Page 66 of Howling Night

As we approached my driveway, Ryder’s body suddenly tensed beside me. His arm tightened around my shoulders, then slowly withdrew as he sat up straighter, eyes narrowing at something ahead.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, following his gaze.

Ryder’s jaw tensed. “Someone’s here.”

ChapterThirty

“Wait here,” he said, putting the truck in park. “Don’t get out.”

Before I could ask more, he was already sliding out of the driver’s seat. The door hung open as he paused, turning back to me with worry etched across his face.

“I don’t like this,” he muttered. “It’s Paul.”

I squinted through the windshield, confused. “Paul? I don’t see?—”

That’s when I spotted him. A man, completely naked, emerging from between the trees. My mouth fell open as I instinctively shrank back against the seat.

Ryder’s voice grew firmer. “Stay in the truck, Everly. I mean it.”

He slammed the door shut. Paul approached cautiously with his head bowed, a posture that seemed rather submissive.

“You’re different,” Paul said, his voice making its way inside the cab. He sniffed the air. “Something changed.”

“Why are you here?” Ryder asked, keeping his voice calm.

Paul shook his head. “I made a terrible mistake. Ryder, I don’t know if… will you ever be able to forgive me? Can you take me back? I should never have left the pack to join Kellan. I was weak… so easily tempted by empty promises.”

Ryder stood with his feet planted firmly and his hands balled into fists at his sides. “You weren’t tempted, Paul. You were fooled.”

Paul nodded emphatically at Ryder’s words. “You’re right. I was completely fooled.” His voice cracked with desperation. “Please, Ryder. I’m begging for your forgiveness. Let me come back. I’ll do anything.”

Ryder’s broad shoulders tensed beneath his shirt as he stood in the moonlight, facing the naked man. The confidence he’d shown during our date was still there, but harder and more — he was a leader. It was more than enough to show me that there was no way I could stay and allow him to give it up to Kellan.

His pack needed him.

“You understand that if I let you back in, you’ll be at the bottom of the pack,” Ryder said, his voice sharp. “It would take a long time to regain my trust. Maybe years. Maybe never.”

Paul dropped to his knees in the dirt. “I’ll do anything. Anything at all. Just let me come back.”

I shifted in my seat, feeling like I wasn’t supposed to be there watching this moment between the two men. Part of me wanted to look away, but curiosity kept my eyes fixed on them.

Ryder crossed his arms. “Did something happen between you and Kellan? Why the sudden change of heart?”

“He treats me like trash,” Paul said, his head dropping as if it were too heavy to hold up any longer. His face contorted with an array of emotions before he looked up again. “The things he’s done to me. I know he hates me because I was loyal to you. He’ll ask questions about your pack, and when I don’t know the answer, he hits me. Says I’m keeping things from him… that I’m not being loyal. I’m afraid of what he might do, Ryder. You have to help me.”

“Jesus,” I whispered, my fingers gripping the edge of the seat.

“It’s not right,” Paul said, shaking his head. “It’s not like you. He told us all that you’re going to step down. That soon, all the wolves in the area will be bowing to him. Is it true? Are you stepping down to him?”

Ryder’s face remained impassive, revealing nothing. The silence stretched between them for several long seconds.

“It’s under control,” Ryder said, his voice flat.

“Do I even have a pack to come back to?” Paul asked, his eyes glassy.

Ryder let out a slow breath. “Yes, you do. Now, get up and don’t come back here without my permission. I will be in touch soon.”

“Thank you, Ryder. Thank you,” Paul said, nodding. Without another word, he turned, and his body began to contort before he disappeared back into the darkness of the trees.

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