Page 3

Chapter three

Ryann

My mother always said when the universe gives you lemons, make cheesecake. This is one delicious cake I cannot walk away from. What an opportunity. My stomach growls, and I cast a look to my left, peeking at the gorgeous alpha beside me.

Who knew there were not two gorgeous alphas in this house, but four drop dead stunner's living here?

I can just detect a hint of something fruity, but his eyes are that striking pale green that seems unnatural, framed with long lashes, unblemished skin that’s painted in lickable freckles. He’s got this streaky brown hair that seems to have a hundred hues to it, including, to my fascination, a bit of red. He’s gorgeous, stunningly pretty in a way that’s both masculine and feminine, and he wears it with confidence.

He also, to my dismay, noticed that my stomach growled.

Kit, his name is Kit.

On the other hand, the blond guy is not paying attention to me. He’s standing close to Raider, talking in low whispers. This alpha looks like a guy you’d find in an office or library. He’s got the chic look that fits with a cardigan or candlelight and romance. His eyes are blue, and he’s solid, not fat, but he’s definitely not bulked up like Raider or Wren. He’s very masculine, but in a nerdy way. His name is Callan. He makes my stomach flutter whenever he looks my way. Right, got it. Raider, Wren, Kit, and Callan.

They make an incredible pack. How does no one know about this?

I move my gaze to the silent Wren. Up close, he’s even more beautiful. His brown hair has a wave in it and is so long I want to run my fingers through it. He and Raider appear to be similar height. This morning, I noticed the way his eyes took in everything, but he’s holding back from the others, keeping distance, and he’s clearly amused at this situation, which loses him big points.

The most important part, though, is that Wren has a burrito in his hands and is eating it with little groans and moans. I hate him right now.

I don’t know what looks better, the man or the burrito, but the combination of the two is deadly. My eyes dip down as the burrito pulls in front. I lick my lips, imagining the taste of it.

Just a little bite.

He lifts it up, and I follow, tracking its movements. Which, unfortunately, brings me colliding with his gaze. Steel eyes smile as he takes a massive bite.

“Tease,” I mutter.

This is what people call food porn, I’m sure of it. I swallow hard and lock my knees so I don’t accidentally go jump him.

But the temptation of that burrito proves hard to resist. My mouth waters so badly I have to keep swallowing, and it’s impossible to look away from it as the alpha devours it bite by bite.

I moan when he licks his fingers.

“WREN!” Callan barks.

I jump and look away. Fuck, how long have I been staring at him for?

Wren’s grin is wicked as he slinks past us and out of the house. He leaves the lounge stinking of pomegranates and burrito. I almost want to cry.

Kit shuffles closer to me. “So, you’re the coach’s niece?”

I nod my head sharply. “He doesn’t know I’m here. While I’m a prisoner, I’d prefer to keep it that way.”

“Why?” Callan asks sharply.

“Because…” I hunt around for a reason but struggle. “Because I’m supposed to be hunting for rare animals. And he doesn’t know I’m not there. He’ll get worried. And if you tell him, my uncle will call the police. He loves me very, very much.”

He loves me, but not at the expense of his hockey team. He’d be more likely to give me to the cops for corrupting the boys.

“So, if you want your pretty D-man to stay on this side of prison bars, I strongly suggest you keep your mouths shut.” I sigh dramatically. “I’m willing to negotiate.”

The room goes still, all ears listening intently to me.

I can see them readying themselves to ask for more information, so I attack first.

“Put it this way, if you tell my uncle I’m here, not only will I disappear, but I’ll give the cops proof before I go. I’ll upload this to all your fans. I’ll tell the entire world you have a pack. ”

Raider freezes. “What?” he roars.

I lift my chin, looking him in the eyes. “This is your pack. I can see by the way you all talk and move that you are pack. Your eyes follow each other. When you move, they move.”

Callan swallows hard. He looks stunned and sits down heavily on the edge of the couch. “Well, there’s a first. Yes, we are a pack. Kit, Raider, and I.”

“Callan, what the hell? You don’t just confirm it! We’ve spent forever telling everyone we aren’t and hiding it. How can you just spill it to this weirdo?” Raider says and throws his hands in the air.

