Page 21 of Betrayed Mate (Rejected Fate Trilogy #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I blinked a few times, trying to understand how this was even possible. I’d shifted back into my human form at some point, and now I lay naked with Ryker, cuddled into his chest with his hard dick pressing into my thigh.

Not only that, but my body tingled everywhere our skin touched, making me wonder if I was on wolfsbane or something similar. None of this should’ve been possible. The last time I’d shifted in my sleep, I’d been a child—shifters only shifted when they felt safe, and being asleep was when we were most vulnerable.

Obviously, I didn’t feel safe around him . The only reason I could think of that I’d done it was for healing. Shifting made the magic surge through our bodies and helped with healing if an injury wasn’t too severe.

He snored faintly again, and I lifted my head to find his face completely relaxed. My heart stopped as I took in every inch of his perfect features. When he was awake, he always wore a scowl or a tense expression. But now, he looked at peace…and even more handsome.

“And here I thought I stood a chance,” Gage whispered, causing my head to snap in his direction.

Both brows were raised, and his lips were pressed into a firm line.

Stomach sinking, I wanted to disappear. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten caught not only cuddling with Ryker but watching him sleep. How creepy was that, and how much worse could this get?

I opened my mouth to respond, but Ryker’s breathing quickened like he might be waking.

Dammit, Fate! She took me up on my challenge, proving that the situation could, in fact, get worse.

I tried disentangling the leg I’d thrown over his waist, but his arms tightened around me, holding me in place. There was no graceful way of getting out of this without things becoming more awkward.

He groaned, and his eyes fluttered open. A small smile tugged on the corners of his mouth until the sheen that kept randomly appearing hid the color of his eyes once more and the tingles between us eased, though they didn’t fully disappear.

We jerked away from each other. I rolled toward the end of the bed, but my injuries ached, causing me to not be able to catch myself properly on my left side.

My naked ass hit the floor. There was movement on top of the mattress, no doubt from Ryker, as Gage rushed to my side.

He squatted beside me, taking my arm. I tried to cover my breasts, my pack’s usual modesty kicking in.

“You are so injury-prone.” Gage shook his head, trying to help me to my feet.

The movement caused discomfort, and I groaned before I could stop myself.

Ryker leaped out of bed to my side and landed on his feet. He was still completely naked, and from my precarious position on the floor, his still-hard penis was right in my face, and, boy…it was large.

He shoved Gage in the chest hard enough that Gage released my arm, and I fell back on my bottom. My body jerked, and my shoulder and throat throbbed. It would probably be another day before I felt completely normal.

“Don’t touch her, and get out of the fucking room,” Ryker commanded as he slid between Gage and me. Now his tight ass was in my face, and I wasn’t sure which side I enjoyed staring at more.

“Whoa.” Gage shuffled backward a few steps. “I was just trying to help her up. She’s got to be exhausted, especially since she didn’t eat last night.”

Ryker clenched his fists at his sides. “ I will take care of her. You need to leave. Now .”

“Man, this is our room too. It’s not just yours.” Gage sighed, but his voice lowered in defeat. “I just came in to check on her. We’ve all been worried about her.”

My stomach fluttered, and I scolded myself for it. Just because they said they cared now didn’t mean it would always be that way. I had to remember that. Look at what Reid had done.

Taking a deep breath, Ryker relaxed marginally. “I understand, but this isn’t a normal situation. Go get her something to eat, and I’ll bring her out after she gets some clothes on.”

Gage moved a few steps, and Ryker mirrored each one, blocking his view of me the best he could. Around him, I managed to see Gage shake his head and mutter, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you two were fated mates.” He walked out and slammed the door.

The room shook a little, and both Ryker and I remained exactly where we were as silence fell. My wolf tried to inch forward and make me close the distance between us, but I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to remain in place.

“For the love of Fate, can you please put some clothes on?” He kept his back to me, but his hands once again fisted at his sides. “I’m not sure I can keep myself under control if anyone else comes in here.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I climbed to my feet and searched for something to put on.

“Your bag is under your side of the bed.”

A thrill shot through me.

My side of the bed .

I froze. The last thing I needed was to feel any sort of positive emotion toward him. Gage was so out of line by saying Ryker was acting like my fated mate. Ryker clearly hated me and kept me around only because of my pack link with Briar.

