Disappointed Doesn't Cover It Who: Ransom and Jessalyn Where: Home? When: Late Afternoon
After visiting Tayne, Jessalyn drove home, feeling a little bit better than she had the last couple of days. She was still tired from not having slept much, and her stomach was a constant ball of uneasiness from the stress of thinking about it, and trying to keep it from people. She knew she couldn't avoid telling her parents for long, especially when they met Madock, but she simply didn't feel ready to drop that kind of bombshell yet and deal with the reprecussions. Still, she felt like she needed to tell someone who might understand. Which was why when she parked her car, she went inside to search for Ransom. Out of all of her brothers and sisters, she felt closest to him, like she could tell him anything and maybe he wouldn't yell at her.
She went up to his room and knocked, hoping she could convince him to maybe go for a walk with her. There were too many ears in the house to have this kind of conversation there.
For all that Ransom felt like he should be enjoying his summer and spending quality time with Charlotte, the continued absence of their friends had made that difficult. He wasn't sure if they should keep up home or move on. He didn't feel like he should be happy, when there was such great cause to be miserable. The last few days he'd been moping around, working without enthusiasm, and spending more time alone than he liked. He had the feeling that Charlotte would understand. She was his mate; she had to, right?
He was laying around, attempting to read, when someone knocked on his door. It was probably better to be disturbed. He'd read the same page three times already. "Come in," he called.
Jessalyn heard his voice and pushed open the door, peeking her head in a bit cautiously. Once she saw he was alone, and reading, she relaxed and gave him a faint smile. "I didn't know if you would be here or with Charlotte." If he felt like Jessalyn did, there was that overwhelming urge to be with their mate, but that wasn't always possible, unfortunately. "Do you want to go for a walk with me? There's something I want to talk to you about."
Ransom would have spent every second with Charlotte if he could, but he didn't want to smother her. He'd probably go see her later that evening, but at the moment he was relaxing a bit after working that morning. "I'll see her later tonight," he said with a little smile. Setting his book down, he sat up and slipped on his shoes. "Sure," he answered. "Everything okay?"
"Yes." Another faint smile and she stepped back into the hallway, waiting for him. Jessalyn was reluctant to say anything negative, because who knew who might be listening. Which wasn't paranoia at all, it was fact, given their family and their hearing. "How is Charlotte anyway? I haven't seen her since we got back."
"She's good," Ransom said, his smile brightening slightly, as it always did with mention of Charlotte. "Could be better, but that's kind of out of her control, you know? I'll have her over soon, it's just... things have been weird lately." Heading towards the door, he led the way down the stairs, figuring a walk meant outside. "How's Madock?" he asked. He hadn't seen Madock either, but that wasn't uncommon.
Jessalyn nodded. Things had been really weird lately, and it felt like a lot of people involved were just going through the motions. Which would probably continue until there was some kind of resolution, good or bad. Jessalyn, ever the optimist, was convinced the whole situation would have a happy outcome. Jessalyn stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air before answering his question. She was a bad liar, and given she was speaking to another werewolf and her brother, Jessalyn knew better than to try and fib. "He's... well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," she explained, taking his hand to lead him off the porch and toward the path that led into the woods. "I just didn't wanna do it where mom could hear us."
Being led by his sister out towards the woods, for a conversation that she didn't want mom to overhear, concerned Ransom by default. That it had to do with Madock made him even more worried, but he tried to keep his fur unruffled until hearing what she had to tell him. He was silent till they were an appropriate distance from the house, and cast a glance back just to check that they were alone. He didn't hear any of his siblings around and, since the younger ones weren't experts at sneaking yet, he was pretty sure they were alone. "What's wrong?" he asked, hoping for a more detailed explanation.