“And Wren,” I snap, ignoring Raider like he hasn’t even spoken. I’m still really mad that I almost peed myself. I had a lot of hours to plan my revenge.

“No-”

I raise my eyebrows and glare at him.

“All right, not officially yet.” Callan gets up and sits on the coffee table in front of me. “Raider is impulsive and dumb when he gets scared. He’s got a good heart. He will let you go, and we can all just forget about this.”

“No.” Raider and I say at the same time.

Callan scrapes his fingers through his hair and casts a wide-eyed look at Kit. I can hear the silent ‘what do I do?’ from here.

“She’s just going to have to stay here!”

“RAIDER!” Callan shouts. “We can’t kidnap people.”

“If we let her go, we lose everything. Let’s just keep her for a few days and convince her we’re good people!”

Yes, keep me. I sit back and watch them argue this out. It’s the best idea I’ve come up with in years. It ticks all the boxes. Hope unfurls within me, and I sort through all the prongs of this idea, rapidly going through the pros and cons and come out sunshine. This is the best solution.

“I’ll stay here. If at the end of a month you can convince me he’s a good person, then I’ll let it all go.”

The three of them have turned to statues, frozen, staring at me like I’ve grown another head.

“It’s either that or take me to the cop shop.”

“We could kill you,” Raider growls.

“Raider!” Callan snarls and hits the hockey god upside the back of the head.

I chortle happily. “Now, first things first. I need a burrito.”

Kit covers his mouth with his hand, but I can see his smile easily .

“A burrito?” Raider echoes. His face transforms into black thunderclouds. “You’re holding my entire life hostage, and you want a burrito?”

I cock my head to the side and try to control the way my whole body is reacting to this alpha’s pissy mood. Okay, so my eight-year crush on this guy is still going strong. Good to know.

“I do!” I manage to croak out.

He lets out a roar that has me gripping the couch cushions tighter so I don’t throw myself at him. It’s all those hours of watching him bashing other hockey players into the boards. Seeing him work out. This alpha male in all his glorious rage, completely undone by my womanly logic.

So damn cute.

By all that’s fair and just on this Earth, I need to live here for a month. After all I’ve put up with, it’s only right that the universe reward me just this once.

Kit elbows me. “You got a bit of drool.” He touches his chin and winks.

Raider is too busy throwing an epic man tantrum, and it's the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.

“This is outstanding,” I breathe.

Kit snickers, but I can’t take my eyes off Raider and Callan, who dryly points out logic and calm solutions to the overstimulated ball of rage.

“Do you ever do this just for fun?”

Kit bites his bottom lip without taking his gaze from the alphas and nods. “Uh, yes, sometimes it’s just, uh, well, he’s just so responsive.”

I nod in agreement. “He really is.”

Raider shoves himself free of Callan and points at me, his eyes wild, black hair messy around his face. If he told me to get on my knees, I’d totally do it right now.

“No burrito!”

My ardor turns to ice. “That’s just mean, Alpha.”

All three alphas in the room freeze when I saw the A-word. It’s almost comical, except I feel like I’ve turned a room full of harmless kittens into wolves.

It’s intoxicating and a high I haven’t ever experienced before. I’m not scared. I realise I should be, but I’m not.

I feel strangely very safe in this room right now. How bizarre. I pack that up to contemplate at another point in time.

“A girl needs to eat!” I sing at them and snap my fingers.

Raider’s eyes fairly fucking glow in the damn dark. I get whole body shivers and almost levitate off the couch as he steps towards me.

“I’m going to bury you where no one can ever find you. ”

“RAIDER!” Callan almost howls, which, in and of itself, is panty melting.

Kit’s eyes are bulging. I think he’s confused as to whether to laugh or cry.

I fold my arms under my breasts, bumping them up in the skimpy spaghetti strap top I’m wearing, and then lick my bottom lip. Raider’s eyes track from my lips down and back up. His eyes get a tiny glint of fear in them.

He should be afraid.

Wren walks back in, completely at ease with the at volume argument.

“There’s a weird car outside, but no one in it.”

“The neighbours are allowed to have visitors Wren!” Kit says in a bored voice. “Stop spying on them.”

