Ryker
I felt like the suspense might truly kill me as I waited on the edge of my seat for Ronnie’s feedback about giving our relationship a real shot. I kept one eye on the road ahead of us and one on my anxious mate beside me while trying not to rip the steering wheel in half with my death grip.
My wolf perked up at the perceptible changes in her physiology while she cautiously considered my words. His constant clawing to break free of my skin ticked up a notch in response to her elevated heart rate and labored breathing.
Thank Luna, I had gone for a prolonged jog last night with Asher, patrolling the border as a precaution and in preparation for the torturous day that I had successfully predicted today would be.
Ronnie’s delectable aroma bathed the air surrounding me, making it tough to concentrate on anything but my increasing desire for my mate. My eyes connected with her stunning green ones as I glanced over to make sure that she was all right.
She seemed to be on the brink of responding when Asher’s annoying voice invaded my head as an unwelcome alternative, halting any progress that I had made with Ronnie temporarily.
{Hey, Ryker. Bad news, man. I found the elders from the Eastern Territory dead. I am still checking for leads on the others.}
My spine went ramrod straight as the update filtered in, that meant there were two less wolves to hold accountable for all the suffering that they had caused with their greedy and immoral choices over the years.
I took a moment to reply to Asher before letting Ronnie know what had occurred, splitting my attention between maintaining the arduous mind link and keeping the vehicle on the road.
{Foul play or suicide?}
{Well, they looked like some bear shifters went to town on them if that answers your question.}
Asher’s retort was enough for me to decide that I had conversed with him plenty for today. Hence, I shut off our link without further comment and refocused on what I could control in the present.
Be that as it may, I ground my teeth together in the next instant and winced as my claws slashed into the seat when another thought slammed into me like a freight train going at its fastest velocity.
Asher had informed me during our run previously that he was planning to start his search at one of the nearby stops that he had made with my mate on the way to the meeting.
He had mentioned that his wolf had been high strung during the whole break, and that Ronnie had come flying out of the building like a bat out of hell when they had hightailed it out of there.
My wolf wrestled me for control once more as he came to the same conclusion that I had arrived at only seconds ago, the car swerving slightly to the left with the inner scuffle until I firmly reclaimed the reins.
Our mate had been in danger, and we were not there to protect her. My wolf snarled with rage at our failure in my head, compounding with my own ire and making it hard to stay in control.
The fact that nothing had happened made no difference. It only strengthened my resolve to remain close to her from here on out so that I would always be there when she needed me.
Accordingly, I let Ronnie know what was going on as I finished my conversation with Asher. She had plainly noticed my inattention, and I felt required to explain my reasoning.
Then, I paused to measure the ramifications of the other alpha’s news as Ronnie stayed quiet. I was fully aware that I was presently in no position to continue our earlier line of discussion until I processed my anger, thus I allowed her the period of reprieve she had so obviously been seeking.
The ghosts of my pasts had gotten a little easier to stomach with each subsequent return trip to the South, but I could admit that I still struggled at times when the painful memories took over.
Ronnie’s former query had been a valid one, and that was part of the reason why Asher’s update had bothered me so much.
All the same, nothing would stop me from claiming my mate. I had wasted too much time as it was, and things were like night and day now. I could face what happened here so long ago, but I needed to mete out my own justice to those responsible in order to be able to conclusively bury the hatchet.
Asher’s news was unfortunate because it left only six elders standing now. If I had any prayer of learning what occurred that day, what caused the destruction of my young world, the elders would be the key.
I’d had a shitty childhood with a father who’d had a superiority complex and a stick resolutely shoved up his ass twenty-four seven. I had done my best to protect my mother and sister from his aggressive tendencies, but at twelve, there was only so much that I could do.
My dad had been the alpha, so it ran in my blood. Yet, I hadn’t wanted the title when the elders had touted Zeke as the new alpha. At first, I had been too young to care much about the role, but then I had not wanted to return and compete for what belonged to me by birth.
