Rhydian
Rhydian strolled the hallways of his new school, as he headed towards his first class. His mind was elsewhere though as he walked. He just couldn't stop thinking about the brown haired girl that he was set to marry.
Maddy...he truly didn't know what to make of her. She's was certainly fierce, one of the most fierce wolfbloods he had ever met, even out of the ones in the wild. Although her resisting their betrothal was pointless, he had to admire her determination. She was quite brave for a tame wolfblood.
But one of the problems was that she was still a tame. Although he knew that her wolf would often shine through, she tried to keep it buried. If she was going to accept their marriage, she needed to embrace the wolfblood culture. The culture that had bonded them together.
Rhydian finally spotted her, a ways down the hall. He was sure that she could sense him, but she made no move to acknowledge him. She was standing with one of her human mates. Tom, he remembered her saying.
He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about Tom. He had known right away that Tom fancied Maddy. He had reeked of jealousy when Rhydian had first joined them at lunch.
Rhydian had told Maddy that up until they were eighteen she could be with whoever she wanted. Though he didn't really know her yet, he didn't want her to miss out on teenage experiences just because of their future union. That being said, Rhydian wasn't sure he liked the idea of Maddy possibly returning Tom's feelings. It was probably just his wolf side being possessive, since he knew she was supposed to be his. But this was one times he needed to suppress his wolf, and let his human conscience rule. It certainly wasn't jealousy, since he didn't even view Maddy as a real wolf. She was still a cub, and since his first transformation, Rhydian had noticed that he didn't fancy any girls that weren't full wolfbloods.
Rhydian was about to walk over to see Maddy, when someone grabbed his arm.
"Hey, new kid," the guy who grabbed his arm said.
It was a boy with black hair, that Rhydian remembered was named Jimmy. He was flanked by two of his mates, that Rhydian couldn't recall the names of.
"What do you want?" Rhydian asked, angered that he was missing his chance to talk to Maddy before class.
"I heard you and Maddy Smith have been getting pretty close," Jimmy said loudly, smirking slightly. "Is it true?"
Jimmy had asked the question loudly enough that most of the students in the hallway had turned to watch. Rhydian even noticed that Maddy was walking closer, along with Tom.
"Even if I did, it wouldn't be any of your business, would it?" Rhydian replied coldly.
A loud "ohhh!" rose up from the crowd of students, who were now snickering amongst themselves.
"You seem like an alright guy," Jimmy continued. "So I thought It'd only be right to warn you."
"Warn me about what?" Rhydian asked.
He frowned as he could now see that Maddy had a distressed look on her face, and he could hear the her heart rate was elevated.
"Maddy Smith is a freak!" Jimmy spat, and the crowd around them laughed. "I mean, her friend Shannon is a complete nut head. She believes in mythical beasts! And have you seen the way Maddy dresses? It's as if she-"
Jimmy was cut off as Rhydian grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him into the wall. Jimmy immediately retaliated, as he shoved Rhydian off and swung his fist at him.
Jimmy and Rhydian continued to fight, as the crowd around them began to chant. Rhydian began to feel his fingers tingle, and his blood rushing through his veins. He knew he needed to stop this before it got out of control, but he couldn't. He continued to fight Jimmy, ignoring the warnings of his transformation.
Suddenly, Rhydians wolf took hold, and he realized he was going to transform right here in school. He looked down at his hands to see the black veins and he could feel his jaw changing.
Then he was being yanked out of the hallway, and pushed inside the dark room. The door was slammed behind him and he finally got a glance at who had saved him. Of course it was Maddy who had pulled him out of the hallway. Who else would it be? She was standing with her back pressed against the door, glaring at him with a furious expression on her face.
"Get yourself under control, Rhydian!" she yelled. "You can't do this! Not here."
"Maddy, I'm trying," he responded, and his words came out as a growl. "I'm so sorry."
And then, his human self completely slipped away, as he became a wolf.
Maddy
Maddy hadn't expected things to spin out of control so quickly. One minute she was pushing up her mental shields, preparing herself for the embarrassment that was sure to come with Jimmy's words, and then next thing she knew, Rhydian was attacking him.
She knew as soon as Jimmy had swung a fist at him, that Rhydian would lose control. By the time she had pushed herself through the crowd and pulled him away, she knew it was too late. There was no way he would be able to calm down.
Now she was staring down at a blonde wolf, who was standing tensely and staring back at her. She knew she needed to put her anger aside right now, so she could calm him down. If Shannon or Tom walked in here while he was like this, it would all be over.
"Rhydian," she whispered reaching out her hand.
Apparently that wasn't the right thing to do, because Rhydian immediately began running around the room, knocking over shelves and supplies.
"Rhydian," she called, as her own eyes turned yellow. "Rhydian stop!"
The wolf paused, and gazed up into her own yellow eyes, as it began to growl at her. Maddy lowered herself to the ground, not once moving her eyes from Rhydian's. Rhydian sank to the floor as well, following her movements.
