“Oh please, like you’ve ever had anything dry cleaned before,” she says with a snort. A small grin appears on her face, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “You said only shifters who have gone through the change can mate, what does that mean for…us?” She pauses. “Not that I’m ready to mate with you right now! I’m not saying I’ll never be ready to but… You know, just so I have all the facts?” she adds, stumbling over her words. It’s obvious, the idea of us mating makes her nervous.
“Pru, it’s okay. I know you’re nowhere close to being ready to go through the mating ceremony, and I can wait. I’ve waited fourteen years, what’s a couple more months,” I reassure her. If I had it my way, I would mate with her on the next full moon.
Wait, the full moon is tomorrow. Maybe that’s a little bit too soon…
“Ryker, I may never be able to shift, remember? So that means—”
“We might never get to complete the bond,” I finish for her, cursing the gods as I do. How could fate be this cruel to me? To us? We have waited so long to find each other, and now we might never get to really be together.
“Okay, there is only one thing for us to do.” Pru takes another step back and puts her hands on her hips, a look of determination on her face. “You need to teach me how to shift.”
16
Pruitt
“You need to relax,” Ryker says for the four hundredth time.
“If you tell me to relax one more time, I’m going to hit you.” I keep my eyes closed as I snap at him. We’re standing in the woods not far from the house. Ryker is trying the best he can to explain to me how to “call upon” my wolf. So far it’s going fantastically. I’ve spent the past hour of my life having someone tell me to dig deep and picture my wolf. Then picture it taking shape where I stand. Oh, and I mustn’t forget the most important part—I have to relax.
Good God, how is any of this relaxing? I’m trying to call upon an animal that is caged deep, deep inside of me. Oh, and I just found out the only family member I’ve ever known is dying of an aggressive form of cancer.
But sure, let me just relax.
“It’s cute you think you’re fast enough to actually hit me.” He chuckles, and although I can’t see his face, I know there’s a cocky smirk on it.
“I did outrun you yesterday,” I remind him. “That was insane, by the way. I’ve never moved so fast in my life.”
“It was pretty amazing, which is why I know your wolf is in there and trying to break free of the binding spell. Well, that and the vicious growl you let out after I kissed—”
“Yep! I know who you kissed, there’s no need to bring it up again!” I crinkle my face at the memory.
“It proves your wolf is still awake inside of you, aware of her surroundings. She’s just, for lack of a better word, stuck.”
“Okay, how do we get her unstuck?” I ask, throwing my hands up in frustration. “Because we’ve been at this thing for a while, and nothing is happening.” Unable to stand it any longer, I open my eyes and look at him.
“I think our next step should be to go see Esme. She was the one who bound your wolf in the first place, she may know how to free it.”
“There’s nothing else we can do ourselves?” I bite my bottom lip. “I’m just not comfortable with asking a witch for help.”
“You’ve already met Esme, you know she’s harmless.” Ryker seems almost offended that I would feel this way. “Plus, she’s the high priestess of her coven, and arguably the most powerful witch on this side of the country. If anyone’s going to be able to help us, it’s her.”
“Okay, fine, set up a meeting with Esme.” I reach over and take his hand in mine, tracing the black and gray rose that sits there. “You realize how crazy all of this sounds, right? We have to go see a witch to free my wolf, the same witch who bound it in the first place because some evil werewolf wants me, and that’s only because he couldn’t have my mother.” I barely believe the words as I say them.
“It’s still not as crazy as my mate coming back to life,” Ryker says. “That will always be on the list of craziest things to happen to me. It will also be on the top of the list of best things to happen to me.” Ryker lifts my chin with his free hand, so we’re looking at each other. “I still can’t believe you’re here. I’m afraid if I’m apart from you for too long, you’ll disappear again.”
“Is that why you slept in the chair again last night?” I ask him.
“I don’t like being away from you, even when I’m asleep,” he answers simply.
“I don’t like it either,” I admit. When I was on my walk with Addison, I wanted to turn around and go back to him. I kept thinking I wish he were here so I could reach out to him. Just holding his hand makes me feel much calmer, and I needed that when Addison told me about her cancer diagnosis. “To be honest, it’s scary how much I don’t like it.”
“Like I told you last night, we’re meant for each other. We aren’t meant to be apart. When we are, our wolves tend to fight against it.”
I lean up on my tippy toes, so my face is closer to his. “I don’t think it’s just my wolf that doesn’t like being away from you, “ I confess to him before planting a small kiss to his mouth.
Ryker brings both of his hands up to my face, and he deepens the kiss. This kiss isn’t the tentative first kiss we shared last night. No, this one is full of need. And it’s not just Ryker who needs this, I’m right there with him. I hold on tightly to the front of his shirt at first before I release the material, and my hands slowly travel down to wrap around his waist.
With a deep growl, Ryker pushes us backward until I run into a nearby tree. I barely feel the bite of the rough bark against my skin. My head is spinning, and I’m fully consumed by his touch. This is the kind of kiss people swoon over in novels. It’s the kind of kiss people blush over in movies, and I can’t get enough of it.
Enough of him.
