Chapter 15: Olivia

For a second, I expect Everest and the Blood Fang Pack to trail us.

But as Ryker and I zoom on, it’s clear they're going to leave us alone. I would relax if I weren’t on Ryker’s death trap of a motorcycle.

“YOU OKAY?” he yells as he takes a sharp turn and curves dangerously close to the ground.

I clench his chiseled stomach tighter, “OKAY? ARE YOU MAD?!”

His abs vibrate as he chuckles. “DON'T WORRY, I’M AN EXPERT BIKER; WE’RE NEARLY THERE.”

True to his word, Lycroft College’s brick building speeds into view. Ryker swerves into a parking spot near the dorms.

“See? Expert,” he brags, but I’m not in the mood to play.

“Who was that?” I stand and tear myself away from him.

Ryker sighs, removing his helmet and shaking his golden curls free. A group of girls stop to stare at him, giving me nasty looks in the process.

He rumbles out, “Stay away from him. He can be dangerous.”

“Just like you?” I huff, folding my arms.

He frowns, killing the motorcycle engine. “I’m not a danger to you.”

“But Axel is, and if you can’t keep him in check, then you’re as bad as him.”

Ryker runs a corded arm through his hair, and he actually looks guilty. He tries coming close to me, but I back away.

“I’m sorry,” he tries. “It’s not as easy as it seems. And you had Hunter all night to keep you company…”

I blink at him five times. “Don’t make this about Hunter.”

“Oh? I shouldn’t bring up my pack brother that you spent the whole night with?”

I clench my fists. After everything that happened, all he’s thinking about is if I slept with his packmate? Unbelievable.

“If you’re trying to get me to admit that I fucked Hunter, then you’re out of your mind.”

He lazily looks me over, taking in every part of my body until I feel heated. Then he leans closer. “Well, did you?”

My hand flies on its own.

The slap rings louder than our school bell, and Ryker’s face snaps to the side.

A group of people gasp. It’s those girls from earlier. I’d forgotten about them, but seeing their open mouths makes me feel even better for the slap.

Ryker flexes his jaw. “I deserved that.”

Somehow, this only pisses me off more. “Fuck you, St. Claire.”

I turn and start walking off, but he grasps my hand. “Wait.”

What could he possibly say to make this right? I face him reluctantly, just hoping to get this over with so I can head back to my dorm and wallow in my annoyance.

The red outline of my slap marks his beautiful face. He looks to the girls, then back at me again.

“I can’t protect you against Axel.” It seems to hurt him to say this as much as it hurts me. “And not just because he’s my pack brother. I owe him my life in a way the others don’t.”

I deflate. It shouldn’t make me feel betrayed, but it does.

“But here,” Ryker pulls off a necklace I haven’t seen until now. Well, calling it a necklace is generous, it’s actually a simple string with a gold ring dangling like a pendant.

I roll my eyes. “Bribing me with jewelry? Really?”

“It’s my family ring. My mum gave this to me.” For a moment, he seems uncharacteristically sad. “Everyone knows about it. If you wore it, people would know you’re mine and leave you alone.”

I feel a stab of guilt for calling it a bribe. Something about a sad Ryker doesn’t sit well with me.

“But… I’m not yours,” I protest.

Ryker jerks his head at the girls, still glaring. “Yeah, but they don’t need to know that. It doesn’t even have to be romantic. If they knew you mattered to me, they'd leave you alone. I promise.”

I look at the girls, but they aren’t even looking at me anymore, they’re looking at Ryker’s ring with enough envy to paint the school green.

He’s right.

I turn back to him. “Why would you give me something this important?”

“'Cause I’m a fuck-up, but I’m even better at fixing my mistakes.”

He calls himself a fuck-up with such ease that it’s shocking. I think back to when Talon came to CrestRidge, how Hunter had immediately blamed Ryker for giving Talon his jeep keys. He must be used to being blamed for not being enough.

I know the feeling.

I nod. “Okay.”

Ryker steps closer, his smoky vanilla shadowing me. Gently, he puts the necklace over my head. His fingers brush my neck as he goes, leaving tingles down my skin.

Up close, I see the flecks of gold in his green eyes and a tiny scar beneath his eyelid. How odd that Ryker St. Claire has imperfections.

We stare a bit longer before he whispers, “Would you still slap me if I kissed you, darling?”

I roll my eyes, breaking away from him.

“Fucking flirt,” I grumble.

He smirks. “Oh, but you love it, don’t you?”

I spin toward the building, fake saluting as I march past the army of women glowering at me.

“See you Monday, Olivia,” he calls out. I don’t respond, don’t even look back until I hear his motorcycle roar away.

I have to stifle my smile because deep down, Ryker’s right. I do love the flirting.

My smile is abruptly cut off when my phone starts ringing. Without looking at the caller, I know exactly who it is.

I raise the receiver to my ear and brace myself for impact. “Hello?”

“Olivia,” Alpha Rick seethes my name. “You are in so much damn trouble.”