Chapter 31

The Unwanted Bride Of Atticus Fawn Chapter 31 ~AUTUMN~

Atticus turns to me at the sound of the phone hitting the ground; he kneels to pick it up. I’m trying to keep my emotions hidden from him under the circumstances we are currently facing.

“You dropped this.” He says as he hands it to me. I take the phone from his hand, but I refuse to look him in the face.

He’s not the man I thought he was. He was a completely different person.

I want to play the recording for him; I want him to know that I’ve heard everything he said to Anya. I want him to realize that he can stop pretending to be nice to me now. I know he doesn’t care. But I know I can’t let my pain get in the way of finding Roman.

A baby would always be more important. No matter how hard it was, I had to ignore my feelings this one time. I would have plenty of time after to confront Atticus about everything that was said in this recording. I didn’t think there was a single excuse he could use to justify what he said.

These weren’t harmless words; they were words meant to destroy our marriage. Promises that he made to Anya without once thinking about me and how I would feel if I ever found out, which I did. And out of everyone, Anya was the one that sent it to me;

she was the one to throw it all in my face to remind me of who Atticus has always loved since the beginning.

Atticus gets distracted by something Arthur said to him, and I use that opportunity to breathe again. I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. All I’ve ever done was wish the best for both of them. Now it felt like they both wanted to hurt me.

My hand tightened around the phone; I wanted him to feel the same pain that I was feeling; I wanted him to hurt the same way I did after listening to this recording. It’s the first time I’ve ever wished for something this awful, but I’m angry, so angry with what he’d done.

Atticus didn’t try to talk to me again as we entered one of the vehicles waiting for us. It’s possible he is also putting his feelings aside for the mission. We both understand that this is bigger than any of the problems in our marriage.

Lucy and Austin were in a mess, their baby was in danger, and no one knew whether he was still alive or not. I’d never seen a child as loved as him; many of the most powerful of our kind were present ready to bring him safely home. No one cared about their well-being; he was all they cared about.

When the vehicles stop, the women that Morgan, the witch, asked for in exchange for Roman all separate from the rest of us.

The men were in emotional distress after their mates left. They were trying to comfort each other, but it was a depressing sight to see. Everyone here loved their mates, they couldn’t hide it, and they weren’t trying to.

“I can’t believe we have no choice but to f*****g wait here while our mates are locked in an abandoned castle with f*****g witches,” Hunter growls. “I’ve never felt this useless in my entire life.”

“They can handle themselves,” Lucas says with a fierceness in his eyes. “They’re strong; I believe that they can do this. I know they can.”

Paige Snow, another witch they’d invited to help, approached me. I was surprised that she had even noticed me under the circumstances. I didn’t think anyone was paying attention to me.

“What is your name?” She asks.

“Autumn,” I answer her. Her eyes are almost white as she scans my face. What was she looking for?

“You seem familiar.” She said as she held my chin and turned my face slightly to the left as if to get a better look at me, “fascinating. Very fascinating.”

Her words didn’t make any sense to me. What was so fascinating about me? It seemed like she knew something that I didn’t.

“Do you like water, dear?” She asks in a strange tone.

It was a weird conversation to ask someone if they liked water. But for me, it was even stranger that she’d asked that when I have always been terrified of water.

“I’m terrified of it,” I confess.

She nodded as if she’d already known my response before I said anything. She was a powerful witch, according to everything I’d heard about her; maybe she was able to look into my past or my future and saw something there that caught her by surprise. I knew that she was able to receive visions. Was that why her eyes had turned white when looking at me?

Everyone I knew was always terrified of witches or at least disgusted by them. In our academy, it was no different; the witches in our school were often mistreated. No one trusted them. I’ve never felt uncomfortable around them, however. Instead, I’ve always felt sorry for how they were sometimes treated. Some of them didn’t deserve it, while others did.

A howl rocks the woods, and it distracts Paige from asking me more questions. The tension has just doubled.

“They’re in trouble!” Hunter roars. “I can feel Isabella’s pain.”

We all held our breaths when we saw Gabriella racing toward us with Roman in her hands. There is a remarkable silence as we watch her move with incredible speed. Austin took him from her and kissed his forehead before reluctantly giving him back to her. Sadly, their reunion couldn’t last long. He was worried about Lucy and the others. I barely knew those women, but something about them had drawn me closer to each of them, and I wanted to keep them safe. I wanted to protect them even though fighting was never something I’d been good at.

