Aunt Mara gave a light, airy chuckle, which was completely unexpected. This was serious... I was mated to the future Alpha and I didn't want to be Luna. What was so funny about that? Her expression turned serious when she saw me staring at her in disbelief. "Honey, you were born to lead," she said simply, though the smile still tugged at the corner of her lips as she pulled into the driveway. I scoffed. "I'm a bit of a wallflower, in case you hadn't noticed..." I reminded her with a frown. "No, baby. You command attention. You blame the hair, but it's not that. And it's only becoming more apparent as you're getting older now. There's something we need to talk about, but—" My car door suddenly opened, interrupting her mid-sentence. Ryder loomed over me with a smile. Aunt Mara sighed deeply and continued in a whisper, "But the time never seems right..." She frowned. "Sorry Aunt Mara. What were you going to say?" I asked, urging her to continue despite our interruption. "We'll tal
Aunt Mara suddenly walked into the room looking concerned. In truth, I hadn't even noticed that she had left. "Honey, I hate to do this, but I need to go. One of the kids at school choked. She's fine now, thank God, but I need to go in to help with damage control. Ryder, would you stay with her?" she asked, giving Ryder a pleading look. I wiped the tear from my cheek as I looked up at Ryder. His expression was one of concern, but he nodded. "Of course," he replied. "But would you be able to swing by Dr Kelly's office then to get Kate's painkillers on your way back? He said he'd try come past here at the end of the day, just to give her a once over, but that might still be a while." "Sure," she replied, gathering her stuff together. "Of course, this would happen on the first day I take off all year..." she continued, mumbling under her breath in annoyance. She straightened herself up, smoothing down her shirt and taking a deep breath. "Sorry, baby," she murmured as she leaned over
I made my way to my room, it was just as I left it earlier, the bed still unmade and the curtains still drawn. Pulling the curtains open with my left hand was easy enough, and I managed to negotiate the gym equipment with no issues. I was off to a good start. Opening the cupboard, I tried to find something simple and loose-fitting to wear. The search turned up tonnes of oversized t-shirts, but the most comfortable pants I could find were leggings. I considered a dress momentarily, but I didn't have anything suitable in that department either. In the end, I selected one of my oversized band t-shirts and a pair of black leggings. Changing underwear wasn't too challenging a task, I'd figured out a technique when I went to the bathroom earlier, so I felt I had experience in that department. Next, I tried to take my t-shirt off. My left hand did its best, tugging the sleeve of the right arm down as I tried to pull the casted arm through it, but the cast kept getting caught on the slee
"Kate..." I heard a man's voice calling to me. It was deep but gentle and I felt drawn to it. "Kate..." it repeated, and I felt my consciousness flooding back as my eyes fluttered open. Ryder was hovering over me, looking into my eyes as his fingers traced the curve of my jaw. He smiled as my eyes opened, and I couldn't help but smile back. "Hey..." he murmured softly as the fingers of my left hand reached out to touch his face. They brushed over his lips as I blinked with dreamy eyes. He caught my hand and held it against his lips, pressing a kiss to my palm. The sound of a man clearing his throat caught my attention. With a frown, I tried to sit up, trying to find the source of the sound. The harsh reality of my broken arm struck me as I tried to use it to prop myself up and I winced in pain. I squinted as I looked around the room, realizing the sun had set and the lights were on. A delicious smell wafted through the air and Aunt Mara stood in the kitchen, preparing mugs for co
"I... I didn't realize," Dr Kelly admitted, which was unsurprising because we hadn't exactly gone public with the news just yet. I wasn't sure about the boys, but I wanted to figure out how to handle the relationship before I felt comfortable letting everyone else and their dog in on it. "It's no big deal," I assured the doctor as I shot Ryder a stern look. He knew I didn't want to be Luna, why was he throwing this around now? "Well, uh, I'd be happy to make a house call on Friday to see to the removal of the cast if you like?" he offered, suddenly seeming far more accommodating now that he realized I might hold some position of power. I hated it. "No, it's fine. I'll come to your offices, thank you," I assured him, keen to end the conversation now. He reopened his leather doctor's bag and produced a business card, handing it to me with a winning smile. "If you need anything, day or night, please let me know," he went on, laying the charm on thick now. I took it with a hesitant sm
I woke to the sound of my bedroom door creaking open.Trying to sit up, I squinted toward it, expecting to see Aunt Mara, but to my surprise, Ryder slipped in.Before I could say a word, he shushed me, taking the few steps over to my bed and slipping in beside me."It's too early... Sleep," he urged, pulling the covers up around us.I was still half asleep and confused. "Why are you here?" I asked, my voice sounding gruff and tired."Your Aunt just left for work, so I'm here to take care of you for the day, remember? But forget about that now. Just go back to sleep," he insisted, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close against his body."Why didn't you stay last night? I wanted you to stay..." I pouted, trying my best to give him an accusing look in spite of my sleepy eyes."Because it felt weird with your aunt here. It's her house and she didn't invite me to stay and it just felt weird. I wanted to... You made it really hard to say no," he replied sincerely, finishing o
He stepped closer to me with hungry eyes, his fingers resting on my hips for a moment before snaking their way into the waistband of my panties. He paused again as if waiting for me to give him the all-clear.Was I doing this? Was I letting Ryder undress me? Where was this going and was I okay with it? My mind raced with questions while my heart raced with a combination of excitement, anticipation, and fear.I nodded.He slipped them down with the confidence that told me he'd done this many times before and the thought made me feel some type of way. I wasn't about to try and unpack that now though.Standing there, frozen to the spot, my mind was a mess of questions only I could answer, but the answers seemed elusive.His eyes lingered on me like a predator before I turned and stepped into the bath, seeking out the obscurity that the bubbles would provide. He watched me as I lowered myself into the water, then submerged myself below its surface to wet my hair. I tried my best to keep m
"You okay over there?"Ryder asked as I slid deeper into the water, my eyes still closed as my heart tried to find its regular tempo. He'd pulled his hand away a little while ago and had given me a moment to get a grip of myself, but I was still coming down from my high. "Kate?" he tried again, his fingers trailing over my exposed knee. I shuddered at his touch and giggled before nodding and immersing my lips below the water. "You're alright then?" he repeated with a smirk on his lips. I nodded, still partially submerged, a beaming smile on my lips. The water was beginning to get cold now though, and I was eager to get out as soon as I was capable of walking again. He leaned over the bath, his elbows resting on the side of it as he watched me with adoration. Reaching his hand out, he ran his fingers over my cheek, then cupped it gently. I rubbed my face against him like a cat seeking affection. "I'm fucking crazy about you, Kate," he confessed, a hint of vulnerability lacing his