what Rhydian meant. It suddenly felt as though every thought was shared between them. There wasn't a single thing about him that she didn't know, and she knew there wasn't a single thing about her that he didn't know. She properly snuggled into his burning warmth and closed her eyes, inhaling his scent
"You had a nightmare." Rhydian whispered, as images of Mrs Vaughn storming through the Smiths house with her late husband's cricket bat in her hand danced through Rhydian's mind. "God, Maddy, I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault." Maddy said. "Your foster mum kind of scares me when she's shrieking at me down the phone about how I'm 'the source of the problem'.
"She'll have a problem when I get back there!"
"Maybe; but this night is about us." Maddy said, reaching up to rub her hands along Rhydian's shoulders a bit. Rhydian's arms reached round to cradle her, almost like a cub. If that had been Maddy's mum doing it, Maddy would have put up the usual 'I'm not a cub' argument. But coming from Rhydian, this was something totally different. This meant protection. She knew that Mrs Vaughn or any other who dared threaten the bond between them was no match for them if they stuck together. Now that she finally felt safe in that knowledge, Maddy fell asleep in the arms of the boy who was her alpha; and most importantly, her protector.
Sorry guys, I'm just another line break.
Rhydian opened his eyes to see the first rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon. He had to get back to the Vaughns household before they realised they were missing him. The only problem was that Maddy's head was firmly planted on his chest. She was clearly the most comfortable she'd ever been, despite the awkward position of her neck. The wolf was still peeking adorably out from the collar of her nightie and life just seemed so perfect. He made a move to get up, trying not to wake her, but she sensed the shift in her bed and looped her arms tighter around him. Just then, a voice from the door made him snap his head up
"Don't even bother moving." Emma stood in the doorway with her arms folded. "You two are bonded now. She's clinging to you because she's not used to the sensation of feelings this strong. It's a much harsher process on females than males. Don't worry about Mrs Vaughn. I'm going to see her today and make her see sense."
"I'm sorry this has happened." Rhydian said.
"You have nothing to be sorry for." Emma said. "Provided nothing 'happened' last night, and I know it didn't, you two could sleep for a month for all I care. Mrs Vaughn won't pose a problem. I won't let her. Go back to sleep and when you're both ready, I'll get some bacon cooking."
"Thank you." Rhydian said as he settled back down next to Maddy. Emma shut the door quietly and Rhydian rolled onto his side to stop the sun shining on Maddy's face and waking her. If she didn't find the day, it couldn't find her. In her sleep, she was beautiful. Not that she wasn't beautiful during the day, but that was a totally different kind of beauty. Rhydian just loved everything about her. It was nice to see her so relaxed. Rhydian hated to see her tense, afraid or angry. If he had his way, he'd get all the bubble wrap in the world, cocoon the pair of them in it and then have Tom and Shannon paid to hide them somewhere they could be alone forever. He wanted to be away from the three Ks, away from Mrs Vaughn and anyone else who dared to threaten what they had. It was three hours later when Maddy finally woke up on the most comfy pillow she'd ever slept on. Or at least, that was the thought going through her mind until she realised her pillow was breathing. She glanced upwards to see Rhydian peacefully sleeping. Her heart was thudding at a million beats a minute in the best way possible. She knew there would be no more looking. As she watched, Rhydian's eyes slowly opened. Maddy ran her hand over his chest slightly and leaned up to peck him on the lips. She then arched her back, stretching the muscles so she could move more easily. Rhydian silently pulled her closer and massaged the back of her neck. He could hear the soft clicks as her bones and muscles re-aligned. She groaned in appreciation and rubbed his back in response. She was complete with him. For the first time in her life, she felt more secure than she even felt with her parents.
"Are you staying for breakfast?" Maddy asked.
"Yeah, your mum said she'd get some bacon cooking soon." Rhydian said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be living with the Vaughns since it means I'm living near to you, but I can't look at anything without meat in it right now. She cooked us Quorn a couple of nights ago."
"Quorn on the cob?" Maddy muttered, sounding confused. Rhydian chuckled.
"They were Quorn Kiev's. They're supposed to look like chicken Kiev's, but they're made with fungus!" Maddy grimaced in disgust.
"What were they like?" she asked.