"I know you're in there Rhydian," she whispered, and her own eyes turned yellow. "Come back."
And just the like that, the wolf disappeared and Rhydian sat in its place. He looked confused for a second, as he looked around the destroyed room, and then his eyes found Maddy's.
"Maddy, I'm so sorry," he whispered, but Maddy just frowned.
"Save it, Rhydian," she said sadly, as she walked past him and began cleaning up.
"Here let me help," Rhydian offered, but Maddy shoved him away.
"Don't you realize what you've almost done?" she hissed. "You almost exposed yourself, exposed us, to my whole school! You could have revealed our secret."
"I'm sorry Maddy," Rhydian sighed. "I just wanted to defend you. I couldn't stand to hear Jimmy talk about you like that."
Maddy paused for a second, surprised by what he said. She had assumed that Rhydian was just out of control, but he had wanted to protect her. Still, that didn't excuse what he had done.
"Why?" Maddy asked. "Why did you have to protect me? You don't even know me."
Rhydian looked like he himself, was struggling to find the answer. He scrunched up his nose and stared at Maddy, and she blushed and looked at the floor.
"I don't know, Maddy," he said quietly. "I mean, I would never want to hear Jimmy talk about anyone like that...but I don't know. Maybe it's because we're-"
"Don't!" Maddy interrupted, before he could finish. "Please stop saying it."
"But it's true," Rhydian sighed. "Maddy, you can't just avoid the fact that we're betrothed. You have to realize that I felt the same way that you did at first. I had no choice in it either."
"Then why are you okay with it?" Maddy questioned.
"I've tried to tell you, it will be worth it if we can teach the wild wolfbloods to trust us," Rhydian replied.
Maddy sighed, still not understanding what he meant. Just because Rhydian married her, didn't mean the world would magically be fixed. One marriage wouldn't cure all the mistrust and fear that the wild wolfbloods carried.
"Rhydian, I'm not saying that I care," Maddy said. "But could you maybe explain to me what your logic is?"
Rhydian was about to respond, when the door to the dark room opened, and Shannon burst in.
"Madds!" Shannon cried. "What happened in here?"
She looked around the room which was covered in fallen shelves and papers. It looked like a tornado had ripped through the room.
Rhydian and Maddy glanced at each other, trying to come up with an excuse.
"I tripped," Rhydian said quickly. "And when I fell, I knocked over Maddy to."
"And that's how everything is this room got so messed up?" Shannon asked suspiciously.
"It was a very very disastrous fall," Rhydian replied, nodding with an expression of sorrow on his face.
Maddy couldn't help but let out a small laugh, and she covered her mouth to hide it from Shannon.
"Well, we'll have to clean up this mess later," Shannon sighed. "Class starts in five minutes. Oh and Rhydian, Mr. Jeffries is looking for you."
"Ugh," Rhydian groaned, as he walked towards the door. "I'll talk to you later Maddy?"
Maddy nodded, and Rhydian left the room after saying goodbye to Shannon.
"What is going on with you Mads?" Shannon asked, as soon as Rhydian was gone.
"What do you mean?" Maddy asked, looking anxious. "Nothing's going on."
"You've been acting so strange since Rhydian got here," Shannon sighed. "He's only been here for two days, and I already feel like I'm losing my best friend."
"Shan," Maddy said, grabbing her friend's hand. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I can promise you, you're not losing me."
"Oh really?" Shannon asked. "Then how about we go get burgers at Bernie's tonight, since you couldn't yesterday?"
"Burgers sound perfect," Maddy smiled. "But could we do it for dinner? I have to talk with Rhydian after school."
"Rhydian, Rhydian, Rhydian," Shannon teased, smirking at Maddy. "Are you sure there's not something you want to tell me?"
"What?" Maddy asked, laughing at what Shannon was implying. "Shan, I'm just trying to make him feel welcome, like my mam asked."
"Oh alright, I believe you," Shannon replied. "Come on Mads, let's get to class."
Though Rhydian eventually joined them in their classes, after receiving a lunch detention, he and Maddy didn't talk much. She really felt they she needed to focus on her best mates, so they didn't feel she was leaving them out. Also, she was still pretty mad at Rhydian for almost wolfing out.
Once school had ended though, and Maddy had said goodbye to her mates, she knew she would have to talk to Rhydian. She raced into the woods, and tracked his scent, just like she had the day before. She tracked him quicker then on Monday, and she soon found him leaning against a tree.
"Your senses are getting stronger," Rhydian smiled. "Imagine how good they'd be if you practiced tracking every day."
"I don't have time for small talk," Maddy said, as she came to stand next to him. "I'm meeting my mates in a couple of hours, and I want to go home and change first."
"So I guess I'll dive right in then," Rhydian replied, placing his hands in his pockets. "Where do you want me start?"
"Start with why our marriage would be a solution to anything," Maddy said. "And anything else you think might be important."
