Filed to story: The Rejected Werewolf Princess (Camilla & Tyson) by Didi Adeyemi >>
“I will leave you two alone,” mother said and with a soft squeeze of my shoulder, she walked out.
The door shut behind her and something about it felt so final. The air was thick with tension and charging. It felt like a live wire had been let loose and ignited between us. I haven’t been alone with Ryker in four years and if anything, our bond has become stronger.
I can feel the pull to him like I can feel Audrey in my arms. It was strong and charged and I wanted nothing more than to run to him and just let him hold me but I couldn’t and I knew that so I put on my best expressionless mask and turned to him.
His eyes were filled with so many questions and he slowly left his seat and walked around the table until he was standing right in front of me. He lifted his hand and at first I thought he wanted to touch Audrey but then his hand came dangerously close to my cheek and I took a step back.
“Why did you leave?” I expected this question to come up but I didn’t expect it now. “I looked for you for days. I thought the rogues had you, I didn’t know where you went. It was like one minute you were there and the next, you weren’t.”
“Don’t act so innocent,” I couldn’t take the bitterness out of my tone, “you know exactly why I left.”
“I don’t, I thought about it for days wondering if I did something,” there was so much sincerity in his eyes and if I hadn’t seen what happened with my own eyes then I might have been tempted to believe him.
“it doesn’t matter anyway,” I said dismissively, “You’re here for her not me.”
His eyes went back to Audrey instantly and his hand moved forward to run through her curls. On impact, she pushed further into me and Ryker immediately pulled his hand away.
“Hi Audrey,” he whispered and as if she recognized his voice, she turned to him, “It’s Ryker, do you remember me?”
Audrey turned to me as if asking for permission to talk to him and I nodded. She still didn’t let go of me but she nodded in response to his question and I saw his face break out into a smile.
She looked around the room and when she saw how empty it was, she started to wiggle and Ijput her on the floor. She rushed over to Ryker and wrapped her arms around his legs. There was an unreadable expression on his face that I would only describe as pure happiness and joy. He bent down until he was at her level and he ran his hands through her hair softly.
“Audrey,” I began and she turned to me, “Do you remember how you asked me about your dad a while ago? It was when Steven had a baby and you asked if he would be called mummy too.”
She nodded eagerly, “You said Steven is a daddy because he’s a boy and you’re a mummy because you’re a girl.”
“Well, Ryker is your daddy,” for a split second there was no reaction on her face and she angled her head to the side as if she was gauging the news and turning it over in her head.
Ryker was literally holding his breath as he waited for her to react and then in a split second she threw her arms around him again. She made a sound that sounded like a scream and a squeal and started to jump around on her tiny legs.
“I have a daddy,” she squealed and it seemed like she was more excited about the prospect of having a dad than who it was.
She lifted up her arms for him to pick her up and he looked at me first as if asking for permission and I nodded. He wasted no time in lifting her and balancing her one hip. Looking at them side by side, anyone would know that they are related.
She looks exactly like him. She has his eyes and his nose, she has thick and long lashes just like he does. The only thing she actually has of me are my hair and my l*ps, that’s it. I felt my heart clench as I watched Audrey speak so animatedly and with barely concealed excitement.
Ryker was paying rapt attention to everything that she was saying and he kept nodding along as if he wanted to hear more. It felt like such a private moment and I couldn’t help but feel like I was actually interfering or tre spa ssing.
A part of me realized that I should have done this a long time ago. I should have told him about his daughter but that would have meant going to him or having to explain to him why I left. I wasn’t ready then and I still don’t think I am ready now but I am in a better place of mind now than when I was before.
“Mummy,” Audrey’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned to her. “Are you and daddy mates like Steven and Carla?”
I was unsure of how to answer the question so I stayed quiet. Suddenly, it was like the tension was back and I could feel Ryker’s eyes on me as he waited for me to answer our daughter. He could have answered her and we both knew that but he was giving me the chance to say whatever it was I wanted to say and I knew that no matter my answer, he would respect it.
“Yes, we are,” she looked so excited so I added, “But it is complicated and we aren’t together right now.”
Her smile fell, “why not?”
I let out a deep sigh, “Why don’t we talk about this later? We have to get you back upstairs and your dad has to leave.
“I don’t want him to leave,” she pouted and she clung to him tighter.
He whispered something in her ear and she frowned but nodded and reluctantly allowed him put her down then walked towards the door where Steven was waiting. I nodded to him and he took her out of the room, preferably to her room.
It was just me and Ryker and he reached out to me but I took a step back so I was out of his reach.
“You can see her within the palace walls, but only when I am aware,” I told him, “She usually wakes up by 7 or 8 and has breakfast before 9. You can see her anytime from 9:30 or 10 depending on how soon I can get her ready.”
“Camilla,” he reached for me again but I leveled a hard look at him.
“I have to go and you have to get back to your room.”
“I don’t know what I did, but I am sorry.” His voice cracked on the last word but I couldn’t allow him break my defenses again so I turned on my heels.
I waited until I got to the door before I spoke, “Sorry doesn’t fix things.”
I was dreading the morning because I knew that my life had already taken a turn and it is almost impossible for things to go back to the way they were. I should have listened to Christine when she advised me but I was so concerned with trying to keep my life the way it was that I unknowingly set the chain of events for the exact things that I did not want to happen.
Before I was able to put Audrey to bed at night, it took almost twice the usual time it would. She was so excited about her father and kept asking whether or not her father could put her to bed. I had to reluctantly let her know that he wasn’t allowed on the palace grounds after dark as he wasn’t a member of our family and she was so saddened by the words. It hurt me to see her like that and honestly, I didn’t know what to do.
This morning she did the same thing. She asked if her dad could get her dressed for the day and I hated being the one to tell her no, I hated being the one who had to deflate her hope and make her sad. I hated it and I didn’t know what else to do or say about the entire situation without looking like the bad guy.
I managed to calm her down with the prospect of seeing Ryker again after breakfast and that was the only thing that spurred her to actually get out of bed and get dressed. She put on one of her nicest dresses and demanded that I put a little bow in her hair. As we walked through the castle walls, she had a permanent sk ip in her step. She looked more excited than I had seen her in the past few days and I didn’t even think that was possible.
My mother arrived in the dining room shortly after we did and from the look she leveled towards me, I knew she wanted to speak to me. At first, I tried to focus on my food and ignore her but I slowly lost my appetite and I ended up standing slowly to my feet. I saw all eyes fall on me but I ignored them and walked right out of the dining room.
I waited by the door because I knew she would be out soon as well and my thoughts were correct because within five minutes, the door to the dining room opened and mother walked right out. She sighted me leaning against the wall and she walked right over to me and leaned against the wall in silence.
“Before you start berating me, I know I messed up,” I began, “I didn’t expect Audrey to walk in like that and I should have told Ryker about her before.”
“You should-have,” she agreed, “But now Tyson is telling everyone that Audrey is his. There’s no point sitting on the things you could have done better. Our main focus should be the things you have to do now, so what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted even though I hated how foolish it made me sound. “There is no way for me to prove that Audrey belongs to Ryker except timing. But the problem is that I wasn’t with Ryker for more than three months. I don’t even know when I got pregnant, I just know I had Audrey in March and I left him in August.”