Page 9

The morning comes quicker than expected.

When my eyes peek out against the harsh sunlight filling the room, it's much brighter than usual.

Finally, my eyes adjust, looking at the alarm clock that rests on the bedside table.

Shock runs through me when I see it reads 10:00 AM, despite having set the alarm for 7 the night before.

A string of curse words flies from my mouth. Jason will be here soon and of course, I overslept! I shoot out of bed...well, I attempt to. A weight stops me at my waist and restricts me from going any further. I roll my eyes and heavily pat Ryder's arm in an attempt to wake him.

He lays sprawled, one arm securing my waist, and his face partly smashed into the pillow.

His mouth is parted and his lips move ever so slightly with each breath.

The scene in front of me is humorous and adorable, and it causes me to halt my movements.

Knowing I'll most likely be late and have to rush my ass off, I can't bear to wake him when he looks this peaceful.

Carefully, I lay down, but this time closer to his body.

A small gasp escapes me when his arm automatically tightens and pulls me flush to him, yet he doesn't wake.

With a giggle, I snake my hand under the covers until I find his shirtless side.

Ryder's body is incredibly warm and I don't fight my desire to let my hands entice him awake.

I gently drag my nails over his skin, biting back another giggle as I feel the goosebumps rise on his skin.

I palm his abdomen, before slithering up his chest, appreciating every bump and curve.

I smile as I curve my hand around his neck and lean my face toward his.

I go to kiss him, but pause when I see his mouth has closed.

I shake my head and narrow my eyes. You sneaky devil.

Instead, I lift my mouth to the shell of his ear.

With my heart pounding, I take his earlobe between my lips and gently suck before pulling back with my teeth.

When his lobe finally releases from my grasp, I chuckle softly.

"I know you're awake, Ryder. I can feel it," I whisper lowly, then place a string of slow, open-mouthed kisses down his jawline.

His member presses firm against my hip and it stirs a forbidden heat in me.

It drives me so wild that I can't help but let my hips push closer to him.

Ryder's hands are suddenly on my hips, stilling my movements. When I peer back up, his eyes are open and they are blazing silver. His immediate reaction surprises me, so I stare helplessly into his eyes which boil me from the inside out.

Without a word, Ryder grabs my leg and hooks it over his hip, while simultaneously shifting my body closer to him.

He dips his head down and grazes my jaw with the bridge of his nose, taking a deep, slow breath.

I close my eyes, letting my head fall back, when his hand begins slowly stroking my outer thigh and bottom and his lips start sucking on my neck.

The thin fabric of my pajama shorts does little to stifle the feel of his fingers.

Ryder trails tantalizing kisses up my neck until his lips engulf mine, taking my breath with them.

My head feels so heavy with desire it's intoxicating.

After a brief moment, Ryder pulls back ever-so-slightly and rests his forehead against mine.

His chest rises and falls fast, rubbing against my body with every breath.

My mind races with anticipation as his eyes trace my features with a look that pulls at something in my core.

"If we had the time, I would do to you all the despicable things I've been thinking about since I first saw you," Ryder finally speaks, his voice deep and raspy.

Ryder's words cause my jaw to slack as I suck in a deep breath. Okay, that was hot.

He leans in and captures my lips again in a gentle, slow kiss, breaking away after a few seconds.

A small smirk pulls at the corner of his lips.

"Unfortunately, your brother is due to arrive within the hour," he leans down and takes my earlobe between his teeth, as I had done to him moments prior.

I stifle a moan when he tenderly sucks and nibbles on it, the sparks traveling all the way down my spine.

I whimper with need as his hand kneads my bottom and dips low between my thighs, massaging my skin so deliciously that I begin having trouble forming coherent thoughts.

"I doubt the first thing your brother wants to see is me having my way with you," he chuckles lowly after releasing my ear.

His low laugh reverberates inside of me and only pushes my desire more.

Goddess, his words are making me wish for things I could never say aloud.

However, his words finally process in my brain.

Shit, Jason will be here within an hour!

In a flailing mess, I detach myself from Ryder and fight off the covers, before high-tail crawling out of the bed.

During my escape from his insanely-sized mattress, Ryder continues laughing profusely.

When my feet hit the ground, I roll my eyes, grab the nearest pillow, and chuck it at him, hitting him in the face.

Ryder, like the dramatic idiot he is, groans and theatrically falls backward.

"Hush up and come on, dummy," I laugh, "you need to get ready too. "

Ryder pulls the pillow from his face with a satisfied, goofy grin.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming," he chuckles. With one last eye roll, I walk to the bathroom and begin my quickest morning routine.

