Chapter 14 - Why Am I Here? Pt. 1

Ah, shit.

Seriously? Wren had another vision? And this time, I was pulled into it.

"Aaron, you came," Wren said from behind me.

I turned around to face him, not at all surprised to see the rocky landscape he'd described before. The sky was really an alarming shade of red as if it was on fire. Did all of the dragon realm look like this? I had to be honest...it wasn't very nice to look at. "Why am I here?" I asked him.

I didn't expect to get called so quickly. Then again, Wren had gotten two visions practically back-to-back. This dragon must be desperate if they were contacting Wren so frequently.

"To help them," Wren said, before pointing to a large rock structure I hadn't even noticed.

It almost resembled a cliffside. When I looked up, it went on for a little while. The structure didn't...look natural. There was no other way to describe it. It was too perfectly crafted. Clearly, it was meant as their prison. The chains that held the dragon's arms up were seemingly fused with the stone and there were shackles on their ankles, too. I only saw them when their robes shifted a bit, the very same red and gold ones Wren described before.

They lifted their head to look at us and my heart stopped for a brief millisecond. Wren had described Rin's eyes to us before, but the description did them no justice. They immediately pulled you in. Clear, but full of color all at the same time. It was amazing. When the dragon shifted their head a bit, their eyes shone different hues of the rainbow. It was as if someone molded crystals into eyes and shone a light through them to refract a rainbow.

"You have to help me," they pleaded.

I expected their voice to be different for some reason. It was quite melodic. Damnit, was there anything about this person that didn't scream unique beauty? No wonder Evander had a thing for them. Well...maybe it was best I confirmed it was Rin before continuing. "Are you Rin?"

The dragon smiled weakly and nodded their head. "Yes. I take it Evander told you."

"Yeah..."

"You make him happy."

"What?" I whispered in shock. "How do you know?"

"I saw it," they answered simply. "He's hesitant about caring for you two, but he's starting to."

"How-"

Before I could finish my sentence, the ground began to shake. Wren stumbled and I grabbed onto his arm to support him. We both watched as the stone structure began to glow with carvings I hadn't even noticed before. They spread out across the entire expanse of rock, glowing a pale blue. I looked at Rin, only for my shock to turn to confusion and slight horror when I saw the fear etched onto the dragon's face.

The glowing cravings began to pulse with light and the rumbling increased. Wren and I could only watch as the light reached Rin's restraints and the shackles seemed to be a connection of the carvings. The light crawled up the shackles and Rin started to struggle in vain. Once they reached their skin, a chill went down my spine at the scream that ripped from Rin's throat.

It sounded more like a roar, which made sense given their species, but it was filled with pain and anguish. It shook the structure even more, to the point where a few boulders came crashing down. I pulled Wren out of the way of one that got too close, but barely. My feet were planted into the ground, my entire body frozen in fear. Rin's entire body began to glow with smaller versions of the carvings. They threw their head back in pain, but the screaming stopped. Their mouth was still open, and so were their eyes, which were now glowing that same blue.

This went on for probably a minute, but it felt like both an eternity and a handful of seconds. Not soon enough, the carvings dimmed and Rin's body sagged forward, their head hung low. They were gasping harshly, body heaving, and still struggling to escape. Then they coughed and blood fell to the ground by their feet.

"Please...please help me. You have to hurry. They know you're here for me," Rin gasped, coughing up blood again.

"Who? Who chained you here? What just happened?" Wren demanded.

Rin's head suddenly snapped up, eyes staring past us. The blood drained from their face and they began their futile struggle against the chains again. "Find Kamihara Yuki. Once you enter the portal, find her. She can help you. But, you have to go right now."

"Now? What-" I started to ask, but Rin cut me off.

"Now!" They shouted.

Wren grabbed my hand and everything went black.

"Shit," I gasped, sitting up in bed.

"Are you alright?"

I turned my head to look at Evander, who was seated in a chair next to the bed with a book in hand. He was unsurprisingly without a shirt - the fact that I've noticed this pattern makes me want to slap myself - and he had on some sweatpants for lounging around. I glanced at the clock and realized it was very early in the morning, but it wasn't so early where I could go back to sleep. Not like I'd want to after what just happened. I realized I never answered Evander's question and I quickly shook my head, running a hand through my hair. "No, uh..."

"What happened? Bad dream?" He asked, closing his book and putting it in his lap.

"Something like that," I muttered.