Ryker’s hands travel down my sides before grabbing right below my buttocks. “Wrap your legs around me,” he whispers against my mouth before hoisting me up. I immediately do what he says, my legs circling his waist and my ankles crossing at his lower back. “That’s better.”
Now that we are at the same height, the new angle allows him to deepen the kiss even more. My arms circle his neck, pulling him closer, but deep down, I know he will never be close enough, not until we are mated. My stomach flips at the thought of officially mating with Ryker, both with nerves and excitement at the possibility.
Ryker’s mouth leaves mine, and I whimper in protest, but then his lips trail soft kisses down my neck. He softly sucks on the spot where my neck and shoulder meet, and I shiver from the feeling. I move my head to the side to give him more access, and that’s when I feel it—the sharp sensation of teeth, no fangs, scraping against my skin.
It’s just like the electrical shock I’ve felt every time we’ve touched, but multiplied by a million. Jolts shoot from that spot all the way to my fingertips and down to my toes. I gasp in surprise and pull back from him.
“What is that?” I breathlessly ask.
“That’s where one day, I will mark you.” He swipes his tongue across my neck again, and I groan.
“Mark me?”
“It’s part of the mating ceremony,” he explains between kisses as he travels back up my neck and then to my chin. “I’ll bite you there, leaving a mark, so everyone knows you’re mine.”
“You’re going to bite me?” I gasp, shocked at the prospect of allowing someone to sink his teeth—fangs—into my skin.
“Yes, and you’ll do the same to me,” he casually adds before nipping at my bottom lip with his teeth. He leans back so I can see his face, and I suck in a breath.
“Your eyes are glowing gold,” I tell him. I saw them right before he shifted into his wolf form when the rogue wolf attacked in the clearing, but I haven’t seen them this close up, not while he’s still Ryker, a flesh and blood male.
“I know. They shifted when you first kissed me.
I didn’t want to scare you, so I’ve been trying to keep my eyes closed.” He blinks a couple times, but the gold remains.
“Why would they scare me?” I reach up and circle my finger gently around his eye. “They’re beautiful, just how I dreamt they’d be.”
“I—” Ryker isn’t able to finish what he wants to say because the obnoxious sound of a phone ringing cuts him off. “Shit,” he growls before carefully lowering me to the ground.
My legs feel wobbly as I steady myself. Ryker puts the phone to his ear and snaps at the person on the other end, “What?”
I take a few steps away from him to give him some space while he’s on the phone. Running my fingers through my tangled mess of hair, I carefully remove the knots that are now there. I don’t need to walk back to the house and have everyone know I was just pushed up against a tree and making out with Ryker.
“Can’t someone else deal with it?” Ryker's voice is less harsh then it was when he first answered the phone, but there’s still a bite to it. “I’m busy…” he says glancing at me then back at the ground. “I’m with Pru right now, can’t someone else…Okay, fine. We’ll be back in a minute.”
“Was that your dad?” I ask him once his phone is back in his pocket.
“Yes. There was a rogue wolf spotted not far from here, and since I’m the resident rogue killer, my assistance was asked for.” He shoves his fingers through his thick hair, making it stand all over the place.
“You’re leaving?” I try to conceal my panic at the thought of him leaving me, but I already know I did a horrible job.
“I’m not going anywhere.” As he reaches for me and pulls me to his side, I go willingly. “Let’s go back to the house and see what’s going on.”
“I’ll be right back.” Ryker gives me a quick kiss on my forehead before disappearing into the house. His shoulders are tight as he walks away. I’ve noticed Elias and Ryker don’t have the closest relationship, and they both appear to feel uneasy around each other. I hope with Ryker back, they’ll be able to fix whatever the problem is.
Resisting the urge to follow Ryker into the house, I go sit in one of the loungers by the pool. I need a minute to sort through my thoughts and figure out how I’m feeling about all of this.
I’m more worried about Addison than I am about the whole wolf thing right now. Addison refused to do treatment because it was going to make her feel sicker than she does now, and the odds of it even working were small. She told me her priority has always been keeping me safe, so getting me back to Montana was on the top of her list.
I feel guilty that she put my safety and happiness over her own heath. But Addison has always put me first. It took years of convincing to get her to open her first boutique because she was afraid she would be away from me too much if she did. But I saw how happy she was when she would show me her designs and I couldn’t keep her from that. And now, six years later, she has shops across the country and is very successful.
I make a mental note to ask Esme about possible things she could do to help Addison. If she’s as powerful as Ryker says, she should be able to do something. Right?
“Do you love him?” An unfamiliar voice breaks into my thoughts, and I turn to see Avery standing not far away. She’s completely naked and makes no move to cover herself up. She stands there, hands on her hips, completely okay with her nudity. Meanwhile, I’m so not.
I shake my head. “Wait—what? I’m sorry, would you like some clothes?” I stammer.
“No, I’m fine.” She glowers down at me. “I asked if you love him.”
“Ryker?”
“Yes, of course, I mean Ryker, who else would I be talking about?” she snaps. “Do you love Ryker?” She repeats, irritation written all over her face.
“I don’t see how that is any of your business,” I counter.