Jessalyn would have preferred to drag him out another mile or two... simply to reassure herself that no one would hear them, and to procrastinate actually telling Ransom anything just yet. But they were an adequate distance from the house, and she knew Ransom would probably see what she was doing and get more concerned. Releasing his hand, Jessalyn tugged nervously at her t-shirt, chewing on her lip for a second before she spoke. "Nothing's really wrong," she said weakly, finding the courage to meet his eyes. Ransom wasn't an alpha, but she wasn't one either, and in terms of hierarchy, she felt like he was her alpha, she definitely didn't want him angry with her. "There's just been some things going on, that I haven't... been able to talk to you about, because of what happened on the way home from the camping trip, and then... well, you know." She waved one hand to dismiss that train of thought. "But before I tell you, I want you to promise that you won't get mad at me."
Ransom tried to understand why Jessalyn hadn't been able to talk to him lately, since he knew he'd been around more than usual. If their friends hadn't been kidnapped, he'd probably be spending every second with Charlotte, but right now it seemed wrong to enjoy their time together when their friends were suffering. It was a weird feeling that he couldn't explain, like part of his pack was missing. "What's been going on?" he asked. "I can't promise I won't get mad, but I'll try. What are you talking about, Jess?" All the build up was making him nervous.
Her being unable to talk to him really stemmed more from her own problems. Focusing on Madock, and Tayne. And not wanting to bother Ransom with all of this stuff while he was worried about everyone else. But now she felt like she might burst if she didn't get it off her chest. It was exhausting, having this much weight on her shoulders and not knowing what to do about it. She took a breath and looked at him again. She rarely had trouble saying the thoughts in her head aloud, but she was having a hard time with this one. "Madock and I mated on the camping trip." That was just part one of the equation, and probably the least of her worries at the moment. But she wanted to get it out there, so maybe he would understand the second part.
"You what?" Ransom said, jaw clenching as he tried to force down his immediate reaction. His hands balled into tight fists and he turned and took a step away, then turned again to face her, stomping back. "What were you thinking, Jessalyn? You've only been dating him a week! He hasn't even been out to the house! You just-- You're stuck with him!" As nice as Madock seemed, Ransom hadn't even began to consider him close enough to be mate material. This was the kind of thing he expected to see coming, that should have come after months of dating or at least knowing each other. "He can't possibly understand everything that means, how you're tied to him for good now, when you've just-- you've just started dating!!"
She expected that reaction, and she'd braced herself for it, but she winced anyway, twisting the hem of her shirt in her hands anxiously. She didn't like Ransom being upset with her. Really, Jessalyn didn't like anyone being upset with her, but her family was the worst feeling. Jessalyn licked her lips and swallowed to try and clear her dry throat before she responded. "I know I'm stuck with him. I want to be stuck with him. And he knows what it means. We talked about it already..." She was fumbling, and she knew it, but it was hard to explain and make him understand. "I love him, and he loves me... and you and Charlotte were only together like, a month before you two mated. He's going to come out to the house and meet everyone. He's the right person for me, Ransom. I was hoping you would understand that, with how you feel about Charlotte."
"But we'd been friends for, like, a year," Ransom argued. It wasn't quite a year, but it was long enough in his opinion. He'd met Charlotte earlier that fall, when she'd moved to Scarlet Oak. They didn't start dating until a month ago, but he felt like all that time as friends had taught them a thing or two about each other. Jessalyn didn't have that going with Madock, which was a large part of what worried him. "She'd met mom and dad, all of us, and we-- we talked about it. How were you even talking about it when you'd barely even met?! He can promise you the world, Jess, but he doesn't have to stand buy it. He's not bound like you are. I'm not doubting your feelings for him, but-- did he push you into this?" Normally, he wasn't one to get his temper all fired up, but if anything would do it, it was this.
"We spent time together," Jessalyn countered weakly. She wasn't good at arguing. She tended to just slink away and admit defeat, but she had to defend her decisions, so she couldn't do that. "I know it's fast, and I know it was... I know what it means. Madock knows what it means too. He didn't go into this blindly and he's not going to leave and no," she added, her tone more firm now, "he didn't push me into this. It was my decision. I wanted it to happen, and I don't regret it at all. I knew Madock was different, even before we met officially. This isn't Madock's fault, so you can push that thought right out of your head."