Multiple howls follow, different from the last; these are no doubt cries for help. I winced, feeling their pain from the sound of their cry alone.

“Let’s get moving!” Austin shouts. “Paige, our wives need you. We need to get you to them, and we need to do it now. That’s the most important task at this point.”

“It isn’t going to be that easy,” Paige says. “They’re coming.”

Her eyes are white once more, and it’s a little scary to look directly into them.

Who was coming? We didn’t know who she was speaking about, but the concern on her face told us all we needed to know.

Within seconds, we’re surrounded by vampires and werewolves hungry for every single one of us.

Everyone takes their position as they attack one, sometimes three, of the enemies simultaneously. I’m amazed by the way they fought. It’s my first time seeing a battle as big as this one up close. I was usually protected by my parents and had never had to experience anything like this until now.

Atticus has more experience than I expected; his attacks are smooth and controlled as he brings his opponent to the ground.

He grabs my hand as more approach and pulls me closer to Gabriella, who’s still holding Roman in her arms. I’m surprised he’s concerned about my safety, but I’m reminded that he’s only doing this because of his duty as a husband; he isn’t doing it because he wants to keep me out of danger.

“This is worse than I expected it to be.” He says.

“Always expect the worst around us,” Gabriella responds.

Arthur chuckles despite the gravity of the situation, “I’ll believe her when she says that. It’s nothing but the truth.”

“I’m so happy that you got Roman out of there safely,” I tell Gabriella. “And I’m happy that he’s safe.”

Despite the fear I felt for the other women, I knew we would all make it out alive; the men on our side were powerful and knew what they were doing.

Hunter roars in frustration as he tries to kill as many as possible to get back to Isabella in time to save her. I’ve never seen men as in love as these groups of men in front of me. They were terrified of losing their mates.

My eyes widen when I spot a vampire advancing on me. I don’t know what happens next, but he somehow slows down just as he nears me; he’s slow enough for me to stab him with the stake in my hands. He drops to the ground before me, but something else catches my attention.

I can hardly breathe as I stare at the water droplets frozen in the sky; it feels like they’re almost speaking to me, like they are alive and waiting for my command. Atticus looks back at me in shock, but he doesn’t have an opportunity to ask me if I am okay as another vampire tries to tackle him.

“I didn’t know you could fight,” Gabriella says in a surprised whisper. “I’m impressed.”

Even I didn’t know that I knew how to fight. When Atticus had given me the stake earlier, I didn’t think I’d know how to use it, but I was full of surprises today.

I look at the sky again, but the water droplets have disappeared. What was that? I still wasn’t sure what had forced the vampire to slow down, but I was happy that I was able to protect myself.

Kane is shouting and panicking as he realizes that we wouldn’t be able to get Paige back to the other women in time. They were on their own. Their lives now depended on their own strength.

“There are many witches inside the castle,” Gabriella informs us. “There is no telling what kind of spells they’re using against them. We have to find a way to get back there. If I didn’t have to protect Roman, I would be rushing to get back to them.”

The tension kept rising as everyone realized how much more dangerous this entire mission had turned into. Atticus glances at me, and I’m not sure if I saw correctly, but he looks relieved to know that I am here with him and not in as much danger as the other women were in.

No Autumn. He doesn’t care for you. That voice note was the proof you needed. Don’t get fooled, don’t let your heart bleed anymore because of him. You’ve let yourself hurt too much over him. It was time that you started to care for yourself and protect your heart at all costs.

“Lucy!” Austin shouts suddenly; there’s no hiding the joy on his face. I followed his gaze, and it was indeed her.

He kills at an incredible rate to get to her. When he finally does, he pulls her into his arms and kisses her for as long as the enemies would let him. She runs to Roman next and takes him from Gabriella. She showers him with kisses, and I’ve never seen a baby this happy before; he’s ecstatic to be in his mother’s arms again.

“How is Maya?” Kane demands. “Is she okay?”

He can’t hide the desperation in his voice as he waits for confirmation from Lucy. I think we all held out breaths as we waited for her to answer. It doesn’t look good that she was the only one to return. Her body was covered in bruises and blood.

“She is,” Lucy assured him.

“And Isabella?” Hunter shouts as he knocks a werewolf to the ground. “Where the f**k is she?”

