Page 11 of Alphas Never Hide (Willow Lake Supernaturals #5)
Chapter Eleven
HAYDEN
The trail Van and the others had followed was easy to find. Ryley’s scent still lingered under the others. It’d been a long time since I’d gone for a run with someone else, not that we were running exactly. But having a bit of companionship while traipsing through the woods was surprisingly nice. Once upon a time, running with my pack had been one of my favorite things to do.
But I didn’t have a pack anymore. By choice, my choice.
Van , the son of a bitch, always said I did have a pack, saying it included every damn supernatural in the town but that I was too stubborn to admit it. But that wasn’t true, no matter what he believed, which he must have because hellhounds couldn’t lie. So , that meant he was a deluded asshole. The bastard had even mangled a Shakespearian quote a few months back, saying, “ The alpha ‘ doth protest too much.’ ”
But he was wrong.
I picked up the pace a little, eager to leave all those thoughts behind me. I was happy to proceed in silence, but then Ryley said, “ So …”
He said nothing else, just the word “so.” After a few minutes, when I didn’t respond, he said it again. After a few more minutes, it happened again.
I spun around to look at him after the fourth time. “ So what?”
His eyebrows rose. “ I thought we should talk or something while we do this. But I didn’t really know what to say.”
“ So you kept saying ‘so’?”
He lifted his shoulders. “ You could try being more approachable. And , besides, ‘so’ is a perfectly acceptable segue into conversation. Lots of people do it. It is a sign you want to talk.”
“ I am perfectly approachable. Ask anyone.”
“ Right . Sure . That whole growling thing you’ve got going on just screams ‘talk to me’.”
Gritting my teeth, I turned back to the trail. I was not biting back another growl. I didn’t have a “whole growling thing”, whatever that was.
“ We did icebreakers at a conference I went to once. We could try that. Let me think.” He adjusted his glasses. “ Okay . Describe yourself in three words.”
His question seemed simple enough, but it wasn’t. It was something most people should be able to answer. But I didn’t know where to begin. If other people were to describe me, they’d say leader, protector, and dutiful. Or something ridiculous like that. What else was there ?
I could live with helpful. It seemed a bit like bragging, although I really did try to help the people in the community who were struggling. Knowledgeable about cars was more than one word, so Ryley would protest that. Same with reasonably priced. Which , now that I thought about it, was more about the garage than me.
What other word might work?
Lonely ?
I shoved that one away. I wasn’t lonely. I had tons of people around me, whenever I wanted, more than I wanted, honestly. Besides , that wasn’t the type of thing you said to someone you just met.
That left me with only one word.
“ No .”
“ Oh , come on. That’s not an adjective. Although I could see how it is a reflection on your personality.”
I circled around and nipped at the back of his calf.
“ Hey ! Be nice.” Ryley laughed and swatted at my nose.
“ You weren’t being nice.”
“ How about this one? What are five things that make you happy?”
My first thought was Willow Lake : the people, the place, the everything. But that sounded too much like what an alpha would say. What else was there? “ I like when my tools are organized.”
Ryley let out a weird honking noise like a buzzer on a game show. “ Nope . That’s not happiness. That’s being a perfectionist or someone with OCD or something. We’re looking for pure happiness. ”
“ Okay , then. What makes you happy?” If it was so easy, let him answer.
He waggled his finger at me. “ I see what you’re doing, but fine.” He twisted his mouth around as he thought. “ I always feel happy when I get a long sleep. You know the type of sleep where you wake up and look around like you don’t have any idea where you are because you were so zonked out. I love that feeling. I am happy when I walk home through the park and the place is busy with people laughing and smiling and playing. The energy can be invigorating. I’m happy when I discover a new show, especially if there are a bunch of episodes I can binge. But I can re-watch my faves and be happy too. I love getting lost in a good storyline. I am happy when I’m in a wide-open field with a blue sky overhead and no one else around for miles. Some people like looking out from a hiding place in the woods, but not me. I need space. And let’s see, what else?” He tapped his chin. “ How many was that? I think I only have one left. I am happy when I climb into a freshly made bed with crisp clean bedding. There . That wasn’t so hard. Oh , and I am thrilled when a client loves what I’ve done for them. Custom websites that are complicated are the best, but graphic design is fun too. That one is work-related, though, so I’ll understand if you don’t want to count it.”
His answers didn’t sound like real happiness to me. After all, could anyone feel pure, unmitigated joy binge-watching a show? But whatever. I also noticed he didn’t talk about family or friends, and I wondered if one of his three words to describe himself would be “lonely” too. That thought sent a pang through my chest .
“ Why work with computers?” I suspected Ryley was about my age, but most supes, regardless of age, shied away from technology. I wasn’t even all that old by supe standards, and I hated the stuff. Technology was an aggravating tool, nothing more.
Ryley rolled his shoulder in a casual shrug. “ It is decent money and there is always something new to learn.”
The way he spoke suggested that was his easy answer, but not the complete one. But I didn’t pry. If I pried, he might think I owed him reciprocal answers to whatever question he dreamed up. I’d gotten so used to people always knowing about me and my business, it was strange to realize I was a blank slate with Ryley .
Sure , he’d heard the others call me their alpha, but he didn’t know the history. He didn’t know how badly I’d fucked up in the past. It was oddly liberating. And I rather liked the anonymity. Ryley would only know what I shared with him. He’d only judge me on what information I gave him.
Although , admittedly, I hadn’t tried to make a very good impression on him so far, so maybe that wasn’t the best idea either. But if one person saw how unsuited I was to be the alpha, it could open other people’s eyes, and they’d see the same thing.
“ So …” Ryley said after a few minutes.
I huffed. Because , really? We were back to that?
“ What about you?” Ryley asked.
Well , what do you know? He could actually follow the word “so” with other words. I should give him a prize.
“ What about me what? ”
“ You know, what makes you happy? Besides your tools.”
I wasn’t sure what it said about me and the people I associated with, but the word tools triggered some kind of strange word association. If it’d been Isaac saying that to, well, anyone, he would have made the word tools sound like a dirty joke. Whereas Parker , if he was talking to Levi , would have said it suggestively too, but in such a way that you knew he was flirting with the big minotaur. I didn’t detect any alternative meaning in Ryley’s use of the word.
Maybe he wasn’t good at flirting. Or maybe he wasn’t interested in me.
Not that I wanted him to be. I didn’t do relationships or one-night stands or anything, really.
“ I’m happy when people don’t ask me useless questions,” I muttered.
“ Ouch ,” he said. He was smiling, though, so I didn’t think he was bothered by my answer. In fact, I thought he might be trying to stop himself from laughing at me.
I ignored him and sniffed the ground.
“ What ?”
“ The scent trail ends here.”
“ Here ?” Ryley looked around, as if suddenly remembering why we were taking this trek through the forest. “ That’s not right. This isn’t the place.”
Until now, Ryley’s scent had been strong enough to follow, and I’d ignored the other scents in the area. Now , though, I inhaled deeply. Van , Adrian , and Dillon had separated here. They’d each gone in a different direction, presumably to find Ryley’s scent again. I’d been with them on enough searches to know Van would have had them running along a grid-like pattern, but that hadn’t worked.
So what had they missed?