He wanted to argue that if she'd known this would happen even before they met, that she hadn't been thinking with her head, but he didn't think it would do any good. What was done was done and there was nothing he could say or do that would turn back time and let her change it. "If he leaves you, I will rip him apart," Madock said, a promise, not a threat. If the idiot left his sister, then Ransom wouldn't see her bound to him and miserable, not for the rest of her life. It would hurt her, he was sure, but Jessalyn was strong and suffering for a short time was better than losing her mind completely.
"He won't," Jessalyn promised. She knew Ransom meant it, which was why she was so eager for him to believe her. She didn't want any discord between Madock and her family. But Jessalyn was confident in the thought that Madock would never leave her. At least she would feel confident once they slept together again and she didn't have to worry about him being bound to someone else. Not that she expected him to go off and sleep with some other girl... Her mind was rambling on without her, and she struggled to stop it, needing to tell him more before he stormed off. "There's more though," she said with another grimace. "It's... I know you're going to be mad, but please just... try not to be." Her fingers went back to twisting and wrinkling her shirt. "Next time you see Madock you're going to... well... he's going to smell differently now. I bit him."
"What else could there be that-- what the fuck is wrong with you?" Ransom shouted. He knew he shouldn't yell at his sister, but there was a big difference between making a mistake of a lifetime and breaking what he considered the law among their kind. "Why would you do that?" As ready as he was to go pound Madock's face in now, he wanted some kind of explanation from his sister. As early as he could remember, he'd been taught not to bite people. It wasn't as if he was a toddler running and gnawing on other kids, but as a pup he needed to be careful. Bitten weres were what gave the born ones a bad name, and it was even worse when they were guilty of making them themselves.
Jessalyn did her best not to cower away when he yelled at her, and she nearly lifted her hands to cover her ears. Her bottom lip quivered and she squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds before opening them to look at her brother. "He wanted... it's complicated, Ransom. I know it sounds bad. I guess he felt like he wanted to know what it felt like from my point of view... being bound to him. He wanted to be bound to me too." It did sound bad, especially given that they were taught from an early age never to bite. Never to even nip. But Madock had wanted it, and she didn't do it to someone unwillingly.
He hated yelling at his little sister, and felt horrible for the expression she wore, knowing he had caused it, but Ransom couldn't let this go easily. He saw it as a serious lapse in her judgment, which made him worry even more about her choice in mates. "He wanted it?" Ransom snapped. "What kind of an idiot have you gotten yourself stuck with, Jess? If it's not enough that you're bound to him, then it's never gonna be enough. Did you even stop to think about what that would do to him? What he's gotta go through every month? He's not like us. He could kill you, could kill anyone, if he loses his temper. You know he won't have control. It doesn't just sound bad; it is bad!"
"He's not an idiot," Jessalyn snapped. She didn't want Ransom angry with her, but she didn't want him saying things like that about Madock either. "He's not. I know what he's going go through, and so does he. It's one night a month! It's not... he knows what's going to come and to him, it's worth it if it means being with me. And Madock isn't going to let his temper get the best of him! He's not. If Gabe can learn to control it, so can Madock. You don't understand, Ransom. I know bitten weres aren't like us... but the things he has to deal with, he can deal with. He's prepared to deal with them just like I'm prepared to help him." Jessalyn paused to take a breath. "I know it was wrong of me to do it. I wasn't really thinking at the time... I just... it wasn't that he wanted everything that went along with being a were. He just wanted to feel the things I did. There's something instilled deep inside of me for him that I can't even explain... I know you know what I mean, because I know you feel it for Charlotte." She was doing her best to make Ransom understand it, even when she knew deep down how wrong it had been for her to bite Madock in the first place. But she couldn't turn the clock back. All she could do was deal with the future.