“They’re all safe.” She assures everyone as they all begin asking for their mates. “They will be here soon; they’re just finishing up with the other witches. The danger is over on that end. Now it’s time to finish here and get my baby home and away from danger.”

Not long after she’s said that, the other women show up. I’m happy to see everyone reunite with their loved ones. I think everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Everything would be okay now, Roman was safe, and the women were back safe and sound.

“KANEEEEE!” The piercing scream rocks the forest. I freeze; I think we all do. Did I speak too soon?

It was Maya. She was the one to scream.

We all look up and are shocked to see Kane falling to the ground with blood pouring out his chest and mouth. My heart sank at the heartbreaking sight in front of me. This wasn’t happening. She couldn’t lose him. They were too much in love, and she was pregnant with his babies; they couldn’t separate from each other. It was unfair.

Gabriella screams when she sees him on the ground; he’s her brother, and she’s also hurt to see him losing his life in front of her. She kills the vampire responsible for stabbing him and returns to Maya’s side as quickly as she can.

It’s hard to hold back the tears, I barely knew them, but I could feel their pain. They were good people; they didn’t deserve this.

Despite my anger with Atticus, I still reach for his hand. He tightens his hold on it as we watch with tear-filled eyes.

Lucy rushes to their side, and something unusual happens next. Roman begins to fuss in his mother’s arms, and it looks like he understands exactly what is happening around him. He reaches forward and touches the wound on his chest after Lucy gives him to Maya; I gasp when he begins to glow in a dazzling light. I can’t see anything; I don’t think we can. But something is definitely going on. When the glow dies down, it’s shocking to see Kane’s wound healed, almost like it wasn’t there, to begin with.

How on earth was that even possible?

What’s even more impressive is Kane waking up right after like nothing had happened. How was he alive? I’ve never seen anything this amazing in my entire life.

Everyone surrounds them, amazed by what Roman just did. The enemies were either all dead or seriously injured; it was safe, at least for now. I had to hope that there were no more surprises. I don’t think we were up for any more surprises after what happened today. This was enough.

“News will spread like wildfire,” Atticus notes as he looks around us. “Your family lives up to their name.”

We all knew how powerful Austin’s pack was, it was feared throughout the supernatural world, and his achievements have even been discussed at the academy. Now that his family kept growing, his power was only intensifying. It also meant that his enemies were also increasing in numbers.

Austin shakes his hand, “we are thankful for your help today. You and your wife have shown your loyalty. If you need us for anything, I promise we will be there.”

I watched as they hugged and told each other how grateful they were to have them in their lives. It was so good to see. Roman was showered with kisses from everyone present. He was being passed around and given a few seconds with each couple; they expressed their joy at having him back safely.

“We’re hosting a party tonight in honor of having both Maya and Roman back in our lives. You are invited, of course. We will be happy if you can attend.” Austin informs us.

Atticus agreed and shook his hand once more.

“We have some time.” He answers him.

I can see that he still wants to speak to me, but I’ve been avoiding him. I wasn’t ready to have a good conversation with him. We were still around others, and after everything they’d just been through, I didn’t want to cause any more problems for this family.

When we arrived at the palace, owned by Austin’s parents and Maya had reunited with her parents, the women separated from the men to get dressed for the party, pulling me along with them.

“How are things with Atticus?” Maya asks me.

“I saw when Anya fainted for the wedding; then she was all over him in the yacht.” Gabriella points out. “Many of us noticed it, and we’re angry that they would act that way in front of you.”

Everyone noticed how close they were that night? At least I knew I wasn’t being unreasonable.

“Things were improving a little,” I confess. “But that happiness didn’t last long. Things are worse now than they were in the beginning.”

“Worse?” Maya asks in surprise. “I was hoping it would be better now that you’re away from Anya. Maybe we can get the both of you to spend more time with us; that way, you don’t have to worry about her getting between your relationship with your husband.”

Even when Anya wasn’t around, she was still causing problems. She didn’t have to be here to drift Atticus and me apart. The voice note was enough proof of that.

“It’s too late for that,” I whisper. They looked at each other, and I needed to explain myself adequately. They needed to hear for themselves what I’d heard.

I take my phone out and play the recording for them to understand what I meant.

They both gave each other a knowing look, and neither was surprised. How could that be? Why weren’t they as surprised as me when I’d first heard it? It’s almost like they already knew what he’d said to her.