Kneeling, I pulled my bag out and located a bra, panties, a maroon shirt, and jeans to wear. I quickly pulled them on, thankful that the shift back to human form had removed the blood that covered me despite the stains on the sheets. And then I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to tame it. “I’m dressed.”

“Thank Fate.” He spun around, giving me a side view of his ass and penis, which was still hard.

Deep need throbbed within me, catching me off guard. I sat on the edge of the bed, closing my eyes and gripping the side of the mattress, trying to calm the desire rolling through me before he could smell it.

I could hear him behind me on the other side of the bed, and I hated how the image of his naked body kept replaying in my mind. I needed to not think about that because nothing would ever happen between us.

Ever.

When I heard his zipper, I finally opened my eyes, knowing that at least half his body had to be covered.

The spicy scent of desire drifted over—from him.

My wolf howled in response, but I gripped the edge of the mattress even harder. Even if he was aroused, having sex would complicate matters and distract me. I had to remain focused on the goal and not do something that would potentially risk my sister. I couldn’t lose her.

He moved back in my direction. Not wanting him to know I was affected by him too, I bit the inside of my cheek. I whimpered, pressing harder than intended, and suddenly his scent filled my nose.

His hands cupped my face and lifted it gently upward as he rasped, “What’s wrong?”

The gold in his eyes was like flames on a candle, mesmerizing me. I could feel my pulse quicken, and I knew I needed to move away, but somehow, I couldn’t budge.

“Are your injuries still bothering you?” he asked as his focus dropped to my neck. It continued lower to where my breasts pressed against the V of my shirt.

Right. He’d asked me a question. I should probably answer. “No, I bit the inside of my cheek.” I winced, realizing how lame I sounded, but at least it was an answer.

His gaze flicked to my mouth, and I licked my lips.

The intoxicating smell of desire swirled from both of us. My lungs stopped working as the buzzing from his touch jolted through my cheeks and ran through my entire body. All I could focus on was his full lips, wondering if they would taste as minty as his breath.

He lowered his head, and my mind screamed move, but my body didn’t budge. I took a jerky breath as his lips touched mine, causing tingles to run through my mouth.

The door swung open, and Ryker stumbled back, ruining the moment.

I didn’t move an inch, trying to understand what had just happened as Xander strolled through.

“You two are up. Finally.” Xander rubbed his hands together.

Ryker’s nostrils flared. “Does no one know how to knock around here?”

“Uh…when did knocking become a necessity?” Xander tilted his head, but I knew the moment he smelled the one thing we couldn’t hide—the scent. It hadn’t had time to dissipate. “Oh…I—”

For the hundredth time, I wanted to disappear. “Of course you don’t need to knock,” I blurted, trying to salvage the moment. I hated how vulnerable and foolish I’d been with Ryker, and when I glanced at him and saw the sheen back over his eyes, my wolf sighed.

“We’ll get it resolved now once and for all.” Ryker waved to us to follow him and marched out the door toward the kitchen.

Both Xander and I stared at each other.

Ryker cleared his throat from the other room. “You two get in here. I want everyone to hear exactly what I have to say to ensure there is no misunderstanding.”

“That means hurry.” Xander rolled his eyes.

After the awkward exchange we’d just had, I was eager to remove myself from the scene of the crime. I hurried into the kitchen with Xander right behind me to find Gage cooking on the gas stove against the wall and Kendric and Raven sitting on the barstools on the far side of the island.

The room spun a little, but I made my way to the edge of the marble island and held it to support myself. I needed calories because I hadn’t eaten in a while, and my body was recovering from extensive injuries. Even my wolf’s magic didn’t feel as strong despite her making her presence known just moments ago.

Raven homed in on me as if she could tell there was something wrong.

When Ryker began talking, I wanted to hug him for keeping her from asking questions about why I was clutching the counter.

Wait. No. I definitely couldn’t want to hug him, right?

“Now that we have Rebel, we should establish rules of etiquette so no one accidentally walks in on her.” Ryker moved to stand between the back counter and the island, across from Kendric and a few feet from Gage.

The scent of meat hit my nose. My stomach gurgled, followed by sharp hunger pains, and I noted Gage was searing two pieces of steak.

“Since there’s a woman staying with us, knocking on the bedroom door before entering is now required.” Ryker crossed his arms. “Gage walked in on her completely naked .”