"But you're saying Charlotte can never feel for me the way I feel for her because she's not a werewolf. That it's not enough or not the same," Ransom said, shaking his head. He hadn't thought anything could upset him as much as having a handful of his friends taken by a blood hunter, but he'd never thought his sister would go and bite her new mate. It was too much in too short a time. "You think Gabe should go bite Claire, just so she can understand what he's going through? Or I should go bite Charlotte? How do you not think about a decision like that? And why would Madock go along with it? If he doesn't understand how this was a bad decision, how's he gonna protect you? Plus, who said Gabe could control it? Did you see him take off after those hunters when they went after Claire? If they hadn't shot him, who knows who he might have gone after next? Madock could do the same thing. It's not just about control, but about avoiding situations like that and sometimes they can't be avoided. What're you gonna do then? How're you gonna make this work, Jessalyn? And what the fuck are you gonna tell mom and dad?"
"I'm not saying that," Jessalyn said hurriedly. "I'm not saying Charlotte can't feel that way, or that Gabe should bite Claire... " All the questions he was throwing at her was merely confusing her and she didn't know how to answer any of them. Not the way that would make Ransom understand. "Madock would never let anything happen to me. I know it was wrong, but I can't change it now. I just need you to... I told you because I needed to tell someone. I don't know what I'm going to tell mom and dad! The truth, I guess." She lifted her hands to her cheeks and fought back tears. "I'm sorry. I have to make it work though. I did it, so I have to make it work. I just don't want you mad at me."
"I'm just trying to understand what would make you think it was a good idea," Ransom said, his voice softening slightly as he realized how upset he'd made her. "I... I can get being carried away in the moment and mating, but biting him isn't something you accidentally do. It's a really big deal... but I guess you know that." Taking a deep breath, Ransom ran his fingers through his hair, then squatted down on the forest floor. "I don't wanna sound like mom and dad, but... I'm not mad, Jess. I'm disappointed. You bit your boyfriend. And I-- I don't trust him."
"I don't want to disappoint you," Jessalyn said miserably. "I don't want to disappoint mom and dad either. I just didn't... I don't want to lose Madock. I know that's a bad reason, but it's true. He promised he wouldn't, but there's always that fear, you know? So when he asked... I guess that's what I was thinking when I did it. And I don't want you to blame Madock... you have no reason not to trust him, Ransom. He loves me, and he's good to me... I know it wasn't the best decision between the both of us, but this was my doing as much as it was his." She knelt down onto her knees in front of him. "Please don't be mad at him."
"If you didn't trust him not to leave you, then you weren't ready to sleep with him," Ransom said, looking up to meet her eyes as he sat down. He knew how she felt, that there would always be a chance that Charlotte could leave him, but Ransom trusted her with all his heart that she wouldn't. He was sure he had made the right choice in a mate and that he had nothing to worry about, even if he had no way of knowing so. "How can I trust him to make good decisions on taking care of you after this? And what's it say about his pack mentality if he could forget his sister is missing long enough to go get bitten? And what if he's not even a wolf? I'm not happy with him, Jess. I wanna crush his face in. Cause I don't think he deserves you... I'm your brother, so I can say that."
"I didn't say I didn't trust him," Jessalyn said, frowning. She did trust Madock, that was why she slept with him. She loved him. "This was my decision too. You keep talking about him like he did this all on his own, and he didn't." Her frown deepened when he mentioned Claire, because she didn't know what that had to do with this. "What are you talking about? He didn't forget her. How could you even say that? You barely know Madock," she said, finally letting her defensive side bubble to the surface. "You don't understand! I'm the only constant thing in his life right now. His sister is gone, his dad threw him out of the house, and all he has now is me. I think he was looking to form some kind of bond that wouldn't disappear on him when everything else is. I know it's not rational," she said, climbing to her feet. "But I understand it. If you're not happy with Madock, then you're not happy with me, because this was my choice to. You're my brother, so I would hope you would be supportive of this. Madock's my mate and he's not going anywhere... and he is a wolf... I know he is. I can smell it."
