* it's a national holiday where I live, so I have the chance to update one or two chapters~ I'll update another one should this one gets at least 28 comments (cos it's the 28th lol) *
"No need to panic. It is Ryker," said Dmitry. "He merely followed your scent."
"Is that how you found me?" I asked Dmitry curiously. I wondered if my scent was truly that significant or different that they would be able to track me down no matter where I went.
"No." Dmitry let out a deep chuckle. "I just happen to know where people go when they wish to be alone."
"Xyrra," called Ryker and I automatically turned to him, stupidly forgetting that he would have to turn into a human for me to be able to hear him.
My eyes caught the sight of his muscled thighs and I could feel my face blushing. "Aarrgh, naked, goodness!" I quickly looked away.
Dmitry laughed, shaking his head. "Dude, she is beet-red."
"Lend me your jacket," said Ryker, and a few seconds later I heard him say, "You can look at me now, Xy."
"Are you sure you are decent looking now?" I asked, just making sure.
Ryker let out a deep sigh. "I would like to think of myself as better looking but sure."
I took a deep breath before looking his way. Now I could not help but laugh. Ryker had tied Dmitry's suit jacket around his waist.
"Yeah, I thank you for using my perfectly good suit to cover your dick and bare arse. Very classy, man," said Dmitry in a heavy Russian accent.
Ryker did not seem to heed Dmitry's remarks as his silver eyes continued to stare at me. "Come on. Let's get you inside. It is about to rain soon." I looked up and sure enough, the sky was getting dark and I could faintly hear the storm coming. Something warm touched my hand and I realized that it was Ryker's hand. "We better hurry inside. I don't want you to get sick."
I let him hold my hand and lead me back to the house. The walk back to the house seemed longer although we went through the exact same paths that I had used to get here. "How many miles are left?"
"You walked pretty far from the packhouse, Xyrra," said Dmitry, walking beside me with his hands shoved inside the pockets of his trousers. He seriously looked like he was about to attend a business meeting except for the leather boot he was wearing.
"I was just following the pathway. It did not feel this long."
"Yeah, well, this pathway alone is about twenty miles long," answered Dmitry with a shrug. "Perhaps you had too many things on your mind, thus you did not notice the distance."
"Maybe," I answered vaguely and felt Ryker's hand holding me a little tighter.
Surprisingly, it was Dmitry who tried to assure me. "If you are worried about Alana, you do not have to."
Ryker chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, considering Dmitry has put her up on his shoulder and tossed her outside."
My eyes could not get any wider as I turned to see Dmitry's face. He truly was a man with no emotion for his expression remained blank as if that was the right, proper way to do it and he was merely doing his job. I turned to Ryker, wondering why on Earth he was not mad about this. Wasn't Alana his girlfriend?
"What?" Ryker's laughter slowly died as he noticed me staring at him. I must have said my question out loud because the next thing he said was, "Alana isn't my girlfriend if that's what you're wondering about."
"What? Why?" I asked in disbelief. Just because he called his wedding off, didn't necessarily mean that they broke up, right? They had been together for over a decade according to what he had said in the car a few hours ago. Surely they would try to find a way to be together without being married to one another.
"What do you mean why?" A frown nestled on Ryker's forehead. "I have told you before that I am bound to you forever."
"Yes, I've heard that the first few times but that doesn't mean you broke up with your long-time girlfriend, right?" I shook my head, frowning. "I mean, you love her, right? You can't just break up with her and throw those memories away."
I felt a tap on my shoulder and realized that it was Dmitry. "I hate to break it to you but that is exactly what he meant when he said that."
Now it all made sense. The reason why Alana has been calling me 'homewrecker' despite my numerous attempt to tell her that I had no intention of stealing her boyfriend was that he didn't just call the wedding off, he broke up with her. For me. Or, well, to be precise, because I was his mate and his wolf didn't want him to marry Alana.
At last, we arrived at the packhouse. Ryker and I were standing on the porch when the rain started to fall. He was leaning against the railing while Dmitry was inside the house busy doing god knows what. I sat on the wooden bench and stared at the forest ahead of us. "You know you didn't have to do that," I said quietly.
Right now, after knowing what had truly happened, I could not help but feel bad for Alana. Imagine dating a guy for ten years and when finally you two were about to get married, he called off the wedding, swore to another girl, and broke things off with you. I knew Alana could be a bitch, there was no denying that especially after having my hair pulled off from the scalp by her manicured hands, but still, she didn't deserve this. No girl deserved this. To be humiliated in front of her folks and friends and to feel that much hurt.
I felt his eyes on me, then glanced up to meet his silver eyes. Ryker heaved a deep sigh. "Are we still talking about Alana?"
"We've never dropped the subject, I was merely delaying it since we needed to hurry back here." I shrugged.
Ryker dropped to his knees so his eyes leveled mine. Both of his hands were holding the armrest on each side of my body. I should feel trapped considering his muscled arms were preventing me from going anywhere and yet my body remained calm. Not, not entirely calm, there was this electricity that pulled me towards him. As if my skin was dying to touch his. It was insane and inexplicable.
"If you feel bad for her, then you don't have to. She knew it from the start. I have told her that if I found my mate or she found hers, then we should end things," said Ryker, his steely gray eyes captured mine so much that I could not look away.
"Still." I swallowed hard. "How could you do that to her?"
"Trust me, I am not proud of what I did, Xyrra. I shouldn't have let it go that far. I let myself dream that for once, the horror would stop and that I could be happy just like everybody else." He briefly closed his eyes and when he reopened them again, I saw a hint of vulnerability there, something he had never shown before. It was as if he was baring his soul to me right now. "As I said before, it was all my fault, I shouldn't have trusted that sorceress when she said my soulmate had died ten years ago." He shook his head, his hands cupped the side of my face. "It did not matter now though. What matters is that, true to my words, I am bound to you forever." He brushed away a lock of my hair that fell upon my forehead and tucked them behind my ear. "I am yours if you'll have me."
When Ryker leaned in, closing the gap between our mouths, I let him. When his lips finally met mine and moved tantalizingly slowly, I kissed him back with all my might. In that kiss was the sweetness of passion, a million thoughts that we both were having were all condensed into one moment. When we finally let go to catch our breath, our eyes were still locked on each other. There was something different about this kiss, it was more than just a kiss yet I could not pinpoint what it was. I refused to let my mind or heart analyze it or go further than what was on the surface.
Instead, I forced my mind to think of something else. I replayed what he had said inside my head.
'I shouldn't have trusted that sorceress when she said my soulmate had died ten years ago.'
"What sorceress?" My voice was barely above whispering level but judging from the look in his eyes, I knew he had heard me.
* * * * * * *
What do you think Ryker's on about? Can you make a guess? (;