Page 16 of Wolf Bound

With every inch closer, I expect to be jolted awake. And even as I’m standing a foot away from him, I’m bracing myself for when I’m inevitably pulled away, but it never happens.

When I put my shaking hand out, and he presses his large head against it, the air around us stills, and the rain that had been pouring down on our backs freezes. The deafening buzzing sound silences and I can once against hear my pounding heartbeat.

It’s the calmness and feeling of completeness that settles in my soul that shocks me the most. My fingers dig deep into the fur at his neck, holding on tight to him.

All I can do is stand there and stare at him. I already have his face memorized, but I still take it all in, from the way his ears twitch and move when he hears something to the way his fur feels against my fingers. I take it all in, wanting to remember everything about him. And this time, when my surroundings swirl and grow dark, I don’t panic about leaving him. Because I know in my heart this isn’t goodbye.

When I wakefrom the dream, I notice a few things. The first thing is I actually woke up in a bed instead the woods like I have the past couple of mornings. The second is I have the worst headache, and my body is sore and tender. The third is I know I’m not alone by the soft breathing I hear coming from across the room.

I stifle a groan as I slowly pull myself into a sitting position on the bed. I take a quick scan of the room I’m in and find I’m in one of the Weylyns’ guest rooms. I have never actually slept in here but have passed this room many times when walking to Remi’s.

In the far corner, Ryker sleeps in the dark leather accent chair, his thick tattooed arms crossed over his chest. His head hangs at an awkward position, having fallen asleep sitting up. The only part of this scene that concerns me is the golden glow still surrounds him as the bright morning sun dances across the room.

Great.I really did see it yesterday at the party before I left.

Wait!Memories of last night flash through my mind. The red wolf I had foolishly chased after, the wild wolf hunted me through the woods, the other wolves that showed up after it had attacked me. All of it comes crashing back to me, and I cringe when I remember the sound my head made when it hit the rock. I flinch when I reach back and feel stitches under the bandage that sits there.

Oh no, please tell me they didn’t…

“They didn’t shave your head,” a deep, sleepy voice murmurs from the corner of the room. Looking over, I find equally sleepy blue eyes looking back at me. “If that’s what you were wondering.” A small smile appears on his face as he shifts into a more upright position.

“Read my mind.” I can’t help the shy smile growing on my own face. “Did you sleep here all night?”

“Yes.”

“Why would you do that?” I blurt before I can stop myself. “Sorry. I mean, wasn’t the chair uncomfortable?”

“I’ve slept in worse places.” Ryker grins at me. “How do you feel? You were pretty banged up when we found you.” He moves from the chair to sit on the edge of the bed, our legs brushing against each other. It’s impossible to ignore the electric feeling that shoots from my leg and up my spine. It’s similar to the zapping feeling I experienced when I first saw him in the backyard at the party. But this time, I don’t feel the nausea that followed.

I tear my eyes away from where his leg touches mine. “I’m going to need a bucket of pain reliever, but I’m sure I’ll be okay,” I tell him, clearing my suddenly dry throat. “But the good news is my head already hurts less than it did when I woke up a minute ago.”

“The doc said we have to watch you pretty closely the next few days. She was pretty sure you have a concussion. We took turns waking you up last night to ask you questions, do you remember?”

I shake my head. “No. The last thing I remember is being picked up and carried out of the woods.” I look at Ryker’s tattooed covered skin and gasp. “It was you who was carrying me! How did you guys know I was out there?”

“Your aunt called frantic last night. She told us what happened and was worried about you. When you wouldn’t answer any of our phone calls; we decided to go look for you.” I don’t miss the slight flashing in his eyes as he stares at me. “You shouldn’t run after wild animals.”

I can’t help the nervous laugh that escapes. “Yes, well, lesson learned, I guess.” I give him a sheepish smile. In the past, when I’ve tried to talk to men, I felt like I could never find the right words. Everything felt uncomfortable and wrong. But talking to Ryker is easy. I feel like I could tell him anything, and I’ve just met him. I have also never been attracted to anyone before like I am with Ryker. My stomach is in a knot, just looking at him.

“You didn’t answer me before. Why did you sleep here all night?”

“I had to make sure you were okay,” he explains, his deep voice softening. He looks like he wants to say more but doesn’t. It’s almost like he’s trying to find the right words. “I was worried about you,” he adds.

“Thank you for getting me out of there last night. I don’t know what the wolf would have done if you hadn’t found me.” I shudder.

A serious look appears on Ryker’s face, his ocean blues darkening. “I would never let anything bad happen to you. I promise.” And somehow I know he’s telling the truth.

I feel my head cock to the side as I examine him again. His dark brown hair is cut shorter on the sides and is left longer on top. Right now it is disheveled from sleep, but I have a feeling it’s rarely neatly in place. His bright blue eyes are the same color as his siblings’, but unlike the sad look I saw there at the party, a look of joy is there now. He has a light scruff on his face I love. I can’t imagine what he would look like clean-shaven, and if I had it my way, he would never shave again. The rugged look works on him.

I feel a nudging at the back of my mind telling me he looks familiar, but I can’t place where I had seen that crooked smile before.

“What are you looking at?” he whispers, his voice soft.

Not removing my eyes from his face, I simply answer, “You.” I trail my eyes down his broad shoulders and to the arm he has himself propped up with. In bold black script, the name “Grey” sits on his forearm. “Why do I feel like I’ve met you before?”

Ryker sighs, “I have a lot of questions, too, but we have to wait for Addison to get back into town. She insisted she be here.”

“What the hell does that mean?” I’m confused. What does my aunt know that she needs to be here to tell me? “Please, can you just answer my questions now?”

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