He was jealous.
After what felt like an eternity, Bo finally pulled back from his father. The older man kept his hands on his son’s shoulders, looking him up and down while Ryker edged cautiously forward. “Bo!” the other man crooned. “Look at you! Has it only been a month? My god, you’ve filled out. Is that mate of yours feeding you well?”
And Ryker felt some of his jealousy ebb away as the older wolf immediately turned to him, flashing a familiar smile that was not at all hostile. Already, he had been included. Already, he was welcomed. And he felt it too, a warm glow that went from the old wolf and pierced straight through his wary heart.
And now he understood how Bo turned out the way he was, if he grew up surrounded by people like this.
Ryker stepped forward another few steps, trying to walk casually despite the fact that he was so touched he could almost have cried. “Actually,” he said, voice husky, “I can’t cook worth a damn. Your son feeds me.”
Bo’s father squinted and then grinned. “I bet you were half this size when he first saw you. Cooks like a grandmother, doesn’t he?”
Despite his nervousness, Ryker had to laugh. “Indeed he does.”
Bo tugged impatiently on his father’s arm. “Dad, I guess you already figured this out.” He pouted. “But this is my mate. Ryker. Ryker, this is my dad.”
Ryker’s father held out his hand. “Call me Fenris.”
Ryker shook the man’s hand, but he had to raise an eyebrow at the name. “Your parents named you after a mythological wolf?”
“That they did,” Fenris said cheerfully. “Lovely people, really. Thought they were imaginative.”
Laughing again, Ryker looked towards Bo. “Well, I’ll be honest with you, sir. This is more than just a friendly visit.”
“I can tell,” Fenris said gravely. “I’ll take you inside and introduce you to everyone, and then we’ll get you before the elders and you can have your say.”
Fenris turned to lead them inside the enormous mansion, but something he said seemed a bit off to Ryker. “How can you tell?”
“It’s a skill that comes with age, pup.”
Fenris gently guided them in through the foyer of the gigantic house, and gestured for them to remove their shoes. Ryker twitched with nervousness but did as was requested of him. He heard movement from deeper inside the house, and sensed the curiosity flooding from the household and passing from wolf to wolf until every single soul in the building started to move and converge on them.
What came next was a whirlwind. Wolves flooded into the small foyer, most of them as humans and the others as bouncing wolves. Elders, adults and pups alike, all of them clamoring and excited. Voices mixed together in Ryker’s ears, rendering all the words meaningless. He hugged the wall warily, hardly able to keep from leaping backwards out the door and running away.
Bo loved it, however. He was passed from arm to arm, kissed and caressed and patted on the head. He thrived under the attention, frolicking through it like a field of meadow flowers. Meanwhile, Ryker felt as though he was navigating an obstacle course without the use of his legs.
Names went in one ear and out the other. He couldn’t have recalled a single one if he tried.
Time seemed to drag on and on as the wolves questioned Bo and welcomed him back and fawned over him, but it finally came to an end when Fenris cleared his throat. For all his gentle appearance, he was a very important wolf in the pack and most of the other wolves turned to him and quieted down to see what he would say.
“Bo has something to ask of us,” Fenris said. “As his pack, we have the responsibility of listening to his requests.”
“Actually,” Ryker interrupted, “Bo has nothing to do with this. It’s my request.”
A low murmur swept through the gathered crowd, the wolves glancing back and forth amongst themselves. Bo let out an impatient huff and fought his way back from the wolf who had grabbed him last, coming to stand at Ryker’s side. They held hands again, and Bo looked at his pack. “Actually, we’re both here to ask.”
“Why should we grant a stranger anything?” a voice called out.
Bo bristled. “Because he’s not just a stranger! He’s my mate. I have a responsibility for him.”
“That doesn’t mean we do,” the same anonymous voice pointed out.
“That’s why I’ve come to ask,” Ryker explained. He struggled to hold onto his patience, trying to borrow some from the omega at his side. “Not to demand.”
