Page 10 of Ryder

I fucking hated mine.I still remembered the nasty sneer on her face in that news clip after the journalists had sneaked past her security and questioned her while she was dining in Angelo’s with a friend.It might have been a show for the media, but I knew my sister—that haughty disdain went all the way to the core.“I can tell you do, baby.”

The elevator dinged, unhappy with me holding the door so long.No sooner did I take my finger off the button when she stabbed it again.

“No,” she said.“I’m okay with this, more okay than I thought I would be, and even without the stupid Play Safe app.Please, I want to, but only with you.”

Those fucking endless eyes and unguarded words hit me straight in my weak spot.

The elevator dinged again…repeatedly.

She grinned and stepped out of the elevator.Yeah, I was always going to fucking follow.

* * *

Emma

His apartment was nicer than I’d been expecting.I didn’t know why.I guessed my impression of men’s living situations was they were generally a hot mess.To be fair, Jewel’s apartment was affectionately referred to as a chaos by Sloane, so I didn’t think women were much better.

Maybe it was because he was older?The place was fastidiously neat and tidy, with an open plan living room, kitchen to one side, and a couple of doors leading off.A massive flat screen TV and couch dominated the center of the room, while a big expensive window offered views of the strip.

As the door clicked shut behind him, I felt…trapped, only it wasn’t an unpleasant kind of trapped.It comforted me.I threw a look over my shoulder.Yep, he was huge and intimidating, yet I still felt safe with him.Maybe I was delusional.He might be a psycho, for all I knew.

The damn app Sloane had insisted we install was useless.I felt both foolish and naïve.They had no laws here.It would be reasonable to assume that underhand activity took place commonly.Therefore, by association, the alphas would be unlikely to yield a happy green tick, even supposing they shared their real IDs.It rattled me, though.I wondered why he’d changed his ID.Did everybody have a new ID?Was it to escape the clutches of our government?To disassociate themselves from the beta population that existed on the other side of the fence?To better throw off the chains of the civilized parts of the world?I didn’t have the answers, and although now wasn’t the right time to ponder them, I thought afterward, when I was safely back in my apartment, that his words would haunt me and I would find myself going over them many times.

I turned back around and walked over to the window to gaze out.I’d seen the pictures on the internet and knew what it looked like.They had interactive street maps that you could walk along, witnessing a snapshot in time.

Desparion was a mixture of old and new, where rough, shady buildings butting up against the comparatively glamorous clubs like this one.I’d known this was one of the best from the numerous positive reviews.It was hard to fake that many, and I figured at least a few of them had to be true.From here, I could see how far it extended.A great curving arc, a fence, and the break in the buildings signified the separation from the beta world.I couldn’t see the river from here, so it must be on the opposite side.It was similarly patrolled to ensure no one slipped across undetected.

How terrible it must feel to be ostracized like this.

I glanced back to find Ryder standing right behind me.I hadn’t heard him move.“I didn’t notice any omegas,” I said.“I thought they would be in the club?”

“They probably are,” he said, “but you won’t find them out on their own.An alpha protects his ward or mate.”

“It must be strange.”

“What must, baby?”

“Being ripped apart from everything you’ve ever known.”

He huffed out a breath, and I felt a very faint tickle on the back of my neck.His fingers were gentle as they wove through my hair before his hand settled against my nape.A shiver skittered down my spine.That big, comforting, calloused hand felt like a brand searing into my flesh, making my breath hitch and my stomach dip.

“There is no easy way to come here,” he said.“It’s worse for some than others.”As he leaned in, his warm breath tickling my ear brought a full body shudder.“But we didn’t come here to talk about that, did we?”

I shook my head.My heartbeat pulsed heavily in my throat.His arresting scent flooded my nose and lungs, bringing a tingle deep in my pussy.I’d wondered how it would feel to have an alpha put his hands on me, and now I knew it felt freaking intense.

Was it possible to climax from this alone?I’d admit, I was close.

“Just breathe normally, baby,” he said.“I’m not going to hurt you.You know that, right?”

I nodded.

“Give me the words, baby.When you’re with me, I always want to hear the words.”

“I know you won’t hurt me,” I said.

“Good,” he said.Leaning up, he stepped a little closer until I could feel his body heat.Taking the purse from my hand, he put it on the windowsill.“I know you don’t have my ID, but is there anybody you want to call to tell them where you are?”

I shook my head.“No, I told one of my friends that you were the owner.She saw me leave with you.”

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