Page 13

Chapter Thirteen

Ryder’s eyes darted around the yard, scanning the area as if expecting someone to be watching us. His jaw clenched tight, and his shoulders tensed.

“This conversation needs to end,” he said, his voice rumbling from his chest.

“No,” I said, shaking my head.

He studied me for a moment as his breaths came fast. In one fluid motion, he bent down, wrapping an arm around my thighs, and hoisted me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing at all.

“What the hell?” I shrieked, the world suddenly tilting sideways as blood rushed to my head. The feeling of not having control over my body sent a wave of panic through me. “Put me down right now!”

I pounded my fists against his back, which felt like hitting a brick wall. My pajama shorts rode up uncomfortably as he strode toward my front door.

“Ryder!” I yelled, kicking my legs. “Put me down!”

“In a second,” he grunted, as he carried me through the doorway with ease. Once inside, he set me back on my feet and closed the door behind us.

I stumbled slightly, disoriented from being upside down. “Don’t you ever do that again.”

I backed away from him and straightened my clothes. His eyes were on me as my heart hammered in my chest — from fear, from anger, from something I didn’t want to examine too closely.

I crossed my arms over my tight T-shirt to cover myself. He leaned back against the door, annoyingly calm compared to my agitation.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he finally said, his voice even. “You need to let this go.”

“No,” I said, taking a bold step forward. “I won’t. After what happened to me and what I saw, no chance. No chance in hell.”

“Everly—”

“And for the record,” I interrupted, pointing a finger at him, “if you ever pick me up like that again, you will seriously regret it. I don’t care how big you are.”

Ryder had the grace to look slightly ashamed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I just needed to get you inside without arguing about it out there, and you’re just so… stubborn and defiant.”

“Me?” I asked, my voice squeaking like a rusty hinge. “Let’s start with the truth. How about that? Don’t I deserve that after nearly being killed by your friend?”

“He’s not my friend,” Ryder muttered.

“Colleague? Associate? Whatever term you want to use, I don’t care,” I said, throwing my hands in the air. “Just stop playing games with me. I’m sick of fucking games everywhere I go!”

Ryder began pacing the small confines of my living room. His massive frame made the space feel even smaller. He moved like a caged animal as he ran his hands through his wild hair.

I watched him, mind racing. The pieces were there, scattered but starting to form a pattern. I’d seen him that day in the woods, arguing with Paul — Paul, who could somehow transform into a wolf. There had been other wolves surrounding them that night, massive creatures that hadn’t harmed Ryder at all.

“You know all about them. You didn’t even seem surprised when I told you,” I said quietly as I looked up at him. “The wolves.”

Ryder stopped pacing but didn’t look at me.

“That day in the woods, when I first saw you,” I said, not even thinking as I spoke. “You were talking to Paul about boundaries. About protecting your brothers or something.” Each word felt like stepping out further onto thin ice, but I couldn’t stop myself. “It was serious. Important. And Paul wanted to be done with it. He didn’t ask for this life… those were his words.”

“Everly, stop,” Ryder said, his shoulders rising and falling with his deep breaths. “Please.”

“He said something about a pack,” I said, my head bobbing as it came back to me. “Screw you and screw the pack.”

A wild, impossible thought hit me, and it made my lips curl into a smile. Somehow, I’d put the scattered pieces together.

“You know about them because you’re one of them too,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. I stepped up in front of him bravely. “Look me in the eye and tell me you’re not.”

“It’s not what you think,” Ryder said, avoiding my gaze.

“Jesus Christ, how is this real life?” I said, swallowing hard.

He grabbed my shoulders and peered into my eyes. “You have to forget about this. Humans can’t?—”

“Oh, my God,” I said, my mouth dropping open. “I’m right! I figured it out. What the fucking hell, Ryder? How is this possible? Like seriously, how?”

“Calm down, you can’t…” he said, turning away again. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Shit, shit, shit.”

“Can you do it now?” I asked, my eyes wide.

He turned sharply to look at me, as if trying to decide if I was serious. His expression quickly turned cold.

“This is a joke,” he snapped, his voice deeper than I’d ever heard it. “I’m not something you get to gawk at.”

I flinched. “I… I didn’t mean anything by that. I just want to understand. That guy wanted me dead. Don’t I deserve to understand what I’m dealing with?”

“No, you don’t,” Ryder growled, turning away. “Nobody does. This isn’t for humans to know about. It’s for your own safety. And ours too.”

“But I already know,” I said, cocking my head.

He stepped toward me so fast that we were only inches apart. His eyes blazed with a fiery intensity that sent fear rushing through my veins.

“You need to forget about this.”

“I can’t! Don’t you understand?”

“Enough!” he roared, his hand convulsing at his side.

I gasped as his fingers stretched slightly, the nails elongating into a claw-like form. It happened so fast that I would have missed it if I had blinked.

“Whoa,” I said, my breaths hitting me so fast I thought I was going to fall over. Part of me wanted to run straight out the door, but the more curious part of me stayed rooted in place. “That was?—”

“Nothing. That was nothing,” he said, his voice fading.

Ryder moved to the couch and sank down into the cushions. The furniture looked comically small beneath his big, muscular body. He buried his face in his hands for a moment before looking up at me.

“We have rules for a reason,” he said, holding my gaze. “I beg you to just let it go.”

I approached cautiously and sat on the coffee table across from him. “It’s too late. I already know. And I can’t just... forget this.”

“You have to,” he said, leaning forward. His eyes locked with mine. “It’s not safe for you to know these things. You’re right that you should go back to the city. Forget about this. Forget about everything.”

“I can’t just pretend I didn’t see what I saw,” I argued, my eyes flicking to his completely normal human hand. “I can keep a secret.”

His expression softened slightly. “Just like you can pretend you didn’t see me in the woods that night? I don’t think you’re as good at looking the other way as you think you are.” He let out a heavy breath and met my eyes. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

The air between us crackled with tension as our eyes locked. I don’t know what came over me, but suddenly I was seeing Ryder in an entirely different light. Not just as the intimidating stranger who tried to run me over with his truck, but as something... something else. Something extraordinary.

I found myself leaning toward him, drawn by some force I couldn’t explain. He moved closer too, his eyes dropping briefly to my lips.

“Everly,” he said, and my heart fluttered.

A sharp knock at the door made us both jump.

Ryder was on his feet in an instant, his body tense and alert like a predator sensing danger.

“You expecting someone?” he whispered, already moving toward the window to peek outside.

“I shook my head.”

Ryder’s eyes brightened as he sniffed the air. “Don’t answer that.”