by Michelle Fox
Ryder’s hands curled into fists and his wolf narrowed his eyes at the man. Ryder’s wolf did not like this stranger. He smelled sour, like he, or something on him, had gone bad. Ryder took a breath and forced himself to relax. Being jealous of such an old man was silly. His wolf’s ears twitched at that as if to ask ‘are you sure?’
Yeah I’m sure.
“You’re Tillie’s grandkid, right?” The man looked at Ryder with a steady gaze, his blue eyes clear.
Ryder nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’m Charles. Nice to meet you.” He held out a hand and Ryder shook it despite being confused as to why Charles wanted a formal introduction.
“Ryder.”
“I’ve heard about you.” Charles narrowed his eyes.
Ryder kept his expression neutral. ‘Heard about you’ could mean several different things. Perhaps Charles was a fan of his fighting career. Or maybe he’d caught wind of the trouble with Mason in his home pack. Another possibility, Tillie could have told Charles and the moon knew who else about Ryder’s youthful exploits. As a teenager, he’d been wild and difficult to contain.
“I thought you should know me,” Charles said.
“Oh?” Ryder sucked in air, testing it for a scent that would tell him what the hell was going on, but all he caught was the stale, dull scent that always permeated the nursing home.
“I was hoping I might have permission to take your grandmother out sometime. It doesn’t feel right without her family’s blessing.”
Relief filled Ryder. The guy just wanted to date his grandmother...who was about to be the matriarch of a brand new pack. Ryder chewed on that thought for a moment. They'd need alliances. There'd be friends...and enemies. What side would Charles come down on when the time came? “What’s your home pack?” he asked.
“Silver River Run” he said. “Lived there until last year.”
“That’s a good pack,” Ryder said, pleased with the information. “I’d be happy for you to keep my grandmother company, but I expect you to be a gentleman.”
Charles straightened to his full height. “I am always a gentleman.”
Ryder gave the man a look. "Are you sure? Weren't you just checking out Jane?"
The old man shrugged, unconcerned. "Looking isn't illegal, is it? She's the first woman I've seen out of a track suit or scrubs. Sue me."
Ryder stared Charles down, but the old guy wouldn't look away.
"Dating is different when you get to be my age," Charles said, his gaze locked with Ryder's. "We don't waste time or fight over the little things, and we always appreciate a good view. You can ask Tillie."
“I will, and if there are any complaints you will answer to me." Ryder stepped away, wanting to end the conversation. “If you don’t mind, my grandmother is waiting on me.”
Ryder strode off, quickly ducking into Grandma Tillie’s room on his way out, and grabbing a light jacket for her. To him, it was hot both outside and inside, but he knew she would welcome an extra layer.
Jacket in hand, he made his way back to the patio where Grandma Tillie waited. Chuckling to himself, he wondered what she would think about Charles’ interest in her. As far as he knew, she’d only ever been with his grandfather. There hadn’t been anyone else that he'd heard of. Wolves and other shifters could mate again if their first relationships didn't last, but he knew his grandparents had been true mates. Charles had some big shoes to fill.
Out on the patio, he handed her the jacket.
“How’s Jane?” she asked shrugging on the coat and rubbing her hands together.
“Asleep. She was out the second I put her on the bed.” Ryder snapped his fingers.
“What did you think of her?” She gave him a shrewd look.
He refused to look her in the eyes, convinced she would see the memory of his kiss with Jane dancing in his. “She seems nice, but this isn’t really the time to worry about my love life.”
“I’m not worried about your love life, Ryder.” Tillie shook her head. “I’m worried about you finding a mate. I’m not stupid. I know you’ve had your choice of women over the years. That none of them have ever stuck worries me, and not just because I’m your grandmother. You’re going to be leading a pack and you will need an Alpha’s Mate at your side.”
Ryder held up his hands. “What can I say? I haven’t met the right woman yet, Grandma.”
“So Jane didn’t do anything for you?”
