Chapter 51

The Unwanted Bride Of Atticus Fawn Chapter 51 ~ATTICUS~

Autumn fits perfectly into my arms. I’ve never held her like this in the past, but why does this feel so familiar to me? Why does it feel like this wasn’t the first time?

She smells amazing—a mixture of my scent coupled with her own.

Since I returned from the hospital, my entire life seemed like a huge mess, a mystery waiting for me to solve.

Why was Autumn holding onto me like this in front of Anya? They were best friends, yet they seemed more like enemies now.

I’ve never seen such hatred in either of them before. And Clarissa, when did she become close friends with Autumn?

Nothing could explain why Damon was so shocked to see her. Autumn made it clear that she wasn’t on vacation with her family like Anya told me, so then, where was she all this time? And why was everyone except Anya so happy to see her?

How can I explain what I felt while holding Autumn? She was my mate’s best friend, for crying out loud. This shouldn’t be happening; I shouldn’t feel like this because of her.

But was Anya even my mate anymore? Why did I feel nothing for her? Instead, my feelings are for the woman with her arms wrapped around me. Her hands are on my hair, and f**k me; it feels so good. I never want to let her go. I want to pick her up and hold onto her for the rest of my life.

Ah, f**k.

What was the meaning of these thoughts and feelings?

I still didn’t understand how she still smelled like me. The only thing that can explain a scent this strong. . . I didn’t want to think about it because it wasn’t f*****g possible. I wouldn’t have marked Autumn. That’s something I would have remembered doing. I loved Anya too much to mark her best friend and not her.

Autumn slowly lets go of me, and my heart squeezes at the tears on her cheeks. Had she been crying the entire time while hugging me? I didn’t think seeing someone cry would have much of an impact on me. I didn’t realize I cared this much until now.

“I’m sorry.” She whispers as she wipes her tears. “I didn’t know about the accident. I’m sorry, Atticus. If I had known. . .”

She didn’t finish her sentence, and I had no clue what she wanted to say.

Everyone knew about the accident; why was she not informed? Where had she been to have not heard? And why did it seem like a secret, just like the events of my accident were?

Furthermore, why was she apologizing? She wasn’t the one that caused the accident to begin with. What was she this upset about?

She claimed that she had feelings for me; at first, I thought that it had been a lie; I thought that Anya had asked her to mess with me. She was always doing random things like that. It wasn’t something I wouldn’t have expected from Anya.

Now, I wasn’t so sure that Autumn had been lying to me. Her tears seemed genuine, and the pain on her face wasn’t something anyone could easily fake.

My body wanted to go to her, to ease her pain, to make her smile. I shouldn’t be thinking this way. I know it’s wrong, and I know she’s crying but damn it, Autumn never looked more beautiful. She’s always been breathtaking to me. But today, she’s radiant, messing with my heart and mind.

Does she even know what she’s doing to me? Does she even care? And what the f**k am I supposed to do with all of these unexplainable feelings?

. . . . .

~AUTUMN~

“That’s enough from you.” Anya snaps as she grabs my arm and pulls me away from Atticus.

I was surprised she didn’t pull me away sooner. Maybe she was too startled to act right away.

I was even more surprised when Atticus never pushed me away. He held me against him even though his touch was light. He seemed confused by my actions, and it was totally understandable.

“Get your hands off me.” I hiss as I push her away.

I know that Atticus is watching us, and because of that, I can’t tell her everything that I want to. I didn’t think I would ever hate Anya as much as I hated her at this exact moment.

If she continued to mess with me, she would get what she was asking for.

She was even worse than I initially thought she was. What kind of person took advantage of someone who’d lost their memory?

Atticus made it clear that things were over between them; he made it clear that I was his wife. Did she have no self-respect?

Couldn’t she take the hint by now?

“Are you insane?” She whispers. “You could have made a mess out of everything because of that little stunt you just played.”

“Do you have any shame at all?” I ask her. “I didn’t think you could stoop any lower, Anya, but here we are today.”

“I’m only trying to protect Atticus.” She snaps. “I don’t have any ulterior motives. You’re just angry that he’s back to his past self.

He doesn’t remember marrying you, and I think that’s for the best. Marrying you was the worst decision he ever made. Ever since you entered his life, Atticus has been in constant danger. He almost died because of you. Why don’t you give up and let him go? At least with me, he was safe; no one was trying to harm him. I can’t say the same about you.”

My jaw clenched; I hated that her words were partly true. Atticus has been in constant danger recently.

“Autumn!” Clarissa calls out to me as she grabs my arm and pulls me away for a second time.

“We need to get you out of here.” She tells me. “I’m sorry for throwing all of that information on you. It was too much for you to take in all at once.”

