Page 17 of Cursed Alpha

“You’re making it sound like someone showed up to my front door in a pointy hat and threw glitter on my face,” Ryker mutters, his features stern.

I sigh, rubbing a hand down my face. “So then tell me about it. What happened? Does anyone else believe in this curse?”

"Griffin thinks it's bullshit if that's what you're getting at," he finally says. "But my parents believed in it. I took it lightly at first. Even made fun of it. But then my mother died in a hunting accident when we were out in our wolf forms. Someone shot her and I watched, helpless, while she bled out."

"Ryker," I murmur, moving closer to him and resting my hand on one of his arms he has crossed over his chest. He moves his arms so he can wrap his hand around mine.

“Dad died a few years later,” he whispers. I squeeze his hand, and he squeezes right back. “Freak house fire accident. I swore I saw him run outside, but when I got out, he wasn’t there. I tore through our house in human and wolf form, searching for him, but I passed out from smoke inhalation. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hospital, an orphan at seventeen.”

I throw my arms around Ryker, hugging him and holding all of the broken pieces of his heart together. This man has gone through his whole life believing his parents’ deaths were his fault.

"Sometimes, I feel like I'm cursed, too," I whisper. Ryker engulfs me in his embrace, wrapping one arm around my waist to keep me close while the other cups the back of my neck, massaging me there while I bury my face into his chest and soak up this closeness. "Everyone made fun of me back in Kansas for how clumsy I was. Phoenix was my only friend, the only person who never made me feel stupid, worthless, or annoying. My parents were always embarrassed by me spilling drinks or accidentally tripping over something, so they stopped taking me out with them to dinner or on play dates. They couldn't have been happier the day I moved out."

“Eden, you’re not cursed,” Ryker says softly.

“Neither are you,” I whisper back. “I may be new to the world of shifters, but I do know one thing.”

“What’s that?” he asks, leaning back slightly so we’re looking each other in the eyes.

“I’ve never felt safer than when I’m with you. Ryker, you make me feel seen and taken care of. Not only did you come in and fix up my house, but you’ve been watching over me from the very first time I stepped foot outside of my cabin and fell right into your arms.”

“I make you feel safe?” he murmurs, cupping the side of my face to tilt my head up toward him. I nod, giving him a small smile.

“I want to be with you, Ryker,” I tell him, hoping to break through the last of his reserves. “I want to be your mate.” This is it. If he rejects me now, I’m going to have to pack up and move across the country.

“Eden,” he starts, dipping his head so our foreheads are touching. “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be safe and happy. I thought I would put you at risk by claiming you, but if you say I make you feel safe and seen, then who the fuck am I to deny you that? I want you as my mate, my lover, my best friend. Eden, you’re all I think about, and I don’t want to push you away anymore. I won’t.”

I nod, letting him know that’s all I’m asking. “Show me what it means to be yours,” I whisper. “I want to be your mate.”

Ryker groans and gives me one last look to make sure I’m okay, and then his lips touch mine, briefly at first, and then more firmly. The racing thoughts and overwhelming emotions of the last few days come to a screeching halt and then scatter until there’s nothing left but this kiss.

I sink into his embrace, letting him pull me tighter against him. His lips part beneath mine, the very tip of his tongue snaking out to lick my bottom lip before he breaks our kiss.

I don’t know what comes over me, but I’m not done with him yet. My hands move almost without my permission, sliding up his chest and fisting his shirt, drawing him back to me. His eyes go dark, making me gasp softly before his mouth is on mine, claiming me with more intensity this time.

Ryker breathes me in as he consumes me, coaxing me to open my lips and let him in. This kiss is different. Wilder. Rougher. A low, gravelly sound rumbles up through his chest as he presses me against the wall. His lips part, and he licks inside my mouth, tangling our tongues together. I moan into his mouth as he deepens the kiss, wrapping his arms around my waist as I curl my arms around his neck.

He swallows down my desperate cry, muffling the sound and pulling my body closer against his. I can feel the tight muscles he has packed into his chest and stomach. Coupled with the way his strong arms are holding me tightly, and the obvious erection digging into my stomach, I nearly whimper again as I melt into his embrace.

He tears his mouth from mine, only to continue undoing me with light, teasing kisses down my neck. His tongue laps my tender flesh, and I whimper when he scrapes his teeth along my pulse point.

“Ryker,” I whisper, barely getting the word out before his lips find mine once more.

My body moves on its own, grinding against his, seeking some relief from the ache he's created deep inside. He growls, the sound almost painful as he pushes me against the wall and presses his body against mine. I feel his hands roam up and down my curves, leaving a trail of goosebumps as they go.

He grips my hips, squeezing them and then gently pushing me away as he backs up. “Gotta stop now, beautiful. Before we go too far.”

I nod, still panting as I slouch against the wall. “So,” I say in between deep breaths. “What happens next?”

Ryker lets out a chuckle, the sound winding its way through my body and making my core clench. “I suppose I should take you on a date or something, right? Isn’t that how humans do things?”

“Humans are overrated,” I say with a shrug. Ryker laughs, lighting me up from the inside.

“Some of them, maybe, but you, my mate, are special. You deserve a proper date. Will you let me pick you up here tonight? I’ll cook dinner for us at my place.”

“Do you eat anything other than like raw steak and dog treats?” I ask. I immediately cover my mouth with my hand, my eyes going wide with embarrassment. “Sorry, that was so rude,” I mumble against the palm of my hand.

Ryker loops his fingers around my wrist, gently pulling my hand away from my face. “I may be a wolf shifter, but I eat my fair share of all human food. More than most humans, in fact. I would love to answer all of your questions about shifters and fated mates tonight. How does that sound?”

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