Chapter 117 - Hickeys

"So, you told the truth to Rory, and he turned out to be a weave. Then you told Lola, and she could potentially become part of the werewolf family through Aaron. One more case like this, and I'm starting to think it's not a coincidence," Ryan concluded.

"You're the one who said that everyone meant to be part of the supernatural world always finds out the truth," Evan reminded him of something he'd once told Rory. It had been so long ago—back when they were still speculating about Alexander's behavior—that it felt like a lifetime.

"Well, yeah." The ink-haired boy seemed to finally remember that conversation. "Should we warn the others?" He let out a short laugh, but Evan didn't share his lightness, and Ryan was quick to notice.

"Are you okay? You've been acting differently since we got back from Manvale." He sat up to get a better look at his mate, who was lying on his bed. "What happened?"

A worried expression crossed his face, and Evan hated seeing him like that—especially when it was his fault. He sighed and sat up as well. "I guess meeting your family got me thinking."

Ryan frowned but said nothing, simply nodding every so often to show Evan he had his full attention.

"I don't want to hide anymore. I don't want to hide you. You're my mate, the love of my life. Everyone keeps saying how lucky we are to have found each other so early, yet we can't even complete our bond because we're afraid of how my parents will react," Evan admitted, finally voicing the thoughts that had been weighing on him for days.

He hesitated, searching for the right words to say next, but it turned out they weren't needed. Ryan knew him better than anyone and already understood where this was going. "You want to tell them the truth."

Evan nodded. "I want to tell them I've found my mate—that's the part I'm sure of. The rest depends on their reaction, though I don't have much hope." He frowned as well, shaking his head. "Is it stupid that I'm still hoping this might go better and they won't kick me out? But if they know who you are, I'm afraid they'll forbid me from seeing you."

"Of course it's not stupid." Ryan's tone softened, as did his expression. He cupped Evan's face in his hands, offering silent reassurance, and Evan immediately leaned into his touch, exhaling a quiet breath.

"I love you, and I always will—no matter if your parents know who I am," his boyfriend assured him. "You actually have a good plan. No matter how this turns out, you'll always have a place at my home, whether it's permanent or just when you need to escape the suffocating atmosphere of your house for a while."

Evan closed his eyes, savoring the warmth of Ryan's palms against his skin. He had already known that talking to him would give him the strength to take this step, but combined with his touch, it filled him with even more confidence.

"I love you too, my sweet pachycephalosaurus," he murmured without opening his eyes. Just for a little while longer, he wanted to enjoy this moment—Ryan's closeness, his steady hands, his intoxicating scent that his wolf instinctively focused on. This was his safe place.

Ryan, however, decided to make it even better. A second later, Evan felt the fleeting brush of lips against his own. He responded instantly, though he couldn't stop the way his smile curled against Ryan's mouth.

"Thank you for being here for me," he said softly when he finally opened his eyes again.

"Of course." Ryan nodded without hesitation. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

"I'd do anything for you too," Evan assured him, recalling his recent conversation with Emma.

"I never doubted that." Ryan's wide smile made him even more handsome than usual, and Evan, unable to resist, stole another kiss. Then another. And another.

The seriousness of the previous conversation quickly evaporated, replaced by a passion that burned through their bodies. As their clothes fell to the ground, the scent of love and sweat filled the air.

Kiss after kiss, touch after touch, Evan craved more. That's why he gave Ryan a clear instruction: "Don't hold back. Show me I'm yours." And, of course, Ryan complied.

While Ryan's hands played with his body as if it were a musical instrument and he was a virtuoso, touching it in a way that rewarded him with a sweet melody, his mouth worked even harder. His teeth, his tongue, did everything to make sure Evan not only felt his affection but had proof of it.

When they were both satisfied, Evan's body was covered in dark marks so thickly layered on top of each other, it was as if someone had attacked him. It was almost enough. For a werewolf who craved a permanent mark, however, it was still only almost.

They lay in each other's embrace, snuggling so close they could feel the other's heartbeat, trying to slow their breathing. It was a school day, and Evan knew he would have to go home soon. But nothing was more difficult than tearing himself away from Ryan's arms.