“I liked her fine. If she had a working memory and wasn’t currently living in a nursing home, I might consider asking her.”
“The memory and the nursing home can be fixed,” Tillie said. “You can’t hold those against her.”
“Regardless, my focus right now has to be on the pack.” He filled her in on the status of the paperwork and the challenges Mason had been sending his way.
Tillie sighed. “You’d think the bastard would be glad to have us out of his hair.”
“We’re going to end up taking half the pack with us when we leave,” Ryder said. “He feels threatened.”
“He doesn’t like us when we’re there and he doesn’t like it when we want to go. This is how I know he’s crazy; we can’t make him happy.” She crossed her arms and harrumphed. “So what’s your plan?”
“I’m going to wait to hear from the Pack Council and lay low. These challenges aren’t legitimate. I’m not even an alpha yet.”
“He wants to make sure you never are.”
“Yeah, well, you and I both know that’s not going to happen.”
“If Mason isn't doing the punching, he’s not interested. He has no idea what you’re capable of," Tillie said.
“I just don’t want an alpha challenge,” Ryder said. "Timber Creek isn't my pack anymore.”
“A bunch of bloodthirsty wolves, the lot of them,” Tillie said, scowling. “Back when Alan was alpha, he kept them in check and busy working. It wasn’t so bad then.”
“The pack is different now. They've changed. I don't think even grandpa could make them better. I want a fresh start with a pack of people who want what I want.”
“I know, son. I’m just not sure it’s going to happen the way you want it to.” She pointed up at the moon, which had appeared as the sun began its descent into the horizon. “The moon has its own mind sometimes.”
Ryder scowled at the sky. “I make my own fate.”
“If you say so.” She gave a bright smile and changed the subject. “Since you’re laying low, you’ve got some time to do me a favor.”
He glanced at her, wary. “What is it?”
“Poor Jane has no clothes. Can you find some for her?”
He balked, wanting to say no, but he didn't have a good excuse to not help a shifter in need. “I guess. What size?”
She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. “Here’s what she told me when I asked.”
Ryder blinked at the list. “I’m buying her underwear?” The idea sizzled in his mind and brought the tantalizing image of a half-naked Jane to mind. He shook his head, scattering the mental image. No. He wouldn't go there.
“Well, I’m not exactly mobile these days.” Tillie patted her walker for emphasis. “Or I would do it. The girl needs help.”
“What about the sheriff? Isn’t she his problem?”
She rolled her eyes. “I have no idea when he’ll get around to checking on her. It’s been two days. He doesn’t seem to be in a hurry.”
“I’m going to call him,” Ryder said. “Maybe he’s figured out who she is and why she might recognize Mason’s name.”
“That’s not a bad idea, but you’ll still get her some clothes, right?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, and then grimaced as lace underwear began to dance in his head. His wolf let out an excited howl.
Chapter Seven
Ryder left the nursing home and swung a leg over his Ducati. When he’d been a fighter, his life had been marked by hotel rooms, big arenas and lots of attention of the female persuasion. Now he spent his days hiding
from his own pack, conferring with his grandmother at a nursing home and buying women he didn't know underwear. He gave a soft chuckle at the absurdity of it all.
Putting on his helmet and starting the bike, he took off. The wind streamed around him, seeming to blow away his worries. He relaxed into the open road, enjoying the thrum of its powerful motor and with a quick burst of speed, headed for Hudson. Buying clothes for Jane wasn't the only thing on his agenda. He wanted to go see Sheriff Talon Garde in person and check in with Keira, the sheriff's deputy. As an extra bonus, it would keep him out of Mason’s sight. He might even be able to enjoy a beer in relative peace at The Crescent, the bar Talon used as his headquarters.
A half hour later, he pulled into the parking lot, noting there weren’t many cars. The bar inside was quiet and empty, save for members of Talon’s crew. The Pack Council hired and paid the stray sheriffs, but other positions were filled by strays who were compensated by accelerated reviews of their cases. Ryder knew that Talon paid his crew a little on the side, but there was also a certain status in working for the sheriff. Strays had a strict pecking order; the closer you could get to the sheriff, the better.
