Seven

Ryker

I felt like the suspense might truly kill me as I waited on the edge of my seat for Ronnie’s feedback about giving our relationship a real shot. I kept one eye on the road ahead of us and one on my anxious mate beside me while trying not to rip the steering wheel in half with my death grip.

My wolf perked up at the perceptible changes in her physiology while she cautiously considered my words. His constant clawing to break free of my skin ticked up a notch in response to her elevated heart rate and labored breathing.

Thank Luna, I had gone for a prolonged jog last night with Asher, patrolling the border as a precaution and in preparation for the torturous day that I had successfully predicted today would be.

Ronnie’s delectable aroma bathed the air surrounding me, making it tough to concentrate on anything but my increasing desire for my mate. My eyes connected with her stunning green ones as I glanced over to make sure that she was all right.

She seemed to be on the brink of responding when Asher’s annoying voice invaded my head as an unwelcome alternative, halting any progress that I had made with Ronnie temporarily.

{Hey, Ryker. Bad news, man. I found the elders from the Eastern Territory dead. I am still checking for leads on the others.}

My spine went ramrod straight as the update filtered in, that meant there were two less wolves to hold accountable for all the suffering that they had caused with their greedy and immoral choices over the years.

I took a moment to reply to Asher before letting Ronnie know what had occurred, splitting my attention between maintaining the arduous mind link and keeping the vehicle on the road.

{Foul play or suicide?}

{Well, they looked like some bear shifters went to town on them if that answers your question.}

Asher’s retort was enough for me to decide that I had conversed with him plenty for today. Hence, I shut off our link without further comment and refocused on what I could control in the present.

Be that as it may, I ground my teeth together in the next instant and winced as my claws slashed into the seat when another thought slammed into me like a freight train going at its fastest velocity.

Asher had informed me during our run previously that he was planning to start his search at one of the nearby stops that he had made with my mate on the way to the meeting.

He had mentioned that his wolf had been high strung during the whole break, and that Ronnie had come flying out of the building like a bat out of hell when they had hightailed it out of there.

My wolf wrestled me for control once more as he came to the same conclusion that I had arrived at only seconds ago, the car swerving slightly to the left with the inner scuffle until I firmly reclaimed the reins.

Our mate had been in danger, and we were not there to protect her. My wolf snarled with rage at our failure in my head, compounding with my own ire and making it hard to stay in control.

The fact that nothing had happened made no difference. It only strengthened my resolve to remain close to her from here on out so that I would always be there when she needed me.

Accordingly, I let Ronnie know what was going on as I finished my conversation with Asher. She had plainly noticed my inattention, and I felt required to explain my reasoning.

Then, I paused to measure the ramifications of the other alpha’s news as Ronnie stayed quiet. I was fully aware that I was presently in no position to continue our earlier line of discussion until I processed my anger, thus I allowed her the period of reprieve she had so obviously been seeking.

The ghosts of my pasts had gotten a little easier to stomach with each subsequent return trip to the South, but I could admit that I still struggled at times when the painful memories took over.

Ronnie’s former query had been a valid one, and that was part of the reason why Asher’s update had bothered me so much.

All the same, nothing would stop me from claiming my mate. I had wasted too much time as it was, and things were like night and day now. I could face what happened here so long ago, but I needed to mete out my own justice to those responsible in order to be able to conclusively bury the hatchet.

Asher’s news was unfortunate because it left only six elders standing now. If I had any prayer of learning what occurred that day, what caused the destruction of my young world, the elders would be the key.

I’d had a shitty childhood with a father who’d had a superiority complex and a stick resolutely shoved up his ass twenty-four seven. I had done my best to protect my mother and sister from his aggressive tendencies, but at twelve, there was only so much that I could do.

My dad had been the alpha, so it ran in my blood. Yet, I hadn’t wanted the title when the elders had touted Zeke as the new alpha. At first, I had been too young to care much about the role, but then I had not wanted to return and compete for what belonged to me by birth.

Zeke was no longer an issue, but I still needed to know what had happened that day; though, my gut feeling told me the elders would be found at the center once I did.

My father was a bastard, but he had held steadfast to what he believed in. I knew that he had refused to allow the elders to take control of the pack the way that they were wanting, and he did not bow down to their pressuring.

It was probably what had gotten him killed, but most of that day was lost when my wolf had taken over in response to the trauma, so I could not say for certain.

I noticed Ronnie had dozed off while I had been busy reminiscing about the memories that kept me up late every night, her sleeping form bringing me a sense of peace as we travelled onward; it had been missing in my life since the night I had walked away from her.

I knew that she believed she had dodged a bullet with Asher's interruption, but she had another thing coming if she thought that I was letting her out of my sight without some sort of answer.

The miles flew by as I plotted, periodically peeking over at my mate to ensure that she was comfortable.

She must have been exhausted to slip into unconsciousness so swiftly, and I again reminded myself to find someone to help take some things off her plate when we got to the South, especially regarding the ball.

I would take any brownie points I could get. Hell, I would need them if her icy demeanor towards me up till now was any indication of how my attempt to sweep her off her feet was going.

I was not overly fond of the idea of her being around so many unmated males without bearing my claiming bite first, or without me being nearby, but I knew I would have to get over that hurriedly.

Ronnie slept the rest of the journey, not waking as I filled up the car and continued driving straight through the night.

As I rolled up to the house that I had been told she shared with a few other girls, she woke at last, making the cutest sounds as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

“Rise and shine, darling. We’re here.”

My eyes locked with her enthralling emerald irises for a seemingly endless span of time, but our eye contact was broken when a thin woman with blonde hair opened the door in front of us, disturbing our respite from reality.

I exited the car after Ronnie, fetching her bag and holding it hostage as I followed close behind her. However, as we reached the door, I felt my heart freeze in my chest at the apparition presented before me.

My vision tunneled and the earth might as well have fallen out from beneath me for all I would have known as my entire world shifted on its axis.

The woman rushed back inside before I could react, slamming the door behind her while Ronnie remained outside, looking sheepish and marginally afraid as she trembled before me.

Her earlier hesitation made perfect sense now, but I knew without thinking that nothing had changed for me.

Now, I just had to convince my mate of that fact, and if I knew anything about Veronica, then I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that I had my work cut out for me.