After quickly relieving and grooming myself, I hasten my pace to the closet as Ryder enters the bathroom.

Again, I gander at the wide selection of clothing that Ryder had purchased for me upon my arrival.

Before coming here, I could never dream of such luxurious fabrics, let alone the events I would wear them to.

However, my life has swiftly turned on its axis and has thrown me for a ride.

I shake my head at my trailing thoughts and snag a simple, snug black dress that flows down to my knees from its hanger.

It is a dress I brought from home, something familiar.

I dress quickly, pairing the garment with black heels that strap around my ankle.

Once satisfied with my outfit's pairing, I walk back into the bedroom and locate my phone by the bed.

A quick peruse of my notifications tells me that I've already missed quite a bit in the three hours I overslept.

The first notification that catches my eye is one that came through a few hours ago.

Jason: On the way, be there soon.

Movement from the corner of my eye draws me away from my phone screen.

Ryder steps into the closet, already in the process of pulling his pants down.

Heat rises in my cheeks and I speedily turn around, zeroing back in on my phone.

Jade: Sorry, just saw your message.

Drive safe, and see you soon. I shoot Jason a quick reply and burn through a couple of minutes checking and answering emails.

Soon, enough time passes that I grow tired of distracting myself with my phone.

Glancing at the closet, I can no longer see Ryder.

Curiosity takes hold of me and I walk over to the closet door.

Leaning casually against the doorframe, I closely watch Ryder make his last-minute touches to his appearance.

He looks perfectly regal in his deep navy suit, styled with a white button-up, brown dress shoes, and a brown belt.

He is definitely the most well-styled man I know.

A sweet, familiar scent floats its way to my nose and Jasmine barks happily in my mind.

An excited smile breaks across my face and I jump up and down on my toes.

I catch Ryder's eye in the mirror and he furrows his brow as his eyes glaze silver, further affirming my suspicions.

I imagine that a guard is currently linking him and informing him of a visitor.

"Jason's here," I squeal, taking off out of the room before Ryder can truly confirm my claim.

"Tell Cameron to meet me outside please," I call from over my shoulder.

I speed off down the halls, skipping the elevator entirely, and use my limited knowledge of the Castle's layout to find the front doors.

Once I've crossed the golden threshold, I bound across the stone porch and down its numerous steps.

As I reach the second flight of stairs, I hear the familiar rumble of Jason's self-upgraded exhaust system, soon spotting his car entering the castle's round driveway.

Feeling excited, I increase my speed double-time.

By the time I reach the bottom, Jason is already parked and stepping out.

Just seeing his face brings me a familiar and welcomed sense of ease.

Though it's only been a short time apart, Jason and I have been all each other has for a long time now.

It's strange to not see him every day. I've missed him terribly.

I miss the few friends I did have, and I miss the home where my parents raised my siblings and me - I miss where the memories are.

Jason standing before me embodies all of that, so I don't hold back when I crash into his open arms and squeeze as hard as I can in hopes that all of that sorrow and pain will wash away, even for a moment.

Jason's arms envelop me and his comforting scent makes me feel at home.

"Hey, sis," Jason chuckles, patting my back a few times gently.

My smile is ear to ear and I couldn't care less about how dumb I look.

"Hey, Jace," I greet him with a smile. Underneath my joy from his presence, excitement and anxiety run through me at the reunion of my brothers that's due to take place any minute.

Jason's hand reaches out and ruffles the top of my head, displacing the hair that rests there.

I scowl and petulantly slap his hand away before using my own hands to tame the flyaways.

My big brother laughs again then settles and crosses his arms in a curious state.

"So what's so important that I had to drive all the way out here to see it in person?

" My mouth opens to spew an excuse that will stall him until Cameron arrives but halts when I see a noticeable shift on his now paling face.

Disbelief and confusion are evident in his features but I don't miss the spark of hope in his eyes.

"Oh my Goddess," he speaks barely above a whisper.

I whirl around and everything falls into place as I spot Cameron speeding down the stairs.

Once Cameron reaches the final step that rests a few yards away from where Jason and I stand, he freezes.

His chest is moving rapidly and I notice him picking feverishly at his fingertips.

It then hits me how nervous he must be and I feel horrible for not asking him how he wanted to see Jason again.

I begin to move between them, to say something to hopefully ease the transition, but before I can, Jason steps closer.

I can only see the side of his face now, but I still see water welling up in his right eye.

"Cameron?" Jason calls gently. He's questioning what he sees in front of him.

I know how he feels - I couldn't believe it either.

