Page 19 of The Alpha King's Fate

“Don’t,” he cut in. “Didn’t you get a phone call?”

Ryker turned back to him, a frown on his face.

“We don’t have much use for phones here. The signal is shit,” Ryker said.

Shit.

Despite all the stuff that happened, Ryker was a part of them now. It meant Dylan hadn’t gotten a hold of him to warn him.

“There were Hunters in town.”

Ryker stiffened.

“They were just passing through, but we’re taking precautions anyway. Don’t go into town; lock everyone down for a while.”

“If they have my boys, I can’t just sit down and twiddle my fingers,” Ryker said gruffly.

He hadn’t expected a man like Ryker to take his Alpha duties seriously. It surprised him.

“Are your bonds with them still intact?” he asked.

“Yeah. They’re somewhere; I just can’t tell where. I think they went too far.”

“Then maybe you’re right, and they ended up in town. But your scouts know how to handle themselves better than anyone. They’d have sensed the Hunters miles away.”

Ryker’s shoulders relaxed.

“You’re right. They’re good boys, but sometimes they like to unwind.”

“Then let’s not worry yet. Once I verify that the Hunters are gone, you can look for them,” he said as he set his mug down on the table next to him. “Wait.”

He walked back into the house just as Layla came into the kitchen.

“What’s going on,” she asked, looking out of the window to the patio.

When he looked back, Ryker had come up onto the patio, looking back at the woods while he helped himself to the coffee. He could see his big, scarred ass as if the Alpha was displaying it on purpose.

“Nothing,” he said, stepping in front of the window to block Layla’s view. “We have to leave right away, so go and get ready.”

Layla frowned as she tried to look around him.

“I know Ryker is out there. Let me go and say hello—”

“He’s naked,” he said through his teeth.

“I’ve seen him naked before when he...”

A growl came from the depths of his throat. Cain wasn’t pleased with the direction of the conversation either.

“Right, okay, I’ll go and get ready,” Layla said with a grin.

When he heard her footsteps upstairs, he walked over to one of the drawers and took a set of keys out of it. By the time he went back outside, Ryker had finished his coffee.

“I was thirsty,” he shrugged. “Most people offer visitors a cup of tea when they arrive.”

He shoved the keys in Ryker’s hand and glowered at him until he jumped off the patio.

“I have a room through the pantry with some equipment you can use to contact me if there’s an emergency. If you have people who know how to set it up, move it to your packhouse.”

---