Maybe everyone was right. If I had reacted this way after learning of the accident, there’s no telling how Atticus would take the news. I couldn’t let my emotions get in the form of protecting him, no matter how much it hurt.

He risked his life for me. I could do this much for him.

She pulled me away, so we were next to Damon’s car. After scanning her surroundings, she opens her mouth to speak.

“What did you say to Atticus?” She asks.

“Nothing that could cause any problems,” I assure her. “I just needed to hold him at least once. My heart breaks every time I think of the accident. It was all my fault. He was protecting me when it happened.”

“Stop that.” Clarissa snaps. “You had just been kidnapped. How is any of this your fault? If Atticus were in that situation, you would have done the same thing for him.”

It was true, but it didn’t make the pain any less bearable.

“I knew that we would have you back in our lives eventually. I knew that you were a fighter and that you would find a way back to us.” She tells me. “I’m so happy you’re here, Autumn. But I need to know what happened. How did you escape your kidnappers?

Did they let you go? If they did, why did they take you to begin with? And who was brave enough to mess with both of our families?”

I didn’t know where to start to explain. It would have been easier to explain to Atticus if he hadn’t lost his memory than to explain to Clarissa. He was the one that was aware of everything that happened to me while I was with him.

“My father was a sorcerer.” I chose to hit her with the scariest part first, and that was the fact that my father wasn’t a simple man.

“My real parents aren’t the Riveras’. My real name was Autumn Rosetta Reign before the Riveras’ adopted me. There is plenty I still don’t know or understand, but my parents have a lot of explaining to do. They’ve known the truth but chose to keep it from me.”

Her eyes are wide, “you were adopted? Like me? This is insane. But what does that have to do with you getting kidnapped? Why would anyone do that to you and then let you go?”

Even I was trying to figure out the ‘letting me escape’ part of their plan. Why did they let me leave? What else were they planning?

“I don’t know if you’ve heard of the name Azai Reign. According to the men who kidnapped me, he wasn’t just any sorcerer. He was evil, desperate for power. He was filled with plenty of greed and wanted to use his power to rule the world. He wanted to be the only king of our land.” I explained in the best way I could think of.

I knew that this story would be difficult for anyone to stomach. It was even more challenging for me. All this time, I was someone different from who I thought I was. All this time, I was the daughter of a greedy psychopath. I was ashamed to know this truth.

But I couldn’t keep hiding from it for the rest of my life. It was something I would have to learn to live with.

“If your father is a sorcerer. . . Then doesn’t that make you one as well?” She asks. “But you’re a werewolf, like the rest of us. I’ve never seen you use spells and magic before. That’s something you can’t just miss. Or have I been blind this entire time?”

“I’m a hybrid. My mother, even though I barely knew anything about her, was a werewolf. She was the one who killed my father.

I’m also not the only child; my mother had triplets, and I was the only one out of the three that seemed weak to my father. He wanted to get rid of me because he only wanted powerful children. I suspect he wanted to use all of us to help him gain more power. My mother realized his evil plans and killed him before he could cause any more harm. She killed him to protect us. And then she ran, she ran with her three children. I don’t know how she got the Riveras’ to take care of me for her, but I have no idea what happened after. They never found her, and they never found my siblings, either. The only reason they saw me was due to my power, it was suddenly activated, and because I was using it, it alerted them.”

“You have power like your father?” She asks in amazement. “How long have you known? Why didn’t you tell me?”

My cheeks are red at her question, “because I was embarrassed to tell anyone what I used the power for. I was also terrified because I didn’t understand what was happening to me. I knew something had to be wrong; I thought I was only a werewolf; I wasn’t aware of my true form until now.”

She laughs at my expression, “you used it on Atticus, didn’t you?”

My eyes are wide, and she laughs louder, “the expression on your face tells me all that I need to know. If it helps, I’m glad that you did. I trust you, Autumn; I know you won’t ever do anything that would mess up your character. And I’m sure you only did it because you had no idea how to control yourself.”

“I didn’t only use it on Atticus,” I confess. “That day when Carter and the fearsome ambushed us. I used my power multiple times on that day. I used it to throw them off him. And I also used it on the night of the game. Do you remember when I asked you to cover for me? I was there at the game. I used my power to ensure that the fearsome beasts lost that game. I wanted to get revenge on them for hurting Atticus, and I knew the easiest way was to hit them where it would hurt the most. I knew it would hurt their egos if they lost the game, and I ensured they did.”

“What?” She shouts. “That’s so freaking crazy! But in a good way. I can’t believe you did that, and no one knew. That’s amazing, Autumn. You’re amazing.”

