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Chapter 11 – Sorbet
Chapter Quote: "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." – Thomas Jefferson
Chapter Song: The Fighter by Keith Urban ft. Carrie Underwood
Riley's Point of View
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"Have you heard from Maya?" My back was turned to my mom as I began to ice the cinnamon rolls, good night nurse, do I love cinnamon rolls. My mouth is practically salivating already and these aren't for me.

Stepping back, I try and get my salivary glands under control. I'd hate to have drool drop on those – but then I could eat them for myself. "It truly amazes me how obsessed you are with cinnamon rolls, Riley." She giggles lightly to herself while cleaning the glass cases. "To answer your question, I've heard from her mom. Katy went and checked on her last night, apparently she still isn't feeling well." My mouth formed into a frown all on its own, "I know honey. I hate it when she gets those, but she'll hopefully be back tomorrow."

Nodding in agreement, though that wasn't what I was truly worried about, I sashayed around the cases and began to clean up the front. While clearing tables and sweeping the floor, my mind wandered towards Lucas – like it seemed to do every moment of every day. It was like he was in my subconscious, only to creep in whenever I least expected it. Not that I cared. He was, in one word, perfection. Even knowing he can turn into a giant wolf doesn't deter any sort of attraction. In some weird way, it only made him even more attractive, like he can protect me no matter what. Which isn't a bad thing, I know good and well that I'm rather naïve and trusting. I don't think it's always a bad thing to see the good in others, however my parents didn't always agree.

I digress, I always feel so safe when he's holding me and rubbing small circles into my back. "Riley," my gaze flips towards my mother who has her purse hanging off her shoulder. Is it time to go already? "I'm out of here, and I packed away those cinnamon rolls." My mom knows me so well, "Lucas would really enjoy them." Something inside of me swells with pride at the thought of Lucas enjoying something I baked. Nodding in appreciation, she wraps her arms around me and squeezes tighter. "I really like him for you," she whispers in my ear.

That's how a smile spreads across my face and that's how it stays for the rest of the day while I'm doing my closing duties. By the time six o'clock rolls around and it is time to close shop, Lucas is nowhere to be seen. Trying not to worry too much about it, I send a simple text message and park myself on the bench looking right out of the window as the sun begins its descent beneath the tall buildings and few trees. My heart hammers against my chest as I recall last night.

I'm his soulmate. Like not just in his mind soulmate, but the actual sparks flying, soul creating kind of soulmate. Swarms of butterfly's flutter around in my stomach, if I didn't know better I'd say I was nauseous. The only thing that slightly terrifies me is the marking that he was talking about.

'It will hurt at first, doll. I'm not going to lie to you there. But, it will only hurt for a small second before it feels so good. Or so I've heard," he quips. However, the sadness resonates heavily within his eyes. My heart begins to hurt knowing he'd been alone all of these years.

'Is the bite – what does it do?'

A small smile curls his lips upward, "It shows that you belong to me. Every wolf has its own distinctive bite. Kind of like a fingerprint. It will also help imprint some of my power and scent within you, just so others can tell you're with me." His fingers slid over my skin gently causing a shiver to rake my frame. "I'll be able to feel your emotions and talk to you through your mind.'

'Would I be able to talk to you too?' My entire face brightens at the notion, Being able to talk to him whenever I wanted would be like a blessing in disguise.

However, his lips form into a small frown and even though I had this idea implemented in my mind for only one moment, the hope I have falls. 'I'm sorry doll. You are still human, which means you won't carry that capability.'

Just like last night, my eyes are wide at the memory. It just astounds me how much has been going on in the world and humans have no idea. Glancing down at the screen on my phone, I frown seeing it is almost six thirty. I ring him once, twice, thrice. With no answer, I shrug it off knowing he must be busy – he is an Alpha after all – and text him that I'm walking home. I know what Alpha's are, I guess I'm just not sure how busy that would make him.

Ensuring the cinnamon rolls are tucked nicely in my arms I skip outside, locking the door behind me. Cooler fall air begins to ease the sting of the September heat. It'll be a nice walk with the breeze especially compared to the other times I've walked home in the past few months. I can't wait for summer to be over, for the dead leaves to transform into their own respective shades of red, browns and oranges. I love the crunch when I step on them or when they're fluttering in the wind. Plus, Thanksgiving and Halloween.

Enough said.

A shrill scream erupts from the depths of my chest whenever cold, calloused hands yank me into a dreaded dark alleyway I was always warned about. Dropping the box of cinnamon rolls, I begin to kick and scratch and biting relentlessly at the hand that's covering my lips. "LET GO OF ME!" My cries were muffled and met with deaf ears. In fact, the grip around my waist and face tightens drastically.

"So, pretty." A gruff voice whispers in my ear. My body trembles with fear. Out of all the times I've walked home this has never happened before. With a grunt, he throws me against – what I assume to be – a rough brick wall. Ignoring the awful sting on my temple, my hands dart out to try and hit his face, arms or anything really. I'm not an idiot, I know that the more you struggle the more hassle you are and the chances of them letting you go are greater. However, my futile attempts are halted when a bruising grip wraps around my wrist and the other snakes around my throat, squeezing in warning.

