The Protector

Chapter 6

“Miss me?” She asked.

“What the f**k, Alice?” I harshly whispered, getting up from my bed while trying not to let my heart jump out of my chest. I quickly listened to the noises of the house to see if anyone had heard anything suspicious and only when I didn’t hear any footsteps in the hall did I turn back to Alice. She was in front of me in an instant, wearing… what the hell? She was wearing something that was practically fully see through with feathers at the end. Honestly, with that and her sharp features, she looked like some exotic bird that you didn’t want to run into the the f*****g dark.

“Did you miss me?” She asked me, her hands trailing down my bare chest, making me cringe at the thought that she would be able to see my scars if she was trying to find them. I was mad at her for surprising me like this but also…  a little turned on? I mean, a practically naked girl can do that to a guy but my mind was in control right then and I knew that I needed to act fast before something else took control.

“Why are you here?” I groaned, causing Alice to fake a pout, obviously disappointed at my annoyed voice. 

“I wanted to surprise you. After all, you were ignoring me…” she drawled out as she circled around me, her fingernails trailing my skin, “all night.” I had a pretty food idea from the last argument we had and from what she was wearing right now what she wanted to do, but I couldn’t do it. She needed to save herself for her mate even though I was pretty sure she told me she wasn’t a virgin before. And when she did find her mate I didn’t want to have to be worried about getting attacked by him.

But if I was to be honest about why I didn’t carry Alice into my bed just then or the other twenty times she’s tried something like this, it was because I already felt guilty. Even though we hadn’t had s*x, I was still physically involved with her in a way that I knew would hurt her future mate if he ever found out. I mean, not saying that I was blessed with a mate, but if I had a mate it would drive me crazy just thinking about the guys she had been with before me. Wondering constantly if she loved the feeling of being with them more than more and all of that jealous s**t. I mean, seeing as though it came with the bloodline, there was no doubt I was a territorial person.

Though this wasn’t something in our culture and many of the wolves who were fortunate enough to find their mates found each other without being virgins, my own beliefs still stood hard. I wouldn’t take this away from Alice’s mate.

“Alice, you know how I feel about this,” I groaned. She stood in front of me now, her eyes slits as she accessed me to see if she would win this argument like most of the others.

“Please,” she rolled her eyes, though her voice lacked the emotion she was trying to portray. “I know you want me,” she smirked as she stood back to let me get a good look at her naked body. I guess she didn’t like my purposefully bored expression, because her eyes flashed with anger. “You liked it when I was on my knees,” she almost shouted as she dropped down to her knees in front of me.

“Alice-” I started to warn her, but she continued on even louder.

“Please, Ryder. I need you,” she said, her hands grabbing the top of my boxers. My hands shot out and gripped her wrists to stop. I was all for things like this, but she was getting a little crazy. And desperate. And desperate usually led to clingy, which wasn’t something I particularly wanted in my life.

“Alice, you should go.” She stood up in a hurry, her eyes shooting daggers at me.

“What are you saying?” She asked, obviously trying to start an argument. And if she wanted one, I was sure as hell going it to her.

“I’m saying I’m done. We’re done. No more of this psychotic s**t,” I growled, crossing my arms over my chest again to mainly hide the scars. She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again-like a fish.

“Whatever,” she snapped. “f**k off!” She yelled before leaving my room like her heels were on fire. I didn’t know how she got into the house, but I knew she would get out without getting caught. She was one sneaky little wolf.

I sighed before going back to my bed. I welcomed sleep, hoping that it wouldn’t fail to comfort me.

It was around six fifty when I heard the knock on my door.

“Time to get up, son.” I groaned, but rolled over nonetheless, the light from the balcony shining in my eyes and making me squint.

“Alright,” I called back . I sat up and let out a loud yawn while stretching. After standing up and fetching a pair of sweats from the closet, I made my way down stairs. The first thing I smelled was the coffee which I discovered when I first moved in. I never had that luxury at home and though the taste of it wasn’t something I was used to, I couldn’t deny how powerful it was when it came to a wake up call. The second thing I smelt was the familiar scents that always lingered around the house. Mainly my family and the servants but also a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg.

“Well good morning, sleeping beauty,” Brant called when I appeared in the kitchen doorway.

“It’s seven,” I groaned as I made my way to the island where a plate with a pile of food was already waiting for me.