"I don't know." Rhydian told her. "As soon as she wasn't looking, I swapped mine for a real chicken Kiev and offered to dish up so that I could be sure I got that one." Maddy burst out laughing at that.
"You need to sort this out, Rhydian, this isn't on. You're starving without meat. No amount of vegetables will change that."
"The vegetarian lasagne from last week was okay." Rhydian muttered. "It needed a garnish though. Something like a full one-pounder burger for instance." Maddy giggled and settled back into him again. Rhydian rubbed her back and shoulders in the same way he did her neck. Suddenly, she let out a pleasured growl and nuzzled his chest again.
"Come on, let's get breakfast." Maddy said, climbing out from under the covers and shivering as her bare feet hit the cold floor. "Would it kill me to remember to put my radiator on?" she fumed.
"I'll wait outside while you get dressed." Rhydian said, leaving the room quickly as Maddy pulled her nightie off and the cuddly wolf hit her in the face. A good seven minutes later, Maddy emerged in a thin t-shirt similar to Rhydian's and a pair of loose-legged jeans. As they linked hands and made their way down the stairs, the doorbell rang. Dan opened the door and a furious Mrs Vaughn stormed in, eyes blazing.
"Where the hell is Rhydian?" she screeched. Emma emerged from the kitchen and stepped right up to Mrs Vaughn. There wasn't a trace of fear in her eyes.
"You phone up my daughter and forbid her to see Rhydian in such a forceful manner that she's awake at night having nightmares and then you have the audacity to barge into my home and start shrieking loud enough to wake the dead! I think you and I need to have a chat, don't you?"
Pay no attention to the Line Break!
Emma, Maddy and Rhydian sat on one end of the table. Mrs Vaughn sat on the other. Dan was in his workshop, firing up his power sander to drown out the noise of arguing females.
"So, you spent the night here?" Mrs Vaughn said, glaring at Rhydian and Maddy in turn. "Emma, surely you can't approve of this!"
"I'll be blunt here." Emma said. "Provided all their clothes stay on, I'm not going to interfere. They're not children anymore. They're old enough to make decisions for themselves and they know what is and isn't sensible and basically, they need to start walking with their own two feet and I don't see how stopping them from seeing each other is very fair."
"It's not fair on Ollie and Joe when he's never there to spend time with them." Mrs Vaughn said. "I'm not saying I couldn't look after them without him, but they see him as a big brother. When I decided to foster more children, he said he was okay with it, but all they want is to spend a bit of time with him and he's never there to play with them because he's always here."
"That's a bit unfair." Rhydian jumped in. "I spend a lot of time with Ollie and Joe when I can, but I had a lot going on as well. Don't use the twins like that!"
"What do you mean?" Mrs Vaughn asked.
"You're using them as a smokescreen. You need to deal with your own loneliness." Mrs Vaughn's eyes blazed as Rhydian said that.
"Rhydian, there's something I haven't told you yet." Mrs Vaughn said. "I want to adopt the three of you. I want to have you, Ollie and Joe all in my life permanently. You've all changed my life in so many ways and I love the three of you. That's why I didn't say anything when you switched the Kiev's. I knew exactly why you wanted to dish up. But if I'm going to adopt you, we need to list some things that we've done together and prove that we've become closely knit as a family. We also need someone who knows us like a relative to vouch for us. At the moment, the best anyone can say is that 'Ollie and Joe seem attached to Mrs Vaughn and really look up to her, but Rhydian never visits and practically lives with his girlfriend now.' Do you really think they'd let me adopt you if they heard that? I know now that what I did was un-called for and I apologise to both of you, but for god's sake, you've made so much progress since coming here that it'd be a shame if they suddenly said that you weren't doing well enough with me and so had to be moved somewhere else. I just couldn't deal with that. And let's face it that just seems more and more likely by the day. You've run away once, set up to run away a second time and there was around six months after that where you barely spoke to any of us. You sleep round the Smith's house once a month so that you and Maddy can watch the full moon, which I don't begrudge, but for every other day with the letter 'Y' in it, she'd all that's on your mind. I don't have a problem with the two of you being together in whatever capacity you want, but if social services took one look at your file since coming here, they'd have you moved in a heartbeat. You've even been arrested at one point!" By this point, tears streamed down Mrs Vaughn's face. Rhydian looked slightly guilty, but on the whole, he, Maddy and Emma were all slightly angry.
