Chapter 3 #2
I finally jumped down from the trees and jogged another couple of miles before stopping at a ledge overlooking a frozen river.
Plopping down on my stomach, I hung my paws just over the edge and rested my head on them.
Even though I’d been moving fast and jumping for five or so miles, I wasn’t the least bit winded.
The snow did feel nice though, and my white-fur coat blended in with it perfectly, which was funny because I’d stood out my entire life due to my bright coloration.
Most of the lycans I’d grown up with, including my family, had dark grey or brown coats with a few black wolves mixed in. I was the oddity with my snow-white coat. It had been a real pain in the ass trying to blend into the lush, vibrant green forests of my childhood.
I snorted, sending a puff of steam into the cool air. My coat was the only thing that fit in around here.
The sun broke through the clouds, sending a beam of light across the river. It’d been windy the past couple of days, so all the snow had blown off the ice. The result was a breathtaking view that helped snap me out of my shitty mood a little bit.
With the sunlight reflecting off it, the frozen river looked like a bright blue crystal winding its way through an untouched snowy forest. In the distance, the mountains rose up, towering over everything, their peaks disappearing into mist.
We didn’t even have a name for them. They were just the mountains. The rest of Lunaria was fairly flat with only slight increases in elevation here and there, so it wasn’t like we could be referring to anything else. If the Fae had called them something, we hadn’t stumbled across the name yet.
I let my mind go quiet and just enjoyed the view. This might be the only thing I would miss after I found a way to leave the Alpha pack, and I would find one. I just needed the right bargaining tool.
The minutes ticked by and the sun sank a little lower in the sky. Despite my frustration with Cade, I wouldn’t disobey his rule about staying out after dark. Having this time to myself had actually helped me calm down about everything.
I’d been trying to fit in here, with them.
That had been a mistake. I would never belong here.
Aside from Warrick, the Alphas didn’t hate me; they’d simply accepted that I was the price they’d had to pay for the cooperation of the Narchis Order, and they were doing it again with the Fervis Order by taking in Selene.
They believed that our true loyalty was to our original packs and that we would relay information to them.
We were traitors they had willingly taken in.
If I looked at it from a purely logical point of view, I understood why they had done what they’d done, and I understood why they viewed me as they did. I even understood Warrick’s hatred. He didn’t like the deal that had been forced on the Alphas and held me responsible.
He was still a fucking idiot because the discussions for this had started when I’d been fifteen and I’d had no say in the matter.
But Ryker was the only one I didn’t get.
At first, he’d hated me almost as much as Warrick did. Sometimes it felt like he still hated me, or at least strongly disliked me, but the rest of the time, he was a confusing, possessive asshole . . . who occasionally made me smile.
The fact that I seemed to confuse him back helped a little, but after today, I couldn’t afford to let things get any more twisted between us.
Maybe it was for the best that the truth had come out. Scratch that. It was absolutely for the best.
This would make everything easier going forward.
I was excellent at keeping people at a distance.
Now I could stop trying to fit in and instead focus on making the best use of my time here.
Getting Gavril to agree to the trade deals Samara had sent over was a big win, but I could do more.
Between working on improving relations between the Velesians and Moroi—plus the Furies—and coming up with an exit strategy, I could keep my interaction with the Alphas to a bare minimum and work-related only.
Bastian would be going to Narchis territory soon to inform them of the Alphas’ deal with the Fervis Order.
They’d probably know of it before he arrived because thanks to the rumor mill but he still wanted to assure them that their alliance was still strong.
I’d be going with him as a symbol of good will.
As pissed off as I was about that, I didn’t disagree because at least it would get me away from the other Alphas. Being alone with Bastian wouldn’t be pleasant, but hopefully he’d still be upset over the whole punch to the balls thing and would give me the silent treatment.
Blessed silence.
Crack.
Moons fucking damn it. Ryker had found me.
In a heartbeat, I was on my feet with my back to the frozen river, a vicious snarl tearing from my throat.
A silvery-grey wolf stalked soundlessly from the trees.
There was enough white mixed into his coat that he blended into the snowy landscape well.
