Chapter 10

The Velvet Bean was tucked into a quiet brick alleyway two blocks off campus, smelling rich with roasted espresso beans, cinnamon, and warm sugar. It was dimly lit with exposed vintage bulbs and plush leather booths in the back—a stark, cozy contrast to the crisp autumn air outside.

Ryder guided me straight to the farthest booth, his hand heavy on the small of my back. He didn’t even let me sit down on my own; he practically lifted me onto the leather bench before sliding in right beside me, trapping me against the wall.

“I’m getting you a double-shot vanilla latte and a hot turkey club,” he grumbled, his dark eyes sweeping over my face as if searching for bruises. “You look like you haven’t eaten a real meal since yesterday.”

“I don’t need a babysitter, Black,” I muttered, but the smell of toasted sourdough coming from a nearby table made my stomach betray me with a loud rumble.

A slow, dangerous smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “You need to feed your wolf, Haven. Your body is burning double the energy right now.”

He flagged down a barista, barked our order, and within minutes, a massive plate of food and two steaming mugs sat between us. But as soon as the barista walked away, the semi-playful edge in the air instantly evaporated. Ryder turned his body toward mine, one long arm stretching across the back of the leather seat behind my neck, his scent wrapping around me like a velvet blanket.

“Now,” he said softly, his deep voice carrying a razor-sharp edge. “Tell me what Dante was doing with his hands on you before I broke down that door.”

My heart did a dirty little flip in my chest. I grabbed my mug with both hands, using the warm ceramic to steady my shaking fingers. “He smelled you on me. He realized who I was to you.”

“And?” Ryder’s dark brows pulled together, his thumb reaching out to trace the side of my jaw, right where Dante’s gaze had lingered. “What else, little wolf? Your pulse was racing at a hundred miles an hour when I walked in.”

I swallowed hard, my cheeks burning with the memory of the dream—the wicked image of both brothers taking turns with me on that podium flashing behind my eyes. I couldn’t tell him that. Fuck, he’d tear the campus apart.

“I was terrified he was going to fail me,” I lied through my teeth, lifting my eyes to meet his intense gaze. “He’s my professor, Ryder. If he figures out I’m... connected to his brother, my whole semester is fucked.”

Ryder let out a low, vibrating growl, his hand sliding up to cup the back of my neck, pulling me closer until his lips hovered inches from mine. “You aren’t just connected to me, Haven. You’re mine. And Dante won’t touch your grades unless he wants to answer to me.” He pressed a slow, fiery kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Eat your lunch, little wolf. Because after this, I’m taking you to my place.”

The tension between us didn’t completely dissolve, but it softened into something warm as the barista set down our plates. The turkey club smelled incredible, and despite the whirlwind of chaotic wolf politics and dirty morning dreams, my stomach won the battle. I took a huge, shameless bite, letting out an embarrassing little hum of pure satisfaction.

Ryder’s chest rumbled with a quiet, amused chuckle as he watched me eat. He hadn’t even touched his own black coffee yet, leaning back against the leather booth with one arm draped casually behind my head, his dark eyes tracking my every move with a possessive, soft intensity.

“So,” he murmured, his thumb lightly stroking the back of my sweater through my hair. “Chloe.”

I swallowed, wiping my mouth with a napkin before taking a long sip of the sweet, piping-hot latte. “Yeah. My roommate and best friend. The girl you almost bit last night.”

“She stepped between a wolf and his mate,” Ryder said smoothly, though there was a glint of genuine humor in his eyes now. “Dangerous move for a human.”

“She’s fiercely loyal, even if she’s completely out of her mind,” I smiled, feeling a rare wave of affection wash over me as I talked about her. “Chloe’s the exact opposite of me. While I was brooding in the corner at parties or hiding behind my sketchbook, she was living up every single second of freshman year. Her motto is basically that college is an experience, and she’ll screw anything that looks worth the effort.”

“Charming,” Ryder drawled, a smirk playing on his sharp lips.

“Hey, don’t judge,” I laughed, bumping my shoulder against his iron-clad chest. “She’s the only person on this damn campus who took me in without giving a shit about my family’s Beta status or my art major. Though... she did spend this morning calling you a ‘leather-jacket psycho.’ Followed immediately by admitting you’re a ‘hot creep.’”

Ryder threw his head back and let out a low, gravelly laugh that rattled straight down to my spine. “A hot creep, huh? High praise from the roommate.”

“Don’t let it go to your head, Black,” I warned, pointing a French fry at him before shoving it into my mouth. “She literally thinks you’re in some kind of pickup artist cult. If I don’t check in with her before nightfall, she’s going to file a missing persons report.”

“Let her,” Ryder murmured, his tone shifting back into that thick, low velvet that made my toes curl. He reached out, his warm thumb gently wiping a crumb from the corner of my lip before bringing his thumb to his own mouth, licking it clean without breaking eye contact. “They won’t find you where we’re going anyway.”