"I understand what you're saying." Rhydian said. "But that still doesn't justify any the stuff you said to Maddy and I. If you'd just told me all of this in the beginning, the whole mess that took up most of yesterday could have been avoided. All you had to do was be straight with me."
"I'm so sorry." Mrs Vaughn had to take a minute to compose herself. "I know it's probably not the best time to ask this, but would you still be okay with me adopting you?"
"I definitely think it would be a good idea in the long term." Rhydian said. "But my trust after today is something you'll have to earn back. I'll definitely work on spending more time with Ollie and Joe, but I'm spending the day with Maddy on her birthday, just like we planned. That's her day." Emma had realised that the bacon was still sitting there and so put the unfortunately now tepid sandwiches in front of Maddy and Rhydian. They tucked in and Mrs Vaughn had to look away slightly. The ketchup in the sandwiches reminded her of blood, so she was reminded of the suffering the pig went through before it died. Maddy and Rhydian clearly didn't care though. They loved being back together. Maddy's heart belonged with Rhydian and Rhydian's heart belonged with Maddy. That was the way things were supposed to be. That was how Maddy and Rhydian liked it. That was how they would see it stayed, forever and always.
Okay guys, final Line Break, I promise.
"Rhydian and Maddy lay by the howling tree that Jana had shown Rhydian months before. He hadn't yet told her about the fact that the tree was special, but the area around it was beautiful. Maddy had loved it. She'd really enjoyed her birthday and loved the perks of being sixteen. Rhydian had definitely given her the best present out of the lot. She loved it. It was a DS game of Wolf's Rain. She wasn't a gamer by any stretch, but that one had piqued her interest since she saw it. He hadn't stopped there though. He'd given her any and every treat she wanted and ensured that she enjoyed the day. It wasn't in a 'you have to enjoy this' way, but certainly in a way where she was in control and yet felt at ease. They could have done anything or nothing and it was fine provided it was her choice. Now that the day was drawing to a close, they lay there, looking up at the sunset. The heat still blazed down on them. Everything was perfect. There was just one thing that Rhydian was still waiting for Maddy to notice. If she didn't he'd have to point it out when they were about to leave. As if on cue, Maddy squinted up into the branches of the tree.
"What's that in the branches?" she asked. Rhydian mentally rejoiced. He was so happy he hadn't had to point it out to her. Wordlessly, he walked over and howled into the base of the tree. The vibrations were funnelled upwards and caused the branches to shake. The ribbon holding the cardboard tube was bounced along the branch, until it reached the end and fell. As if planned, it landed right next to Maddy. She picked it up and dusted it off to reveal the writing in sharpie.
'Happy Birthday, Maddy.'
Maddy popped the plastic end off the tube and took a massive piece of paper out. It was a drawing that was bigger than her. It was at least A2. The top half of the drawing was a coloured in picture of her and Rhydian. It showed them walking forwards, with transparent images of themselves leaning out to the sides, their eyes blazing golden. The bottom half of the picture was also in colour. It was two wolves, laying side by side, sitting next to a massive hollow tree with a hole in the bottom. The rays of a bright sunset bathed the young wolves in light, setting them off in just the right way. Suddenly, Maddy realised who the wolves were. The small stuffed toy between them gave it all away. It was the two of them in wolf form. The tree was the howling tree. Without a word, Maddy rolled the picture back up and stuffed it in the tube. She then threw herself at Rhydian with a hug so powerful that she forced the air from his lungs. Her lips were on his in an instant as she slowly pushed him backwards against the howling tree.
"I take it you like your present?" Rhydian asked.
"I love it." Maddy said. "I've wanted that game ever since it was in the shops."
"I meant the drawing." Rhydian muttered, kissing her on the spot where her neck met her shoulder. She jolted in his grip and then pulled back slightly. She paused for a second as though thinking.
"You'll find out just how much I love the drawing when my parents leave tonight." With that, she grabbed his hand and ran back home with him. They were truly happy. They were happy about having each other; about the good times they'd had and had yet to have. But most of all, they were happy that their being together was no longer forbidden.