by Breezy Jones
“I’m up… Aye!” I squealed as I rolled too far and fell off the bed. I huffed from inside a knot of sheets and blankets.
The alarm’s buzzing stopped, and I froze as I realized I hadn’t been the one to turn it off.
I yanked the blankets off my face and then jerked upright at the sight of Ryker standing over me. Dim rays of light filtered in through the wide-paned windows casting shadows across the tan floor. I squinted up at him. He was wearing a T-shirt with the same thin cotton fabric as last night’s. The way it clung to his abs and biceps left my mouth dry. Today, instead of pants, he wore running shorts, and I had to avert my eyes to keep from drooling. I’d never been so attracted to a male’s thighs before. Or so aware of the fact that I wasn’t wearing anything more than he was underneath this pile of blankets.
Then I remembered how he’d gotten up here in the first place, and my temper took over.
“What the hell,” I groaned. “Don’t you ever knock?”
“I did knock. You didn’t answer.”
“For good reason. It’s called sleep. You should try it.”
“Meet me in the kitchen,” he said and left without waiting for me to agree.
I huffed, once again flopping into my pile of blankets.
Laying there seemed like a really good idea until I tried to guess what Ryker would do if I didn’t meet him in the kitchen. Would he come back here and make me get up? I thought about that and came to the immediate conclusion that, yes, he damn well could make me. In fact, given how easily he’d stopped my attack yesterday, he could probably make me do a lot of things.
It was a theory I didn’t really want to test out for myself anytime soon.
I got up and gave my bed one more longing glance before pulling on a bathrobe and heading for the stairs. By the time I’d reached the landing, I heard Ryker’s footsteps as he paced across the hardwood floor of my dining room.
The moment I entered the room, Ryker stopped his pacing and stared back at me. His expression, just as stern and serious as the first time we met, was pulled into a frown that somehow included his entire face. It made him appear even more menacing.
A tremble shook through me at the alpha energy rolling off him, but I did my best to ignore it. No way was I going to cower. Turning away, I went into the kitchen and popped a K-Cup into the chamber then waited as it brewed.
Ryker followed.
When he opened his mouth, I held up a hand, stopping him before he could utter a word. “I need coffee before I can even begin to handle you,” I said.
Ryker waited while I grabbed the brewed cup of coffee and poured in some creamer. Taking a few sips, I allowed the taste of Swiss Mocha to wash over me and waited for the caffeine to kick in.
“Okay, where’s the fire?” I asked, pinning Ryker with a stern glare.
“Fire?” he repeated, his brows knitting together.
“You broke into my apartment—again—and woke me up and all this before my coffee.” I took another sip and added, “There’d better be a fire.”
Ryker lifted a brow. “No fire. You just didn’t answer your door.”
“Do you just not believe in waiting to be let in or what?”
He offered a smirk that suggested he wasn’t the kind of guy who waited for anything. “It wasn’t like I damaged your lock or anything—and I realized I never told you what to wear today.” His gaze raked over me, and my skin tingled underneath the thin robe I wore. I narrowed my eyes at him and he continued, “To be fair, I didn’t think you’d still be asleep.”
“Well, you’re early.”
Ryker glanced pointedly at the stove clock. I followed his gaze and my shoulders slumped. It was twenty minutes to seven which meant I had overslept.
“Okay,” I conceded. “What makes you think you know better than I do about what I should wear?”
He gave a quick shrug. “I thought we might go for a run.”
“A run?” I sputtered, nearly snorting coffee through my nose. “Oh no, you don’t understand. I don’t run.”
He shook his head as if disappointed. “I’m not surprised.”
I tried to keep the irritation from showing on my face. It wasn’t as if I looked out of shape. I had a good figure. I just didn’t see the need for running when something wasn’t chasing me.
“Do you have something against physical activity?” he asked.
“Of course not. I just avoid running.” His brows rose like I was the weird one in this conversation so I added, “Because I’m not insane. Besides, I’m more of a yoga type girl.”
He grunted something unintelligible before adding, “Indulge me.”
I peeked at him over my coffee cup, running my gaze the length of him as I contemplated the idea. A run would probably do wonders for all the nervous energy I’d been carrying since our encounter last night. Besides that, I wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity to see my new acquaintance without a shirt. And he had promised answers.
“Not in wolf form, though, right?” I asked, suddenly nervous.
Ryker arched a brow at that.
“I haven’t been very…comfortable shifting,” I admitted, thinking of the abandoned storm cellar where I chained myself up on full moons.
Ryker’s eyes sparked with enough understanding that I wondered if it hurt him to shift as much as it hurt me.
“You’ll get better at that,” he said, and the certainty in his voice startled me. How would he know? Did he plan to stick around long enough to help me improve? “For now, we’ll stay human.”
Taking a deep breath, I nodded slowly. “Okay,” I said, already wondering if I was going to hate myself for this later. “Give me a minute to get dressed.”
Ten minutes later, I locked the door behind me and followed Ryker out onto the sidewalk. He waited until I’d stuffed my key into my pocket and then started at a reasonable jog.