Zeke was no longer an issue, but I still needed to know what had happened that day; though, my gut feeling told me the elders would be found at the center once I did.
My father was a bastard, but he had held steadfast to what he believed in. I knew that he had refused to allow the elders to take control of the pack the way that they were wanting, and he did not bow down to their pressuring.
It was probably what had gotten him killed, but most of that day was lost when my wolf had taken over in response to the trauma, so I could not say for certain.
I noticed Ronnie had dozed off while I had been busy reminiscing about the memories that kept me up late every night, her sleeping form bringing me a sense of peace as we travelled onward; it had been missing in my life since the night I had walked away from her.
I knew that she believed she had dodged a bullet with Asher's interruption, but she had another thing coming if she thought that I was letting her out of my sight without some sort of answer.
The miles flew by as I plotted, periodically peeking over at my mate to ensure that she was comfortable.
She must have been exhausted to slip into unconsciousness so swiftly, and I again reminded myself to find someone to help take some things off her plate when we got to the South, especially regarding the ball.
I would take any brownie points I could get. Hell, I would need them if her icy demeanor towards me up till now was any indication of how my attempt to sweep her off her feet was going.
I was not overly fond of the idea of her being around so many unmated males without bearing my claiming bite first, or without me being nearby, but I knew I would have to get over that hurriedly.
Ronnie slept the rest of the journey, not waking as I filled up the car and continued driving straight through the night.
As I rolled up to the house that I had been told she shared with a few other girls, she woke at last, making the cutest sounds as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
“Rise and shine, darling. We’re here.”
My eyes locked with her enthralling emerald irises for a seemingly endless span of time, but our eye contact was broken when a thin woman with blonde hair opened the door in front of us, disturbing our respite from reality.
I exited the car after Ronnie, fetching her bag and holding it hostage as I followed close behind her. However, as we reached the door, I felt my heart freeze in my chest at the apparition presented before me.
My vision tunneled and the earth might as well have fallen out from beneath me for all I would have known as my entire world shifted on its axis.
The woman rushed back inside before I could react, slamming the door behind her while Ronnie remained outside, looking sheepish and marginally afraid as she trembled before me.
Her earlier hesitation made perfect sense now, but I knew without thinking that nothing had changed for me.
Now, I just had to convince my mate of that fact, and if I knew anything about Veronica, then I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that I had my work cut out for me.
Ryker Veronica and I have a daughter together. I am a father. My wolf was oddly silent while I sifted through the competing stimuli going off in my brain at lightning speed. There had not been any mistaking the brilliant green orbs, identical to her mother’s, which had gazed up curiously into my own before the little girl had been shepherded away in a flash. How the hell did I miss this enormous facet of Ronnie’s life? I was shell-shocked as my eyes caught on the mirror image staring back at me from where my mate was standing a meager two feet away. Ronnie started in an uncertain tone, “There might have been something that I needed to tell you…” She let her sentence trail off while she pivoted her attention to the sandy ground in front
Ryker I did not take any time to unpack my things, but I did at least inspect the place for basic necessities and put my bag in the same room that I had been utilizing during my brief stints here in the South prior. As I departed the house, I found myself grateful that I had made the split-second decision to do a walkthrough before I began my tasks for the day. I had never encountered any issues in the past, but the lack of a proper alpha running the pack here had evidently leaked into other areas as well. The residence appeared somewhat tidy, but it was obvious that no one had entered the home since Willow and Jax had last left it. After a precursory glance, I knew that I needed to add a trip to the grocery store to my list if I wanted to eat anything tonight. I waffled between taking the car and letting my wolf loose, knowing
