“You have to come and see it, Alpha,” Conrad insisted with a sense of urgency. Anxious and nervous, Lyle froze in her place. She looked at Conrad with wide eyes feeling as if her knees would give in the moment she stood. Arya and Benito strode to where Conrad was and he pointed outside, as he whispered something in Arya’s ears. Arya nodded and they all started to leave when she called Lyle, “Come over!” It was an order and not a request. And Lyle knew why Arya was in such a foul mood. Her fists curled tightly. She rose to her feet and followed the group outside. Rain poured in generous water pellets from the dense gray clouds over the earth. The water was so strong that it felt like it was piercing her skin. Rather than being in a rain shower, it was like she was in th

His Beta gave a tight nod. They watched Ryder leave for his room. Just before he was about to climb the stairs, he turned and said, “Keep my jeep ready. I will be leaving by evening.” He decided that he would leave Elara back to the portal where she would cross back to the human realm and then go back to Lyle. Of course he would give Nyter to Elara as a parting gift. With that thought in mind, he raced to his room feeling energetic. Bath was wonderful… filled with Lyle’s thoughts. Like a randy lad he had jerked himself off imagining her butts and the core in between it. He laughed at himself and couldn’t wait to be with her. He was eager to spend her birthday in his hunting lodge that is if Arya allowed it. If not, he would be happy to spend it with her in the Black Crest pack too. After taking a bath he dried himself and came out with a towel wrapped around his waist.

Lyle didn’t hear from Grisha for the entire time she spent with Arya and others that evening. When she went back to her room to sleep, she started thinking about Ryder again. She missed him with every passing minute and somehow she knew that Grisha missed him too. Her loneliness was so intense that a thickness formed in her throat and her eyes stung with tears. She was conflicted between anger, bitterness and desire. Was she so unworthy that Ryder forgot her so soon? In only three days he had forgotten all about the connection they had? As the night grew, she became antsy. Her wolf started clamoring. Unable to sleep even for a minute, Lyle got up. She folded her knees, curled her hands around it and rested her head over them. She began to rock herself in order to allay her fears, nothing worked. ‘We must go to find him,’ Grisha said, withdrawing her from her angst. 

At first Lyle was pretty awkward and flummoxed by Dominique’s offer to go with her to the Silver Moon pack, but Dominique’s genuineness melted her heart. The man didn’t talk to her for the first hour of the journey and maintained his space. He walked behind her all the time as if watching her as if to protect her from dangers ahead. Although she was feeling reticent, the silence between them was deafening and she was flustered. After the incident in the woods, she had stopped talking to him, but then when he offered to walk her to meet Ryder, her emotions conflicted. Not able to bear the uncomfortable quiet between them, she stopped all of a sudden. He jerked his head when he came to a halt.  Lyle turned to look at him. She put her hands on her hips and said, “Thanks for accompanying me, Dominique.” “You are welcome,” he said with a half smile. 

Dominique cocked his head to look out of the window. The sun had begun to descend. A smile lit his face as if he was about to accomplish something soon. Lyle’s mind was still in a mess. Her lips quivered when she tried to segue the sequence of events in her mind. Things in her life spiraled down when Nina entered her life. She was going to marry Blake and would have been the Luna of the Blood Moon pack. She looked at Nina who had gone to the center of the small room, where ashes soaked in blood were sprinkled. “You know what Nina?” Lyle said. “If you hadn’t come in my life, I would have never met Ryder.” Nina whipped her head back to see her. With wide eyes, she chuckled, “Do you mean you are thankful for my presence in your life?”“Yes I am,” said Lyle as tears stung her eyes. “I met the l