Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Bastian
“Fuck.” I stared at the pint of ale in front of me. After stumbling out of the stable, I’d gone straight to the nearest tavern and thrown back three shots of their cheapest liquor before ordering a beer.
Now, I sat by myself in the corner with my hood up so no one would recognize me while I replayed every interaction between Rynn and Ryker in my mind from a new perspective. An empty laugh spilt from my lips as I took a long drink.
“Well played, you two,” I muttered. “Well fucking played.”
That hadn’t been the first time they’d fucked. I was sure of it, and I, like a confident idiot, had repeatedly told Ryker he had no chance with Rynn. He’d looked upset every time I’d said it, but in hindsight, I could see it wasn’t anger but frustration. And guilt.
If someone had told me yesterday that Ryker would lie to me, I would have laughed in their face. Ryker was loyal to us just as we were to him. The Alpha pack was all he had.
Now he had Rynn though. A potential mate.
All this time, Ryker had been lying to my fucking face. To all of us.
My ever so helpful mind threw the image of Rynn to the forefront.
How gorgeous and tempting she’d looked against that tree with her back arched, pushing out those gorgeous, pert tits with her hands wrapped in Ryker’s hair, urging him on as he ate her out.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as I started to get hard again.
I should have said something when I’d arrived in that stable after following Ryker from the inn. At first, I’d been in genuine shock at what I’d been seeing, but then Rynn had looked into the shadows like she’d sensed something, and before I could think better of it, I’d stepped forward.
She’d been so panicked at that moment, and I could have made myself known to Ryker and ended it all there. Instead, I’d mouthed those three little words to her.
“Turnabout’s fair play.”
Then I’d taken my cock out and had to bite back my groan at the way Rynn looked at me with flushed cheeks. All I’d been able to think about was what she’d look like with tears running down her face as I fucked that glorious mouth. I bet she’d make the most delicious sounds.
Despite his lack of experience, Ryker was clearly a quick learner because he’d managed to make Rynn come on his tongue and then his cock only minutes later.
She was so fucking pretty when she came too.
I’d been so distracted admiring her that I’d barely remembered in time that the necklace only hid my scent, not any discarded fluid.
Luckily, there’d been some spare shirts hanging on the wall, so I’d grabbed one before coming harder than I had in recent memory.
With one last look at Rynn’s flushed face and languid body, I’d slipped back into the shadows, tucked my cock back into my pants, and left.
Rynn was probably freaking out right now as her post-bliss orgasm wore off.
Right fucking there with you, Princess.
This was so bad, and it was her fault.
Rynn was well aware of Ryker’s obsessive tendencies and complained about them regularly.
There would be no casualness with Ryker, whereas I could have provided an easy outlet for her needs.
If she’d just jumped into my bed, it wouldn’t have mattered if she’d gone on to fuck half of the Velesian realm after.
I slammed my glass onto the table loud enough to get a few glances from the other patrons before they went back to their drinks. Perhaps I’d have had to fuck her a few times, but after that, I wouldn’t have cared what or who she did.
Ryker, on the other hand, would care. He’d share her with us because we were his clan, and in Ryker’s head, that was not only expected, but it would strengthen us overall. He’d never share her with anyone else though. For fuck’s sake, he wanted to be mates with her.
The only good news was I was confident Rynn didn’t know about the potential mate bond. Ryker had been genuinely panicked when he’d realized I knew about it, which meant Rynn had no idea. She would freak out when she discovered that fun little detail.
I raised my glass only to freeze with it halfway to my mouth.
Or would she?
The concerns we had around Rynn were that she was ultimately more loyal to the Narchis Order, specifically her clan, than us, but after meeting her family, that seemed very unlikely. Rynn was definitely still loyal to her brother despite their issues, but I suspected that was where it ended.
If I looked at this now with all the new information, it seemed less like Rynn was here to spy on us and more that her intentions were to cause strife.
Ryker was the most volatile member of the Alpha pack.
Thanks to his reputation of brutally putting down challengers, nobody thought of him as physically weak, but the greatest threats to our clan had always come from within.
