Page 32 of A Wolf’s Wound

Hannah

“Fine, I’ll stay at the compound tonight,” I say. Ryder lets out a sigh of relief, his posture immediately changing from upright to relaxed.

“Thank you,” he says. “I really appreciate you agreeing to stay there.”

“I’m only doing this because I don’t want April to worry,” I say and he shrugs.

“Hey, whatever got you to change your mind is fine with me.”

I shake my head and then hurry to my room to throw a few things in an overnight bag. April does the same, and a few minutes later she and I leave our apartment accompanied by Ryder and Shadow.

I have to quash the urge to turn around and look back at my place as we walk down the hall. Instead I grab April’s hand and squeeze it, suddenly hit by the enormity of what could have happened if the enforcer and Ryder hadn’t shown up.

Maybe April’s thinking the same thing because she squeezes my hand back.

Ryder drops April off at her parents’, and then we drive to his family’s compound in silence. I lean my head against the window and close my eyes, exhausted from all the emotions and events of this evening.

I only open them when the car slows to a stop. Ryder rolls down his window and punches some numbers into a keypad. After a few seconds, the tall, solid-looking gate in front of us swings apart, and Ryder turns down the drive.

“You guys take security seriously,” I comment.

“We’ve had to,” he replies.

“I know what that’s like,” I say, remembering all the locks and gates at home. Ryder glances over at me.

“I guess you would,” he says. “Sometimes I forget about the Blackwood stuff.”

“My stepfather would love hearing that,” I remark and Ryder grins.

Shadow stirs in his sleep and then resettles himself in the back seat.

The driveway is long, with trees pressing in close on each side.

But then suddenly the drive opens up into a small parking lot that’s filled with cars.

In front of us is one large house surrounded by smaller buildings.

And on the lawn to the left is a large group.

Music’s playing from somewhere, and little kids are running around throwing a ball.

“Ryder!” someone yells in our direction when we get out of the car, Shadow in my arms.

“Hey, Evan,” Ryder calls back, pulling my bag out of the trunk. “Come on,” he says to me in a lower voice. “Meet the family.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, still hanging back by the car. “I don’t want to interrupt anything.”

“It’s just dinner,” he says with a grin. “And don’t worry, it’s not only family. You can meet some of the pack members too.”

“I don’t know, Ryder. Shadow needs to rest, and it’s already been a pretty long night.” I glance around, aware of how dark the night has become. “Plus I feel a little like we’re in the middle of nowhere. I know you said this is safe, but it feels really isolated.”

“Hannah, please understand this is the safest place in the world for you both right now,” Ryder says. “We might not have a lot of neighbors, but we do have a lot of security. And we don’t have to go into what happened earlier if you don’t want to.”

I let out a surprised laugh. “Oh, you’d rather your family just think you’re bringing a random girl around?”

“Trust me, I’ve put them through worse,” Ryder says wryly.

Like what? I almost ask but then think better of it. That sounds like the kind of question a girlfriend—or someone who wants to be a girlfriend—would ask. It’s way too personal.

Instead, I look at Shadow, who’s staring up at me with bright, alert eyes. “This okay with you?” I ask him, and he chatters his approval.

“See? Even Shadow knows this is fine.” Ryder grins. “One burger and then you can disappear.”

“Okay,” I say, putting Shadow on the ground. He scampers ahead of us toward the group that’s gathered around a barbecue grill.

“You guys hungry?” the one Ryder called Evan asks, and Ryder nods.

“Starving. Everyone, this is Dr. Hannah Kelly, the new vet,” he says. “Hannah, these are my brothers Evan, Thomas, Michael, and Jackson. And you already know Gavin.”

“Hi,” I say with a dorky wave, not sure that I’ll be able to keep all of the brothers straight. “You can call me Hannah.”

“That kid there is Cody, Gavin’s son,” Ryder continues, nodding at a teenage boy. “And you’ve met my mom, Lori, but this is my dad.”

An older man who looks strikingly like Ryder steps forward and shakes my hand. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Dr. Kelly,” Ryder’s father says. “I’ve heard a great deal about you. All of it very complimentary, of course.” He winks.

I laugh. “I’m sure. It’s nice to see you again,” I tell Lori.

“And it’s lovely to have you here,” she says, sweeping me and Shadow into a hug.

Ryder watches with a pleased expression. When he catches my eye, he smiles at me. It’s so sweet and sincere that I can’t help but return it. As I do, I feel more like a wannabe girlfriend than ever, between meeting the family and laughing with his parents.

But before I can think about that too much, or even say anything to Ryder, he walks over to Gavin. I don’t hear what he says to his older brother, but I’m pretty sure it was about the scene in my apartment.

Gavin’s expression changes from relaxed to tense. He quickly and quietly gets the attention of the other brothers, and they melt away from the group, heading into one of the smaller buildings near the main house.

Either Ryder’s parents don’t notice that all of their sons have left, or they don’t think it’s worth mentioning because they don’t say anything.

“Hannah, are you just joining us for dinner, or will you be staying overnight?” Lori asks.

“I’ll be here tonight.” I blush. “Just for one night. Um, Ryder said I could stay with you?” I ask his mother, and she nods in agreement.

“Yes, in the main house. We have several very comfortable guest rooms. Choose whichever one you want. And you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

“Thank you, but it really will just be for tonight.”

“Well, then, we better make sure you enjoy it out here with us!” Lori says. I look at her and wonder if she knows what happened earlier at my apartment. She seems so calm but also all-knowing, like nothing escapes her attention.

Ryder’s father is also watching me carefully. “It is very nice to meet you,” he says again. “You know, I know your stepfather.”

“I do.” I nod. “Mason has told me a lot about the Stone pack.”

“I’m sure not all of it was that nice,” he says.

“Oh, don’t put the poor girl on the spot!” Lori says, but Ryder’s dad just grins.

“I won’t do anything of the sort. I promise,” he says. “But we all know Mason hasn’t always been our family’s biggest fan.”

“I think the feeling’s been mutual,” I say and he laughs.

“Fair enough, Doctor, fair enough. But that’s all water under the bridge now,” he promises.

“And it’s about time,” Lori declares. “We’ve been waiting to meet you for so long, dear.”

Her words catch me off guard. They sound so prophetic, somehow, like they’re freighted with meaning that I can’t even begin to understand.

I look at Lori, whose dark eyes calmly meet mine. I have the sense that not only does Lori know everything that happens in her pack, but she somehow knows a lot more about my life than she’s letting on.

Before I can say anything, though, Shadow begins squeaking and pulling at me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, my heart rate spiking.