5
NESS
Ishould have gunned it out of the parking lot. Instead, I sat behind the steering wheel and steadied my breathing. I flexed my fingers, which were stiff from being clenched tight into fists.
If I could have my way, I’d live out a simple life. It wouldn’t matter to me if my Alpha noticed me or not. Unlike some shifters who preened when their Alpha recognized them, I would have been happy to fall under the Alpha’s radar. Maybe then, I could have become someone else.
I wondered who I might have become if Alvin hadn’t set his sights on me. Connor and I would still be friends. In time, we could have formed a mate bond and settled down to have pups of our own. I wasn’t sure if that was what I wanted, but the vision was so idyllic that I allowed myself to sink into it for a while.
There was a chance, if my life had been normal, that I never would have met my friends. Applying to work at Bad Moon had been a last-ditch effort to escape Alvin’s anger. I’d wanted a job away from Lakesedge where I wouldn’t have to hide what I was.
I couldn’t give up my friends any more than I could change my situation. So, I forced myself to open my eyes and reach for the key in the ignition. To my disappointment, Ryder had found me.
He tapped on the window to my right. I groaned. I could start the car and drive away. What was he going to do? Grab my bumper and keep me from driving away? He couldn’t do that here, in the human side of Syracuse. If he did, he would likely end up with nothing but the bumper as I drove off.
A lapse of judgement made me roll my window down. It was a bad idea, but I did it anyway. Maybe it was his sexy jawline or his cold eyes that I so badly wanted to warm that made me stay. Either way, I would ask myself why I made such poor decisions later.
“I have my pack up my ass twenty-four-seven. There isn’t any room for you to get up there, too.”
Ryder was taken aback. Brow furrowed in disgust and confusion, he shook his head. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
I laughed, glad that I unsettled him. “I don’t know. I like to think that my trauma has made me funnier. Don’t you agree?”
He groaned and hung his head. “Listen. I need your help.”
I blinked, stunned. “Excuse me? You, big bad and probably more dangerous than I could ever imagine, needmyhelp?”
His jaw tightened as he stared me down. I was used to the pressure of those stronger than me, so I didn’t back down even though my heart leapt and jammed itself into my throat. My hound had a slightly different reaction to Ryder.
The beast brushed up against the inside of my skin. I could feel her shaggy fur as if she were right here beside me. She let out a low whine and rolled over for him. I wasn’t used to her submitting like this. She wanted Ryder’s attention so bad that she was willing to risk it all for him.
“Stupid dog,” I muttered to myself.
“What?” Ryder cocked his head.
Was I really going to give in to my hound and hear this guy out? The beast wanted to help him, but I had no idea how I could be of any help to someone like him. He was clearly stronger than me. He’d made Harvey back down with almost no effort. Anyone like that had the power to handle anything that came their way.
“Look, I’m not into the fake-dating thing. If you’re running from your arranged marriage or from a crazy ex, then that’s your problem. You should probably go back and talk it out. I’m not going to be your mysterious new girlfriend for the purposes of skirting your responsibilities, okay?”
Ryder stood and promptly dropped his head onto the roof of my car. I stifled my laugh. Why was I poking a hornet’s nest? If Ryder was as strong as I thought, then I shouldn’t be having this much fun infuriating him. I couldn’t stop, though. His reactions were so soft. Not once did he direct his anger toward me in a physical manner.
As awful as it was to say, I wasn’t used to that kind of control.
I licked my lips, afraid of what I was about to say. Ryder was strong. Maybe even strong enough to take on Alvin. If I heard Ryder out, then I could weigh his request against my own counteroffer. I didn’t want Ryder to ask more than I could give, but maybe I could get him to put an end to Alvin’s reign.
My breath hitched.
Fucking prophecy.
I didn’t want to live up to it, but Alvin had given me no other option. He’d stripped me of my choices the moment he set his sights on me. If he’d tried another approach, then the prophecy would have been dead in the water.
Ahead, Harvey and his gaggle exited the mall. They were busy laughing at something and hadn’t noticed us yet. I didn’t want Harvey to see me with Ryder again. It was bad enough that Ryder had given them the wrong impression earlier.
“Do you have somewhere private we can go to talk?” I asked quickly.
Ryder’s eyes narrowed with suspicion before he followed my gaze to the mall doors. Upon seeing the other shifters, he quickly rattled off an address. I plugged it into my GPS and told him that I’d meet him there.
I hit the gas and sped out of the parking lot. Why did it always feel like I was running? I ran from Alvin, from Harvey, from the prophecy. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was time to stop running. Someday, I would have to face what hid in my shadow.