The voice started to speak again but was interrupted by an impatient bark. “Hush, all of you! This is a matter for the council of elders and the senior wolves to make. All those who are not one or the other need to leave the immediate vicinity. There will be time later for all of you to meet this young man yourself.”
The crowd of wolves parted as well as they could in the crowded foyer hallway, revealing...nothing. No, wait. Ryker angled his gaze down, and down some more. Tottering towards the pair of mates was an ancient, decrepit old man who had obviously once been an alpha. His wrinkled skin was puckered with thousands of old scars, and his nose had been broken at least three times during his life. The old shifter had long since passed the point of stooping slightly when he walked, and was now nearly folded in half so that he stood hardly taller than a toddler. All that kept him from toppling forward was an ornate cane topped with a golden wolf’s head.
The old shifter lifted his head, and Ryker nearly lost himself in the impossible depths of those blue eyes. Surrounded by heavy folds of wrinkle like a stony beach, edged with deeply-carved crow’s feet, those eyes carried in them not merely wisdom but a well of strength.
They were Bo’s eyes, and they were the eyes of Fenris, and the eyes of every wolf present. Those eyes had seen generations come and go, and were nowhere near done yet. They had seen everything and done the impossible, and Ryker understood that that strength was not entirely physical. What was physical strength but the ability to beat someone up more efficiently? This was a different sort.
Overwhelmed, he dropped down to one knee before the elder and bowed his head. There was no mistaking it. This shifter was the pack alpha, despite his age. And without even really knowing him, Ryker respected him.
“You have never bowed to any soul before, have you?” the ancient voice croaked.
Ryker kept his head down, blood rushing to his face to stain his cheeks a ruddy pink. “Never,” he growled. “Never found one who was worthy.”
“Ha! Worthy! You simple wolf. I’m nothing but a man who lived too long for his own good. Stand.”
Ryker stood, unsteady on his own feet. The force of power coming from this man had him struggling to keep his balance. Luckily, Bo was there to lend his strength as they held hands once again.
By now, most of the younger wolves had wandered back through the building to return to what they were doing. Steadily, the symphony of motion and play filtered down through the hall. Televisions were turned back on. Book pages were flipped.
The only wolves left in the foyer, which seemed a great deal larger now, were a scattering of old wolves: the elder council, though none among them were quite as old as their leader. A few others had stayed as well, older but not terribly old. They were alphas, with scarred faces and shoulders. Senior warriors, who were present either for decision-making purposes or to bodyguard the elders.
Fenris stayed, while the woman at his side—whom Ryker assumed to be Bo’s mother—kissed his cheek and filtered away after the others. And then they were alone.
The pack alpha gazed up at Ryker. “My name is Robert. You may call me Bob.”
Ryker bit the inside of his mouth to restrain his smile. Here, in the midst of Boniface and Fenris, and all the others with their complicated names, was a Bob. “It would make me happier to call you Bobby,” Ryker said, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice.
Bob shrugged. “Then so be it. Now that that is out of the way, let me first say it is an honor to meet Bo’s mate. I am the one who per
sonally funded Bo’s classes for his EMT schooling and I could not be prouder of him. For him to have such a respectable mate means a great deal to me.”
Me? Respectable?
Ryker coughed a little, trying to remember his manners. “Uh, well, thank you.”
“Now, you want something from us?”
“I do.” He took a deep breath and then just laid it all out there for everyone to see. “I was the alpha of my pack. I was overthrown through trickery and lies. Now the man who runs my pack has murdered all the pups, and the wolves who dared try to leave.”
He paused to see how that part of his story would be taken, but Bob’s sun-dried apple face was so far expressionless.
“I don’t know where he went but I’m still seeing some of the members of the pack—the ones who were loyal to him—in the area. So I know he has to be around here somewhere. I want to put an end to his tyranny. I want to take back my people and make everything right again.”
“But you can’t,” Bob said, “because you’re just you, with no one to follow you.”
“Right. I could find him myself but then what? I’m just...me.”
“Except, you aren’t.”
