All Chapters of The Rider Alpha's Runaway Luna: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Kyra stared at Ryker's text message at three in the morning because sleep was impossible when her world was falling apart, and the cryptic warning about someone from his past made her stomach twist into knots. She didn't want to care about Ryker's past or present or future, but the mate bond made ignoring him physically painful and her curiosity was eating her alive."Just text him back," Zara mumbled from the couch where she'd fallen asleep watching Kyra pace. "The suspense is killing both of us.""I'm not texting him at three in the morning," Kyra said. "That makes me look desperate.""You are desperate," Zara pointed out. "You've been staring at your phone for two hours."Kyra threw a pillow at her sister and checked on Kade for the fifteenth time, finding him still peacefully asleep and blissfully unaware of the chaos his simple question had unleashed. "What if it's another woman?" she asked quietly. "What if that's what he needs to warn me about?""Then she's not your problem," Z

Kyra ran two blocks before her legs gave out and she had to stop, pressing her back against a brick wall while trying to catch her breath and keep Kade calm at the same time. Her son was asking questions she couldn't answer and the fear clawing at her throat made it impossible to think straight."Mom, who was that lady?" Kade asked again. "Why did she say I was pack property?""She was wrong," Kyra managed to say. "You're not property, you're a person, you're my son.""But she said I'm pack business," Kade said, his small face scrunched with confusion. "What does that mean?"Kyra pulled him close and tried to figure out how to explain pack politics to a six-year-old who'd been raised human. "It means some people think they have rules about you because of who your father is," she said carefully. "But those rules don't apply to us.""Because we don't live in a pack?" Kade asked."Because I won't let them take you," Kyra said fiercely. "No matter what anyone says, you're mine and nobody

The elders arrived at Ryker's hotel suite like a storm rolling in, three ancient wolves who'd seen generations of alphas rise and fall and weren't impressed by his authority. Elder Malthos led them, his white hair and scarred face marking decades of pack service, and his expression said he wasn't here for a friendly chat."Alpha Thorne," Malthos said, not bothering with pleasantries. "We need to discuss your heir and his current living situation.""Kade is fine where he is," Ryker said, keeping his voice level even though his wolf wanted to throw them out. "He's safe, healthy, and happy with his mother.""His mother is an unmated omega living in the human world," Elder Sasha said, her sharp eyes assessing him. "That's not appropriate for an alpha heir.""Kyra is my mate," Ryker corrected. "The bond was never broken despite the contract.""A contract you created to avoid properly mating her," Elder Dorian pointed out. "Which means you rejected your fated mate, and now you expect us to

Ryker left Kyra's apartment feeling like he'd won a battle but not the war, and the two-week deadline loomed over him like a guillotine. He had fourteen days to convince his mate that they belonged together, fourteen days to prove he'd changed, and fourteen days before the elders would take everything that mattered from him.Kai was waiting in the hotel lobby when Ryker returned. "How'd it go?" he asked."She gave me two weeks," Ryker said. "But she's not promising anything beyond letting me try.""That's more than I expected," Kai admitted. "What's your plan?""I don't have one yet," Ryker said, sinking into a lobby chair. "How do you convince someone to trust you after you destroyed that trust six years ago?""You start by being honest," Kai suggested. "Tell her everything, not just what you think she wants to hear.""Everything?" Ryker asked. "Like how I've been miserable since she left? How Seraphina was just a distraction that didn't work? How I dream about her every night?""Th

Ryker showed up at exactly six with three different flavors of ice cream and a nervous energy that made Kai laugh when he'd left the hotel. This was just pizza with his son and mate, nothing complicated, but it felt more important than any pack meeting he'd ever attended.Kade answered the door already in his pajamas. "You came!" he said, like there'd been any doubt. "Did you bring the ice cream?""Three kinds," Ryker confirmed. "Wasn't sure what you liked.""I like all ice cream," Kade said seriously, pulling him inside. "Mom ordered the pizza already, it should be here soon."Kyra emerged from the kitchen looking exhausted from a day at the arena, her hair in a messy bun and her work clothes rumpled. She was the most beautiful thing Ryker had ever seen and the mate bond surged so strongly he had to grip the ice cream containers to keep from reaching for her."You can put those in the freezer," she said, not meeting his eyes. "Zara's at a study group so it's just us three."Just the