Veronica I shut my eyes, leaning heavily against the inside of my closed front door as I dropped my backpack on the ground and let out a long breath. I could still feel Ryker’s strong arms wrapped securely around me as he had assured me that he would be back tomorrow. It had been over two years since I had last been embraced by a person of the opposite gender, other than my brother, and it led my mind down a rabbit hole that I would rather leave unexplored at the moment. My wolf was no help with the dirty thoughts that she persisted to voice at any opening, but my daughter’s heart-rending cry succeeded in breaking through my mental haze. I raced down the hall, eager to hold my baby in my arms again. I had never left her for so long before, but I knew that she had been in good hands with Mari. I rounded the corner into the livin
Veronica “Ronnie, calm down. It is going to be fine.” Mari said, her words halting me in my tracks where I had been pacing across the small kitchen the next morning. “You don’t know that for sure.” I couldn’t resist adding as the worry hung around my head like an encroaching storm on a cloudy day. “You are right. I don’t,” she stated, giving me a severe frown before she went on in the next breath, “but I do know that you need to stop stressing over every detail and try to accept what Luna has blessed you with.” Mari was not one to usually call it like she saw it, being shy and introverted with most people unless something sparked the fire that I knew was deep within her. Consequently, if she was being this candid with me, I opted to seriously consider her argument as I took a seat at the table. Nevertheless, I heard the crunching of heavy boots traipsing up the path towards the front of
Ryker I saw what Ronnie was doing the second I realized that Mari always seemed to be on the periphery no matter where we went throughout the morning. My wolf was annoyed, wanting to jump right to the claiming portion of things, but I knew that she needed time. I could prove to her that I would put her and Roxi before everything else this time around, and I reveled in the prospect of being able to learn my daughter’s individual quirks and mannerisms as she frolicked about outdoors. This day was certainly one for the books. I would never forget Roxi’s sweet little voice ringing out for the first time or the smile adorning my mate’s gorgeous face for most of the morning. I would forever cherish these new memories, and I knew that they would serve as a balm to further soothe any ghosts that managed to persist in haunting my futu
Veronica “Did you get to everyone that you needed to this morning?” Mari asked as I reentered the room from packing Roxi’s diaper bag for our upcoming trip to the training grounds in about an hour. “I did, thank you again for keeping an eye on her for a couple of hours. I don’t have many patients presently, and I was able to meet with a few of them last night so that helped a lot.” As I set the bag on the counter, I allowed my eyes to trail over to where Roxi was hard at work, banging her cardboard books against her table while Mari gathered the rest of her lunch. “That’s great! I am happy that Ryker seems to be up for the challenge of parenthood. Don’t get me wrong, I revere Roxi unconditionally, but it has been tough recently with Scarlett’s absence. I didn't realize how much she helped out around here. Roxi misses her too. S
Veronica I led the way into the familiar house, leaving the door open for Ryker who was right behind me with Roxi in tow. I headed straight for the kitchen, mapping out my options in my mind for something simple that Roxi would eat. I knew from experience that neither my brother nor Ryker had kept this kitchen well stocked in the past, so I knew that my choices were limited. I was flabbergasted that Ryker had chosen this house over the well-appointed pack house, but I did recollect that he always had preferred the simpler things in life. It also proved that there were still secrets that I was ignorant of. Nevertheless, I found myself astounded in the next several minutes as I took in the changes that had occurred in the week or so since I had been here last, derailing my previous train of thought as I hunted for ingredients to
Ryker I noted the immediate dip in Ronnie’s mood when her friend’s abrupt absence was highlighted as we discussed the past. I could sense her annoyance, but it was also evident how much the other woman meant to my mate by the concern that outshined it by a long stretch. “I know Reese would never let any harm come to her, but I will ask him about more specifics if he is in range tomorrow. I need to try to contact the others again anyway.” I supplied, knowing that her pride and stubbornness was hindering her from demonstrating her caring nature like she typically would have. I shifted my position next to her, nudging her knee with mine as I did so and glancing down to measure her reaction in response to both my words and prior actions. I didn’t think so little of her as to believe that she would forget her yearning for information that easily.