Page 10 of Alphas Never Hide (Willow Lake Supernaturals #5)

Chapter Ten

HAYDEN

The image of Ryley sucking and licking his fingers was burned into my brain. It should have been disgusting, watching him take his tongue to his dirty hands. I should have told him to clean them on a napkin like an adult before his tongue had even touched his skin.

But I didn’t, because…

I wiped my hands down my face.

He wasn’t trying to be sexy. I knew that.

But , fuck.

I had to get control.

He’d pissed me off by tagging along, but then he’d gone and distracted me with all that licking. And now I couldn’t think straight.

I needed to think about something else, like walking through the steps of rebuilding a V8 . Instead , I gave my hard dick a squeeze through my jeans to get it under control. I jerked my hand away when I heard Ryley climb over the tailgate and jump down.

As soon as I saw him pop up in the back of my truck, I should have done a one-eighty and driven right back to Willow Lake , but I was so damn close to finding Robbie . I’d already put off coming out here for hours. I couldn’t squander any more time.

I pinched my dick one last time and walked to the back of the truck where Ryley was standing. He smelled like sugar, cinnamon, and cream cheese. His lips looked sticky and wet, and he kept licking his tongue over them like he was determined to collect every insignificant speck of sugar.

Now my tongue wanted to slip out and see if he’d missed any.

I bit down on it instead.

Ryley pulled off his glasses and hung them from the collar of his shirt. I was about to ask what he was doing, but then his pupils changed into that weird square shape of his faun form. He didn’t shift the rest of his body, just his eyes, and it was strange to see those eyes on a human face. But I’d done a little research last night when Ryley had been in with Doc , so I understood why he’d done it. Fauns were supposed to have excellent sight in their shifted form.

“ The trail your friends followed is there.” Ryley pointed at a patch of bent grass in the ditch.

I inhaled to confirm. “ Yes .”

“ So , we’re following it too? We’ll go in there and see if we can pick up where they lost the scent.”

“ That’s what I’m doing, but you’re staying here,” I said .

“ Of course I’m not.” He shook his head. “ Don’t you watch horror movies? You should never, ever separate from the people you’re with.”

“ We aren’t in a horror movie.”

“ No , this is worse.”

I frowned. Because of course he was right. I couldn’t leave him out here on his own. What if Robbie or one of Robbie’s followers found him out here? He’d be vulnerable. We really should go back to town.

I stared longingly into the trees.

Robbie was out there somewhere. Right now. I was so damn close.

Ryley scanned the trees, too. “ You told people we were coming out here, right?”

“ Why ?”

“ Oh , for the love of Magic . You didn’t, did you?” He rolled his eyes. Again . He did that a lot. “ Robbie , or whatever his name is, comes out every day, first thing in the morning. Going out there with no backup plan is like delivering ourselves to him. We might as well put a red ribbon in my hair and call me a present.”

And now I was imagining him as a present, waiting to be unwrapped.

What the fuck? I didn’t lust after strangers. I didn’t lust after anyone. I preferred it that way.

I also hated the idea of Ryley going anywhere near Robbie . But at least I understood that emotion; I was protective by nature. That was who I was. I’d feel the same about anyone from my pack—er, whatever.

“ He won’t touch you again. I promise.” The words came out on a growl. “ But I don’t think it is safe for you to be out here, so just go back to town.” I pushed my keys into his hand.

“ No way,” Ryley protested as he tossed the keys back at me. “ I am coming with you. But you will also do the whole ‘phone a friend’ thing before we leave this road and lose cell service.”

I scowled at him. Usually having an alpha scowl at a person was enough to make them cower and obey, but of course Ryley had to be different. He just stared right back at me. The seconds ticked by, becoming minutes. Why wouldn’t he do as I wanted?

I didn’t sense any discomfort from him, so maybe he wasn’t uncomfortable about going into the woods with me. Besides , how much danger would he be in? I could take Robbie . I might not have sparred with him in over a decade, but Robbie had always been a lazy shit. From everything I’d heard from his former pack mates, he hadn’t changed.

“ Well ?” Ryley said, challenging me.

I gritted my teeth but pulled out my phone. People rarely told me what to do. Most of them came to me, expecting me to tell them what to do, not the other way around. But here I was, texting— texting , for fuck’s sake!— Van to let him know we were picking up where they’d left off last night, or earlier this morning, I guessed.

I sent the text and showed Ryley the screen, so he’d know I hadn’t lied. When he nodded, I shoved my phone in my pocket.

“ I’m shifting,” I said. Without waiting for a reply, I transitioned into my wolf .

“ I’m not.” Ryley frowned at me. His pupils reverted to their human shape as he put his glasses on his face.

“ Fine . Try to keep up.”

I didn’t have to look at him to know he was rolling his eyes at me again. I might be an ass, but it looked like we both knew I wouldn’t leave him behind.