A/N: Not Edited & It might be a few days until my next post.

Chapter 20 – Walter POV (Three Years ago)

Over time – three weeks, four days and 15 hours – I learned what I could about my mate from a distance, being friendly, when she entered the store across from her flat. Saw what chips she bought, the soaps she used even the way she combed her hair. Down, in luscious curls that I wanted desperately to run my fingers through, see for myself if they were as soft as they looked. Up in a messy ponytail, or bun, tendrils falling from the rest, framing her lovely face. Braided, so many different ways and I couldn’t pick just one. After getting off from a shift, it was right about the time that Nora went to class at the Royal Academy of Music. She always walked to classes, so today I followed, heading in that direction regardless, I kept my distance, watching as her guitar hitched on her back, and a cloth sack over her shoulders.



When she entered the hall, I went on my way back to my flat, sighing, frustrated, thinking over what I saw from afar. Nora was peculiar, or maybe it was me seeing what I wanted to see, which I was both happy and confused by. Nora didn’t speak to anyone, she never walked with a cellphone in her hand, she never spoke to any other students, she didn’t live with anyone, and she distinctively avoid eye contact with the male population, although to be fair, she didn’t make eye contact with many females as well.



Entering the flat, I dropped our groceries on the counter, rushing to take a shower to get to class, all the while planning the rest of my day. Knowing that I’d be going to the park after to get some shots for my photography class, I grabbed my camera bag, books and a snack leaving the apartment.



‘You never know when your life is going to change Walter,’ my father had said many times before, and he was right on many occasions, and this too. After class headed to the park, lowering to the ground, I sat resting against a large tree trunk, watching passerby’s go on their way, couples lounging, friends huddled together; it was then that I heard the most tinkering, playing, the music turning into vivid colors dancing around me. Collecting my things I followed it, until I saw my mate, playing with her eyes closed, fingers gracefully moving over the strings of her guitar.



Not aware of my actions, I unzipped my camera bag, taking it out and began shooting my mate as she played, getting lost in the rhythm that drew the attention of others, as well. The ambience around us helping only enhancing the soft, gentle sounds she was making, mate is sad, my wolf Zed commented, but I didn’t need him to tell me that, because each note she played, turned into colors for me, sad, melancholy. I didn’t put the camera down, but I wondered what she was saddened by? Had someone hurt her? I questioned, taking picture after picture of different things, the way the wind blew a piece of hair further away from her face, the way her thumb stroked the strings, the curl of her fingers playing on the neck of the guitar, her lips, eyes, face, so serene as she became lost in her craft.



She was magnificent, we aren’t the only ones who can see that, Zed added, and he was right, not a single person that strolled by, walked by without stopping for a short moment, looking at this girl creating heavenly music and so I took shoot of them as well. Noting that while some saw the piece as sad, their emotions playing on their face for all to see, others listened with smiles on their faces, just enjoying.



When she finished it was abrupt, her audience complemented, but her eyes snapped over to mine, and from behind the lens, I took a picture of my mate with pure terror in her eyes. Nodding to those cheering her, she packed up her guitar at inhuman speed, and while I thought she was ready to run away, Nora stalked over to me, “What are you doing?” she snapped angrily, the once serene expression she had was gone, in its place red hot fury.



Stunned, “Well?” I shook my head, say something, Zed howled, I looked up at her again, putting my camera down, “I’m sorry, I’m a photography major, I – I heard you playing and I was-”



“Taking pictures of me without my permission?” the joking girl that shopped at the small shop gone, “You’re beautiful, your – the music was – I wanted to capture how I saw it, I’m sorry,” I said honestly, “You can take a look?” Offered turning the camera around, “It’s not – I took some of you, but I took pieces not just the whole,” her eyes going from mine to the camera.



“I’m sorry Nora,” I said once again, using her name, loving it on the tip of my tongue, whispered. The joy of saying it to her instead of an empty room or to myself in my head, was even better than I had expected, and I listened to her heart speed up, I watched her hazel eyes dilate and face heat.



“Have you played long?” I asked, trying to make conversation, I wanted to know more about her. She nodded, “Since I was a three years old,” she whispered and she went back to looking around us again, “making sure your fans don’t ambush you?” I said joking.



Rolling her eyes, “right,” she played along.



“Would you like to grab a cup of coffee with me?” I asked her, watching different emotions flicker on and off her face, “Just one cup…” I said when I could see the hesitation and the word no right at the tip of her tongue.



