Page 20 of Fated (The Bonded Legacy #1)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
LENA
T he dining hall buzzed with early morning activity, scents of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon mingling with the low hum of chatter.
Lena sat across from Ryker at a small table tucked in the corner, her scrambled eggs and toast largely untouched.
Elara lurked beneath the surface of Lena’s skin, nostrils flaring at phantom traces of orange and nutmeg in the air.
Ryker tore into his second helping of waffles with unrestrained enthusiasm. “I’m telling you, Lena”—he leaned in conspiratorially, fork waving between bites—“last night was wild .”
She glanced up from her coffee, visions from the night before clinging to her consciousness—Kai’s piercing gaze, his breath against her neck, his dominating presence. Even now, his scent teased her senses, pulling a plaintive yearning from Elara that echoed through their bond.
“Earth to Lena!” Ryker waved a hand in front of her face. “Are you even listening to me?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Lena blinked rapidly, pulling herself back to reality. “You were saying something about...last night?”
Ryker smirked, clearly delighted to have her attention again.
“Only the greatest night of my life! So, there I was, in the Redridge suite, right? Thurston’s daughter is on her knees, and she’s got me all worked up.
It was so fucking hot. I had her pressed down, chin to balls, choking on my cock, and then—wait for it—out of nowhere, she shoves a finger in my ass! ”
Lena choked on her coffee, sputtering as Ryker leaned back in his chair, howling with laughter. “Goddess, Ryker!” she shrieked, grabbing the toast from her plate and lobbing it at his head. “I did not need to know that!”
He caught the toast midair, unbothered by her outrage. “What? It’s rude to kink shame, you know.” He took a bite, winking at her. “I didn’t even have time to freak out. I came so hard I thought Axel left my body.”
Lena smacked his arm, face burning with both horror and amusement. His usual raunchy banter helped ground her, even as Elara continued her incessant hunt for traces of their mate. “I fully support you letting your freak flag fly, but for the love of Selene, can we not discuss this over breakfast?”
“Fine, fine.” Ryker shrugged, grin never wavering. “But for the record, I’m still trying to figure out if I liked it.”
Lena rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she tried to suppress a laugh. Ryker had a way of dragging her out of her own head, no matter how heavy her thoughts felt or how insistently Elara pined for their mate.
He leaned forward, expression sharpening. “So, what about you? What’d you do after I left? Have a super-secret rendezvous with Kai?”
Heat crept up Lena’s neck as fragments from her fantasies surfaced. Her thighs pressed together beneath the table, body responding anew to phantom sensations of Kai’s dominance.
She shook her head, hoping Ryker wouldn’t notice the color rising in her cheeks.
“Nothing nearly as exciting as your escapades.” She kept her tone light despite the prickle of energy from her wolf dancing along her nerve endings.
“Last night was...intense. I’m giving him some space for now, but I’m hoping to steal a moment with him later today. ”
Ryker’s expression shifted, his usual mischief giving way to something sharper. “Oh, you’re going to give Kai Bloodstone , the proverbial Prince of the Pacific Northwest packs, space?” He leaned in closer, his voice dropping. “Did you hear all the rumors flying around about him last night?”
Lena frowned, stomach twisting as a low rumble of unease vibrated through her connection with Elara. “What rumors?”
Ryker rubbed his hands together, clearly relishing the opportunity to share gossip.
“Apparently, Kai and this she-wolf, Ava, have been inseparable since his dad brought her in with a group of survivors from a rogue attack when they were pups. They started dating not long after their first shifts—against Darius’s wishes, I might add—and were convinced they’d be fated mates. Except, you know, they’re not .”
Lena’s heart sank, but she forced herself to listen as Ryker continued. The sharp sting of her wolf’s distress pulsed through their shared consciousness with each word.
“So, when she turned eighteen and realized they weren’t fated, things got.
..tense. The only thing Kai and his dad ever fight about is Ava.
Some people think Darius just doesn’t like her.
Others say Darius loves her but just doesn’t think she’s right for his son.
Either way, it’s a whole mess.” Ryker leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “And now, enter you , the gorgeous, brilliant, virginal fated mate. The heirs are salivating over the drama. There are even bets on how this is all going to play out. You, Kai, and Ava? Love triangle doomed for heartbreak, or throuple of the century?”
Lena groaned, burying her face in her hands. “First, I don’t share—”
Ryker interrupted her with a snort. “Yeah, unless it’s cock. Or do I once again have to remind you of the Incident?”
Lena huffed, not daring to broach that subject again, before continuing. “Second, my life is not some Goddess-damned soap opera.”
He shrugged, clearly unbothered by her exasperation. “Hey, I’m just the messenger. But for what it’s worth, I don’t think the competition is as fierce as you might think.”
Lena peeked up at him, brow furrowed. She felt Elara’s attention snap into sharp focus, ears pricking forward. “What do you mean?”
Ryker leaned closer conspiratorially. “Magnus, the Bloodstone beta-heir, spent most of last night trying to calm Ava down. She was blowing up his phone after Kai ignored all her calls and texts. If you ask me, Kai’s just waiting to get back home to break things off with her face to face.
Sounds like he’s trying to do right by both of you. ”
A spark of hope ignited in Lena’s chest, spreading through her veins like honey-warmed whiskey as her wolf’s energy purred through their bond.
She knew Kai felt the bond—knew it as surely as she knew her own heartbeat.
Maybe his hesitation wasn’t about rejection.
Maybe it was about doing the honorable thing.
She straightened in her seat, confidence returning. “You really think so?”
Ryker grinned. “I do. And if he doesn’t figure it out soon, you’ve got me and Cian. We’ll knock some sense into him together.”
Lena laughed, the sound light and genuine. Elara’s energy softened with anticipation at the prospect of claiming their mate properly. For the first time since feeling the mate bond, she felt like she could breathe.
A mischievous grin spread across her face as she turned to Ryker. “So, does this mean you’re going to need a finger up the ass to get it up from here on out?”
Ryker burst out laughing, pulling Lena into a tight side hug.
“Goddess, I fucking love you, you little psycho! Now pick up your shit. I’m thirty seconds away from being late to the summit review meeting.
” He shot her a wink as he darted out of the dining hall, calling over his shoulder, “I’ll keep an eye on your hubby and catch up with you at lunch.
Unless you’re busy spending your break on your back! ”
Laughing, Lena gathered her things, excited for the rest of the summit. With renewed determination, she made her way to the morning session with the lunas, gait energized by Elara’s infectious confidence.