Ryder’s hand fell away from his face, revealing the grim set of his jaw. “There was another wolf who tried to protect you last night. You have allies in your pack. You know that, right?”
I stilled, my breath caught on the tip of my tongue.
“Big fucking wolf with dark fur. He had some small white markings. An older wolf, maybe?”
“My father?” Dad helped me last night? I couldn’t believe it. After all the shit my father gave me for what I’d become, he’d stuck his neck out for me? That couldn’t be right. If Ryder was telling the truth, then my dad would be in trouble.
I glanced at the clock in the kitchen behind Ryder. My shift at Bad Moon was quickly approaching. I couldn’t afford to lose my safe haven, but my dad would be vulnerable if I didn’t pull Alvin’s attention away from him.
Ryder seemed to sense my hesitation. He bowed his head. “Go get ready for work. I’ll pay your father a visit.”
I tensed. “Are you sure? Going into Lakesedge is dangerous for you. The pack knows who you are.”
“I don’t particularly care. Besides, the pack isn’t the only organization that runs Lakesedge. Just because shifters govern themselves doesn’t mean they get to control everything. I’m sure your neighborhood has others who would side with me if anything happened.”
Yet, as he said this, I watched his face turn pale. Ryder was sticking his neck out for me. He didn’t want to be seen, but he was willing to risk it to check in on my dad.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
I clutched the blanket wrapped around my body and wrinkled my nose. Had I left my phone in the car? If I had, then I could call Vi and see if she could bring me a change of clothes. Was Vi already working today? Who was off?
The schedule was a blur. So much had happened in the past few days that I couldn’t remember who was on shift today. As badly as I wanted to crawl back into Ryder’s bed and go back to sleep, I couldn’t let the world keep spinning without me. There was too much to do, too much that needed my attention—which was exhausting in its own way.
I couldn’t do this on my own. I stole a glance at Ryder. While he was on my side for now, his assistance was conditional. If I didn’t uphold my side of our deal, then he would move on, and I would be without allies again.
Running a hand through my hair, I tried to exhale and release the tension tightening my core. It didn’t work. I was just as tightly wound as I had been before.
Considering that I had a shift at Bad Moon and a lot of research to do, I had to get my ass moving. I turned toward the door only to have Ryder catch me by my arm.
“Where do you think you’re going dressed like that? You’re going to shock the neighbors. We want to lie low and not draw attention.”
I grinned. The thing about my hound was that she’d always been good at drawing attention. From the prophecy to the storms, all eyes had always been on me.
With a half shrug, I said, “Good. I’ll give them a show. If they think I’m doing a walk of shame, then they won’t think about the half-dead dog you dragged in last night. Besides, you don’t plan on living here. Do you?”
Ryder blinked, stunned. A soft blush reached his cheeks even though he tried to keep his features stony and expressionless. I bit my lower lip to stifle my laughter. When his gaze dipped, dragging down my throat and over my exposed chest, my laughter faded. Desire unfurled inside me once more.
I had to yank myself out of Ryder’s grip and get a move on before I dropped the blanket and threw myself at him. Sleeping with this guy was a bad idea. It would bite me in the ass, especially if I couldn’t figure out how to follow through on this deal.
Outside, I stepped down the porch steps and put a swagger in my hips. It was all for show, though. I didn’t feel half as confident as I looked. Without food, my body screamed at me. Aches from my healed wounds started throbbing. If I didn’t get something to eat soon, my wounds might reopen. My body needed energy, or I might come undone.
Shifter healing required a lot of arcana. On the surface, our healing might seem really fast, but the process took a lot longer than one might think. Our wounds closed quickly to keep us from bleeding out. Magic held us together while our bodies settled back into place. Should that magic get interrupted before the body was ready, then the wounds might come back.
The feeling of being watched made the hairs on my arms stand on end. When I reached my car, I glanced around. The street seemed empty. Whoever had eyes on me was carefully hidden. I chalked it up to one of Ryder’s neighbors being nosy.
In my car, I reached under the dashboard and felt around for the emergency key I’d taped to the dash. Being a shifter also meant getting stranded without one’s keys from time to time. While I knew that I shouldn’t keep a spare key in my unlocked car, especially in a city like Syracuse, I also didn’t like being without an escape option. My situation had taught me that my life was worth more than this shitty car.
The spare key didn’t have a fob attached, so the alarm went off when I started the engine. I rolled my eyes and disabled the alarm. Once I locked the doors, I fished around the center console for my phone, which had sunk into the sea of crumpled receipts that I needed to clean out.
I didn’t have many messages. Connor had sent me a text, warning me about the hunt, the day before. I must have missed it while I was inside with Ryder. Every now and then, the pack surprised me. I didn’t know whose side they were on. The obvious answer was that they were all looking out for their own asses, but every once in a while, they would help me. It always caught me by surprise.
The pack would never earn my complete trust ever again. The days where I could put my life in their hands was over. I wasn’t a naïve child anymore.
My friends, however, would always have my back. I called Vi, but she didn’t answer. That likely meant that she was already at work, so I tried calling Addie. She picked up and offered to bring me a change of clothes and one of her camp-shower packs. Though the idea of using a bunch of wet wipes to shower made me cringe, I didn’t really have the time to go home and shower.
I parked behind Bad Moon and waited for Addie to meet me. She dropped off a backpack full of supplies, including food, and apologized because she had to get going. The pale color of her face was in direct contrast with the dark circles under her eyes. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but I was confident that I looked pretty similar.
She didn’t ask why I needed clothes, so I didn’t ask why she needed to go. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder what had Addie so shaken. Unfortunately, those thoughts didn’t linger long as I began to wipe old blood off my body.