Page 23 of Wolf Bound

“And it doesn’t hurt that she looks amazing in the bikini I gave her,”Remington adds.“Too bad she had to cover herself up with one of these nasty-ass life vests.”

“Yeah, it’s a real shame,”Ransom agrees, and I growl at him in warning.

“Do you want him to hit you? Because I’ll hold you still while he sucker punches you if necessary,”Remi warns.

“Enough.”My voice is stern when I snap at them.“That’s my mate you’re talking about.”

“Ryker?” I hear a voice say from my left, and I look up to find her standing there with a worried look on her face. “I said your name a couple times, but you didn’t hear me. Are you okay?”

“Yes. Sorry, I guess my thoughts were elsewhere.” I pat the open space in the sand next to me. “Want to sit?”

“I’d love to.” She sits just close enough that our elbows touch when we move. After having her pressed up against my back all afternoon, the loss of physical contact annoys my wolf and pushes me to slide closer.

“Here you go.” I hand her a cold can of beer. “Cheers!”

“Cheers!” She taps her can against mine before popping the tab and taking a sip. I don’t miss the smile on her face when she looks at the drink in her hand.

“What?”

“This is my first legal drink.” She bites her bottom lip, something I’ve noticed she often does. “Don’t tell Remi, but yesterday was actually my twenty-first birthday. I hate my birthday, so I didn’t want to celebrate, and I knew Remi would have wanted to.” She takes another sip from the can. “Although, when I thought about my twenty-first birthday in the past, I always imagined I would go to a bar and order a fruity drink. Instead, I was attacked by a wolf. But you know what they say about best-laid plans,” she chuckles.

I wish I could tell her I had imaged her birthday similarly. Instead, I wrap my arm around her shoulder and give her a tight squeeze. “Well, happy belated birthday.” I smile when she turns her head to look at me. “Should I start singing now?”

“Don’t you dare!” she warns, reaching over and pinching my side in warning.

“Hey!” I shout and jump out of her reach. “Don’t start something you won’t be able to finish.”

“Oh yeah?” she challenges, her brows rising in question before swiftly reaching over and pinching me again.

“That’s it!” I jump to my feet in one fluid motion. “You asked for it!” I immediately burst into song, singing “Happy Birthday”at the top of my lungs.

Her face is a mix of emotions before she also jumps to her feet and attempts to stop me. She attempts to reach up and cover my mouth with her hands, but as I’m too fast and too tall for her to reach, I easily evade her efforts, not missing a beat of the song.

“Ryker, stop! What if Remi hears you!” she shrieks. “She’ll be pissed I didn’t tell her.”

I ignore her and start singing the song all over again, this time adding a clapping element to it. Maybe I’m making up for all those years I sang “Happy Birthday” to a tombstone, or maybe I just love hearing her laugh when she continues to fail at shutting me up.

When she attempts to pinch my sides again, I swiftly grab hold of her upper arms and throw her over my shoulder. I spin us both around while singing to her while she squeals and slaps at my lower back, begging me to stop. “Ryker! Stop it!”

“Still not the magic words!” I say breathlessly between verses.

“I’m not going to say it!”

“Then, enjoy the ride!” I spin us again, the sound of her giggling and my singing echoing through the forest.

“Fine! Fine, I’ll say it!” I slow my spinning but don’t stop completely.

“Alright, let’s hear it. You have to say the whole thing, or it doesn’t count!” I warn her.

“Okay fine, Ryker Weylyn is the most amazing and handsome person I know!” she shouts in one breath. “Now put me down!”

I easily lift her off my shoulder and put her down in front of me. She sways some on her feet, and I feel a pang of guilt. “Oh, fuck. I totally forgot about your concussion, are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She reaches up and holds onto the front me for support, her pale hands a stark contrast to my tattooed chest. “I’m just a little dizzy—” She abruptly pushes off my chest and takes off running toward the woods behind us. “Just kidding!”

Watching her dart away, I laugh. Someone really should have warned her not to run away from a predator like me because I love the chase.

11

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