Dinner with Wolves
896 Words
Chapter 4
Ryder’s house didn’t feel like a home.
It felt like a fortress pretending to be one.
The walls were too clean for a man like him. Too quiet for the kind of life that parked motorcycles outside every night. The air itself felt controlled—like even noise was afraid to misbehave here.
I hesitated at the doorway.
“Come in,” Daisy said impatiently, already tugging my hand.
“I don’t want to intrude,” I whispered.
Ryder, standing behind us, snorted once.
“You already have.”
My cheeks warmed immediately.
Daisy kicked off her tiny slippers and ran ahead. “Daddy, she’s shy!”
“I can see that.”
“I like her anyway.”
Ryder muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like same problem.
I stepped inside anyway.
And froze.
The living room was filled with men.
Not chaos—controlled danger.
Three bikers sat around a table like they belonged there more than oxygen did. Tattoos, Scarred knuckles, Hard eyes that scanned me instantly.
My instincts screamed at me to turn back.
But then—
Ryder stepped in behind me.
And the room changed.
Just… immediate respect.
All of them straightened slightly.
One of them smirked. “Boss brought company.”
“Don’t start,” Ryder warned.
Daisy pulled me toward the couch like she owned the place. “Sit here, Ava!”
I sat.
Wrong move.
Now all of them were looking at me.
I swallowed.
One biker leaned forward. “You’re the neighbor?”
I nodded slowly.
He studied me for a second, then glanced at Ryder.
“She staying?”
The question was casual.
Ryder’s answer wasn’t.
“Yes.”
Something flickered in my chest at the certainty.
Daisy climbed onto my lap like it was the most natural thing in the world. “We’re having dinner like a family.”
“We are not a family,” Ryder said immediately.
Daisy gasped. “You’re mean.”
“I’m realistic.”
“You’re lonely.”
Silence.
Even the other bikers froze.
Ryder didn’t deny it.
Instead, he walked into the kitchen.
I stared after him.
Daisy whispered loudly, “He’s worse when he cares.”
“I heard that,” Ryder called from the kitchen.
A few seconds later, he returned carrying plates.
Food.
Too much food.
“Did you cook all this?” I asked, surprised.
“No,” he said.
One of the bikers laughed. “He ordered from three different places because he couldn’t decide.”
Ryder shot him a look that promised death.
Daisy clapped. “Daddy panicked!”
“I did not panic.”
“You did,” she insisted. “You called Uncle Viper twice.”
“I hung up the second time.”
“That still counts!”
The room filled with laughter.
Even me.
I didn’t mean to.
But it slipped out.
And Ryder… looked at me.
Just for a second.
Like he liked hearing it.
Like my laugh was something he was quietly storing away.
My stomach tightened.
We ate in a strange kind of peace.
But I couldn’t stop noticing things.
The way Ryder watched the windows more than his food.
The way his men kept checking phones.
The way the air wasn’t fully relaxed… just paused.
Danger still existed here.
It just hadn’t decided to show itself yet.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
I froze instantly.
Ryder noticed.
Of course he did.
“Don’t answer it,” he said calmly.
My breath caught.
“It might be important.”
“It’s not.”
Another buzz.
And another.
Daisy frowned. “Why is your phone angry?”
Ryder stood up immediately.
“Give it to me.”
“No,” I said quickly.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Ava.”
I hesitated… then slowly handed it over.
He looked at the screen.
The temperature in the room dropped.
Even the bikers stopped eating.
Daisy leaned in. “What does it say?”
Ryder didn’t answer.
He just locked the phone.
Then he looked at me.
“Eat,” he said.
My throat went dry. “What did it say?”
He stepped closer.
Close enough that I could smell him—soap, smoke, something dangerous underneath.
“Nothing you need tonight.”
That was worse than an answer.
I stood up slowly. “It’s Marcus, isn’t it?”
A pause.
Ryder didn’t lie.
“Yes.”
My heart dropped.
“He found me again.”
“Yes.”
My hands started shaking.
Ryder’s gaze softened just slightly—but only for me to notice.
Then he said something that froze the entire room.
“You’re not going anywhere tonight.”
My breath caught.
“That’s not your decision.”
His voice dropped lower.
“It is when someone is hunting you.”
Daisy grabbed my hand tightly.
“Stay with us,” she said softly. “Daddy keeps bad people away.”
I looked at Ryder.
He didn’t smile.
He didn’t soften.
He just watched me like a storm waiting for permission to break.
And then he said it again.
Quieter this time.
“You’re staying here, Ava.”
Not a request.
A promise.
Outside, a motorcycle engine roared in the distance.
And for the first time…
I wasn’t sure if I was safer inside his house.
Or already trapped in it.
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