That only made things worse, since it sounded to him like Madock was using Jessalyn to give himself stability, not because he loved her. And she was right about Ransom not knowing Madock, but that didn't help, since he felt like he should know her mate better. "Then I'm not happy with you, Jess," Ransom said, rolling back up to his feet. He took a few steps back, his voice shaking along with his head. "I thought you were part of my pack. I thought you'd make good decisions. And now I don't know what to think! I don't know how to support this cause... cause I expected differently, I guess. Be mad at me for being upset, but don't expect me to get it when I don't! I don't get it, and I don't know how to!"
"I am a part of your pack," Jessalyn protested. She didn't want him to think otherwise, because that would be worse than anything else he could say or do. "Being with Madock... I can't imagine being with anyone else. I knew it the minute he kissed me I didn't want anyone else. I told you because I thought you might understand. I'm not mad at you for being upset... I just don't think it's fair that you're judging Madock so harshly. If you think we made a mistake, then I understand, I get that, Ransom! But everyone makes mistakes, and everyone deserves a second chance, don't they?" She tugged the hem of her shirt again, feeling ten times more miserable than she had when she knocked on his door. "It's hard to accept now, but it's going to get better... everything will work out and be okay."
Was he just supposed to say okay and make everything fine again? Ransom could forgive her, as he could see that she was sorry and knew that she understood what she did wrong, but he wasn't all that sure about Madock. "Everyone deserves a second chance, Jess. Except we don't get one. We're not made that way." He slid his hands into his back pockets and kicked a toe against the ground, frustrated. "If you're sure you made the right choice, I can't argue with you." But he still didn't trust her judgment, which upset him most of all.
Jessalyn took a step toward him, her eyes imploring. "I don't want to argue with you at all. I just want you to understand I love him... I can't change things now. I know I made some rash decisions, and I know you don't agree with them and I'm sorry." She chewed on her lip again before dropping her arms to her side. "I'll tell mom and dad... not just yet, but I'll tell them. I don't know... what they'll do, or say..." But she figured she ought to brace herself to expect the worst, whatever that may be. Right now she was more worried about what Ransom was thinking about her. "I'm sorry," she said again. "You're my brother, and I love you, and I don't want you to be mad at me."
"I love you too," Ransom said, unaware of the way his bottom lip puffed out as he said it. He closed his eyes and sighed before opening them again. "I haven't even told mom and dad about Charlotte and I. Just didn't feel right when everything's so down. But if you could hold off for a while, at least maybe it won't seem so sudden. I don't know how you can explain biting him, though." If they weren't a family of werewolves, Ransom would have told her to lie about it and say he got bitten by someone in the attack. Unfortunately, he didn't think they could squeak something like that by. "I'm still mad at him," Ransom said, pouting stubbornly. "I'm allowed to be pissed at the guy that screwed my sister."
Sighing, Jessalyn walked over to her brother and set her hands on either side of his face to make him look at her. "He didn't screw me, Ransom." At least... well... okay, so maybe he did, but only literally. Which she knew better than to say aloud. "I chose this. I wanted it too. I wanted to mate with him. He didn't push or force me to do it. As for the biting... I think we both just got caught up in what was happening, and maybe we made a mistake, but we can't change it. He's my mate, Ransom. I need you to just try and please accept him... if you two don't get along, that's going to make me miserable. You're allowed to be upset, but please don't... hold onto that emotion, okay? I need you to be my brother and help me."
Ransom would have been happier if he could be mad at Madock without making Jessalyn miserable, but that didn't seem to be an option. She wanted all around acceptance and that wasn't going to come easily, or quickly. "I'll try," Ransom said eventually. "I don't want you to be miserable, Jess, but I'm not gonna be okay with this overnight." As much as he hated to do that to her, she should have known her decisions would impact the reactions of those around her. He couldn't force himself to feel differently just because it upset her. He'd just have to keep his opinions to himself from now on, since she didn't want to hear them.
