Page 111 of Break The Ice

“Then, stop this. It just wastes energy.” Wren leans down and touches his lips to mine. “Let's go take care of Kit.”

I nod. Wren leads me out of the kitchen, my hand tight in his.

The next few hours are subdued. We’re all pretty quiet. No one wants to go anywhere or do anything, so we just order in and sit on the couch.

Raider pulls me onto his lap while the others are asleep on the couch.

“We tried to stop Kit’s bullies for so long, but they just kept hunting him. He spent most of his life like that until we graduated.”

I shudder, thinking of my own experiences. “Why won’t they stop?”

“I don’t know, Ryann, I really don’t know. I don’t even know what it is about Kit that would make people want to hurt him. Maybe it’s because he’s different. Maybe it’s because you are different. I would give anything to stop them.”

“Does it scare you?”

“That I might lose one or both of you? Of course. That people want to hurt you? Yes. I’m so scared I don’t want to leave you alone.”

He holds me tighter.

“Raider?”

“Hmm?”

“You are my safe place. You and the pack. I haven’t had one in so long, but I just want you to know that I feel safe around you.”

Raider kisses my head and stands up with me in my arms. “Let’s go to bed, then, get some sleep. Tomorrow is a new day and a new chance to fuck this guy up.”

“Your optimism needs work.”

“You take that back. I’m the most cheerful of hockey players.”

I snort, but he just kicks Wren in the shin. Wren wakes up with a start, waking up Callan, who blinks around in surprise.

“Bed, now,” Raider says.

The alphas get up one by one and follow us up the stairs and into the bedroom. As we all get ready, I watch them, my chest constricting painfully.

He almost took Kit from us.

An angry flame of fury ignites in my chest and starts to burn.

It’s one thing to fuck with me, but fucking with my pack is going to get him killed.

Chapter twenty-nine

Ryann

I jump up fromthe bed, only just managing to hold in a scream. Wren is already off the bed and racing for the bedroom door. He grabs it and turns it, but to our shock, the door remains stuck. Locked. My eyes widen in the dark. Wren spits a vicious threat and throws himself at the door. Kit and Callan slam into me, holding me tight.

In the back of my mind, I think of my parents locked in the house while the fire engulfed them. What’s on the other side of the door? Is there a fire raging? I inhale, testing the air for smoke.

“It’s okay, we’re here. We have you,” Kit whispers. “He’s not going to get you.”

I tremble but can’t take my eyes off the wood that’s keeping us locked in here.

Deeper in the house, a door opens and closes, louder, louder, louder. Harder and harder again.

Each time it slams, I almost scream.

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