The Wallflower Mate

9

Weren't they here to examine Alpha Ivan's pack territory?

Weren't they here to find mates?

She wished she knew this was going to be the end for them. The sudden disappointment took her by surprise.

Was she disappointed that she won't see him longer?

Was she disappointed that what they have between them was possibly nothing more than a one-sided feeling?

His eyes did a slow scan of her face. She felt his gaze touch from the very tip of her head to her neckline. Immediately, she felt self-conscious. She knew she wasn't the prettiest she-wolf in their pack.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked abruptly.

Her eyes snapped back up from staring at his light stubble chin to his hazel eyes.

"Your coworker mentioned a boyfriend. Do you have a boyfriend?" he repeated.

She shook her head and dropped her gaze back down to her hands in embarrassment.

"It was easier to lie about a boyfriend than to tell them I don't have one," she whispered in shame. "So, I made up my boyfriend. Lied to everyone that he lived in Normandy, which was why he couldn't come to visit me. I made up stories about our first meeting and our first date."

After revealing the truth, Mary couldn't bear to look in his eyes. He would probably laugh at her idiocy. She knew it was wrong to weave such a tale, but it was easier to lie that someone found her attractive and took her out on dates than tell the truth.

She heard him chuckle and turned to look at him. His eyes were bright and shining.

"I am assuming the nagging from your female colleagues stopped?" Ryker inquired.

She nodded, and one corner of her lips lifted.

"Brave of you to come up with such stories. I wouldn't have been able to do it," Ryker stated.

She looked at him, confused. He wouldn't have to come up with a story because he looked like a male model. Did he not look at himself in the mirror every morning? Does he sleep under a rock? Surely, he was teasing her.

"You're teasing me, aren't you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Actually, I'm not," he responded.

"Excuse me, but you must clarify. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?" she said in disbelief.

One corner of his lip lifted handsomely that Mary's mind ran a blank for a second.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ryker replied, "but looks mean nothing."

She snorted in an unladylike manner.

"You are lying to yourself then. Looks are everything for everyone. If looks weren't everything, then I would've been mated by now," she said pettily.

"For a few selected individuals, maybe, but I won't let them speak for me. When I say looks mean nothing to me, it truly means nothing to me."

She turned her head to look at him. The slight frown lines on his forehead and the intensity in his hazel eyes were enough to convince her that maybe looks truly didn't matter to him. Her respect for him grew.

"So, why you are heading back so early? Is it because you have already decided what you want to do?" She changed the subject and turned to look back at him.

His eyes roamed her face once again as if seeking the answer to her question before he answered her.

"You can say that," he replied.

"Is our territory not to your liking?′ she questioned, unsure of what he meant by that response.

"Do you have any friends here? How long have you been working at that restaurant?" He averted the questions back to her.

"A few friends, but nobody close. I'm not wired with the ability to socialize. So, I'm incompetent to make it in society," Mary chuckled, not taking it as a bad thing. Honestly, she liked her simple-no tangled lifestyle. Leaning forward, she placed her hands on the bench. She looked ahead. "When I got out of culinary school, it was the first restaurant I applied for. It may not be a five-star restaurant, but it is highly popular in our neck of the woods."

"Have you ever thought about traveling? Possibly stepping out of the comforts of your pack members and exploring other territories?"

Mary scoffed. "My brother will have my head. He wouldn't allow me to leave."

"But do you want to?" he prodded further.

She turned to give him an amused glance, "As much as I love him, I want to make my own decisions."

He seemed to mull over her response because he said nothing to what she had admitted. Someone honked their horn in a distance and both their heads turned that way. It was about mid-day and the streets are getting busier now.

Suddenly, she realized that she had just walked out of her job. She needed to get back. Shooting up from her seat, Mary started back towards the restaurant but stopped when Ryker's hand wrapped around her wrist. She turned to regard him with a quizzical look.

"I'm leaving today at six. I will not lie, you are a damn excellent cook. If you ever want to break free, you can come find me. I'll hire you. Besides getting hired under me, you'll meet a ton of new people that may give you opportunities to advance your career, Mary," he blurted.

She looked at him like he was crazy for suggesting for her to leave, but deep inside of her; she ached for independence. She loved her brother with all her heart, but she wanted to experience her life without her brother butting into every decision she makes.

"I have to get back to work," she said.

This situation seemed startling familiar to the one at the ball. Old sensual vibes were rippling between them at the memories. His hand tightened around her wrist, waiting for her response.

She tugged her hand for a second before looking back up at him again. A determined look appeared on his face. Mary knew that he wouldn't let her go this time. She needed to respond to him. Running away last time was easy because she surprised him.

"I-I'll think about it," she whispered hesitantly.

He released her hand. She brought her wrist to her body and held it, still feeling his hand around her wrist. Its warmth was comforting. With one last look at the domineering hazel eyes, she turned and ran back to her workplace.

Mary's head ran with his words. Alpha Ryker was giving her an opportunity. But her heart was pounding for a whole different reason. She wasn't just excited about the carrot he dangled in front of her.

No.

She was excited because of him.