But, before I continued, I realized one very important thing that my idiot self had forgotten until then: how the hell was I supposed to explain the fact that Wren pulled me into a vision without revealing that Wren and I had abilities? I could lie to the rest of the group and say that Wren called me about a dream Kit had, but did I want to lie to my mates? I'd already alluded to the fact that I had a rough night's sleep, so it was too late to turn back now. Evander was smart, and I didn't think it was just a vampire thing. He genuinely was a very intelligent man. He'd pick up almost immediately that something didn't add up once I lied to the rest of the group.

Besides, I'd have to tell him and Aubrey eventually right? They deserved to know. And, while I was at it, it would be a good idea to tell Erin and the rest of our friends at some point...that could come a bit later. My mates deserved the truth first.

"Um, can we talk about it once Aubrey wakes up? I have something to tell you both," I admitted, peeking at him cautiously.

"Alright. Do you plan on going back to sleep?" He asked, taking my request in stride.

"No, I don't think I can," I sighed, smoothing the sheets down with my hands.

"Do you want to sit on the balcony with me for a bit? Maybe some fresh air will help," he suggested.

I smiled weakly at the offer, sliding out of bed. Aubrey grumbled from where he was curled up in the sheets, sensing the bed shifting around. He looked so cute all cuddled up. He must've detached from me at some point while we were asleep.

"Let me go change and stuff first," I said. "You go on ahead."

He nodded and walked over to the balcony door, opening the curtain blocking the door so he could slip by and close the curtain again. I went to the bathroom and noticed that Evander had set out our toiletries already. A few minutes later, I was freshened up and in some new clothes. I could shower before we left, but for now, I just wanted to get out of the clothes I'd worn on our trip yesterday.

I found Evander sitting on a bench on the balcony, looking out at the city. Quietly, I sat beside him, keeping a bit of distance between us for my own sanity; he was still shirtless and I really just didn't want to deal with any of that right now.

"Rin used to tell me they'd take me to Japan and maybe visit their realm," Evander spoke up after a minute of silence. "And here I am, on my way to rescue them."

"Yeah..."

"It feels a bit odd that we've all known each other for almost two weeks now," he mused.

"Mhm."

He turned to me, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you giving such half-hearted responses? Are you sure everything is alright?"

"I wish it was," I hummed, avoiding his gaze and instead focusing on the view ahead. "This thing I have to tell you and Aubrey is really...important. And private. I've only told a few people about it in my entire life and I'm just not sure how it'll go," I admitted.

I may as well be honest with him, right?

"I see. Well, I feel honored that you're willing to tell us in the first place, and we will support you no matter what. Even if our bond is newly discovered, I don't think any of us have any intention of ruining that," Evander said.

"I hope so. I...really care for you guys even if it has been less than two weeks."

Evander scooted closer until our thighs were almost touching. I tensed ever so slightly but eventually relaxed when he smiled at me. Great Goddess, his smile. It was practically impossible not to be captured by his stupid smile. "I didn't think it'd happen so quickly, but I think I'm beginning to care for you two, as well," he admitted in a low voice.

What's happening? Something in my chest began to well up. My entire body was hyper-aware of every breath, every twitch of my finger, and the way Evander's eyes kept roaming my face. His dark eyes suddenly flicked down to my lips and my stomach dropped. Shit, shit, shit.

My cheeks darkened despite my best efforts. He smiled lightly at the reaction and leaned forward a bit, one of his arms sliding past me to grip the bench. I suddenly felt like a trapped animal, and my animal instincts were kicking in. As he got closer and closer, my brain short-circuited and my body shot up off the bench, shocking him backward.

"Um- I- sorry," I mumbled, turning and quickly fumbling to open the balcony door again.

"Aaron, wait," Evander called, standing up as well. "I apologize. I thought... I shouldn't have done that. Don't go."

I stared down at my feet, feeling the rolls of my stomach and the fast beating of my heart. I was torn. My brain was screaming at me to run away and so was a part of my body. But the rest, heavily influenced by my wolf, was yearning for a redo of that moment so I could avoid making a fool of myself. What did I do? I ruined it. My issues ruined it. I felt like I'd disappointed Evander and I didn't even want to look him in the face because of it.

"I guess balconies really aren't our thing," he chuckled awkwardly.

Right. The last time we were on a balcony alone, I chickened out of giving him blood. Was this going to become a common thing between us? What about when Aubrey tried to initiate anything? I didn't even want to think about possibly hurting him. Not that I wanted to hurt Evander either, but Aubrey was so...bright. He was bright and innocent and I didn't want to ruin this for him. Evander was more rational. Which is why I knew what was about to come next.

"Is it something that I'm doing wrong?" He asked carefully.

I felt him step closer, and I silently wished he'd stop before he got too close. Thankfully, he did.

"No, it's not you. It's me," I whispered, the anger at myself evident in my tone.