We passed my line of apartments that cast the sidewalk in shadow as birds chirped their early songs far too cheerfully for this time of the morning. Past the apartment building were the manicured lawns and white picket fences gracing rows of suburban homes. As we headed toward downtown, the cliché properties were replaced by quaint businesses.
The tension released from my shoulders with every stretch and pull of my muscles as the cool air whipped through my hair. I tried not to focus on the slow burning in my calves.
“So, what’s your story?” I asked as we ran. “How did you become alpha?”
I wanted to ask how he became a werewolf, but I couldn’t risk him turning the question back on me.
He glanced in my direction, thoughtful for a few seconds before answering. “Pretty simple. I grew up here in town with the pack. My dad was alpha before me and his father before him.”
“So, you’ve sorta been groomed for this.”
Ryker rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah.” He didn’t sound bitter or unhappy about it. He stated it like a matter-of-fact—as if that was just how things were—and he’d long since accepted them.
“What about you?” he asked, and I tensed. No part of me wanted to delve into my past or the pain that came with it, but I also knew it was unavoidable. “I’m guessing you didn’t grow up in a pack, and I’m also guessing you don’t have much experience with wolves—your own or anyone else’s. So, what happened? How did you change?”
And there it was.
I steeled myself against the onslaught of emotions and replied with nothing but the facts, “Two years ago, there was a fire. My family didn’t make it out of the house. I… I jumped from the second-story window to get out. When I came to, I was alone, and the change had already begun.”
“You’ve been on your own since?” he asked.
I glanced toward the sky and gave a small nod, unsure of my voice.
“Sounds rough,” he said quietly.
I c
oncentrated on the steady thump of our feet against the cracked pavement until I was certain of my voice again. “It wasn’t easy, but I’ve figured things out. Or enough anyway to get by.”
“Neither of your parents were wolves?”
I shook my head. “I never knew my father, but my mom definitely wasn’t.” I almost laughed at the thought of her morphing into a beast like me, but the ache of the loss wouldn’t allow it.
“It must be from your dad’s side then.”
I frowned, casting a glance in his direction. “What do you mean?”
“The werewolf gene is genetic. When a person turns, it’s because the gene is already in your blood.”
“But I didn’t become this until two years ago.”
“You can live your whole life with the gene in your DNA. Doesn’t mean anything unless the mutation is triggered.”
“How is it triggered?”
He was silent for so long that I wondered if he’d heard my question.
I looked over, ready to repeat it, just as his gaze met mine. “You have to kill someone,” he said simply.
I stopped jogging and doubled over, sucking in air and wincing with each ragged breath as Ryker waited beside me.
“Here,” Ryker said, holding out a bottle of water.
I waved him off, too overwhelmed to even try to speak much less drink. My knees wobbled, wanting to buckle from the effort I’d put them through. And my head spun, more from the answer he’d just given than from the physical effort.
Had he just implied that I’d killed someone?
Why couldn’t I bring myself to deny it? Why couldn’t I remember if he was right or not?
After a few minutes, my breath started to even out, and I straightened, rubbing my abdomen where a cramp was forming. “I don’t think I can run and process what you just said,” I admitted.
“Come on,” he gestured, pulling his hair into his fist and then tying it up into a knot. He’d barely broken a sweat, I noticed now, and tried not to hate him for it. “I know a place where you can sit down and catch your breath.”
I tucked the stray strands of hair around my ears, and walked behind Ryker down the street, the sun growing brighter as it made its way higher into the clouded sky.
“You said you changed two years ago?” Ryker asked, handing me the bottled water again now that I’d gained control of my body enough to take it.
I took it, downing a big gulp before answering. “Yep.”
“And you’ve been on your own ever since?”
“I moved here right after the fire. A fresh start,” I said and then shot him a pointed look, adding sarcastically, “What? Your alpha senses didn’t alert you to my presence the moment I arrived?”
“No. I’ve only been keeping an eye on you for about three months now.”
Wait. What?
I’d been joking, but could he really sense another werewolf?
“Why did it take you so long to find me?” I joked, only half-teasing because three months… I didn’t want to think about how creepy it was to know he’d been watching me that long.
“I would have picked up on you the moment you arrived in town or pretty close to it, but your wolf scent is masked. Did you know that?”
I frowned. “Masked how?”
“I wasn’t sure last night. It’s why I brought you out here today to make sure it wasn’t some protection over your house. But it’s definitely hanging on you, because I can’t get a whiff of your wolf out here.” He leaned closer to me and inhaled deeply, adding, “You smell like a woman.”
At his words, a tingle ran through me from head to toe and I shuddered. Something about Ryker smelling me seemed…hot.
I cleared my throat, looking around me at the square brick buildings in an attempt to get my bearings—and hide the fact that I’d enjoyed his sniffing me. We were on the edge of downtown near the square, a small lake at the center. I knew the area and since moving to Pinefall, I had come here often for coffee and window shopping on my days off. It was one of those towns that felt small and cozy, but not so tiny that everyone was all up in your business.