“Weren’t you the lovely bunny trying to get laid last night?” Wren asks me. “I’m sure I brought you home with Tall, Dark, and Desperate. Or are you a different one? I thought the one from last night was thinner with black hair.”

“I had wet hair because it was raining, and I’m so flattered you paid no attention to me.”

“Hey!” Raider snarls.

I stiffen, remembering the other part of his statement. “I am not a puck bunny! Clearly! I don’t look like one of them at all. Did you spill your brains on the ice, too?”

Wren’s eyes drift down my body and slowly crawl back up. Everything in me wants to fidget and move, but I hold myself still.

“If it quacks like a duck,” Wren says and kisses the air in my direction.

Callan sits down on the edge of the coffee table and looks at Kit. “Are you seeing this, my love?”

“I see it.”

“We’re going to prison, Kit.”

“I know, Callan. It was a good run. It was bound to happen one day.” Kit throws himself down on the couch dramatically and throws an arm over his eyes. “I’m wasted in orange.”

I snicker, which draws Raider’s ire. He starts pacing and snaps his fingers again. “Come.”

I narrow my eyes and sit up straighter. “You did not just do-”

“Are you taking her home, Raider? Good!” Wren asks in a bored tone. “I thought the rule was our fucks don’t stay over?”

“I am not a fuck!” I grind, furious. That’s what I was going to be, and it is humiliating.

“No, she’s my prisoner.”

Wren cocks his head to the side. “I’m sorry. Can you run that by me again? I didn’t understand that last bit. ”

“Don’t worry, darling. You’re pretty. You don’t need to be smart, too.”

Wren gasps in outrage. It’s such a delightful sound that I immediately cherish it and lock it in my forever memories.

“Spicy little thing, aren’t you?” Wren growls.

I stand up, but he puts his huge hand on my face and pushes me back. I hit the couch hard and struggle up, hissing at him. But he simply stands there watching me.

“Prisoner, you say? I thought that was a joke.”

“Yes! No! Not a joke. I’m keeping her.”

“This is kind of archaic and a lot illegal, Raider. I just want to point out that you’re heading down a slippery slope.”

“Yep. I know. I don’t care.”

“Okay, well good. Welcome to our home, Puck Bunny.”

“I was hungry!” I howl at him.

“Yeah, I’ll bet you were!”

“FOR FOOD!”

Callan is looking between us with a strangely perplexed expression.

“What?” Wren asks him.

“It's just that. She makes Raider furious, and you make her furious, and it’s one big circle of rage and unpleasantness, and I’m just wondering if we’re all going to survive it.”

Kit snickers. “We need to feed our guest.”

“Prisoner!” Raider interjects with a jutted chin.

“Prisoner!” Wren says in a self-satisfied drawl, his eyes cut to me and mock me mercilessly.

I stand up and slide out of the way of Wren’s enormous legs and into a space that’s my own.

“I might be a prisoner, but I’m relieved.” Callan opens his mouth, but I panic and blurt the first thing that comes to my mind. “I am fucking hungry and getting hangry, though, so beware, I will cut a bitch.”

The silence is deafening, but at least they aren’t asking questions.

Kit holds a hand out. “Come with me. I’ll get you a burrito.”

“I’ll love you forever.”

I’m curious as to why Kit’s ears turn red, but I don’t ask as I follow him away from the others.

Behind us, Callan starts ripping into the other alphas again. He really is someone impressive. He looks so calm and quiet.

He leads me into the narrow kitchen from last night. Unlike the lounge, which has vaulted ceilings and a huge open area, the kitchen is like a tiny corridor. I can’t imagine how they fit in here.

Despite that, everything is clean and minimalist, I didn’t get to appreciate it last night. There aren’t even fingerprints on the stainless steel fridge.

Kit opens the fridge and pulls out a burrito.

“How many do you have in there?”

He flicks me a look and flashes a smile at the burrito he’s reheating in the microwave.

“If we leave the doors unlocked, are you going to run?”

I shake my head.

“You are really fascinating, Ryann. A prisoner who wants to stay imprisoned. I’m just dying to find out why.”

I reach for the burrito and smile.

He can wonder all he wants.

I’m not telling them shit. They are just a waypoint.

Soon, I’ll be gone.