Cade had almost been killed twice by women he’d been in love with, one of which he’d had a potential mating bond with.
My reputation of being promiscuous and uninterested in relationships would make me a difficult target, and Warrick was a psychopath. Plus, he was rarely around people, but Ryker . . . he would be the obvious target for such a plan.
The Narchis Order wouldn’t gain anything from this, but the Fervis Order would.
Rynn clearly had a history with the Fervis Alpha’s clan, particularly Alexis.
Maybe she was working with them to get back at her family for what they’d done to her?
I mulled it over. She’d have had to be a hell of an actress to fool us all like that, especially since she’d seemed so afraid of Alexis.
The muscles along my jaw tightened. I’d tried to get information out of Remy before they’d left about that, but he’d claimed to know nothing. He’d been lying, I was sure of it, but I hadn’t had time to push him more for answers, and at the time, it hadn’t seemed important.
I swallowed the rest of my ale and stood to get more.
Assuming I was correct about this not being the first time Rynn and Ryker had been together, they were likely trying to find some place to rinse off and replace their clothing so I wouldn’t smell the evidence of what they’d been up to.
Despite everything, I snorted in amusement.
They were two of the most unsubtle people in existence, and yet I’d missed all the clues about their fucking.
How many times had Ryker come back to the stronghold still damp like he’d just washed?
How often had Rynn left fully clothed and returned in her wolf form, going straight to the bathing chamber in her room?
Cade wasn’t going to be amused. I grimaced when I realized my fun with the bet was definitely over.
The whole point of it, in addition to proving Cade wrong, was to make Rynn more comfortable living with us.
She was a lycan and needed physical contact.
We couldn’t exactly give her the full benefits of a clan, but we could give her most of it.
Or at least, I could have.
Fucking Ryker. Of all the people to catch feelings for, it had to be Rynn. I wove through the occupied tables. This was the smallest of the taverns in the outposts and was always crowded with a mixture of locals and traders. The ale was bad and the food worse. Fantastic gossip though.
I leaned against the bar and caught the tavern owner Isaiah’s attention.
He took my glass without a word and filled it.
Despite the hood, he’d recognized me when I’d first arrived, and as usual, hadn’t said anything.
In the decade he’d been running this place, I was fairly certain I’d only heard him speak twice.
Isaiah was an aetanthrope, and like all eagle shifters, he had golden eyes.
As always, my chest tightened at seeing them.
Aetans were the least common of all Velesians.
Sometimes I could go months without seeing one.
Without being reminded of Warrick. Who coincidentally, I would also often go months without seeing.
The feeling inside my chest became a sharp, burning pain, but I ignored it, which was what I’d been doing for twenty plus years.
This potential mating bond was particularly stubborn and irritating and couldn’t take a fucking hint.
Much like Warrick.
“‘Tell him the truth,’” I muttered under my breath. Cade had had some fucking audacity when making his side of the bet.
Not that it mattered now.
Just as I was about to step away and return to my table, Isaiah caught my eye before casually sliding a glance towards a table in the corner, where six Velesians sat.
Based on their attire, they were from Fervis.
Despite the rising tensions between the Orders, trade did continue.
They were likely selling weapons since Fervis was well-known for their blacksmithing.
I gave him a shallow nod in thanks and left several silver coins on the bar to better show my appreciation as I made my way across the tavern to settle at a small table close to the Fervis travelers. They were well into their evening based on how many empty glasses littered the table.
Lovely. The drunker they were, the looser their lips would be.
Settling into my chair, I half listened to them tease a member of their party over his lackluster love life while pondering the Rynn issue.
Something about her working with the Fervis Order didn’t seem right. What if they were blackmailing her somehow? That could’ve been why this seemed like a scheme from them but could’ve also explained Rynn’s reaction to their presence in that meeting.
I sipped my ale. It was also entirely possible there was no deception here.
That Rynn really was exactly who she claimed to be: a reluctant pawn of Velesian politics.
I’d need to get her alone and question her about Ryker, and then I’d need to figure out how to handle him.
I didn’t like the idea of lying to him despite the fact that he’d done it to us, but the conversation needed to be handled carefully.