 Masuk
Masuk
Kyra couldn't focus on her job because Ryker was everywhere and the mate bond was burning under her skin like acid. She was supposed to be managing wardrobe for twelve different racing teams but all she could think about was the alpha who'd just announced he was moving to Portland and the son who was currently sitting in the stands asking Zara a million questions about his father."You look like hell," Marcus said, appearing at her elbow with concern written all over his kind face. "Want to tell me what's going on with you and the Rider Alpha?""Nothing's going on," Kyra lied, checking her clipboard for the tenth time and seeing none of the words. "He's just here for the championship like everyone else.""He's been watching you for the past hour," Marcus said gently. "And his team told me he's extending their stay indefinitely, which is unusual for someone who usually leaves right after winning."Kyra's hands started shaking and she had to set the clipboard down before she dropped it.
Ryker sat across from his son for the first time and had no idea what to say because Kade was coloring a motorcycle with intense concentration and didn't seem bothered by the tension suffocating the break room. Kyra stood by the door like she was ready to bolt, Zara watched him like a hawk ready to attack, and all Ryker could think was that he'd missed six years of this boy's life."Do you like racing?" Kade asked suddenly, not looking up from his drawing."I've been racing since I was sixteen," Ryker said, and his voice came out rougher than he intended. "Do you?""I love it," Kade said, finally looking up with eyes that were identical to Ryker's wolf. "Mom won't let me ride yet but I know all the riders' names and their times and everything."Something twisted in Ryker's chest because this was his son, talking about motorcycles with the same passion Ryker had at that age. "Your mom's smart to keep you safe," he said. "Bikes are dangerous.""But you know what you're doing," Kade said
*Six Years Ago*Kyra scrubbed the palace floors of the alpha's private chambers with hands that was starting to bleed from a full day of cleaning, but she didn't stop because she needed this job more than she needed rest. Zara's medical bills were piling up and the pack only paid omega servants minimum wage, so Kyra took every extra shift she could get even if it meant working eighteen-hour days.The alpha's chambers were off-limits to most staff, but the head housekeeper had called in sick and someone needed to clean before Alpha Ryker returned from his meeting with the elders. Kyra had volunteered immediately because private chamber cleaning paid double, and double meant another week of Zara's medications.She was so focused on scrubbing that she didn't hear the bathroom door open, didn't realize she wasn't alone until a deep voice said, "Who the hell are you?"Kyra's head snapped up and her breathing stopped because Alpha Ryker Thorne stood in the doorway wearing nothing but a to
Kyra had never been so grateful to see her sister in her entire life, and she practically collapsed against Zara the moment the younger woman pulled her away from Ryker's overwhelming presence. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice shaking with suppressed tears. "Thank you for coming.""Always," Zara said fiercely, keeping herself between Kyra and Ryker like a shield despite being half the alpha's size. "Now someone want to explain why the Rider Alpha himself is cornering my sister in a hallway?""Because your sister has been hiding my son from me for six years," Ryker said, his eyes never leaving Kyra's face. "And we're in the middle of a discussion about that.""Discussion looks a lot like intimidation from where I'm standing," Zara shot back. "And I don't care if you're an alpha or the moon goddess herself, you don't get to push Kyra around after what you did to her."Ryker's expression shifted to something almost confused. "What I did to her?" he repeated. "She's the one who ra
Ryker watched emotions flash across Kyra's face and his wolf snarled at the fear he saw there, he hated that his mate was looking at him like he was a threat instead of her protector. Six years ago he'd been an arrogant fool who'd let pride blind him to what actually mattered, and now he was standing in a hallway of a human racing arena facing the consequences of his stupidity."You're still my mate," he repeated, softer this time, watching her flinch at the words. "The contract didn't break the bond, Kyra, it just postponed it, and you know that as well as I do.""The contract said one year," Kyra said, her voice shaking but her chin lifted in defiance that made his wolf want to push her against the wall and kiss her until she remembered who she belonged to. "I fulfilled my end of the bargain and then I left like you wanted, so you don't get to show up now and claim rights to a child you didn't know existed."Ryker stepped closer and caught her scent, honey and home, and the mate
Kyra's hands wouldn't stop shaking as she locked the break room door behind them and pressed her forehead against the cold metal, trying to remember how to breathe. Six years of running and hiding, six years of building a safe life for her son, and it had all just crumbled to dust because Kade had walked up to Ryker Thorne."Mom, you're scaring me," Kade said from behind her, his small voice breaking through the panic flooding her system. "Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?"Kyra turned and dropped to her knees, pulling Kade into her arms and holding him so tight he squirmed in protest. "You didn't do anything wrong, baby," she whispered against his hair, breathing in his scent of honey and home. "I just got scared when I couldn't find you, that's all.""But I was only in the garage and that man seemed nice," Kade said, pulling back to look at her with those too-intelligent eyes that saw more than any six-year-old should. "He smelled right, Mom, like how Aunt Zara says








