Chapter 16
It took a week before I was able to walk on the leg without feeling like I was about to die. I was still limping badly but at least I could afford to move around on my own.
Every day during that week, Ryker would be the one to help me whenever I wanted to take a bath and help me out. By the second day, I was already used to it but he would always leave right after and return fifteen to thirty minutes after. I still don’t know where he goes or what he does and a part of me is inherently curious about it.
Another thing that shocked me was the knowledge that Ryker wasn’t leaving for the pack house. I had asked Eve one day when he left and she told me that he hadn’t left for the pack house since I got hurt and had chosen to do his work in his office downstairs.
It was a real shock for me to realize that he willingly left his work and his usual office in favor of staying here because I had gotten hurt.
I made my way down the stairs despite the protest from my ankle and by the time I got the dining room and sat at the table, I was breathing deeply. That could have served as a workout.
Eve stepped out of the kitchen with a tray and when she saw me, she jumped slightly and placed a hand on her chest to calm
herself.
“I thought you were eating upstairs.”
“I’ve decided that I needed a change of scenery,” I said with a small smile, “I’d like to eat down here today.”
“Of course,” she placed the tray in front of me and my mouth watered when I saw the stacked breakfast burritos, bacon and eggs.
I thanked her and wasted no time in wolfing down the food. I was on the second burrito when I heard a door open not far from me and Ryker walked up towards me.
I have come to know when he is around even without looking at him. The air changes a little whenever he walks in and somehow his aura just takes up the entire room. The power shift is visible and when he walks into a room, his scent takes up the entire breathing space.
“Good morning, Camilla,” he said as he left a seat between us and took the next one.
I secretly thanked him in my mind for doing that for my comfort but another less educated part of me wished he took the seat directly beside me.
Eve hurried in with a similar breakfast tray for him and he thanked her.
“Good morning,” I said after a beat of silence.
“Lucy will be coming over today to check on your leg again.” He told me, “Are you having any pain with it?”
I shook my head, “I’m still limping but it doesn’t out rightly hurt. It’s just slightly uncomfortable to walk with.”
“She will be here around noon.” I didn’t know what to say about that so I just nodded.
We ate the rest of our meal in silence and although Ryker finished before I did, he didn’t make any efforts to leave the dining room. He just sat at his table looking at me. It wasn’t uncomfortable, like he was judging me; it was more like he was trying to assess me to know how to approach the situation.
When I was done eating, I stood to my feet and wobbled a little because of how much weight I had put on my injured leg. In a flash, Ryker was up and by my side. His hands weren’t on me but they bracketed me just in case I fell. I was so shocked by the move that my breath hitched and my movements ceased.
“Are you okay?” he asked and I forced myself to nod, “Do you need help?”
Chapter Th
“1” stuttered, “I think I’ve got it thank you.”
“Are you sure?” he asked and I nodded again.
Reluctantly, he stepped back and I was able to release the breath I was holding and find my balance. As I made my way towards the stairs I noticed Eve peeking through the kitchen door. When she saw me, she gave me a blinding smile with two thumbs up.
Just like Ryker said, Lucy came over sometime around noon to check on my ankle. She assured me that it was healing nicely but suggested that I still keep it wrapped so I don’t stress it more than necessary. She even rewrapped it with a fresh bandage and told me that within a week or two that I should be fine and as good as new. I thanked her for everything and she told me to send for her if I felt any more pain than usual.
After she had left, I stayed in my room for a while. I was so used to Lauren being a part of my day that it had started to feel weird being alone and not having anyone screaming at me.
I limped over to the balcony and looked down at the training field. It had been cleared of the equipments and now it was just a normal field of soft grass. I made a mental note to spend some time down there later.
A flash of light caught my eye and I noticed a lake not too far off from the field. I recognized it as the lake I saw the first time I arrived at the house and I itched to visit it. I decided it was worth a try to ask Ryker if I could go there although a part of me felt that he would say no because of my ankle.
I made my way down the stairs and found Eve dusting off the dining table. I asked her to direct me to Ryker’s office and if she was shocked by my request, she didn’t show it. Instead she nodded and led me down a corridor and towards a large oak door.
She gave me a smile that said good luck and left. It took me almost two minutes to gather enough courage to actually knock on the door.
Almost immediately I heard a gruff, “Come in,” and I pushed the door open.
When I walked in and Ryker noticed me, he did a visible double take as if he didn’t expect me to ever walk into his office. He quickly put down his pen and closed the book in front of him.
“Camilla,” he breathed softly, “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything is fine.” I swallowed deeply before continuing. “Is there by any chance a lake on your property?”
He was confused by my question that much was obvious, “Why do you ask?”
“I saw one and I didn’t know if it was your property or someone else’s.”
“Camilla, everything you can see from here on out belongs to me. So yes, the lake is on my property.”
“I was wondering if I could go to it,” I rushed out the words before my courage would dissipate, “I was just curious and I would love to just go there. It gets really stuffy at times being stuck in here all day.”
He went silent and for a moment I thought I had overstepped. Images of what happened when I overstepped back at Tyson’s pack flashed through my brain and I prepared myself for the onslaught of violence that would most likely ensue.
He would probably get upset and scream at me or hit me and then punish me with something extreme. I tried my best to come up with the worst case scenario of what he could do but each thing just sounded worse.
He could lock me up in the dungeons, or he could lock me outside. He could take me to the lake and try to drown me (that probably what Tyson would have done) or he could have me whipped. At this point, I don’t even know which of them is worse, all I know is that I would very much like to take back the last three minutes and pretend like all of this never happened
I looked up at Ryker and he was staring down at me in concern. Somehow I had gotten to my knees and so had he. His hands were framing my face softly which was a sharp contrast to the roughness and calluses that graced his own.
“Camilla; stay with me,” his voice was soft and that was when I realized how heavy I was breathing, “Where did you go?”
“Nowhere.” I lied but my voice came out hoarse so I cleared my throat, “I just- just forget everything I said earlier.”
“I’m not upset with you Camilla,” I didn’t realize how much I wanted to hear those words until he actually said it, “I was thinking about alternative ways for you to get there. It’s a long trek and I wouldn’t want you to do it in your condition.”
“You’re-.” I swallowed, “You’re not upset with me.”
“No, I’m not.” he assured me, “You did nothing wrong and I am glad that you were able to voice out what you want.”
He ran his eyes over me again in concern and his thumb stroked my cheeks softly. His touch was feather light and I wanted. nothing more than to lean into it and cocoon myself in it.
“When you’re healed we will see the lake,” he said suddenly, “And I will make sure that you don’t spend your entire days indoors.” The declaration was so sudden but the determination in his eyes was fierce, “I will do something about it.”
“Thank you.”
He gave my cheek another soft stroke and that was when I realized how close we were. He must have seen the shift in my expression as I pulled back because I saw hurt briefly flash through his eyes.
Guilt wracked through me as I pushed to my feet. He offered to help but I didn’t take his hand- I couldn’t take it. I swallowed deeply as an awkward silence washed over the both of us.
“Thank you, again,” I said and without another word, I ran- or hobbled as fast as I could out of there.