Breathing heavily, I keep my eyes closed. I don't want to see his face, that would make this entire situation more real and the last thing I want is to believe this is actually happening. This could all be a dream, but when a heavy hand collides with my cheek and the inevitable sting becomes apparent, I know I'm not dreaming. "Open your eyes," flinching from not just the gruff voice but the disgusting smell that is his breath, my eyes shoot open.

Almost lifeless, hazel eyes bore into my own. "Let me go." The distressed state my voice is in doesn't go unnoticed by me, I almost wince at how weak I sound.

"Oh no, you're bleeding." Then I notice the warmth rolling down my temple and onto my cheek. "Smells delicious." In a quick movement, my chin is turned towards the left, exposing both my neck and bleeding head. I don't see it, but I can feel his tongue sweeping up the blood all the way to my temple where my wound resides. Tears begin to coat my cheeks when he hums in satisfaction. That's so fudging gross.

"Get off of me," I breathe. My chest rising and falling in quick successions.

"Tastes delicious, too."

Yanking my body from left to right, I start to fight him again only to be met with another slap. Flipping my gaze back towards the man with dark hair my eyes narrow into a glare. "I said, LET ME GO!" The shrill in my voice rattles my own eardrums and as soon as I shout the last syllable an invisible force pushes off from my collapsing frame, knocking the attacker off me and into the brick wall behind him.

A hiss escapes his mouth, and for the first time I catch sight of his sharp teeth. We both just stare at one another for a few moments, which amount to just a few seconds before he asks, "what are you?"

"RILEY!" Flicking my eyes away from the enemy a gasp escapes me.

"Lucas," I breathe in relief and scurry to my feet towards the end of the alleyway. "LUCAS!" Tears of joy fall from my eyes heavily when I see him at the end of the street before I break out into a full sprint. "LUCAS!"

"RILEY!" Before I can blink I'm leaping into his arms, with my own snaking around his neck. "Oh Goddess, Riley." He holds me tighter to his broad frame, while the other hand strokes my hair continuously. "You're bleeding," gripping the back of my neck he gently pulls me away from the crook of his own. "What happened, doll? What – Who hurt you?" His eyes begin to glow into a deep amber and without asking, I know his wolf must be close to the surface.

Swallowing down the whimper, I latch myself onto him again. "Alley."

I can feel him about to pry me off of him to go investigate, but heck to the no. I'm not having it. With an anaconda like grip, I force myself to hold even tighter. "Please don't leave me." Sensing my distress, he stalks towards the alley with me in his grasp.

A growl rumbles his chest, I don't even have to look behind me to know he's gone. In an effort to console him, my hand begins to make continuous circles on his chest. If his touch soothes me, I can only hope I do the same for him. His legs move, carrying us deeper into the nightmare I just escaped from, and where light disappears. Fear grips my heart firmly, with no intention of letting go. "Shh, it's okay. I'm here, doll. No one will hurt you any more baby." A small, chaste kiss is placed on my head and just like that all my tension floats away like it wasn't there to begin with. "It smells like," Lucas inhales deeply once more, "like a vampire." He growls.

Well that would make sense, after a few moments I clear my throat to catch his attention. "He licked my blood and had sharp teeth. That would –

An almost roar shakes me to my very core, interrupting my sentence entirely, and I find myself burrowing further into the man who made the noise. My hands begin to twirl around the hair on the nape of his neck, occasionally brushing the skin while I keep my mouth shut. The substantial rise and fall of his chest soon begins to dissipate to a normal pattern. "He – he licked you?" Without making eye contact, I nod in affirmation. "You're mine."

Startled by the gruff, deep baritone of the voice that just whispered in my ear I lean back. Amber colored eyes are trained on me and my form. "L-Lucas?"

I'm not sure what happened, but the smirk his lips were in falls almost instantly and the amber fades back into the forest green I've grown to love. "Oh, don't be afraid doll. I'm so sorry, he's – my wolf doesn't like the thought of you being licked by another. Especially not a vampire. I couldn't control him for a moment."

I just agree as if I understand, but in actuality I'll have to have him explain that in further detail. "Let's go home, doll."

Home.

Home sounds nice.

My eyes are about to flutter closed when my eyes catch a glimpse of the white box crushed on the unforgiving cement of the alleyway. "What's wrong, doll?"

Wiggling myself out of his grasp, my feet make contact with the ground while I shuffle towards my sweets that were so carelessly tossed aside. A heavy hand lays on my back as I bend down, and for the second time today tears well up in my eyes. "I – I was bringing you some cinnamon rolls but now look at them."

With a shriek, I'm lifted off the ground once more and into my soulmates strong arms. "You are the sweetest thing I've ever had in my life." Lips press against mine for a brief touch, curling my toes and warming the very soul that belongs to him. His nose touches my own before a smile stretches his luscious lips, "you are so incredibly selfless and perfect." My mouth wants to grin like a cheshire cat but my cinnamon rolls are still wasted on the ground and he won't get to try one. "How about we go home, and after giving you a long, yet unworthy excuse, of why I was late picking you up we can bake the cinnamon rolls together?"

