Third Person POV:
The entire day, Bella had waited for a text from Ryder, but her phone never displayed his name. She didn't see him in school either, which was a clear sign he was avoiding her.
When she got to her room, her phone beeped with a text. Eagerly, she whipped it out, only to see it was a text from Finn and Kai reminding her about the game.
She hissed, tossing her phone away on the bed, then threw herself on it. Hazel, who was in front of the mirror combing her hair, paused.
"What is it again, Bella? Why aren't you getting ready to watch the match?" she asked. Bella sighed again, causing Hazel to walk to Bella's bed with her comb in hand.
"Ryder hasn't texted the entire day, and I fear I may have pushed him too far yesterday. I was only trying to converse with my mates," Bella said. Hazel raised a brow, standing akimbo.
Bella's actions yesterday hadn't been the best, but Hazel felt Bella was doing a lot to keep her secret.
"Yeah, by forming a difficult reading group. I do not want to read with those boys, but I would do anything for you, Bella," she said, then sat on Bella's bed. "Then you can imagine how Ryder feels."
"But they used to be inseparable before the mate bond happened, and-"
"He is possessive. You should have seen him with his other girlfriends, but I think he is worse with you, choosing you over the twins," Hazel said. Bella felt a mixed pang in her stomach.
He loved her, but it might be a little too much-too much that he would fight his friends over it. She didn't think that was the love she was looking forward to, and she knew it was better they came clean before it became intense.
"I'm already behind schedule, and I think you should go without me. I'll join you in a moment," Bella said to Hazel, who nodded, walking back to the mirror to finish up by applying lip gloss before slinging her tote bag on her shoulder.
Ryder, on the other hand, couldn't get the thought of sharing Bella with the twins off his mind. It was something that had been declared, but he wondered if there was a way out.
"Mr. Ashcroft, is there something wrong?" The coach's voice trailed off, and Ryder, who sat alone on a bench in the locker room, looked at his coach. "You have been in a hoodie all day, and you have barely said a word. The match begins in a few minutes, and I hope my captain is ready to roll."
He was the captain, but he considered how to sit it out. Then he looked at the guy below him, the second best, Hillary.
"I have been down for a while, sir, and I was thinking Hillary should take this one today.
It is a friendly match, and I can take part in the main match. I mean, I need to be in good shape to go against other packs," he said. The coach stared at him, scrutinizing him with his legs ajar, arms crossed, and one hand stroking his beard.
Ryder's heart raced against his rib cage as the man stood straight to pass judgment. "Well, you have a point. You have never disappointed me. You are my best, and I trust you, so you have the day off," he said to Ryder, who got to his feet.
"Thank you, sir," Ryder said, giving a curt bow. The man patted his back.
"Rest up, and I hope to see you on the sidelines watching," the coach said. Ryder nodded. "Hillary!" the man yelled, but before Hillary could make it to the coach, Ryder was long gone.
He needed to find Bella and apologize for the previous day.
When he got to her room, he saw her door was locked, but he could smell her, so he knew she was in there. He was an expert at picking locks, so he used his own keys to open hers, walking into the room and locking the door again.
"Bella," he called out, but he heard the shower running.
Bella, who was in the bathroom, thought her mind was playing tricks on her, but then she turned around to see Ryder standing there in the flesh. She wrapped her arms around her chest while she glared at him, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
"Can I join you?" he asked. She shrugged.
She wanted to talk to him, and she couldn't think of a better time. He hurriedly took off his clothes, placing them on the water closet's plastic tank. Then he walked towards her, stepping into the glass enclosure.
Bella tried her best not to take in the sight of his naked body, so she looked down at her feet, but her eyes occasionally drifted to his hardened member. She wanted him, and she hated what he did to her.
"Bella, I'm sorry about yesterday. I... I don't know what got over me, and I have come to understand that I will eventually need to share."
She looked him in the eyes when he said this, and then he saw her eyes break a tear, which pricked his heart. She looked down at once, but he grabbed her chin, raising her face towards him.
"Fuck, I'm an asshole!" he exclaimed as he wiped her eyes with his thumb. "I love you, Bella, and I would never intentionally do anything to hurt you. Please forgive my selfishness."
He pleaded, and she kept mute.
"Please, say something," he pleaded, and she looked at him with a gloomy face.
She turned the switch on, allowing the water from the shower to crash on both of them.
"I have a match to attend, and the twins will be waiting, so-"
Before she could finish, he grabbed her by the throat, slamming her against the wall, then pressed his lips on hers.
She pushed him away.
"Why would you do that?" she asked, and he scoffed.
"Because I am an ass who can't get my hands off the girl I claim to despise. A sucker for love. A love that he has never felt before in his life," he said. She felt a lump rising in her throat. She wanted him too, but watching him disappear in the way he did scared her.
She slammed her hand on his chest multiple times, letting out a muffled cry. He grabbed her hands, pinning her against the wall while she looked into his eyes with heightened breath.
"I love you, Bella, and if I had a way, I wouldn't like to share you."
She shook her head when he said this, but he wouldn't back away now. He took her lips in his while Bella stood still, not wanting to feel anything. But when the feeling engulfed her, she wrapped her arms around him, letting out the tears she had been bottling up, and he let her cry to her satisfaction.
"If you ever leave me like you did yesterday, then I will never forgive you," she said. She meant it because this was the last straw for her. After that, she intended to turn off her emotions for at least a month.
Her character development would be a monster.
"I swear I'll never. I ditched the game to be here, Bella, and I do not regret it because I want you, and I love you."
His words made her realize he was being truthful with her. He was the captain, and he wasn't on the field, but she wanted more.
"You've said that word a lot today. Then show me how much you love me. You have me here now!" she demanded. He turned her around with her face against the wall as the water trickled down both their bodies.