Ryker looked up at those words. They sounded familiar. The old alpha continued to speak, “You have a mate now and you have learned one of the hardest lessons an alpha must learn: that he cannot do everything by himself. You have become humble.” Bob tapped his cane on the carpeted flooring. “Alphas and omegas might be very different, but those differences grow less and less as we age. Alphas lose their strength and learn that not all can be won through brute force. Because of your circumstances, you learned this faster than others might have naturally. And it is because of this that I say we will help you.”
For a moment, Ryker didn’t understand. And then the meaning of what was said finally hit him. “Really? You will? Thank you so much!” Tears of gratitude stung his eyes, flooding down his cheeks. He didn’t even mind.
Bo squeezed his hand, looking up at him. Ryker looked down into that striated blue gaze and felt more tears rise, blurring his vision even further.
“What is the name of this murderous wolf?”
Ryker shuddered. “Jeriko.” Even just speaking the dreaded name put a foul taste in his mouth. “Wait. I forgot to mention. My pack is a motorcycle gang.”
“Oh, I know.” Bob finally cracked a smile, which made him look endearing and terrifying all at once. “The taste of oil runs in your blood. Even after a whole month, it has not faded. Fear not, Ryker. I will send out two of my best scouts...” The ancient wolf paused and glanced at two of the senior warriors, who immediately shifted into huge brown wolves and dashed out the front door. “...and we will find out where this Jeriko has gone so that we might plan his end. However, until then, I implore you to stay and have a meal with us. We are your pack now as well, no matter what happens. You might as well get started familiarizing yourself with us.”
With surprising speed, Bob turned around and started to walk away, leaving Ryker just standing there in awe.
Then, strong arms wrapped around his neck as Bo embraced him. “See?” the omega crowed happily. “See? I told you everything was going to work out! I told you things were going to be okay! No matter what, you have us now!”
“I do,” Ryker said wonderingly.
Fenris smiled happily. “Good. That’s settled. Ryker, why don’t you come and meet my wife? She didn’t get a chance earlier, and I can feel that she’s dying to.”
“I would love to,” Ryker said truthfully.
“I’m glad to hear that,” a feminine voice said from around the corner, “because I was already here.”
Ryker turned to see the woman he saw before who kissed Fenris’ cheek.
“My name is Geraldine,” the beautiful omega wolf said. “And you must be the...biggest alpha male Bo has ever seen.”
A horrified gasp burst from Bo’s lips. “Mom!” he gaped. “No! You know that’s not what I meant!”
For a moment, it was all Ryker could do to just stand there and look back and forth between the two. Then, he started laughing hard and went to Geraldine to wrap his arms around her shoulders. She seemed surprised, and then he felt her body thrum with delighted purring sounds.
“I think I’m going to like you,” Ryker said, still laughing.
Geraldine patted his back, high up between his shoulder blades. “Oh, I’m certain I already like you. Look at my Bo. He’s so happy and...hmm.”
“Hmm?” Bo repeated, raising an eyebrow at his mother.
“Maybe it’s nothing,” Geraldine said, although she eyed her son with a strange expression and would continue to do so for the rest of the day.
Going around the gigantic mansion and meeting the other wolves in Bo’s pack was a much easier task when it was on Ryker’s own terms. Bo kept the introductions brief, and most of his packmates took more interest in him than in Ryker. And that was just fine with the alpha. He was content to just stand back and watch his mate be welcomed home.
And though he never would have said so out loud to Bo, it was a very average pack. Many wolves were nice. Some weren’t. The pups were too loud and the adults too opinionated. That was always how life was in a pack, although it was refreshing here to see omegas squabbling with alphas as well as their own kind.
Dinner was an enormous backyard barbeque, where meat and drink were in plentiful supply. Bo ate with fervor, and Ryker watched the omega’s tongue and lips intently. They kept their hips or shoulders touching, and were always holding hands.
Then, as dusk started to descend over the yard and mothers filtered back inside to tend to the cleaning and tucking-in of the pups, the two scouts Bob sent out returned. Ryker’s heart was in his throat for the five seconds it took for the two brown wolves to rejoin their pack. Their pelts were smudged with evening shadow, and their eyes were dark with what they knew.