Eventually, though, he had to.

"Text me when you get home."

"I will," Evan promised, stealing one last kiss before finally moving away from the front door of the Saunders' house. Ryan watched him go, his gaze lingering for a moment longer as he had a final view of him. Evan felt him that way for a little longer, so even though he was leaving him, a slight smile played on his face.

However, that quickly changed when he arrived in front of his own house. Although he stayed at Ryan's longer, he didn't expect his parents to be home already. His dad was working on a challenging project, and his mom had been working double shifts lately. At least that's what Evan could tell, though he hadn't asked them directly.

But now they were home, and Evan hesitated.

Like so many times before, his clothes smelled like sex. His body ached with pleasurable pain, and as his wolf struggled to hold on to at least a sliver of his mate's affectionate presence on his skin, Evan was sure some hickeys were still visible. He wasn't sure if now was the right time to talk to them.

He had no choice, though. He was still living in this house, and they still expected him to be back before the curfew today. He had to go inside and face them.

Evan walked inside and was pleased to find that his parents weren't waiting for him anywhere nearby. He assumed they would be in the kitchen or living room. In the latter case, it would have been more difficult to walk past them unnoticed, but he wanted to go to the bathroom first and see what condition his neck and other exposed parts of his body were in.

That plan ended up being just a thought, however, as after he took a few steps, both of his parents emerged from around the corner. First his dad, then his mom.

"Evan..." His dad addressed him but then suddenly fell silent. Evan turned to him and saw him studying him with his gaze, frowning in confusion.

He didn't dare look at his mom and instead said quickly, "I'll be in my room." Then he tried to walk with quick steps to the stairs and with even quicker steps to climb up them, but it remained an attempt.

"What's on your neck?" His mom's question stopped him in the middle of the stairs, and he turned to her, placing his hand automatically on his neck.

His reaction was enough to change his parents' confused and surprised expressions. Evan, however, was more focused on his mom, knowing what was coming next. "Evan Bludd!" She was angry, and even though they were separated by a few steps and Evan was looking down on her, he definitely didn't have the upper hand in this situation.

"Are you serious?" She continued to shout. "Tell me that's not what I think! What about your mate?!"

Evan stood like a deer caught in the headlights until she pronounced the last question. Suddenly, his vision clouded red, and he took a step lower, lifting his chin in a clear sign of newfound courage.

"My mate? These are from my mate!" He shouted back, removing his hand from his neck so she could have a clear view of the evidence of Ryan's affection.

His mother's expression changed. Anger was replaced by surprise again, and while that might have seemed like a good sign, Evan knew better. "You found her?" She asked in a voice that almost seemed like a whisper compared to her earlier shout.

Evan laughed bitterly. "Her? So many times I've tried to tell you it won't be her, but you never listen to me," he told her, venom dripping from his voice.

He didn't get an answer right away, and it was obvious how much his mother didn't expect his words, confirming them all the more. So Evan allowed himself to shift his gaze to his father for a moment and gauge his reaction. Like his mom, he seemed to be in shock, at a loss for words. No words of support, no hugs—just as he'd expected.

Before either of his parents could recover, however, Evan decided to take advantage of finally having a chance to speak. "All my life, I've listened to how my mate will be a she. Not for one second have you given a second thought to the fact that it could be otherwise. Not even after you had taken away Riley's home."

The mention of his cousin seemed to be what snapped his mom out of her shock. "So it's Riley's fault."

"Are you serious?" His tone was something between anger and desperation. "Nothing is Riley's fault. Nothing was ever Riley's fault; you're just too bigoted to see it!"

"You don't talk to me like that!" she yelled back.

Evan laughed bitterly again, even though he could feel tears welling up in his eyes. "I talk to you the same way you talk to me. You wouldn't listen to me if I didn't scream the truth right in your face."

"Evan..." His dad tried to address him again, probably to also tell him not to use that tone to talk to his mom. But she didn't give him room for any more words.