Keira was working behind the bar, washing glasses, and smiled when she saw Ryder. Wiping her hands on her apron, she came out and gave him a hug. “Ryder, good to see you.”
“How are you?” She looked tired to him, with gray circles under her eyes. Before she'd been kicked out of their home pack, her blue eyes had sparkled like sun dancing on water. Since becoming a stray, the blue had faded and shadows replaced the brightness. It made him angry every time he saw her. She'd done nothing to deserve what Mason did to her. It wasn't Keira's fault her mate had been no good. If she hadn't killed him, he would have killed her.
She stepped back and shrugged. “Same stray, different day. You know how it goes.”
“Gideon is kicking ass on the football field,” he said as they walked together toward a booth. "Now that I'm back home, I've been going to the games. He's on a hot streak."
“I heard.” She gave a small laugh. “At least there’s one good thing that came from his father’s side.”
“He’s Pack League material,” Ryder said as they sat down.
Keira waved to one of the men also working behind the bar. “Hey! Two beers over here, please.” Looking at Ryder she asked, “You want something to eat?”
“Cheeseburger and fries would be great,” he said.
She passed his order on and then said, “Pack League, huh? You think my son is good enough?”
He nodded. “I do. You want me to talk to him about it?”
“Yeah, maybe. I don’t want to draw too much attention to us, though. The last thing I need is Mason getting involved.”
“I’ll wait until all this is over.”
She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “How is the new pack coming?”
Ryder smiled at the eagerness in her voice. She'd been one of the first he'd told about his plans, partly because he wanted to offer her a home. “We have the land, and the paperwork is in process. In a few weeks, we should have a new pack.”
Their beers arrived and she picked up a bottle, holding it up until he clinked his against it. “Well, that is some damn good news, Ryder Chase.”
“We’ll see,” Ryder said. “Mason’s doing everything he can to stop us.”
“I can’t believe no one has helped him trip off a cliff.” She shook her head and took a slug of beer. “His whole family is a bunch of nasty shifters. I keep waiting for one of them to make a go at Mason and take the fucker out. And yet here we are, still trying to find a way around our asshole alpha.”
Ryder just shrugged. He’d often wondered the same thing. Mason’s temper and more brutal tendencies seemed to be a genetic trait passed down to the men of their pack. They lusted for power and weren’t adverse to starting fights to make sure they got it. Sure, Mason was probably the strongest of the lot, but his relatives were no Omega wolves either. The lack of in-fighting had never made any sense to Ryder, but then, he also knew people were weird. Even Keira had put up with her asshole mate for way longer than he would've expected.
“Anyway, it’s going to be fine,” she said. “Mason wouldn’t know how to stop paperwork unless it challenged him to a fight. You’ll be alpha of your own pack and my kids will finally have a good home.”
“So will you, Keira,” Ryder added.
She gave a half smile. “If the Pack Council agrees.”
“They will. Don’t worry.”
“Thanks, Ryder. You’re a good man.”
The way she looked at him, with her emotions bright in her eyes, made Ryder’s heart ache. Keira had been through hell. Even now, years later, people still whispered about what had happened to her and shook their heads. That and the way Mason had treated his own family had been what catapulted him into action. He didn’t want to bring a mate into his pack, not with the way his alpha behaved, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to mate with any of the women he grew up with. They were accustomed to violent men and used manipulation to protect themselves from their bad tempers. While he understood the behavior was a survival mechanism, Ryder didn’t want someone who would constantly work him over like he was a wind-up doll.
“So what are you doing here? I know you didn’t come down just to see me.”
“Not today, anyway.” He took a swig of beer and then said, “I need to talk to Talon. Is he around?”
“Yeah. He’s in his office. I’ll go get him.”
She made to leave but Ryder caught her hand. “He’ll keep. Let me eat first.”