"I know. I don't really expect you to. I just don't want you to hold this against me, or him, forever, that's all." She dropped her hands to her sides. She cared about him, and she cared about his opinions, which was why she told him before she told anyone else. She might not agree with his opinions, but she definitely understood them, to an extent. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt anyone."
"I know," Ransom said, and took a step forward to wrap his arms around his sister. He sighed as he hugged her, still frustrated, but unable to change anything that had happened. His hands slid down her arms and he took her hands as he released her, taking a step back. "I just don't understand why you rushed into things like that. Mating with him and biting him in less than a week-- I'm worried about your combined ability to make decisions, Jess. Promise me you won't make any more big decisions before thinking long and hard first, okay?"
Jessalyn felt a little bit better when he hugged her, because she was afraid he'd be so mad he wouldn't want to even touch her. She knew he was upset. She could probably have sensed it a mile away, but he wasn't yelling or anything, so she supposed that was an okay sign. "I promise. I wanted... I don't regret mating with Madock." she said simply. Biting him, obviously, but not mating. "He's the one I want to be with. I know I'm young, and I know it was fast, but I can't really explain why I know it was the right thing to do. I promise I won't make anymore big decisions without giving it some time..."
He didn't doubt Jessalyn's desire to be with Madock, but the other way around. There were very few guys his age that were ready to find a permanent mate without a werewolf brain in the back, barking out orders. It bothered him that Jessalyn had bitten Madock so soon after, as if everything would be okay so long as he was a werewolf too. That wasn't a feeling that was going to quickly fade either. "I don't wanna hear that you've run off and eloped," Ransom said, looking at her sharply.
There was the smallest of laughs in her throat at his comment. Would it matter at this point, if they had run off and eloped? She was as good as married to Madock at this point, and she was sure Ransom knew that. "There will be no eloping," Jessalyn told him with a small grin. "He's going to college this fall... and I still have school. And... mom and dad are already going to be mad enough at me... I'd rather not give them anything else to scream at me about." Jessalyn twitched her lips curiously. "Do you think they'll kick me out or something?"
It mattered to Ransom, who'd rather not see his little sister married before she finished high school. There was also the quietest part of his mind that was upset at how he couldn't celebrate his own relationship, due to the contrast against his sister's. It didn't seem right to say anything anymore, and he knew his parents would see the camping trip as even more of a mistake than they already did. He was glad Jessalyn hadn't told him when it happened, since it would have ruined things then instead of later. At least he'd been able to enjoy it while it lasted. "If you marry him, yes," Ransom answered, sure on that one. If Jessalyn married Madock, then she was his responsibility. Honestly, she already was, but he decided not to point that out. Hopefully their parents wouldn't push that. "Otherwise, I dunno. I'm sure they won't want the whole family knowing. Bad example and all that. I just... don't know."
Her face fell instantly at that. Was she a bad example? Jessalyn had never been a bad example before. She didn't want her parents thinking of her that way either, but maybe they would now. Disappointing them was bad enough, but knowing they might think she was a bad example to her siblings seemed to hurt worse. Jessalyn was silent for a few moments as her brain tried to form a coherent thought. "I'll... wait to tell them... for awhile." At least until she'd been with Madock long enough where they might be okay with it. She felt like she let everyone down, even if no one knew but Ransom. It was a horrible feeling, and she wished she could cut it out of herself.
Now Ransom felt bad for saying anything and wondered if he should have kept his mouth shut. It was the biting that was a bad example, not necessarily the mating, but he associated them together now, having learned about them almost simultaneously. His own face fell and he looked at the ground, no longer sure what to say. "They can't even meet him unless you tell them," he said softly. "Unless you can pretend someone else bit him." He almost suggested Gabe, but that seemed like a bad idea considering the odd little circle they had. "I... I don't think they'll be as upset about the mating. But they won't even know that unless you tell them... or don't shower or something." Scent could give it away if she wasn't careful.