“We were in the spa room when this conversation took place,” Gabriella confessed. “We heard the entire thing.”

So this is when the recording was taken. On my wedding day, while they were in the spa room together. If Anya has had the recording since then, why did she choose today to send it to me? It’s almost like she was waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it on me. My heart hurts to know that I never knew Anya, even after all the time we’ve spent together. I thought she was my friend, but my mother seemed right about her this entire time.

“Anya sent this to you?” Maya asks to confirm.

I nod.

Gabriella rolls her eyes, “I can’t believe she recorded him. I’m sure he doesn’t even know she did that. I thought she was a nice person and just hurting because her mate was marrying you. But something tells me that there’s more to her. She’s a sneaky little bitch.”

“You’re right.” Maya agrees. “She does seem sneaky. And she’s out to break the two of you up.”

“Did anything other than this recording happen while you were in the room with them?” I ask. It always bothered me. Did they do anything else but speak to each other? The video I saw of them on my engagement night still haunted me.

Gabriella sighs, “Anya kept begging him to stop the wedding. She told him how much she loved him and that she didn’t want him touching you or looking at you the way he looked at her. I think that’s when the recording started, him responding to her. Other than that, nothing else happened.”

It didn’t make me feel any better. I was hoping that Atticus was forced to say those things to her, that he didn’t mean it, but I knew I was hoping for the impossible. Every minute since we got married has been a roller coaster ride for me, and it doesn’t seem like it is about to ease up anytime soon.

“Don’t let her win,” Maya tells me. “He’s your husband. He married you. It may not look like it now, but he chose you even if he doesn’t realize it yet.”

I wanted to believe Maya, but I knew she was only trying to comfort me. She would say anything as long as she thought it would make me feel better about the situation.

I know they can see how much this is affecting me. It was always hard to hide my feelings whenever Atticus was involved.

I didn’t want to fight for Atticus if he wasn’t fighting for me. What was the point of fighting for him when he made it clear that he would never look at me the way he looks at her? I could read between the lines. He could never love me, not when his heart already belonged to her.

“Let’s get you dressed up,” Gabriella says as she pulls me into Maya’s room.

“I have plenty of options for you,” Maya tells me. “Since you aren’t pregnant, we’re pulling out the sexiest dresses I own.”

She hands me a selection of her dresses, and Gabriella and I leave the room so that she can have her spicy time with Kane. We knew they wanted some time alone after everything they’d been through. It showed in her eyes how much she wanted to be near him.

“I think you should wear this white dress,” Gabriella says as we enter the guest room. “You’ll take his breath away when he sees you in this. I’m sure of it.”

It’s very short and revealing. But it’s beautiful. I wasn’t sure if it would make any sense to do this anymore, however. Anya is the woman he wants and can’t take his eyes off. If I went through all this trouble and he didn’t bother even looking my way. . . I didn’t want to do that to myself anymore.

“I know things may seem hard now, Autumn, but I promise you that life improves.” She says. “One day, you’ll look back and be happy that you never gave up.”

“Thank you, Gabriella.”

She didn’t have to be this nice to me. They’d just had their problems, yet she was, trying to comfort me. It’s crazy that women like this existed all this time, yet I chose Anya as my best friend. If I’d known that this was what true friends were like, I would have known that Anya was a fake from the start.

Gabriella nods, and after we both take a long shower, she pulls me toward the mirror to add some makeup to my face.

After getting dressed, we both step into the ballroom, which is packed with hundreds of people. Half of them I’d never even met before. The invitations were only sent out today; it’s crazy how quickly the guests arrived.

It’s easy to spot Atticus, he’s speaking with Arthur, and they seem to be getting along very well.

“Look at our men; it’s good that they’re bonding since we’re going to be great friends, and they need to get used to being around each other,” Gabriella teased.

I laugh, “you’re right. It’s good that they learn to get along to prepare for the future. However, I think they’ve been friends even before we entered the picture.”

She laughs, “I think you’re right.”

Atticus turns and sees me; he turns back to Arthur without acknowledging my presence. But then he slowly glances back at me, almost as though he didn’t recognize me the first time.

His eyes travel up my legs, and I can see the flicker of emotions in his gaze. Did he like the dress, or did he hate it?

Arthur hugs Gabriella as we join their sides. “You look beautiful.” He compliments her.