"Is that actually you?" I look across the distance to Cameron, whose eyes are now reddened with his own unshed tears.

Seeing my brothers' raw emotions brings mine back to the surface, but I bite back the painful lump in my throat and the tears that threaten to spill, knowing that once they start I have no idea when they'll stop.

Cameron nods slowly. "Yeah, Jace, it's me."

Those are the words that break Jason's dam.

His face slowly contorts into one of pure emotion as his feelings crash into him.

Tears finally fall down his face and he gasps in a few breaths.

I place my hand on his shoulder for reassurance and his gaze breaks to me.

I smile and give his shoulder a small squeeze.

"We found him, Jason," I choke out over the lump that pushes heavily on my trachea.

Without a word, Jason closes his eyes and shakes his head for just a moment before reopening them and quickly walking towards Cameron.

Cameron takes a few short steps forward before they engulf each other with a hug.

They say nothing but hug each other tightly, swaying from side to side and patting the other's back periodically.

Staying where I am to admire the sight, I silently let my own tears fall as I wrap my arms around myself.

Suddenly another arm joins mine and I jump ever-so-slightly before the sparks ease my nerves.

I look up to my right to find Ryder looking down at me.

I guess I was so involved in the situation I didn't hear him coming.

I give him a small smile and he reaches his hand up to my cheek, wiping away the fallen tears with his thumb.

I glance at my brothers again who are still embraced before looking back to my newfound mate.

"Ya know...I never thought I would see that again," I speak quietly so as to not disturb the reunion.

Ryder's brow furrows and he lets his hand fall back to his side. "See what?"

I tilt my head in my brothers' direction.

"That, them. I never thought I would see both of my brothers together again," I admit.

I shake my head at the guilt of my younger thoughts.

"Jason and I looked for Cameron every single day since the day we lost him.

Though we tried to remain hopeful, I'd be a liar if I said that every day didn't bring more disappointment and that every day without a trace of him I didn't lose a little bit more hope.

" I again watch my brothers as they finally pull apart and Jason holds Cameron by the shoulders as they share words.

"And every minute since I found him, I feel guilty that I lost any hope for even a second and that we didn't find him sooner. "

"Jade," Ryder calls my attention back to him softly.

I peer up into his memorizing eyes as he speaks.

"When I realized your history with Cameron, I did some digging on his disappearance and you and your brother's efforts thereafter.

" He takes one of my hands in his that isn't around my waist and squeezes softly.

"You did everything you could for your brother," he says firmly as though he's willing me to believe it.

I smile and squeeze his hand back. "So did you, and I want to thank you for that," I recall the conversation Cameron and I had.

"Cameron told me what you did for him after your pack found him.

How you set him up with a patrol job that helped him get back to some normalcy.

Helping him through that time when we weren't there to.

.." I trail off as the guilt hits me again.

I sigh and manage another small smile. "I just want you to know that I am sincerely thankful. "

Ryder takes my hand that he still holds and raises it to his lips, gently kissing my knuckles. "You never have to thank me for helping those who need it, especially someone you love."

My heart races at his caring words and I feel new emotions arise in me that I've never felt before.

"You didn't know that I was your mate or that he was my brother when you helped him.

You helped him of your own accord, out of your own kindness and care for another being.

That, to me, is something worthy of more than my thanks, but hopefully, it's a start.

" Nerves rush through me as I allow myself to let down my guard just a little so that Ryder can peek inside.

A smile now graces Ryder's face and his eyes stare intensely into my own.

Slowly he leans down and connects our lips in a soft, lingering kiss.

We hold each other there until a clearing throat pulls us apart.

A rare blush heats my face as I fight the urge to hide away in the crook of Ryder's arm.

Ryder's gentle laugh makes me roll my eyes and return my gaze to my brothers.

Jason and Cameron now make their way to where Ryder and I stand.

Seeing them together makes me smile and my chest warm.

Though it will never be whole again, I am more happy and relieved than words can describe that I have reunited with the family I have left.

I look to Jason, whose eyes are still red with emotion, and give him a teasing smile.

"Didn't I tell you I found something you needed to see?

" Everyone laughs light-heartedly and for a few moments, everything feels like it will be okay.

However, life has repeatedly taught me that all good things must come to an end.

The smell hits me first. It's a horrible smell really, like rotten garbage and boiled eggs, but it's one I'm all too familiar with.

"Rogues," the word escapes me as a growl.

The boys all stiffen as the wind brings the scent to them.

I look to Ryder whose eyes are already glazed silver, most likely alerting the Royal guards and border patrol.

I remove myself from Ryder's arms and shake my head.