Jessalyn didn't blame Ransom in the slightest. She knew she'd brought all these feelings upon herself. She had been worried and stressing out about it since it happened and she should have known that telling Ransom wasn't going to make any of the feelings go away. She'd only upset him, which in turn upset her further. She could only imagine how her parents would react. "I don't know what I'll do yet," she said with a soft sigh, her eyes lifting to look at the towering trees above them. "I don't like lying to them... I think that will make it worse when they find out the truth."
"I wish I could help you," Ransom said. It probably didn't seem like that from the way he was acting, but it was the truth. He was still furious at Madock for getting Jessalyn into this mess-- even if she was partially to blame-- and he was still upset, but that didn't mean he didn't want to help her. He didn't like seeing her upset any more than she liked seeing him upset. "Maybe you should go ahead and tell 'em. If you wait... it can only make things worse... I think. I dunno." Nothing really softened the fact that she'd bitten him, and maybe the news on mating would help. He really didn't know.
She tore her gaze from the trees to look back at Ransom. "I don't know if that's a good idea," she said. "I mean, telling them now. They were already freaked out over what happened on the camping trip... I don't want to make that worse right now. But I'll tell them soon... I don't want to wait too long." Jessalyn pushed her hair back from her face. "Thanks...I mean, for listening and not freaking out too much on me."
"You mean I could have freaked out more?" Ransom asked, his lips turning up slightly. "I'm always here to listen. I just... want the best for you, Jess." Madock was a nice guy, but Ransom hadn't been ready to hear that he was the one. He still didn't know if he considered Madock the best choice, but it not only wasn't up to him, but it was a choice already made. There was no changing it, so he might as well accept it, hard as that might seem.
"You could have, yes..." Jessalyn smile was faint. "You could have yelled at me more, or walked away. Or run off to tell mom and dad. I know you want the best for me... and I know given the circumstances that you might not think Madock is the best for me... but he is. I hope once this all blows over, you'll be able to see it the way I do."
"I hope so," Ransom said, since right now he didn't see Madock that way at all. Instead, he saw a guy that barely knew his sister, that had taken her heart and body for himself, plus encouraged her to make other bad decisions that could make her an outcast among her kind. He loved Jessalyn, but she didn't always make the best decisions. Ransom had hoped she'd find someone who might balance that out, not make it worse.
She hoped so too, for everyone's sake. Jessalyn didn't want her family disliking Madock. She wanted them to see what she saw. He was a good person, and she didn't believe for a second that he did anything maliciously. But she knew when this happened that no one would really understand her, or them, so she just had to deal with that. "Should we head back?" she asked, motioning toward the house.
"Sure," Ransom said with a little smile. He hadn't done a very good job at calming Jessalyn's fears, but he did his best to accept what she had to tell him. He had no idea if his parents would do the same. Maybe they'd be accepting and it would be no big deal. That would be the shock of a lifetime, but Ransom knew it was better to be optimistic. He hated to see his sister worrying about something she could no longer change.
Jessalyn felt like she was going to worry no matter what Ransom said. He hadn't taken it well, but he'd calmed down enough to let her try and explain at least. Hopefully her parents would do the same. The sooner she got all of this over with, the better. She just had to get to the point where she could confess everything. She slipped her arm through Ransom's to walk with him back toward the house. "I know... you'll probably tell Charlotte. But could you not tell anyone else? I don't want it getting around for awhile.."
He hated to say it, but he didn't really have anyone else to tell. His circle of friends was rather small, and he wouldn't dare break the news to his parents. He didn't want the news getting around any more than she did. People were already scared of bitten werewolves; they didn't need to know that a born one could bite and turn them as well. "I won't tell anyone else. And I don't think you have to worry about her doing so either. She's pretty good at keeping secrets."
Jessalyn nodded. She would prefer Ransom not tell anyone, but Charlotte was his mate now, so she knew it would be wrong to ask him to withhold stuff from her. "Thanks, Ransom." She could easily stand there and thank him all day for this or that. The important thing was that he didn't hate her. She only hoped her parents would be the same way.