Page 4 of The Wolf and the Chimera (The Witch and the Cowboy #3)
From a shelf beside the front door, a male werewolf grabbed a pair of jeans and tossed them at Ryder. Ryder caught them easily, but I only glanced in his direction once he straightened from putting them on.
“Dad,” Ryder greeted and grinned.
Ryder clasped my hand and led me toward the cabin. I wanted to pull away, but I had made him a promise. Whether I liked it or not, Ryder’s wolfish claim on me was crucial to my safety among his pack. I wouldn’t publicly denounce it .
Walking at his side also distracted me from admiring the rippling expanse of his many, many muscles.
Does his bicep have a bicep?
Without letting go of my hand, Ryder hugged Kai with one arm. When his father faced me, Kai picked me up and spun me around, which forced Ryder to release me. I grinned. Kai’s delight was contagious.
“My son has a mate!” Kai shouted and put me down. He cupped a large, callused hand against my cheek. “And she’s lovely. We must celebrate.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I greeted, though I feared Kai didn’t understand who or what I was.
I doubted he would possess such glee if he did.
“She is lovely,” Ryder agreed and took my hand in his again. I stiffened, and his thumb ran soothing circles over mine. “But we need to discuss how to protect her.”
Ryder’s demands didn’t surprise Kai, and I wondered if he did know the truth about me. The Alpha nodded and gestured to us inside the cabin. As we walked up the steps and through the front door, the other wolves cleared a path for us then followed.
Throughout it all, Ryder kept my hand in his like it was natural. I wondered how much of it was for my protection and how much of it—if any—was motivated by his own desires, but those thoughts trailed away as I took in the cabin’s interior.
“Wow,” I whispered.
We walked through a simply decorated, but incredibly tall entryway.
Iron chandeliers illuminated framed photos of the pack, which adorned the room's sparse tables.
We stood on an incredibly colorful rug but under its corners, claw marks damaged the hardwood floors.
Ahead of us, a pair of wide staircases led to the two upper floors.
“Hungry?” Kai asked.
He led us through the double doors under the staircases, and we entered a large dining hall. Long, wooden tables and leather-upholstered chairs filled the space. Through the tall, arched windows, light poured in.
“Of course,” Ryder replied.
“I wasn’t asking you,” Kai said. “You’re always hungry. I was asking Elle.”
As freshly baked bread and slow-cooked roast filled my nostrils, my stomach growled loudly. Ryder chuckled and squeezed my hand. He led me to the central table.
“I’d take that as a yes,” he said.
“Good thing you two arrived just in time for dinner,” Kai replied with a smile. “Have a seat. I’ll help carry it out.”
Ryder pulled out my chair then claimed the one beside me. Other werewolves crowded into the space, though they gave our side of the table wide berth. They chatted and laughed and appeared so human, were it not for their predatory eyes, no one would’ve suspected they transformed into deadly wolves.
“The Alpha carries in pack dinner?” I asked.
“Everyone takes turns cooking and serving dinner,” Ryder answered.
“Including you?” I said with obvious skepticism. I couldn’t imagine Ryder hard at work in the kitchen.
He smirked. “I’m an excellent cook.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course you are. You’re humble about it too.”
“I’ll show you sometime,” he promised.
I smiled.
He’s the reason your parents are gone.
The insidious thought fractured the moment, and I averted my gaze to the table. As I remembered by parents, my chest hurt, and another thought drifted to me.
Could they still be alive?
“Ellie?” Ryder said quietly.
I swallowed. The hope was too fragile to voice—I didn’t want to hear him tell me such a thing was impossible. Besides, if my parents were alive, they were safer without me. I wouldn't look for them .
Luckily, Kai had incredible timing. He and a few other werewolves emerged from a white, swinging door. Their hands were laden with platters of steaming food, and my mouth watered.
More and more werewolves joined us, and the platters were passed along the tables for the food to be shared. Somehow, I found the patience to hold off digging into my meal until everyone got their plates.
The roast and bread and vegetables melted on my tongue, and it wasn’t long until I helped myself to a second serving. When I devoured that at breakneck speed, I hesitated to reach for a third helping. Ryder nudged me and poured more onto my plate.
“You spent three days unconscious,” he reminded me. “Eat.”
Though I didn’t appreciate his bossiness, I was too hungry to argue with his logic.
“Speaking of that,” Kai said from where he sat at the head of the table, “you can spare the gory details, but care to share what exactly happened at the High Witch’s court?”
So, he does know about me, I realized. It warmed my heart. Even though I was the infamous chimera, Kaid welcomed me with open arms. Suddenly, there was another reason to pretend Ryder and I were the couple Kai expected us to be.
As Ryder recited how we broke out of Cordelia’s court and who was left behind, the Alpha blanched.
“Freya’s still there?” he said.
Ryder’s jaw clenched, and he nodded.
“You know her well?” I asked.
Kai cleared his throat and gave Ryder a look I couldn’t decipher. “Yes. Freya spent a great deal of her childhood here. She’s family.”
“I’m sorry,” I said honestly.
Too many people had been sacrificed in the name of saving me.
Though I had sensed some familiarity between Freya and Ryder, I hadn’t realized they were so close. Guilt gnawed at me.
Kai nodded. “Well, Cady is sharp as a blade and her brother cares a great deal for Freya, not to mention that the Coven of Hecate is not to be trifled with. They’ll get her back.”
“They will,” Ryder agreed, “but it’s up to us to keep Elle out of Cordelia’s hands.”
Kai ran his hand over his jaw. “You caught the court off-guard. It’s what’s bought you this time to escape, but they’ll come for you soon. All the Leaders will, except the Sovereign.”
“He did come for me,” I argued.
“His lackeys were given orders to attack before they knew what you were to Ryder,” Kai corrected gently. “It will change things.”
Ryder’s jaw clenched, and his grip on his fork was white-knuckled.
“You want me to go to him for protection?” he asked Kai.
“I want you to go to him for your mate’s sake,” the Alpha replied. “Swallow your pride. You know he’ll have no choice but to help you.”
“I don’t know that,” Ryder argued.
“Is there something I’m missing?” I asked. “Because his wolves kept attacking after Ryder proclaimed I’m his mate.”
I swallowed. “They killed my parents.” I think.
Kai laid his hand over mine and squeezed. True sorrow shone in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Kai said. He pulled away. “But what happened to your parents was a mistake. They didn’t recognize Ryder for who he is, which is something those mongrels have probably already been punished for.”
I frowned in confusion, but Ryder spoke too quickly for me to voice my thoughts.
“They should’ve protected us anyway,” Ryder reasoned, “since it’s sacred law to honor mate bonds.”
“Yes,” Kai agreed. His jaw ticked. “But we both know laws in practice are not always the same as on paper. It doesn’t matter. As soon as she discovers the identity of the chimera’s mate, she won’t let the High Witch have Elle.”
“She?” I asked. “Who’s she?”
Ryder took a drink of water and sighed. “My mother. She’s the Sovereign’s mate.”
Shock turned my stomach, but there was no time to process the news. Howls rattled the walls. Ryder cursed under his breath. The werewolves around us growled and quickly rose to their feet.
“Those howls aren’t from your pack, are they?” I asked.
Tension lined Ryder’s face. “No.”
“They’re from the Sovereign’s pack,” Kai explained. “I called them as soon as you arrived.”