“He’s my friend, and he saved my life. I care about him, and I don’t want him to get hurt by some human.” She sneers at me like my existence alone offends her.
“Well, apparently, I’m not human.”
“As long as you can’t shift, you’re basically human, with some added bonuses sprinkled in.” Avery raises her chin. “And as long as you can’t shift, you can’t mate with him. And he’s running out of time.”
“What do you mean he’s running out of time?” I straighten in my seat, concerned. “Is he sick?”
Avery laughs. “No, it’s far worse than whatever is rotting your aunt’s body from the inside out.” Her harsh words hit me at full force, cutting deep. But I assume that was the point, to hurt me. “He’s going to turn rogue if he doesn’t mate soon.”
“How do you know that?” I question, raising from my seat. “Why should I believe you?”
“Because unlike you, I actually know Ryker.”
“I know him,” I say with a huff, offended she would insinuate otherwise.
“Okay, you think you know him? What’s his favorite color?” she fires at me.
“I—”
“It’s green.”
“What does he dream about?”
“I don’t—”
“He dreams about the little girl that died.”
“Well, surprise! I didn’t actually die.”
“Well, maybe you should have because it would have been easier if you were dead. Instead, you’re defective and can’t shift for shit!”
“How dare you!” I feel the vibrating in my chest, just like I did when Ryker had kissed her. I don’t know if it’s anger or if it’s the power that’s trapped inside of me, but it starts to seep out. I can’t see it, but I can feel it wrapping around me.
“No, how dare you come back here and fuck everything up. He was going to be fine without you! It would have taken some more time, but he was going to be okay! But now, he’s found his true mate,” she emphasizes with a sneer, “Only he can’t mate her because she’s basically a fucking human!” she spits. “And now you’re going to have to watch as he turns into the thing he’s been hunting. A bloodthirsty, hormone-driven monster!”
My hand moves before I know what’s happening. My palm connects with Avery’s face with a loud smack. It hits with so much force her head flies to the side.
She whips back to face me again, her eyes now glowing bright amber, and her canines have elongated. Her wolf has taken control, and from the looks of it, it’s pissed.
But so am I.
“You bitch!” She lunges at me. Her hands now have claws, and they swipe at me. Just like when I was running in the woods, I move faster than I knew was possible. I dodge her attack, smacking her hand out of the way as I do.
“Really, Avery?” I taunt her. Maybe I should be trying to defuse the situation, but my usually calm self has left the premises, and the part of me that remains wants to rip her face off. “You say you care about Ryker? What will he think if you hurt me? Huh?”
“I do care about him!” Her voice has changed too, it’s deeper and gruffer than it was before. We circle each other, each of us trying to calculate the other’s next move. Each time Avery tries to attack, I easily avoid her by either gracefully stepping out of the way or blocking her swings.
“Yeah, so do I!” I shout back at her.
“You’re only going to bring pain to him and his pack!” She strikes out for my face, her clawed hand moving quickly. But I’m faster, and again, I spin out of her reach. I feel a small smirk grow on my face when she growls in frustration.
“Why would you even say that? I would never hurt Ryker or his pack!” Block.
“You’re putting them in danger by even being here. If this Nicolai guy finds you, Ryker will never let you go, and it will cause a war.”
“As long as Nicolai doesn’t know I’m here, then we’re safe.” I dance out of her reach. We’re now dangerously close to the pool. One wrong move and we’re both going in.
“You’re stupider than I thought you were if you believe that. He’ll find you, and then he’ll kill Ryker to get to you!” she snarls.
A
sudden realization hits me, and I stop moving. I stand still and stare at her. “You don’t just care for Ryker. You’re in love with him,” I tell her, my smirk disappearing from my face. “You don’t hate me because I’m a human or a defective wolf shifter. You hate me because I’m his mate, and you’re not.”
“No.” She shakes her head vigorously, causing her black hair to fall into her face.
“Yes. It wouldn’t matter who his mate is, you’d still hate her because you want him for yourself,” I press, refusing to let up. She had used her words to cut me deep about Addison, and now it was my turn to retaliate.
“That’s not true.” Her hands are balled into fists at her sides, but I can see they’re also shaking with rage.
“Yes, it is. I’m sorry, Avery, but one day I’m going to be able to shift, and when that happens, I’m going to mate with Ryker because he’s mine. And if you think I’m going to walk away from him because of how you feel for him, then you’re insane.” The vibrating in my chest intensifies, and the power floating around us is almost suffocating at this point. “If I thought he felt the same way about you, I would let him go. I even told him so. But let’s be honest for a second.” I lean forward a little bit. “He doesn’t.”
With a battle cry like shriek, Avery leaps at me. I knew that was going to happen, and I had planned for it. I’m standing with my back to the pool, and with one simple move to my left, I’m out of her reach. Her body flies past me, followed by a large splash.
The water from the pool soaks my shoes, but I don’t care. It’s all worth it to see Avery surface sputtering and coughing up water. I stand at the edge of the pool, glaring down at her.
“Are you cooled off now?” I ask her, my voice calm.
“Go to hell.” She bares her teeth at me.
Wolf Bound (The White Wolf Prophecy Book 1) Page 13