"We have to go. There are members everywhere right now and the guards might not get there in time," I tell them and turn to head into the thick forest.

I take three steps before my forward movements are stopped by a hand gripping my forearm. Feeling the telltale sparks, I look over my shoulder to Ryder with a confused gaze. "What?" I ask.

Ryder shakes his head, drops my arm, and moves to stand in front of me. "You can't go, Jade. We have no information about the situation and I won't let you walk into danger if I can help it."

As I go to rip this man a new one, my brothers speak up.

A smug smile pulls my lips upward as I wait for my brothers to defend me against this ignorant mate of mine, but their actual words quickly slap the smile right back off my face.

"He's right, Jade. It's too uncertain and unsafe," Jason argues on Ryder's behalf.

I feel my jaw drop in disbelief even further when Cameron voices his agreement.

With narrowed eyes, I glare incredulously at each of them before shaking my head and taking a deep breath to calm the rage I begin feeling to burn.

With my exhale, I speak clearly and even for all to hear.

"I'm going to ignore the pretty obvious fact that you are saying this only because I am a female and focus on the facts since we have zero time for this.

One - Jason and Cameron, I am a Yin Yang wolf and therefore stronger than you both.

Two - Ryder, you and I are equals. I am just as powerful as you.

Three - I was the strongest warrior in my previous pack, as Jason so kindly stated the first time we met.

Oh yeah, and fourth - I am literally a grown woman and will do whatever I want.

So, you boys can sit here and get your misogyny on or you can help me get these rogues off our land when we have unsuspecting and innocent pack members walking these very same woods.

" I look between my brothers before turning my expectant eyes to Ryder.

His eyes are swirling silver, perhaps in anger at the rogues' presence or my speech, and his chest is rising and falling rapidly. I raise my eyebrows in question as the precious seconds tick by. "Well? What's it going to be?"

Ryder studies my face and stares into my eyes like he's trying to read my soul.

For a second, I begin to worry he's going to make the wrong choice and somehow force me to stay, however, those worries are cast away when he exhales sharply and places a hand on my bicep.

"Stay close," he stares straight into my eyes, letting me see how serious he is, "I mean it.

" Biting back a sarcastic remark, I silently nod.

Ryder then turns to my brothers. "Let's go," he says with a jerk of his head in the direction of the scent, "I've linked the guards and patrol and they'll meet us there. "

Without any further words, we all shift into our wolves simultaneously.

Ryder and I stand side-by-side as each other's complete opposite and I'm greeted by the sight of my brothers' wolves.

They are smaller than Ryder and I, but that's to be expected.

Jason shakes out his shiny black fur, and Cameron does the same with his smoky grey coat.

We all run at top speed, well Ryder and I slow our pace slightly to allow Cameron and Jason to maintain eyes on us, and we arrive along the edge of an oval clearing with a small pond.

The clearing itself, with its many different wildflowers, would be a beautiful place to relax on any normal day.

This day isn't normal though because approximately thirty shifted rogue werewolves have accumulated in this beautiful meadow.

Polar opposite to the calm demeanor of Cassie and Aaron when we first met, these rogues are clearly not here to make friends.

Many of them are snarling and growling, and it appears that they are gathering into small groups.

I mentally weigh our odds as all my training rushes into my mind and the adrenaline shoots through my veins.

There arefour of us and thirty of them, but we have two Yin Yang wolves, four Alpha children, and one Alpha King between us so I'm kinda liking our chances.

That familiar anger pounds against my ribcage begging to be released, and this time, I'm not holding back.

A deadly growl rips from Ryder's chest and all attention is drawn to us as we step out of the tree line.

As though our appearance was the gunshot at a track meet, the rogues begin charging and so do we.

I lock eyes with the rogue closest to me and we collide in swishing claws and bared teeth.

As I swipe at her eye, she turns her head away in a whimper and I sink my teeth into the matted fur of her neck, tearing sharply to the left and effectively ending the rogue's life.

A howl echoes through the clearing and I look up to find the howl belonging to a wolf with its eyes set on me and the body that lays at my feet.

His look speaks that his only mission in life is to kill me.

Using my tongue, I wipe the blood from my snout and bare my teeth at the rogue. She must have been his mate.

The rogue charges at me, but I make no moves as I let him get closer.

Once he's only a few feet away, he lunges into the air to tackle me.

Unbeknownst to him, that's exactly what I was expecting him to do.

Before he can land on me, I move quickly to the side and slice deep into his abdomen as he flies past the place I was just standing.

The rogue collapses to the ground and yelps loudly in pain.