“Man, you were in there too.” Gage flipped the steaks, cooking the other side. “In fact, you were in bed with her while you both were naked.”

Smirking, Raven leaned back in her seat while Kendric rubbed his temples.

“Wait.” Xander pointed to the bedroom door. “Is that why you told me to go in there and get them? I thought it was because we couldn’t pack-link with Ember.”

Kendric hung his head. “He didn’t have to pack-link with her while Ryker was with her.”

“Why couldn’t you just holler at us?” I didn’t understand what sort of game or logic they were employing.

“The rooms are soundproof when the doors are closed,” Raven explained and lifted a wine glass full of red liquid emanating the coppery, sweaty scent of human blood. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to sleep last night with all the commotion outside.”

“Commotion? There was more than the attack on us?” My mouth went dry. What had I missed?

“She means Felix’s punishment.” Kendric rolled his shoulders back and wrinkled his nose. “It was pretty brutal. If he hadn’t been a descendant of the royal line, he would’ve died.”

My knees gave out, but luckily, I was still holding the edge of the island. I wasn’t sure what shocked me most—the queen having her own son beaten almost to death or him still being alive. “Where is he?”

“The offsite prison.” Raven set her glass on the counter. “He’s far away, so you’re safe here now.”

“And the queen made her point.” Gage snagged two plates from a cabinet and slid a medium-rare steak onto each one. “I suspect no one will dare make another changeling anytime soon.” He placed one steak in front of me.

My left hand grabbed the steak and brought it to my lips. I took a huge bite and chewed, enjoying the juices as the meat slid down my throat. My stomach rumbled eagerly, and I took another bite.

I’d never been this hungry before, and the sensation was completely unnerving.

“Here.” Ryker placed his plate next to mine. “Eat this one too.”

Xander inhaled as Gage’s eyebrows rose to an almost comical level.

Despite my mouth being full, I shook my head. I swallowed. “You need food too.” He hadn’t eaten in a while either.

“I’ve been craving beef jerky.” He pressed his lips together and headed back into the bedroom, where I heard him open a bag.

I couldn’t stop eating. I took another large bite, eager to get as much in me as quickly as possible.

“Whoa.” Xander hurried past Gage and to the refrigerator and removed a bottle of water. “Drink this before you choke.” He then rolled the bottle down the island toward me.

Silence descended as Ryker came back in eating jerky, and I devoured the two steaks and drained the entire bottle of water. When I finished, my stomach seemed to have expanded, indicating I might have eaten too much.

“Are you okay?” Ryker asked then took the last bite of his third jerky stick.

“I’m fine.” I smiled, but I kept a firm grip on the counter with my right hand just in case.

“Now that you two are done, Ryker, the queen wants to speak to you and the rest of your pack.” Raven drained her glass. “She wants to discuss the meeting in a couple days as well as hear what happened with the changeling.”

I pushed off the counter, needing to show them and myself that I was fine. “Sounds good to me.”

“She wants to speak to them—not you.” Raven cringed a little. “She said that she wants you to rest, especially after an attack like that. It was brutal.”

My blood ran cold. I didn’t like being excluded from that meeting.

“She’s right.” Ryker nodded, glancing at me. “Besides, we’re the ones who have a relationship with her. She trusts our judgment but probably not yours yet.”

That made sense, but something didn’t quite feel right about it all.

“But I don’t want Ember on her own without one of us with her, so—” Ryker started.

“I’ll stay.” Raven typed into her phone and hit send. “I’ll make sure nothing happens to her. The queen will be waiting for you in the study. She told me to inform her when you guys are ready.” Her phone dinged, and she held it up, revealing the message: I’m logging into the call now.

“Okay. We shouldn’t be long.” Ryker bit his bottom lip before heading out of the kitchen without a second glance in my direction.

Kendric kissed Raven’s cheek, and the three Grimstone members followed their alpha.

Great. Things between Ryker and me were going to be even more strange, and he’d excluded me and left me alone with a vampire. If he wasn’t getting back at me for groping him while I was asleep, I didn’t know what he was thinking.

I couldn’t hide a yawn. “I guess I’ll go back into the bedroom.” I didn’t want to stand here and have a stilted conversation.

“Wait.” Raven blurred to my side.

She glanced in the direction the men had gone. When her attention settled back on me, a tinge of red outlined her irises.

Holy shit. She was channeling her vampire magic. What the hell did the vampires have in store for me now?