Until I’d met Ryker, anyway.
“Can you do that?” I asked. “Mask your scent?”
“Not that I’m aware of. And no other werewolf I’ve met can do it either.”
“Then how—”
Ryker shook his head. “My guess is magic, which makes me quite curious as to who your friends are.”
I faltered and said, “Magic is real too then? Wow.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched like he’d been hoping for a different response. “You haven’t done a masking spell then?”
“Uh. No. I didn’t know magic was actually real much less how to do a spell on myself.”
Ryker stopped walking and rotated to stare at me with hardened eyes. “You really don’t know about any of this, do you?”
I stopped next to him, wrapping my arms around myself to ward off the morning chill. Around us, the town was waking up with store owners turning on their open signs or pulling displays in front of their little shops. Not too many people wandered the sidewalks yet, but I kept my voice low just in case there were listening ears.
“How could I?” I said. “I’ve been on my own the whole time. The only things I know I’ve learned from experience.”
Ryker put his hands into his pockets. Relaxing. “Well, someone has gone to difficult lengths to make sure you weren’t discovered by any more of our kind.”
I shook my head, confused and still reeling by Ryker’s accusation a few minutes ago—I hadn’t killed anyone. Had I? And who could have used magic on me without my knowing? “Why would someone do that?”
“A few reasons, but my first guess would be because you’re a woman.”
“Well, that’s not sexist at all,” I replied sarcastically.
Ryker hesitated then added, “You don’t understand. You’re the only woman werewolf I’ve ever met.”
“Like ever?”
His gaze flicked away then back to me. “As far as we always knew, it was impossible for a female to survive the curse.”
My brows knitted together. “What do you mean survive the curse?”
“I mean, women have triggered the curse before, but their bodies give out before the change could be completed. You’d have to talk to our doctors to understand the science behind it, but basically women just aren’t strong enough.”
His words left me even more confused—and a little indignant that he’d just implied women were the weaker sex. “Not strong enough? That’s crazy. How did I survive then?” I asked.
Ryker sucked in air between his teeth. “Hell, if I know.”
My shoulders sagged. I’d come here for answers and all I was getting were more questions.
How had I survived something no other woman had? Had I really killed someone to become this? If so, I was a bigger monster than I’d realized. A shiver ran through me at the thought.
Ryker started walking again and then stopped just outside Hot Shots, a café I’d been to a few times. They served the best coffee in town, and the waitress had always been friendly. “Listen,” he said, facing me. “I think you should meet the pack.”
I faltered, my eyes going wide as understanding dawned. “What? Do you mean now? In there?”
His lips twitched. “The diner is sort of our headquarters,” he admitted. When I didn’t respond, he went on. “It might clear a few things up for you and give you some more answers. In the meantime, you could really use their protection.”
“What are you talking about? Protection from what?” I asked, hesitating just outside the front door.
“Vampires and other supernaturals. Even other packs.” He said, bringing his hand up to brush back a strand of hair that had come free from my ponytail.
“Whoa. Hold on. You
mean like blood-sucking monsters that hunt in the night kind of vampires?” I asked, and he nodded. “Are you saying vampires are real? And what do you mean other supernaturals? Other packs?” My voice squeaked by the end of my stream of questions.
Ryker smiled sympathetically. “A female werewolf means a stronger family line when she decides to mate.”
“Hold up,” I said, lifting my hand. “No one said a damn thing about mating.”
“I know that. But other supernaturals won’t want to risk it while other packs will try to claim you for their own.”
I shuddered at the way he’d just said claim and decided not to ask what exactly that would involve.
I looked away, staring off into the distance. Ducks flapped water from their wings as they settled onto the shallow banks. I wondered again if Ryker had been the one following me these last few months. He’d said he was watching me but how closely? Were there others trying to get to me besides him? Did I really need his protection?
Ryker lifted his hand and cupped my chin. I swiveled my gaze back to him, and he softened.
“Your pack is your family. They can help answer questions that I can’t, and it will also allow them the chance to understand you. Which will help now that your existence is known.” His expression seemed genuine as he let his hand fall back to his side, and I had to admit that a family sounded nice. Answers sounded even better.
I rocked back on my heels, thinking through the idea. I wasn’t entirely sure I trusted whatever this was yet. “I don’t know. I just met you, and I don’t know if—” I started but Ryker cut me off, his eyes piercing mine in the brightening midday sun.
“Listen, you have to align with a pack somewhere. It’s law.”
I narrowed my eyes, placing my hands on my hips. “And what if I don’t?”
“Then you’ll be hunted down and arrested—or worse, depending on how much of a threat you’re deemed.”
“I’m not a threat. I told you, I wouldn’t hurt anyone,” I said, whispering the words as a girl jogged by, her blonde ponytail swishing from one side to the other.
Ryker waited for her to be far enough away before he replied, “They don’t know that. Besides, you’re the only woman werewolf in existence. There are plenty of groups who’d love to get their hands on you. And death might be preferred over what they’d do to you.”