“I – I can’t, I have class in 15 minutes,” she replied but I kept my face blank, before realizing that I knew that. Nodding, I gave her a small smile, “another time?” she said taking a step back. Again I nodded stupidly. “How about tomorrow, you get off around 3p.m. right?” she asked her cheeks flushed, and my eyes widened, mate has been watching us too, Zed yelped happily.



“Yeah, at three,” I replied, she nodded twice, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Walter,” she said over her shoulder, leaving me in my spot. As she walked away, my chest ached, but knowing that I’d be meeting up with her tomorrow, soothed me. Staying in the park until it was nearly nine p.m. I began heading home, two blocks away from our flat, I felt a souring pain to the left side of my body, stopping me cold, bending over holding my side, and I feel another blow to my ribs, my face, mate, Zed whined, I stumbled. Turning away from our flat I went in the direction of Nora’s flat, by body aching still, because she was and all I cared about was finding her.

X – X – X PRESENT X – X – X

It took a long time to get my relationship with Nora going, but that night was a game changer for me, and I think it was for her as well. I found her in the bushes in the same park that I had seen her mere hours before, beaten and her guitar had been stolen. Taking her to the hospital, Andrew and I waited until we heard something, but they wouldn’t give us any information. The police became involved, questioning us both, inquiring if we were the ones that had mugged her, because the smart thing to do then would be to show our faces and bring her for help.



When Nora finally woke up, telling the police themselves that it wasn’t us, they informed her that we were in the waiting room and she agreed to see me. Walking down that hall, and into her room was something I would never forget. All I wanted was to see was that she was okay, but that day changed my life, I had almost lost her before I even got a chance to really have her.

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Chelsea POV

The more I learned about Oakley, the more relieved I am that I decided to bring her and the rest of them, because I know that Oakley wouldn’t have survived her shift when the time came.



“Sarah is pregnant?” Julia asked slowly, but Grant just shook his head, no wonder she didn’t want to leave the house, she was thinking of herself, always thinking of herself, he thought, no wonder Oakley just wanted out, the sadness he felt for that girl was so genuine.



“Yeah, it’s my job to gather all the trash from all the rooms and throw them away, when I went into their room I saw the positive test in the waste basket. It was five days before Amelia’s birthday,” she shrugged, “that’s why you didn’t ask your dad to choose?” Julia asked sadly.



Oakley nodded, “Daddy would never choose me though, even if there wasn’t a baby, he wouldn’t.” I bit my lip, I didn’t know her father, at that moment I couldn’t be the one to say that she was wrong, that her father would have put her first, that is something Julia and Grant could say, even Ben, but no one says anything. No one objects her thought, and that saddens me even more, I sighed, “Well, on this island, the people here Oakley, will always choose you,” I murmured in the silence, “And do you want to know why?” if I thought I couldn’t hate her father more I was wrong.





“Because I’m your sister,” she said with confidence. “No, that’s not why. You’re worth choosing Oakley, not because you’re my sister, or because our mom was an Elder, but because of whom you are. You’re brilliant, and caring, you’re brave and stronger than you even know, and even though you never asked your dad to choose, you had the right to do that. You are the child; you should be his first concern. He made the situation what it was, if you needed space from Sarah, you shouldn’t have been the one to leave your home,” I paused for a minute, “But I think the reason you didn’t ask him to pick was because you wanted out regardless.”



I swallowed, turning to face Oakley completely I knew it would be important to share this with her, “I don’t know how you did – how you lived inside that house for as long as you did without seeking help or talking to anyone about what happened Oakley. I’m in awe of just how you lived with all those memories, especially when I couldn’t be as strong as you were. A man killed my father inside my home, and after that event, I never stepped back inside the house."



I spoke remembering the time before we all left for California, Jack and Casey packing the things I wanted. Only when I wanted to show everyone just what I was capable of did I go there, and even then... "I went to the estate, but I haven’t step foot inside our home since what happened. I – I stop myself from thinking of all the good times we had there, but you… you remembered hard, and even though it was hurtful to think that she wasn’t there anymore, you still thought about her, listened to the recording, you told your brother about our mother…” I stopped not wanting to cry, but my emotions were all over the place. She’s so good for Oakley, Grant thought to himself.



“I’m just so happy you brought us here,” she murmured quietly, and I knew what she meant. Deciding that we’d train starting tomorrow, Lux would be helping Oakley hone her craft, while I worked on mine as well. Gabriel and I left after I invited all the Lawson’s’ for dinner, telling Lux to pass an invitation to the Walter Rykos as well. After reading the files my father had left us, I had a feeling that it was going to be a night of revelations.

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