Rhydian sighed before beginning to tell Maddy the whole story. "As you know, most wild wolfbloods hate the human world. When I joined with my pack, after being raised by humans, they were all extremely wary of me. But eventually, after months I gained their trust. I was hoping that I would be able to teach them to trust the humans, like they trusted me. A few in the pact listened to me, but there were too many who disagreed. They said they only put their faith in me because I was born wild. I had never been tame in the first place."
"Are you?" Maddy asked, interrupting his story. "Are you truly wild?"
"Of course not," Rhydian scoffed. "Trust me, Maddy, if you met a real wild wolfblood, you'd consider me one of the tamest wolves in the world."
"I highly doubt that," Maddy replied, but a smile had formed on her face as well.
"Anyway," Rhydian continued. "I had accepted that I wouldn't be able to change their minds, and that's when I finally learned about our marriage agreement."
Maddy tensed, obviously uncomfortable with the topic, but she nodded at Rhydian, letting him know it was alright to continue.
"I was so angry," Rhydian resumed his story. "I even threatened to leave the pack."
"Would leaving the pack break off our betrothal?" Maddy asked eagerly, hope flaring in her chest.
"No, Maddy," Rhydian sighed, seeming exasperated with her. "I've already told you, nothing can break the deal. When I first learned about it, I tried to research it myself, but it's useless."
"I'll find a way," Maddy declared determinedly, and Rhydian just rolled his eyes at her.
"After I realized that their was no use in denying it, I began to realize what our union could do for our pack," Rhydian said. "Most of the pack isn't even willing to try and trust humans or tame wolfbloods. They won't go near them. But I realized that if we were married, then they'd have to get to know you. Once they learned to trust you, someone who was raised completely in the human world, they might be more open to trying. I know it won't fix everything, but it's certainly a start."
He sighed at the end of his story, looking up at Maddy with hope shining in his bright eyes. He was obviously very passionate about this, merging the two worlds he grew up in together, and Maddy could actually see his reasoning. But she couldn't let her sympathy for his cause interfere with her plans. Especially after what she had just realized.
"So let me get this strait," Maddy said. "I'm going to join your wild pack, and then they will begin to trust me?"
"Yeah, I guess that's a simple way of putting it," Rhydian shrugged.
"So after we get married I'd go live with your family, not the other way around."
"Well I am the husband," Rhydian shrugged.
Maddy's eyes flashed with anger, but Rhydian didn't realize what he had said was wrong. She tried to calm herself down, but she couldn't stop her next outburst.
"Do you realize what you're asking us?" Maddy questioned. "You're telling me that I have to leave my own pack, and my home behind, just for your stupid plan! This is worse than just marrying you!"
"I've here right now, with you, because I left my pack behind," Rhydian defended. "It's not like it was easy for me to just leave the wild and come here."
"Yeah, but you had a choice!" Maddy exclaimed, and Rhydian flinched. "Not to mention, I don't want you here."
"But Maddy-"
"Rhydian, I'm sorry," Maddy sighed, interrupting him. "I just feel that you deserve the truth. And the truth is, I'm not going to stop looking for a way to get out of our marriage until the day I say 'I do.' And if you and my parents are right, and there is no way out of it, then I guess will be seeing a lot of each other when we turn eighteen. But until then, I want to live my life, and I'd prefer to do that without you."
Maddy watched as hurt flashed through Rhydian's eyes, and she really hoped he hadn't taken her declaration personally. It wasn't that she had anything against him, it would have been the same no matter who she was betrothed to. In fact, Rhydian seemed like a decent bloke, which is why he deserved the truth.
"Maddy," Rhydian said, with a pleading look in his eyes. "I understand that's what you want, but I promise you that I'll stay out of your life if I stay here. I want try to take you away from your friends, or even stop you if you want to...date other guys."
"That's very kind of you," Maddy replied, "but you're just not understanding us. Having you here, would just be like having a constant reminder of the future. Every time I saw you, I would be reminded that I'm not free. It would be torture."
"Torture," Rhydian breathed, a pained look on his face. "Is that how you really feel?"
Maddy hesitated for a moment, but only just a moment before responding. "Yes."
"If you really want me gone then, I'll go!" Rhysian spat harshly, all of his previous gentleness quickly fading. "I'll be off your lands by the end of the day."
Maddy was confused for a moment about the switch of his demeanor. A moment ago he had seemed so understanding, almost caring, but now rage filled his eyes. It sparked her own anger, which overwhelmed any sympathy she had felt for telling him to leave.
"I hope you are," she replied. "I don't need an uncontrollable wolfblood ruining my life."
"Fine then!" Rhydian yelled as he turned to leave. "I know when I'm not wanted. I was only here to get to know you anyway. And if this is how you act, then I don't think I want to!"
"Good!" Maddy yelled back.
She watched as Rhydian left the clearing, running as fast as he could. She to turned away, heading towards her home, and trying to ignore the horrible feeling that had just formed in her gut.