It’s a bit awkward for Atticus and me as they shower each other with kisses. Not that it wasn’t beautiful how much they loved each other, it’s just that I know it’s different between us; we don’t have the kind of relationship that Arthur and Gabriella has. Ours is messed up, and my husband is in love with my best friend.

Atticus swallows as he glances at me, “Do you think now is a good time for us to talk?”

I looked up at him, unsure if I wanted to hear what he had to say. The wounds were still fresh from listening to the voice note.

“What do you want to talk about?” I ask.

Someone bounces into me and pushes me straight against him. He grabs me by my waist and glares at the man. I close my eyes as his hands on my body remind me of our time last night together. It was magical, something out of this world. I wish it could always be like that between us, but I know it’s just not possible as long as Anya is between us, keeping us apart.

He gently moves my hair out of my face and tucks it behind my ear; my lips part, and I hate how much my heartbeat speeds up because of his small gesture. Why does every single thing that he does affect me this much? Why can’t I be stronger than this and forget this spark I felt whenever he touched me?

“The kiss.” He says, and my face turns red at those two words.

“Do you remember the kiss?” He elaborates as he searches my eyes. I pretended not to remember the last time I got drunk; I didn’t want to do the same thing this time.

“I do,” I confess. “I remember everything about the kiss.”

His eyes flash with some unknown emotion as he nods; he hasn’t let go of me yet. His hands are still on my waist, holding me against his warm body.

“I do, too; I remember every second of that kiss.” He says. “And I remember what you said to me right before you kissed me.”

What was the meaning behind that confession? What was he getting at?

“What are you trying to tell me, Atticus?” I question. “What is the point of bringing it up now?”

His hands tighten on my waist, “do you remember what happened after?” He asks.

Why was he avoiding my question?

“What?” I ask, pretending not to know.

He leans into me so that his lips are right above my ear, “the spring.”

Just those two words, and my blood is already racing in my veins. Why was he bringing this up to me now? I could barely keep a straight face with the reminder of everything that had occurred between us in the spring.

My body was still tingling from his touch and the way he stared at me like I was his most precious treasure. Our time in the spring was what had fooled me into thinking that there was a chance for our marriage to work. The heat, the need, the spark, it was all there but apparently, that wasn’t enough for Atticus. He needed something more that I couldn’t give him, and that was his mate.

I’d come between the two of them. And I was still paying the price for it. Anya warned me before; she knew this would happen from the beginning. It turns out she understood him better than I did; I thought I knew almost everything about him, but I hate how wrong I’ve been all this time.

“I’m not sure what you’re speaking about.” I lie.

He pulls away to stare into my eyes, “You don’t remember what you asked me while we were in the water?”

“I was drunk.” I remind him. “I know there is plenty that I did and didn’t say; what is your point?”

I was trying to fight the strong desire to kiss him again, but I was losing the battle and fast. It was hard to resist when he kept reminding me of our time together; it brought all of the feelings rushing back into my body.

“I want to know that I made the right decision last night, Autumn.” He says, making me even more confused. “But your reaction to me today makes me feel like I made a f*****g huge mistake.”

He did make a mistake. His mistake was every promise he made to Anya before marrying me. He shouldn’t have done that and especially not on our wedding day.

“I don’t know what you’re referring to,” I say once more, making it harder for him to explain.

He breathes roughly, “Let’s talk about what you saw when you opened your door and saw Anya with me.” He says, ignoring what I just said. “It wasn’t the way it looked to you.”

Those words angered me because I knew exactly what I saw last night. My eyes did not deceive me; it didn’t matter if I was intoxicated or not; I knew what I saw.

“Then tell me, Atticus. Explain to me what happened.” I whisper. “Tell me why I should ever trust you again after what I saw with my own eyes last night.”

“I wasn’t aware that Anya was waiting outside for me after I left the room.” He explains as one of his hands slides to my lower back. “I did not ask her to meet me there. I was telling the truth when I told you I was going to help search for Maya. I did not lie to you.”

“If that’s true, why was she hugging you and screaming that she loved you?” I demand. “I may be kind, and I may let others walk all over me because I care for them, but I’m not stupid, Atticus. I know what I saw between the two of you, and it’s not the first time I’ve seen it happen. It happened on my engagement day, my wedding, and the same night that was supposed to be special for us. I refuse to believe you weren’t at fault in any of these situations.”

I know what I saw. He can’t convince me that something else happened. He needed to explain himself better than this, and maybe then I would consider what he had to say.