Chapter 4

Ryker

The carriage moved smoothly along the narrow path, with my Beta seated beside me. I leaned back against the seat, enjoying the silence, until I suddenly felt my wolf stir inside my head.

"Ryker, I know you don't like her, but it's dangerous to leave our mate walking alone in the woods. I can't feel her anymore," Reid said, his voice filled with concern.

I rolled my eyes.

I couldn't care less about what happened to that woman. She was the daughter of my enemy, and I had no reason to worry about her well-being.

Unfortunately, Reid didn't seem to understand that.

I could feel him pushing against my control, trying to take over my body. I clenched my jaw as a sharp headache began to develop.

"Reid, calm down. We can transform here if you want, but you don't have to worry about her. It's not as if she's completely helpless," I replied irritably.

My Beta turned to look at me. I could tell from his expression that he was concerned about my so-called mate, but I didn't give a damn.

Reid, however, wasn't ready to let the matter go.

He threatened to shift if I refused to turn back and look for her.

I let out an annoyed breath.

"Fine! I'll go," I snapped.

I ordered the guard to stop the carriage before stepping down. My Beta immediately looked ready to follow me, but I raised a hand, signalling him to stay.

I wasn't going to have him following me around just because my wolf had suddenly decided to become protective.

I walked further into the woods, looking around for any sign of her. The connection between us wasn't particularly strong, perhaps because neither of us wanted the bond in the first place.

Still, I continued walking until I finally spotted her lying among the fallen leaves.

Reid immediately pushed me forward.

I hurried towards her, and when I reached her, I noticed that she had lost consciousness. My eyes moved to her knee, where blood was still visible.

I stared at the injury for a moment.

At least she had managed to get herself into trouble.

I looked around the woods, trying to find something that could wake her up. There was no way I was going to carry her in my arms. The thought alone was enough to irritate me.

A short distance away, I noticed a flowing stream.

An idea came to mind.

I dragged her closer to the water and dipped her head into the stream.

That seemed to work.

She suddenly jerked awake, struggling to regain her balance. However, her injured knee made it difficult for her to stand properly.

"Are you crazy? How dare you dip my face into water? Do I look like a toy to you?" she shouted, staring at me in disbelief.

I ignored her.

"Even if I was unconscious, you could have at least acted like a gentleman and carried me in your arms. But thank goodness you didn't! I would have been infected by now," she continued, looking thoroughly disgusted.

She was seriously unbelievable.

Reid began giggling inside my head, clearly entertained by her ridiculous comments.

I clenched my jaw.

If I waited another second, I might actually kill her. But that would ruin the fun. I had other plans for her, and I wasn't about to let my anger make me act carelessly.

Without responding, I turned and walked away.

One thing was certain: she would be using her own legs to get to my pack.

I could hear her shouting behind me, but I ignored her and continued walking.

She struggled to keep up, limping and occasionally hopping on her injured leg as she tried to match my pace.

When I finally reached the carriage, I was about to climb inside when her voice stopped me.

"I know you won't let me sit with you because of this man," she said, pointing towards my Beta.

I turned my head slightly.

What nonsense was she talking about now?

She smiled as though she had just discovered some great secret.

"Now I understand why you marked me. It's because you're gay, but you don't want your pack to find out!"

I stared at her.

Was she seriously saying that?

Her hair was still soaked from the water I had used to wake her up, and she was standing there with a ridiculous smile on her face.

Instead of wasting my time listening to her nonsense, I climbed into the carriage and signalled the guard to continue.

However, her words kept ringing in my ears.

I was certainly not gay.

I simply didn't like rubbish.

"Ryker!"

Reid's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Can you please put your anger and revenge aside and save my mate? I'm begging you. Besides, you're aware of what I can do now."

I frowned.

Reid wasn't usually this troublesome. I had never seen him act this way before, and I could only assume that the woman was somehow manipulating him.

"Fine! You said I should save her, and I have done that. So what the hell is your problem now? And don't even think about forcing me to let her into this carriage!" I snapped.

Instead of replying, Reid suddenly pushed his emotions through our bond.

A sharp ache spread through my legs.

I froze.

What the hell?

The pain intensified, and I immediately ordered the guard to stop the carriage.

I climbed down, looking around until I spotted her behind us.

She was limping towards the carriage, her lips already pale. From the way she was struggling, it looked as though she might faint again at any moment.

Such a weak, troublesome woman.

I glanced towards the horse attached to the carriage. Thankfully, there was still room for her to ride it. There was no way I was allowing her inside the carriage while my Beta was sitting beside me.

"Get on the horse," I ordered.

She stopped and looked at me with disgust.

"I don't like a nobody ordering me around. Just say it like a normal person instead of sounding like a commander," she replied.

I stared at her.

"I don't repeat myself."

She folded her arms, clearly showing that she had no intention of cooperating.

I was beginning to regret waking her up in the first place.

Why couldn't she simply do as she was told?

I signalled to two female guards standing nearby. They approached her and tried to help her onto the horse, but she immediately began struggling, kicking her feet and refusing to cooperate.

I clenched my jaw.

This woman was more troublesome than I had expected.

I stepped closer, reached for her neck and pressed against a weak point.

Her body immediately went limp.

At last, some peace.

She had passed out again, looking almost peaceful now that she wasn't busy talking or arguing with me.

I climbed onto the horse behind her, positioning her in front of me.

I hated the situation, but I had no choice. Reid was already manipulating me into doing things I had no intention of doing.

I signalled to the guards to take over the carriage and continue towards the pack.

As for her, she could continue receiving her punishment once we arrived.

I wasn't going to let her die so easily