I look around at the remaining rogues and debate on whether or not to leave him in his suffering, but his whines claw at the emotional wall that I put up in battle.

Making the choice quickly, I step over the rogue, take his throat between my jaw, and quickly snap his neck.

At least now he can be a peace with his mate.

I make quick work of ten more rogues before I feel an unease rising in me.

I look around the clearing, finding Jason and Ryder handling their own, but I pause at the panic that hits me when I see Cameron fighting four rogues by himself.

I am already halfway to him when a fifth rogue emerges from behind him and jumps onto his back.

The growl that escapes me in response is fierce and one I haven't heard before, but the scene before me makes me pump my limbs harder.

Despite my efforts, I can't make it across the clearing before the rogue bites into my little brother's neck.

My blood runs ice cold as I hear Cameron cry out while trying to shake the rogue from his back and keep the others at bay.

I'm so close to reaching him, but I'm worried I'm not close enough.

Another growl tears from my throat, but this time, I don't control it.

It's loud, louder than any growl I've ever heard, and it echoes off the trees and back into the clearing repeatedly, making it stronger and somehow even louder.

The ground feels like it's shaking under my paws with the vibration of the sound and every wolf in the clearing pauses.

The next thing I can process is a blinding white light surrounding Cameron, causing me to fault in my steps a few feet short of him.

The next second, all the rogues within that same light are thrown violently from it, leaving Cameron alone within.

The rogues that are thrown land harshly on the grass and they all writhe around in pain and whimper until they all go motionless and stop breathing.

Scared of what just happened and highly concerned for Cameron, I look to Ryder and Jason for help but notice a few rogues in the clearing who were all staring at me in terror.

At that very moment, waves of our patrol flood into the field and finish off the remaining rogues as I begin to cautiously move toward Cameron.

Cameron lies still inside the glowing circle and I whine loudly as I fear the worst.

I hesitate a moment at the edge of the light but step a paw inside anyway.

Nothing happens so I step further in. Once my whole body is inside, Jasmine's voice runs through my mind.

'We created a force field,' she speaks calmly.

Shock courses through me, but I suddenly remember all the things I was told about Yin Yang wolves, not that I was told much.

One of the few things I remember is that my kind supposedly holds many powers, but after so long without any evidence of such, I figured it wasn't real.

I guess I was wrong about that too.

Drawing on a hunch, I picture the force field gone in my mind's eye and am shocked when it slowly starts to disappear in front of my eyes.

A small whine pulls me from my surprise and back to Cameron's figure on the ground.

I rush to him and nudge his shoulder with my nose.

I wait in horrified anticipation for any movement and breathe a sigh of relief when his eyes open and he carefully stumbles to his feet.

I rub my large wolf head against his side and whine in concern for him.

Even more relief floods my chest when I hear his voice. 'I'm okay, Jay,' he assures me.

Without warning, a loud growl sounds from behind me before Ryder's wolf jumps over us and tackles a brown rogue that I hadn't seen coming.

He quickly ends the rogue before turning back to me.

I make my way to him as well and we rub our heads together before he licks at my snout a few times.

I turn and bury my face in the fur of his neck and take a deep breath, letting his divine scent wash a wave of calm over me.

I then turn to Jason, walking over to nudge his shoulder and check him over for injury.

I confirm through our link that he is fine as well.

The fact that we had all made it out relatively okay brings me great solace, but now different questions pull at my mind.

How did so many rogues get past border patrol and the guards?

How in the hell did I create a force field? Can Ryder create one as well?

My questioning thoughts are interrupted as Jason's voice echoes into a group link. 'So...what the hell was that?'

'When I stepped inside of it, my wolf told me that I had created a force field.

I guess it was because I saw Cameron in danger,' I tell them, trying to make sense of it myself.

I go to elaborate, but suddenly I feel very nauseous and lightheaded and it isn't long before the world around me begins to spin at a dangerous rate.

I stumble a bit and whine as the discomfort in my stomach and head grows.

Ryder is by my side in an instant, allowing my weakening body to lean against his. He licks my face and I can feel his concern oozing off him. 'Jade, are you okay? Baby, did you get hurt?' Ryder's voice sounds slightly frantic and I do my best to reassure him.

'I'm okay. I just feel...' I quickly trail off as my vision becomes blurry and blackens at the edges.

I can just barely hear Ryder calling my name through our link.

He sounds so far away I can't tell if I am imagining it.

I swore he was just standing beside me.

I attempt to turn my head so that I can see him again, but that proves to be a mistake as the terrible feelings intensify.

The last thing I see before my vision goes completely dark is Ryder's human face as he catches my falling body.