Page 28 of Wolf Bound

“Of course, I did! You weren’t as sneaky as you thought you were when you’d come back in the morning. And sometimes, when I would walk past your room at night, I would hear these noises. It sounded like a wild animal was in there, but when I would open the door, it was just you,” Addison tells me. “I think by bringing you back here, your wolf has started to wake up. However, you still haven’t shifted, and I honestly don’t know if you ever will.”

“Addison,” Elias speaks up, “one thing I still don’t understand is how there was a body if she was never in the car.”

“That’s where I come in, Alpha.” Noah steps forward, and I notice now he’s wearing a police uniform. “I lied about seeing Grey’s body, and I adjusted the official paperwork, it looked like she had been in the accident. But I knew she was alive and with Addison in California.”

The growl that erupts from Elias’ chest makes everyone in the room cringe. I feel something powerful rush through the room, causing the hair on my arms to stand. “You helped fake her death?” Elias growls.

“Yes. When I called Addison, she told me what was going on. Archer and Genevieve did all this to protect the pack, and I wasn’t going to go against one of their final wishes by bringing the pack into it.”

Ryker shoots up from his seat, causing me to almost fall over since I was leaning on him. I watch as he storms across the room toward Noah. “We could have protected her! You didn’t give us a chance to! Instead, we mourned.I mournedherfor fourteen years!” he roars at him.

“But she stayed alive, and she was safe. That’s what her parents wanted. Nicolai would have come back for her, and we would have had to go to war with him!” Noah defends himself.

“That’s enough!” Addison also jumps up from her seat. “If anyone is to blame for all of this, it’s me. I told him not to tell anyone. I’m the one who told Esme to wipe away her memories and lock away her wolf. This is onme.”

“No, it’s not on you.” I also stand, grabbing hold of both my aunt’s shoulders. “It’s on the monster that killed my parents. You were just trying to keep me safe, and you did.” I look in the direction of the very angry tattooed man. “Ryker enough, leave him alone.”

I watch as he sends Noah one last glare before turning to face me. “I thought you were dead for fourteen years, and you’ve been a couple states away the whole time. I think I deserve to be upset for a little while.”

“We are all upset right now, but that doesn’t mean you need to be yelling at someone who helped save my life,” I state, shaking my head at him.

“Why don’t we all get something to drink and calm down a bit?” Margot offers the group. “I think we all need a minute to digest this information.”

Everyone mumbles and nods in agreement before filing into the large kitchen. Margot passes out beers to the people who want one before pouring herself and Addison a glass of red wine. I decline any alcohol, knowing I need my head clear to understand all of this information.

I watch as Ryker storms out the back patio doors, slamming them behind him with so much force I’m surprised the glass doesn’t break. I flinch when I watch him yell at the sky in frustration. Everyone in the room looks amongst each other, each appearing to try to decide who should go out there to calm him. When no one else moves in his direction, I sigh and take a step toward the door.

“No.” Sawyer places his hand on my shoulder. “I’ll go.”

Sawyer rushes through the door and stops Ryker from punching one of the stone pillars. I can’t quite make out what Sawyer is saying to him now, but whatever it is, Ryker calms down some. He shifts around so I’m looking at his back, but I can see his shoulders heaving with each angry breath.

No one speaks for the longest time. Clearly, everyone is trying to digest all of this, but I can’t stand the silence, so I finally speak up. “If my wolf is waking up, does that explain how I was able to run so fast today, likereallyfast? Or the things I’ve seen lately?”

After the rogue attack today, I had forgotten about how fast I had been able to run in the woods.

“That would make sense,” Ryker says, having come through the door just then. “You’ll also probably find you can smell and hear things you couldn’t before, too,” he adds as he walks across the kitchen toward me, looking less volatile than he did when he stepped out. “What have you seen lately?”

I feel my face grow warm when I look at him. Embarrassed, I drop my gaze and look at the floor. But Ryker’s hand comes under my chin and gently lifts my head, so I’m looking at him.

“There’s a golden aura around you right now, like the wolf in my dreams,” I say as fast as I can while I still have the nerve.

Ryker’s breath catches before he asks, “You can see it?”

“Yes,” I whisper, my own voice cracking. “What is it?”

Ryker turns his head to look at Addison, his eyes pleading for her to help him.

“Remember, when I explained your parents were mates?” Addison asks me. I nod, and she continues. “Every wolf shifter has someone that is his or her perfect match. They are meant for each other, born to complete each other.”

Margot jumps in and says, “To help us recognize our mate, there’s this thing called the mating aura. It’s usually gold, and it appears around the person meant for you, but typically goes away after the mating ceremony.”

My eyes are wide as they shift over to look at Ryker. “If I can see it around you now, does that mean…”

“I’m your mate.”

13

Pruitt

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