Ryder
~~~
“What time is it?” I demanded.
“You know full well what time it is,” Andy said flatly. “You’re supposed to be making me feel better, not the other way around. If you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of paralyzed!” He smacked the wheels of the wheelchair as if I might miss the fact he was sitting in it.
I gave him an apologetic grimace. “Sorry man, it’s just Brook,” I said, running my hands through my hair.
“We get it, but asking us every five minutes what time it is or how long it’s been isn’t going to help anything,” Kara told me. “Now how about we figure out what we want to do when she gets back.”
“Not a lot I can do,” Andy complained, crossing his arms o
Ryder~~~I laid on the bed next to Brook. Mom had put her in a coma. Apparently, it would help her heal better. “You would not believe how Dean is pampering me. I swear it’s hilarious,” I told her. “Ever since you came back and I could be ‘okay’ again, he has been asking about my health and even brought me my lunch today. The guy is terrified with the idea of something happening to me and that he’ll have to be the alpha.”I continued to rattle on, hoping to distract myself when all I wanted was Brook to open her eyes to tell me she was going to be okay. When Harry and Brook’s mom came in, I sat up. It was awkward lying next to her with her mom in the room. “Hi,” I said, rubbing a kink out of my shoulder. Man, I hated these beds.
Ryder~~~Hours seemed to pass. Sweat drenched Brook’s clothing and blanket. I kept continuing to whine and whimper, sending her my encouragement as best as I could.Mom watched the machines like any predator, not willing to miss even the smallest movement. She was silent most of the time, which drove me insane with worry. I had no idea what was going on. Was Brook doing okay or did things look bleak? Suddenly, the machines started making a bunch of noise. All the nurses and my mother jumped into action, pressing buttons here and pushing them there.Brook convulsed on the bed, and I jumped to my feet, unsure what to do. I didn’t know if I should lie on her to keep her from falling or stay back. A whine of indecision escaped me and I looked at my
Imagine being hit by a semi-truck then having said truck back over your broken body, only to run over it again. That’s me right now. My whole body ached and my mouth dry. I thought when you died, all that stuff didn’t happen anymore. Unless I wasn’t dead, but that was impossible. I fell off a freaking cliff. I opened my eyes slowly, looking at the surrounding room.No angels or heavenly trumpets and it was too cold and stank too much of disinfectant to be hell. So alive - right now, I might have preferred dying. It hurt less. The door opened, and Emily walked in, smiling as if she’d just won a million dollars. “Hello, Brook. It’s good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”“Confused. I am pretty sure I should be dead right now.”Emily laughed, pulling one of tho
“Hey, you okay?” Ryder asked when he found me sitting on the patio of the back porch with concern plastered all over his face.“Yeah, I’m okay,” I replied and when it was obvious, he didn’t believe me I added, “Look, I get everyone means well, but I’m not used to all of this... attention.” Ryder laughed, and I glared at him. “Dude, I am serious. Today I had six people come up to me, ask how I was, and tell me if I needed anything. They were here for me. Six people, Ryder, six people who I have never seen in my life! It’s weird and makes me claustrophobic just a tad.”Though, he still had a smile on his Ryder as he sat next to me. “Okay, yeah, I guess that would be weird.”“That’s werewolves for ya,” I said, returnin
So there you have my failed attempt to get out alive. The council was sore for it for a while, but when a year passed, and there were no tales of the cruel, revenge-obsessed Mike, they got over it. I’m expecting a little brother in a few months. Mom surprised me with that bit of news. I think Dean is the most excited; no clue why. I wish guy would get his mate already! Beth found hers half a year after her brother left. Some up-and-coming enforcer from Louisiana, I heard.All I know is she almost fell down the stairs when she first met him. I’d call her idiotic, but now I can feel the bond. I get how it makes you do some stupid stuff. Andy recovered fine and as good as new, but Dean and Ryder call him Disandy from time to time to piss him off. Now, as for Ryder and me, we’re doing great. Despite my instincts, we’re taking it slow.I won&
I watched the snowflakes drift down from the ever-darkening sky. The pack house was filled with people laughing and talking happily along with cheery holiday-themed music. It was a nice ambiance. So nice, I didn’t want to ruin it with my melancholy. The truth was, Christmas was one of the harder holidays for me. It didn’t matter how many years passed, all I thought about was Dad and how much I missed him. Hugging my knees to my chest, I rested my chin on them as I continued to watch the snow. The room was almost completely dark when the door behind me opened.“Figured I find you here,” Ryder said, taking a seat next to me. His scent washed over me as he laid an arm on my shoulder. He hugged me close, and I felt his body heat mingling with mine. It was a perfect sensation, and I felt a little better. “Everyone is wondering where you went off too.”
As the youngest child of Alpha —, I had a pretty easy going life; free to live my life as I saw fit. My parents' one rule was, do as you wish as long as it makes you happy. And I was happy…until some bastard came along and poisoned my entire family with wolf’s bane at what should’ve been a routine meeting of alpha families. They didn’t even spare my brother’s pregnant mate! The only reason I wasn’t dead alongside them was sheer luck. I decided to stay home to pack for a road trip I was going to start the next day.No more road trip. No more family.I’m alone and the luna of a pack that doesn’t believe I can be the leader they need. I am alone, but if I had a mate, a strong alpha to keep the wolves at bay, maybe I could pull this off and make my father proud of me.
I lifted the cool glass to my lips, taking a slow drink of the soda as I watched the couple across the room. The crowd of party-goers blocked my view from time to time, but I didn’t mind. That meant less of a chance of me getting caught spying. I took another drink. I knew it was stupid, but I couldn’t help myself. I was jealous. It wasn’t because the woman was attractive or because of the way the guy couldn’t take his eyes off of her. It was their freedom. We’re the same age, give or take a year or two. While they got to flirt, party, and enjoy these brief years of new adulthood while I was trapped. Trapped in a life never meant to be mine by some cruel twist of fate.“Do you know him?” A masculine voice whispered over my shoulder. I gave a startled flinch. Finn laughed. He had caught me off guard and knew it. I shook my head as I turned to face him. Finn was in t