I'm smiling again.

Giggling, I wipe off the icing on my finger onto the tip of his nose. Lucas smiles that gorgeous grin that captivates me until I see his gorgeous greens flutter towards my bandaged temple and bruised cheek. And I mean, heavily bruised. I could walk into a wall and bruise deeply, but I've realized when hit with the force of a vampire, twice, the entire side of my face swells up like I'm allergic to something. "I'm okay," I whisper while stroking his cheek.

"Damn meeting," he grumbles for what seems like the millionth time before stating, "a damn clock is being put into my office right now." Lucas explained to me that a meeting ran overboard, and because all phone and electronic devices were turned off or placed out of the room to ensure privacy, there was no way for him to tell the time. Though in his words, it isn't a valid excuse, I understood and brushed it off like it was nothing. "I already have people looking for him, too. Vampires shouldn't be on my land. The vampire king is pissing me off more and more. Sending that leeches head to him on a silver platter might be the type of warning he needs to reign in his subjects."

Gulping, my eyes fall towards the ground. "I'm sorry, doll." The hand curled around the back of my neck pulls me towards him and the sweet smell of cinnamon engulfs me entirely. "I didn't mean that. I'm just mad." Deep down I knew he meant it. He just didn't mean to say it with me around. I'm sure, though afraid to ask, that he has some blood on his hands and since I'm indifferent to that idea I'm trying not to think about it. My trusting heart was going to give him the benefit of the doubt since he had been anything but violent nor angry towards me or at anyone around me.

"I'm just worried what others will think when I come into work tomorrow." I grimace at the thought and with the way his head is tilted like a confused puppy I elaborate, "I just started seeing someone new and then I show up looking like this. I don't want anyone to think that you are hurting me since it is far from the truth. And since this hasn't happened before it would be easy for anyone to think that I'm lying to cover for you."

His frown straightens out till his lips are pulled tight, "first of all doll please know that I'll never, ever and I mean ever hurt you." My mouth opens up to protest but the finger pressed against my dried lips stops me, "I know you believe me." Good, "I just want you to know that and as long as you know that then that's all that matters. I don't care what anyone else says about me, though I appreciate you defending me I don't want you to worry your pretty little mind about it. Okay?"

With a stupid grin, I nod and curl up into his lap while I feed him another cinnamon roll. "Goddess Riley, these are heaven." I swear my heart just grew a million sizes from his compliment. "So, how'd you get him off of you?"

In an effort to joke, I flexed my non-existent muscles and furrowed my brows. "You don't think I'm strong enough?" A small laugh shakes his stomach, causing my smile to become wider. "It was weird actually. I just got really mad and like – ugh, this is hard to explain." With my hands, I try and show him with a pushing motion, what happened. "An invisible, I guess, force would be the best way to explain it just came off of my body." His brows pinched together, "yeah I don't know either."

A growl shook his lips, and for whatever reason it lit a fire inside of me. I like him growling? "Baby doll," he says while I wiggle out of his lap and head towards the letter that was just slipped under my door. "I think that I should meet your parents and officially meet Maya. What do you say?"

I'm sure if my mind had processed exactly what he had said, then I would go into a state of paralysis at the idea since we just started seeing one another. However, my entire being was focused on the open letter in my hands and for the third – annoying – time today my eyes welled up with tears. "Doll, what's wrong?"

With a shaky outstretched hand, I showed him the letter. The smile on my face seemed to ease the tension in his taut muscles. "This day just got so much better."

He grins widely, "I'm really happy for you, doll."

I pressed my lips against his, giving him tiny pecks over and over again out of pure happiness. "I can't believe this. This could not have happened at a better time." Especially since I knew that I would barely have the money to make rent for this month let alone the last three. That's the cost of owning a business. I felt like a weight had been lifted off of me and I couldn't contain my laughter when I heard an excited shout from the single mother across the hallway.

"So, what do you say baby?"

Feeling like I'm on cloud nine and things couldn't get any better, I threw all inhibitions out the window and nodded relentlessly. "But how about we eat in instead of going out." I joked while pointing to my cheek and with a grumble Lucas stalked towards my refrigerator. Presumably to get more ice for my face.

Apparently the first three bags weren't enough.

Aside from being attacked by what I had always thought to be a mythical creature in a dark alleyway and one side of my face being swollen to the size of a softball – things were looking up.

A/N:

Hey everyone.

Sorry for the long wait, I've had some health issues – once again and was hospitalized last night from this new medication I began taking for my PCOS. I also started new medication for my underactive thyroid so fingers crossed that kicks in soon.

Anyways, I have the day off today so my goal is to get at least one, one shot posted from one of the three stories I mentioned the other day as well as start the next chapter for quicker updates.

I know this story is moving fast, and their relationship is moving quickly as well but, that's because there are other things in the works.

Anyways, let me know what you think guys. I'm always taking song suggestions for the chapter.

Word Count: 3,338 words
Date Published: August 9, 2017