“Well?” Bob demanded, his voice croaking like an ancient door flung wide open.
The two wolves shifted back into human form, glancing at each other before one of them decided to speak up. “We found the wolf. Jeriko. Big grey one, got a nasty scar on his neck?”
“Not sure about the scar,” Ryker grunted as everyone turned to look at him. “Might be a recent thing. And grey...pale?”
“Very,” the brown wolf confirmed.
“That’s him, then.”
“Very good, boys,” Bob growled. His creaking, ancient tone gained some modicum of power in it, and Ryker saw that what teeth he still possessed were very sharp. “Where is he?”
“Camped out in a shed on the edge of Seattle, near the train tracks. Lots of wolf scent in the area. We couldn’t tell how many were there. Too many tracks all jumbled together. We definitely weren’t welcome. Wolves came out of the overgrowth to warn us away, so we left.”
Bob nodded. “Very good. Let me go round up our fighters. We leave in half an hour.”
Ryker blinked in astonishment as the elderly shapeshifter turned and started toddling away. “We’re doing it tonight? Shouldn’t we wait until morning?”
“No!” Bob commanded. “Vengeance does not wait. You are part of us now. Your bloodline is already running in our pack as we speak. This must be dealt with swiftly. Immediately. Get ready, Ryker. By dawn, you will have your pack once again.”
The old shifter disappeared inside the house, voice ringing out as he called names. Fenris glanced over at his son, before grabbing his wife around the waist and heading out to give the mates a moment of privacy.
Bo grabbed Ryker’s hands, holding them in his small fingers as he looked up into the alpha’s eyes. “Are you ready for this?” he breathed.
Ryker leaned down and kissed him, loving the way their bodies fit together when Bo wrapped his arms around his neck. “No,” he murmured. “I’ll never be ready. It’s been like a nightmare. I’m not sure how to escape it. It’s all so unreal.”
“Well,” Bo said, “you’re going to wake up soon! So don’t worr
y. The nightmare’s almost over.”
We’ll see about that.
Bo tugged on his hand and turned in the direction of the sprawling mansion. “Come on. This is your fight. You don’t want to look dumb and miss the planning of your fight, do you?”
As a matter of fact, he did not want to miss the planning of anything.
Chapter 12
Twenty-five wolves raced through the streets of Seattle, overtaking the traffic and leaping across the hoods of cars. The world had never seen anything like it, and would never see such a thing ever again. All of the animals were reported to be massive and wild, with crushing paws that left dents on the car roofs where they occasionally leapt. No camera, news or otherwise, succeeded in capturing a glimpse of them; however, many eyewitnesses would emerge in the following days, and word would travel until there wasn’t a single country that hadn’t heard of the event.
Running at the front of all those wolves, with Bo at his side, Ryker didn’t give a damn about the possibility of any of that. He knew they were going to be seen. That was the entire point, and a crucial part of the plan. Not only would this send a message to shifters everywhere, but it was a message to the shifters immediately within the limits of Seattle. Specifically, Jeriko’s pack. They would be seen. Other wolves would bring the news to Jeriko.
He would know Ryker was coming for him, and that was exactly the point.
Bob was not capable of making the run himself but he had left the leading of the attack to Ryker and Bo, after making his senior warriors swear to follow their lead. Many of the other wolves keeping pace behind them were huge alphas in an array of differing colors. No one was the same as any other, but for their eyes. They all had the same eyes. They were all united, and Ryker could feel their determination and fury. Every single soul following him now strained towards his purpose, and they would follow him into death if need be.
Slowly, the skyscrapers of Seattle fell away and were replaced with modest neighborhoods. Then, those were gone as well. Lawns gave way to empty acres, which butted up against stands of untamed trees. Raccoon pawprints dotted the ground, and mice skittered amongst the damp roots. Wolf scent was everywhere, soaking into every leaf and clinging to every blade of grass. The scent of power, musk, and blood; the presence of the wolves drowned out even the metallic reek of rusting train track and coal smoke.
Wild Ride: An M/M Shifter Mpreg Romance Bundle Page 13