I wouldn’t say amazing, but I was happy that she was at least proud of me. I was afraid that others would judge me for what I’d done; it wouldn’t have mattered if they had; I was just happy to get revenge on them.

“But that still doesn’t explain how you escaped from them.” She points out.

“They had me strapped to a table.” I start, and her eyes are wide with horror. “It was very frightening. I didn’t know what was happening. And then someone named Skyler explained why I was there. They want me to take my father’s place. They want me to fill the void that he left.”

“Are you saying they want your help to take over the world?” She asks. “That’s absurd. No one person is strong enough to cause such destruction.”

I sigh, “they believe that my father was capable of doing it, and because he was capable, they’re hoping that I can as well. Skyler showed me the pictures of Anya and Atticus together. I’ve realized that my power is the strongest when it concerns Atticus. I could only break free from the straps because of my anger at what I’d seen. I also wanted to see Atticus for myself. I wanted to confront him first before I did anything that I would regret. My life is still in danger. I know Skyler purposefully let me escape.

Everything was too easy; I don’t believe they wanted to keep me trapped there. And there must be another reason for it. I’m just not sure what it is just yet.”

Clarissa hugs me again, “I’m so sorry all this is happening to you, Autumn. First, Atticus loses his memory, and now this. I’m here for you. I’m not leaving your side. If you need me for anything, just let me know.”

I smile, “I’m happy you never betrayed me, Clarissa. I’m happy you’re a true friend. And I’m sorry for ever doubting you. I can’t stay here, just like you said earlier. I need to see my parents. They are the ones that can fill in the blanks for me.”

And after hearing what they had to say, I would decide what to do from there.

But there was still Atticus and his memory lost. I would not let Anya have him. She didn’t love him as I did. She was using his loss of memory for her benefit. The moment Atticus regained his memory, it would be over for her. She continuously showed her true colors. She hadn’t changed for the better; she’d only gotten worse.

I tried to control my anger; I didn’t want to lose control of my body again. Crazy things happened whenever I did.

“I’ll take you to see your parents,” Clarissa tells me. “I’m sure they would be overjoyed to know you’re safe. They may have a better idea of what to do about Skyler and his people as well.”

“I already came with a vehicle,” I inform her. “I took it from your garage.”

She laughs, “why am I not surprised? I’ll inform Damon what’s happening, so he doesn’t freak out.”

I nod and wait for her to return; when she does, he comes with her, however. She looks irritated as she rejoins my side. I could tell she didn’t want him to follow us for once.

“He doesn’t want to let us leave alone.” She sighs. “We’re stuck with him for the night.”

“How the f**k am I supposed to leave you both alone when psychopaths are looking for Autumn?” He demands. “We need to be extra careful and increase all security.”

It seems that Clarissa had already told Damon everything I had said to her. I wasn’t ready to inform others, but if she trusted him, I guess I could as well. He was Atticus’s brother, after all.

“Your parents can’t know about this,” Clarissa tells him. “You know how crazy they would react if they realized who Autumn truly is. Atticus kept it from everyone even before he knew the entire truth because he wanted to protect Autumn. We need to honor his wishes and do the same.”

He nods, “I already know that.”

I look back at Atticus and Anya. He’s looking at me as I leave, and it breaks my heart to know that he doesn’t remember what we had. I was finally beginning to trust him again, he was ultimately trying to be the man of my dreams, and everything was destroyed in a second.

The ride to my home is a quiet one, and I can barely feel my legs when we pull into the parking lot.

As soon as I entered the door and my mother’s eyes fell on me, she screamed with joy. My heart hurt as she ran towards me and pulled me into her arms. It felt different now that I knew they’d lied to me since the beginning. I still loved and respected them, but I was hurt.

If they’d told me, I would have understood. I spent my whole life never knowing they weren’t my birth parents. I spent my entire life never learning about my father’s terrible past. And I thought I was going crazy when my body started doing weird spells. I would have been more prepared if they’d taken the time to talk to me.

“I’m so happy that you’re safe.” She cried as she rubbed my back.

My father joins us then after hearing her cries, and he also hugs me tightly to him. It felt good to be in their arms. I wish they hadn’t lied to me.

“We searched everywhere for you.” My father informs me. “We’re still looking. Your brother and sister are leading the searches.

There are still hundreds of people out there. Everyone came together hoping to find you; we were never going to give up hope, Autumn. We were never going to stop searching until we found you.”

“We would have done more if Atticus’s family didn’t want him to find out about you and the accident. We had to keep everything away from him.” My mother informs me. “We knew that you cared for him and would wish the same. To keep him out of danger, we made the hard decision not to inform him about you.”

