Three Days

Chapter 17

Three Days

Jade absolutely was not waiting for Ryker.

She wasn't.

Not at all.

The fact that she had been awake before sunrise was irrelevant.

The fact that she'd changed shirts twice before leaving the cottage meant nothing.

And the fact that she had somehow found herself near the main entrance to the territory several hours before Blackthorn's scheduled arrival was merely a coincidence.

A complete coincidence.

"You do realize you're standing watch like a worried mate."

Jade nearly jumped.

Liam grinned from where he leaned against a tree.

"You walk quieter than a serial killer."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It wasn't."

Liam looked toward the territory entrance.

Then back at her.

Then toward the entrance again.

His grin became unbearable.

"Oh."

"What?"

"Oh, this is bad."

Jade crossed her arms.

"What are you talking about?"

"You like him."

"No, I don't."

"You absolutely do."

"I absolutely don't."

Liam looked unconvinced.

Mostly because he was right.

And they both knew it.

Fortunately, salvation arrived in the form of approaching scents.

Blackthorn.

The delegation was here.

Jade's pulse immediately sped up.

Annoying.

Very annoying.

"Yep," Liam said.

"You've got it bad."

Jade considered kicking him.

Unfortunately, witnesses were present.

---

The joint meeting began shortly after the Blackthorn delegation arrived.

As expected, Jade wasn't technically involved.

As unexpected, Alpha Rowan had begun asking for her input whenever patrol reports involved the eastern forests.

Which meant she spent much of the morning helping Garrett review territory maps.

The entire situation still felt strange.

Seven years being ignored.

One border mystery.

Suddenly adults cared what she thought.

Life was weird.

The meeting finally ended near midday.

Jade was gathering her notes when a familiar voice spoke behind her.

"I figured you'd still be trapped in here."

A smile escaped before she could stop it.

She turned.

Ryker stood in the doorway.

Hands in his pockets.

Looking entirely too pleased with himself.

"You're late."

His eyebrows lifted.

"I arrived three hours ago."

"Exactly."

Ryker laughed.

The sound instantly eased something inside her.

Three days.

It had only been three days.

Why did it feel longer?

"How's your awful training arrangement?" he asked.

Jade groaned.

"There it is."

"So it's going well?"

"No."

A pause.

"Maybe."

His grin widened.

"Oh no."

"Don't."

"You like him."

She stared.

Then burst out laughing.

"What?"

The scandalized look on Ryker's face only made it worse.

"I was talking about the training."

"Sure you were."

The look she gave him promised violence.

Ryker wisely changed the subject.

---

They spent the afternoon walking through Silverwood territory.

No patrols.

No investigations.

No meetings.

Just walking.

For once, Jade appreciated the simplicity.

Ryker pointed out differences between their packs.

At Blackthorn, younger wolves were encouraged to travel between neighboring territories.

At Silverwood, tradition kept most wolves closer to home.

Blackthorn held leadership challenges twice a year.

Silverwood only held one.

The differences were fascinating.

"You hate politics."

It wasn't a question.

Ryker looked pained.

"Passionately."

"You're an Alpha heir."

"Exactly."

Jade laughed.

"That seems like a problem."

"It's a huge problem."

His expression became thoughtful.

"I love my pack."

The humor faded slightly.

"I just don't love meetings."

"Neither does Alpha Rowan."

"Really?"

"Really."

Ryker seemed delighted by the knowledge.

Apparently Alphas complaining about meetings was a universal experience.

They followed one of the quieter forest paths.

Sunlight filtered through the trees above.

For several minutes neither spoke.

The silence wasn't awkward.

It never seemed to be with him.

Eventually Ryker glanced toward her.

"You never talk about your father."

The question wasn't forceful.

Just curious.

Jade looked ahead.

Toward the winding trail.

For a long moment, she considered pretending she hadn't heard him.

Instead she sighed.

"I don't remember him very well."

Ryker waited.

Listening.

So she continued.

"I remember him before everything happened."

Her voice softened.

"Some of it."

Memories surfaced.

Being swung onto his shoulders.

Hearing stories before bed.

Laughter.

Then arguments.

Then whispers.

Then shame.

Then nothing.

The man had simply vanished.

"I spent years waiting for him to come back."

The admission hurt more than expected.

"I used to think there had been some mistake."

Ryker remained beside her.

Silent.

Present.

No interruption.

No judgment.

Just understanding.

"Then eventually I realized he wasn't coming."

A lump formed in her throat.

She hated it.

"I'm angry at him."

The words escaped before she could stop them.

"There."

She laughed bitterly.

"That's my terrible secret."

Ryker stopped walking.

Jade turned toward him.

His expression was gentle.

Not pitying.

Never pitying.

"You have every right to be."

The simple acceptance hit harder than she expected.

Because so many people either blamed her father completely.

Or defended him completely.

No one ever acknowledged what he'd done to her.

Until now.

"He left you behind," Ryker said quietly.

Jade looked away.

The truth hurt because it was true.

"Yeah."

For a moment neither spoke.

Then Ryker nudged her shoulder lightly.

A small gesture.

Comforting.

Unexpected.

"I'm glad you're here."

She blinked.

"What?"

Ryker looked suddenly embarrassed.

Almost nervous.

A rare sight.

"I said I'm glad you're here."

Heat crept into her cheeks.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

"So am I."

Something changed in his expression.

Only for a second.

A flash of hope.

Then it disappeared.

---

As evening approached, they returned toward the center of the territory.

The path narrowed.

Their shoulders brushed occasionally as they walked.

Each time it happened, Jade became strangely aware of it.

Equally strange, Ryker seemed to notice too.

The awareness settled between them.

Quiet.

Growing.

Neither quite sure what to do with it.

As they reached the edge of the forest, Ryker reached for her hand.

Not fully.

Not intentionally.

More like instinct.

His fingers brushed hers.

For a second both froze.

The contact lasted barely a moment.

Yet Jade felt it all the way to her chest.

Ryker slowly looked down.

Then back at her.

Neither moved immediately.

The air felt different.

Charged.

Jade's heart pounded.

Say something.

Anything.

Neither did.

Eventually someone called Ryker's name from across the clearing.

The moment shattered.

His hand dropped.

The space between them returned.

Yet neither looked away.

A slow smile appeared on Ryker's face.

Not teasing.

Not playful.

Something softer.

Something real.

Jade found herself smiling back.

And for the rest of the evening, long after they separated, she couldn't stop thinking about the way his hand had felt against hers.

Which was probably a very bad sign.