"All these secrets of yours. Your friends who only spoil you. I thought you were finally starting to act like a real wolf." Evan couldn't believe what he was hearing. It wasn't her words that hurt him, it was her disappointed tone that squeezed his heart.

"Are you serious?" He couldn't scream anymore. "My best friend is a wolf. My mate is a wolf. I'm constantly surrounded by wolves. The only one who's a bad influence on me is you." He could feel himself losing strength, and he couldn't last much longer fighting against her. "Stop looking for excuses and kick me out already, so we can get it over with."

"Evan, we would never do that," his dad managed to respond before his mom could. Evan had to give him bonus points for actually looking like the thought hadn't even crossed his mind for a second, and he was horrified at the idea.

"You did to Riley," he reminded. His father looked almost guilty at his words, but Evan didn't have time to focus on his expression for long.

"You talk to me like that, you lie, and you even make excuses." His mom seemed to catch her second wind and continued her rant. "This isn't about Riley; this is about the consequences of your actions."

"My actions?" Evan couldn't believe his own ears. "You're the one who's always given me exact instructions on what a proper wolf should look and act like. You didn't accept anything else. It got to the point where I was afraid to tell you about my mate, and you really think it's my fault?"

"Your mate is obviously a bad influence on you too," she replied, seemingly deaf to Evan's reproaches.

"My mate is the best person I know," he corrected her in a firm voice. "Just like Angie, just like Riley. He wants the best for me, and he actually listens to what I tell him."

"Riley has decided to leave this family," his mom reminded as if the argument was going to make her feel better.

"Because you gave him no choice!" This time it was Evan who started screaming. "You made him choose! You made him think he had no place in this family! You wanted him to leave his mate when he needed him the most!"

"His mate was no good!" she argued right back. "May and Bernard saw that and wanted only the best for their son."

Evan had no idea whether to laugh or yell at her to finally open her eyes. "The best? Just how you want the best for me?" He made sure the irony in his voice was unmistakable.

"I want the best for you, only you're ungrateful and always do things your way." She always had to be right. She hadn't even considered that it could be otherwise. Evan was tired of it.

"Just make up your mind. Do you want me out of this house? Because I have a place I can go; you don't have to worry," he assured her.

"I'm not letting you stay with your mate, not when you act like this when you come home from his house and you're covered in hickeys!" She finally used the right pronoun, but Evan couldn't be happy about it.

"Fine." He shrugged. "Then I'll go to Riley's."

His mom's eyes grew comically large, and Evan knew another scream would follow. "I knew he was in on it! Did he talk you into acting like that?"

Evan had had enough. "First my friends, then my mate, and now Riley. Do you seriously think I can't think for myself? Newsflash! I can. And I'm telling you now, there's no way you're keeping me from my mate. He's part of my life whether you like it or not."

Without waiting for her reply, he turned and ran to his room. He heard quick footsteps behind him but didn't look back; instead, he quickly ran into his room, slamming the door behind him and turning the key.

He leaned his back against the door, sliding down it to the floor, and though he could feel it rock under his mother's pounding blows, he remained glued to it, not finding the strength to move.

"Evan! Open the door!" She continued shouting even though she couldn't see him anymore.

"Go away!" He yelled back.

"This is my house! You're still living under my roof, and we're not done talking!" She screamed and screamed and screamed, but Evan stopped listening after a while.

He folded his hands on his knees and put his face on them so he couldn't see anything, trying to disappear from reality at least that way. Eventually, the hallway fell silent again, but before Evan could think his parents had left, there was a knock.

"Evan," came his father's uncertain voice. "It's going to be okay, I promise."

Evan doubted it, but instead of arguing with him, he remained silent. Maybe it seemed that at least his father was on his side, but he didn't dare trust him—not after everything that had happened.

All he wanted now was Ryan.

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What do you think? How did Evan handle the situation? Should he have kept his cool?

Did his parents react the way you expected?

Do you think Evan should have told them exactly who his mate is or is it better that they don't know it's Ryan?

Let me know your feelings about this chapter!!