She nodded and settled back into her seat. “Sure thing. So tell me about the new pack land. Where is it? What is it like? How soon can my kids move in?”
He chuckled at her eagerness as one of the staff set his burger in front of him. “How about I eat and you fill me in on the latest news in Hudson? Then I’ll tell you about our new home?”
He didn’t wait for her to agree, his stomach lacked the patience for that. Picking up his burger, he sank his teeth into the toasted bun, groaning when the flavor of beef and melted cheese hit his taste buds.
“Did you guys get a new cook?” he asked after he’d swallowed. “This tastes better than anything I’ve ever had here.”
Keira smirked. “Funny you should ask as that’s the biggest news around here.” She leaned in again. “The sheriff has a mate.”
Ryder almost choked on his burger. “What?” He didn't know the sheriff well and had only met him because of his trips to check on Keira, but he knew the guy was a real workaholic. When had he found time to meet his mate?
“Yeah, and she’s a cook. Went to culinary school and everything.” She waved toward the kitchen. “Once they hooked up, she needed a job and Talon has her working here.”
He finished the burger in one big bite and went for the fries. “The sheriff is a lucky man.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Her shoulders slumped for a moment, but then she forced them back. Sitting up straight, she said, “So being a stray still sucks, but the food doesn’t. Not anymore.”
Ryder just shook his head. He’d pictured Talon as a confirmed bachelor, married to his job more than anything else. The man lived and breathed stray law enforcement. Hell, he hardly even slept, how did he have time to...? Ryder focused on his fries, pushing away thoughts of the sheriff’s life as a mated shifter. “Oh wow, these fries are amazing.” He picked one up and stared at it trying to figure out why it was so spectacular.
“It’s the spice rub,” came a feminine voice to his side.
He looked over and up to see an attractive strawberry blonde smiling at him. She held out her hand. “I’m Gretchen, Talon’s mate. Originally from the Huntsville pack.”
He quickly wiped his hands on his napkin and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ryder Chase.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What? No pack affiliation? You’re not a stray, are you?”
He shook his head. “Naw
. Just don’t like my pack.”
“We’re from the same home pack,” Keira added.
Understanding dawned in Gretchen’s eyes and she gave a slow nod. “Ah, gotcha. My condolences.”
“So a spice rub, you say?” he asked, not wanting to get into his issues with Mason.
“Yeah. My own blend. It's really for meat, but I've been using it on the fries, too. I can give you some to take home if you like.”
“Sure. That would be great.” Ryder didn’t have a home to go to just yet, but a smart shifter didn’t say no to food this good. He'd save the spices for when his cabin was built on the new land and then do his best to make his own French fries without setting anything on fire.
She smiled. “No problem. I’ve been packaging it up anyway to sell to the folks at the bar. Hang on a sec, I’ll get you a packet.” She hurried off and disappeared into the kitchen.
“I’ll go tell Talon you want to see him.” Keira slid out of the booth, snagging her empty beer bottle as she went.
“Thanks.” Ryder finished up the last of his fries and downed the rest of his beer. With a satisfied burp, he slouched against the back of the booth, fully relaxed for the first time that day. Damn. With Gretchen cooking, he might have to come out to Hudson on the regular.
Unbidden, the image of Jane superimposed over a kitchen filled his mind. Could she cook? The way his wolf yipped in his head told him he should find out. Dude, stop looking for trouble. She is the last thing we need.
His wolf raised his eyebrows and gave him a confused stare. Don’t act like you don’t understand. Yes, she’s hot. Yes, she smells good, but she’s also got amnesia. That's a lot of baggage to bring into a new pack.
His inner animal managed to look somewhat chagrinned by the scolding.
Let me deal with Mason and get the new pack going first. After that we can see if Jane is still around. Okay?
The wolf inside him slumped to the ground with a whine. Unhappy but obedient. If she’s really our mate, she’ll still be there. At least he’d heard that’s the way it was supposed to work.