I messed up, just like I always did. My own body betrayed me no matter what I did, and my own brain didn't even agree half the time. I hated it so much. I wished... I wished I was normal.

"Please, explain it to me. How is it your fault? You're obviously uncomfortable and I want to help with that. Am I coming on too strong? Am I moving too quickly for you?" He continued to ask me questions.

"No, no, you're fine," I answered, feeling frustrated with myself.

He was being so understanding and patient with me and I kept screwing it up. The need to flee from this situation was ever-increasing as I found myself slowly grabbing the handle to the door. "Aaron, talk to me. Just saying 'no' is not enough," he pointed out.

"I know," I grit out. "But I don't want to talk about it right now. So, please, just drop it."

No, that's not what I meant. I didn't mean to snap at him. I'm angry at myself. You're making this worse.

Evander went silent for a tense moment. I took that as my chance to leave, so I did. I opened the door and closed it behind me. I was greeted by Aubrey, sat up in bed already. He smiled at me, but I found it hard to smile back. "Good morning, Aaron," he said sweetly.

My stomach was still tied up in knots. I needed a moment to myself. His smile was making me want to apologize for being such a screw-up. I rushed to the bathroom, ignoring Aubrey; I couldn't handle seeing his face. The sound of the balcony door shutting made me realize that Evander was already inside. "Don't dump your issues with me onto Aubrey, Aaron," he warned.

"Issues? What's going on?" Aubrey asked, rightfully confused.

Like the brat I knew I was behaving as I slammed the door to the bathroom and leaned against the cool wood. Goddess, I messed up. Why can't I do anything right with these two? A twinge of guilt echoed in my chest when I realized how unfair I'd been to Aubrey. I shouldn't have done that to him. Nice going, you idiot.

My brain kept replaying the last few minutes over and over again until I felt bile at the back of my throat. I panicked. I messed up. Was this going to be an issue? Were they going to be mad at me? Evander already seemed kind of upset and he had every right to be. I was confusing him, I was confusing Aubrey, I was confusing myself.

Sliding down to the ground, I remained seated against the bathroom door for who knows how long. My legs were pulled up to my chest and my forehead rested on my knees. The urge to cry was almost overwhelming, but I held it back. My stomach was still twisted in knots and now my chest felt like someone was slowly squeezing my entire body until my head would pop off from the pressure. Trying to focus on my breathing wasn't helping at all to calm the storm raging inside of me. But, who else could help me but me? Aubrey and Evander...they didn't deserve a mate like me. They didn't deserve someone who sat in a hotel bathroom trying not to cry over his own childish behavior. They didn't deserve someone who could never be enough for them. Could I even attempt to be a good mate for them?

You will never be a good beta.

A smile made its way onto my face despite the pain. Of course, I'd remember those words at a time like this. When I was on the verge of spiraling out of control, he was there to push me over the edge. Just like usual. And despite my best efforts, the dam broke and the tears started to drip down onto my legs. Shit.

You're no longer my son.

~~~

So uh...yeah. That happened XD

Okay, first: what did y'all think of the whole thing with Rin? Why do you think they're chained up and what do you think is happening to them? Any thoughts? Ideas? No wrong answers here!

Second: do you think Aaron handled that well? What do you think he should have done differently? Did Evander take it well?

Third: who do you think told Aaron those things about not being a good beta? Here's a hint, I suggest reading the extras. I've realized now that they will actually come in handy for the future of this story and Erin's story (plus they're cute af as kids lol). If you have read them, I think you can kind of see where things are going. Any thoughts, though?

The chapter got a little heavy towards the end I'm sorry. Aaron doesn't seem like a person who is guided by his emotions, but he really is. He's an extremely emotional person and it becomes overwhelming at times.

I'm trying to ease in the obstacles these three will face in their relationship. We already saw it slowly building up before and it's still building. Aaron refuses to acknowledge that his sexuality is normal and valid and it's causing him pain. Evander is trying his best to understand, but it's hard when Aaron isn't giving him anything to work with. And poor Aubrey doesn't even know that these two are struggling to communicate. The next chapter will probably be from one of their perspectives to add more depth to what is going on.

I think I can relate to some extent the intrusive idea that you will never be enough for a partner. I don't think I feel it as much as Aaron does because I'm confident in my sexuality and myself, but he isn't. Still, sometimes I realize that I'm lacking something that a lot of people really value. It's an odd thought, but I think Aaron takes that his fault when it's not. I hope it turned out okay XD these characters are only human and it's okay to break down sometimes and make mistakes.

Stay tuned for more insanity and thank you so much for reading!

Please vote, share, and comment if you like it :)