“Mom. Dad.” I say, and they both look at me with fear, almost like they know what I am about to say. “I know you are not my real parents. I know that my father is a sorcerer. I know that his name was Azai Reign. I know he’s dead, and I know what he tried to do. I know almost everything. And I need you to tell me the truth. I need to know where my biological mother is.”

They look at each other, and I can see the panic in their gazes.

“How do you know this?” My father finally asks.

“Someone by the name of Skyler, he’s in charge of Azai’s people now. He wants to use me to continue what my biological father started. He told me everything. There’s just one thing I don’t understand. Why did you agree to help my mother? Why did you raise me as your daughter? And why did you never tell me the truth?”

My mother sighs and guides me to the sofa, “Aura, that is your mother’s name. She was a good friend of mine as well as your father. We warned her not to get mixed up with Azai. We knew the kind of person that he was. Everyone knew. But she didn’t listen to us, and she fell deeply in love with him. He tricked her into thinking that he loved her too. Azai never wanted a partner;

he never had a love interest. She was just another fling to him. What he didn’t expect was for her to become pregnant.” She tells me.

He tricked my mother into falling in love with him? My dislike for him had just doubled. How much did she have to endure because of him? I didn’t know anything about her until now, but it still broke my heart, she was my mother, and she sacrificed to save me.

It hurts that I may never have the opportunity ever to meet her and thank her for everything she’d done.

“When she told him, he pretended to be happy; he pretended to be in love. He saw this as an opportunity to gain power through his unborn children. But when you were born, along with your other two siblings, he immediately disliked you. I’m sure Skyler told you why already. Your mother killed him to protect you, and she begged us to adopt you. She couldn’t leave your brother and sister with us because they had the dark symbol. Anyone would be able to find them easily because of it. But you, you were easier to hide because you were the only one that didn’t have it. Because she was such a good friend to us and we fell in love with you at first sight, we decided to take you in as our own. It’s something that we have not regretted even to this day. Adopting you was the best decision we ever made.”

My heart swells with love for my parents. Both of them. They both took chances to save me, to give me a good life. I was lucky to have them.

I was also happy they didn’t regret saving me by adopting me and hiding me from Skyler and the rest of them. But it still didn’t explain why they didn’t tell me. I hate that they chose to keep this truth from me.

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” I ask. “I would have understood. I wouldn’t have held it against you. I would have loved you more knowing what you did to protect me and what you did for my mother.”

My father pats my head gently, “because we knew the kind of person you are, Autumn. We didn’t want you to go searching for your mother. If you did, we knew that your father’s men would have eventually found you. We were doing it to protect you. We promised your mother that we would always keep you safe. And we managed to fulfill that promise until now. I don’t understand how they found you; we’ve been doing a good job protecting and hiding you from them. What gave your identity away?”

It was my turn to be flustered, “it’s my fault.”

“Your fault?” My mother asks, startled. “How could it be your fault when you knew nothing about them until now?”

“I started using my power. The same power I didn’t know that I had. Eventually, it alerted them, and they came to find me.

They’ve been watching me for a while, studying me. After they realized that I had power similar to Azai’s, they decided that I was worth going through all of the trouble for. That’s how they found me.”

“You have your father’s power?” My mother asks in horror.

I wince at the fear in her voice. She knows how consuming his power was.

I nod, “I have it. I don’t know how powerful it is, but it’s there. And at times, it does feel scary, like it wants to control me. I’ve used it for my benefit multiple times already without realizing what was happening. It scares me now that I know what my father was capable of doing.”

“This is not good,” my father says. “We thought that you were lucky; we had hoped that since you didn’t have the dark symbol that the power had not been passed down to you. We’ve been keeping a close eye on you all these years, praying that it never showed up. And it never did until now. But why now? What triggered it?”

“Where is my mother?” I ask. “She must have told you where to find her.”

My mother gives me a sympathetic look, “I’m sorry, Autumn. She chose to keep that a secret from everyone for the safety of your siblings. She knew that people would want to use them for their bad deeds. She’s staying hidden for their sake. If Skyler hasn’t gotten his hands on them, that’s a good thing. It means that her plan is working.”

If I tried to look for my family, I would cause them more harm than good. It meant that I couldn’t look for them without them getting hurt. There was nothing I could do about it. If my mother wanted to find me, she knew where I was. I can only hope that they were safe where they were.

In the meantime, I had to find a way to prevent Skyler from trying to kidnap me again. I knew it wasn’t over. I knew that he still had plenty planned. Evil plans. Plans to use me for his own greedy needs. I didn’t have much time to prepare. I needed to learn how to unlock my power before it was too late.

I had to be prepared for when they came for me. I had to learn how to fight back to protect myself and everyone that mattered to me.

I had to fight back for Atticus. I had to remind him of us. And I had to do it in a way that would not cause him harm.