I’d only heard his approach because he’d wanted me to.
Ryker closed the distance between us, stopping less than a foot from me. My snarl deepened and I snapped my teeth to convey my feelings. Not in the mood for your bullshit.
He tilted his head to the side. Are you ever?
Velesians weren’t telepathic unless they were mates, but we were extremely good at picking up on body language. I was conveying very clearly that I wanted to be left alone, but Ryker never listened.
I lunged forward and bit the air a hair’s breadth from his face with my ears pinned back. Ryker sat on his haunches and looked at me with those wintry eyes. You done yet?
Argh.
My small moment of peace was over. If I ignored him, Ryker would just sit here and wait, which would just irritate me further. The best option was to return to the stronghold and barricade myself in my room. I just had to make it there and get the door shut before he barged in.
I flashed my fangs at him one last time before trotting off into the woods. With every step closer to the stronghold, more frustration and anger came back until I was practically stomping through the snow.
An hour. He couldn’t even give me one fucking hour? I should have pushed him off the ledge and onto the frozen river. Maybe his thick skull would have broken the ice.
Silver flashed to my right, and then Ryker collided with my shoulder. I stumbled a few steps and growled at him before taking off again, this time at a faster pace. Immediately, Ryker appeared at my side, trying to force me into changing my direction.
I knew what he was doing, where he wanted me to go, but I wasn’t going back there. I’d already made my decision not to last time, and given everything that had just happened, I’d never set foot in that damn cavern again.
My jog turned into a flat-out run. What I needed right now was a very thick door between me and Ryker, and maybe some honey ale. I’d stolen some from Cade’s study two days ago and was fairly certain I still had at least half a bottle lef—
I let out a sharp yelp. He’d bitten me! The fucker had bitten me. I whirled around to sink my teeth into his neck, being mindful of my now-bleeding hind leg, but Ryker danced out of my reach. When I surged forward to try again, he dodged and raced around me, nipping at my tail.
Another frustrated growl bubbled from my throat. Ryker let out an amused huff and darted in for my front leg. This time, I was faster. I slammed my shoulder into his, knocking him off-balance, and tried to take a chunk out of his leg, but he jerked it away at the last second and took off running.
Chase. Hunt. Kill.
Instinct took over, and then we were racing through the woods. In the back of my mind, I knew what Ryker was doing, where he was leading me, but I couldn’t stop myself.
I was a wolf. I lived for this.
We wove around trees and leapt over fallen trunks. Mile by mile, we ran. Several times, I managed to close the distance—or he let me—and by the time we made it to the cavern entrance, blood stained Ryker’s coat in several places.
He hadn’t bitten me again.
I shifted and was met by warm, humid air as I stalked farther into the secret cavern, crafted by, I assumed, the Fae a long time ago.
Fae lanterns emitting a warm golden glow lined the walls of the cavern.
The source of the warmth were the crystal-clear pools of water starting with a large one in the back that fed into a smaller one, then another one, and another.
Each pool had a slightly different temperature than the one before it.
Some Fae had put a lot of thought into this, and even though this cavern had brought me nothing but trouble, I still appreciated the beauty of it.
Standing close to the largest of the pools, where a pile of blankets covered the floor, was Ryker. Fresh from his own shift. Completely naked and furious. Just like me.
Pissed off and naked. I could practically hear Samara’s teasing in my mind. Wonder what’s going to happen?
They already fought, imaginary Cali chimed in. Only thing left to do is fuck.
Even in my head, my best friends were annoying.
“Say whatever you want to say, Ryker,” I said coolly, keeping my gaze fixed above his chin.
As a Velesian, nudity was perfectly natural to me.
It was hard to be prudish about it when you were surrounded by people who regularly stripped before shifting into fur or feathers.
We stashed clothes at safe houses all over our realm, but sometimes nothing was nearby and you just had to be sans clothing for a bit.
After twenty-six years, I was used to it.
Except when it came to Ryker. I was very much aware of him being naked. The other Alphas never shifted around me, so I didn’t know if I’d have the same reaction to them, and I hoped to never find out, because lust mixed with rage led to Rynn making bad decisions.