“My point exactly,” Brant said before turning to refill his coffee cup. Brant and Lina were early birds though Tommy and I were the complete opposite. 

“Aren’t wolves supposed to be nocturnal?” I mumbled. 

“Maybe, but boys who go to high school aren’t,” Lina laughed as she came over to give me a side hug. I hugged her back, loving the frequent moments when Lina acted so motherly towards me. Brant came back over to the counter, as his wife moved to him, and casually wrapped an arm around her waist.

“So, Ryder…” Brant drew out. I looked at him suspiciously, knowing that tone he was using. “Your birthday’s coming up. Is there anything special you want?” I shook my head and offered them a fake smile, knowing it would pass their inspection. Last year they threw me a huge party to which everyone from the pack came. It was kind of awkward, honestly. I had never really had a birthday party after my mother died, so it was something foreign to me. Not to mention that practically a hundred people were there that I only vaguely knew.

“We were thinking…” Lina drawled out, telling me the suspicious part was still coming. “Of another party.” Well that was anticlimactic. “With a few other packs.” I almost choked on the piece of bacon I had swallowed. 

“What?” I breathed out in between grunts to clear my throat.

“Well, you’re going to be nineteen, Ryder. You need to try and socialize with the surrounding packs,” Brant smiled. I knew what they weren’t saying though. They wanted me to find my mate. I knew they were only trying to help, but I hated the idea. I never told them that I didn’t believe-no… that I knew I didn’t have a mate. They would only try to comfort me with a blanket of lies that made me feel claustrophobic. I wanted to ask what would happen if I didn’t have a mate, but I already knew. If a werewolf didn’t want their mate or couldn’t be with their mate for some reason, they had the option to marry another werewolf and form a bond similar to that of the natural mates.

It’s why I often wondered if Lina and Brant wondered if I even had a mate too since Lina and Alice’s mom often left Alice and I alone in the same room a few too many times. After all, she was the only child of the Betas after their eldest son died when he was fourteen and mating would be the only way for her to keep the beta title, seeing as though she didn’t want it herself. But I would have to go crazy before marrying Alice. She wasn’t even a last resort. But I didn’t want to seem rude about that-or anything else for that matter. I was grateful for every single thing Brant and Lina had done for me.

So instead, I forced a smile and nodded. 

“When is it?” I asked, earning an almost silent sigh of relief from Lina.

“It will be in August. We’ll talk more about it later.” I nodded and went back to my food, noting that it tasted a little less appetizing now.

“Five… four… three… two… one…” Brant started as usual.

“God, I hate mornings,” Tom groaned as he came down stairs in only a pair of sweats like I had. He came over to the island and sat down next to me before placing his head on the marble top. “Aren’t wolves supposed to be nocturnal?” He groaned, earning a chuckle from the rest of us. I rolled my eyes at the comment as I finished my cup of coffee.

“Oh, look at the time,” Lina exclaimed before clapping her hands. “Upstairs boys, you both need to get dressed for school.

“What?” Tom said as he raised his head, his eyes wide. “But I didn’t get breakfast,” he complained. 

“Grab some on the way out. Now get your behinds up and get clothes on,” she said, gesturing to our topless figures. Obeying immediately, Tom and I raced to the stairs, me taking the win.

“I let you win,” Tom called from behind me as he picked himself up from stumbling. 

“Sure you did,” I called out his fib. As we landed on the top of the stairs Tom gave me a nudge in the side. I looked over at him to find a mischievous look plastered on his face.

“‘You liked it when I was on my knees, Ryder,’” he mimicked. I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh as Tom doubled over with an over exaggerated laugh.

“You heard?” I grimaced, feeling my cheeks heat up at the memory of last night. Tommy was obviously smart enough to know what was going on between Alice and me which lead to the best inside jokes.

“Every bit. Couldn’t stop laughing,” Tom said after he found his breath.

“Whatever.” I started towards my room, Tom’s voice stopping me once more.

“Hey,” he called out. I looked back and found him with a soft, sincere smile. “Bro promise,” he called out. Something so stupid and cliche, but something I respected nonetheless. We slipped into our rooms, our promise to keep each other’s secrets following.

I jumped in the shower as part of my routine before brushing my teeth. As I looked in the mirror, I thought of brushing my hair, but decided against it. My black hair was shorter on the sides and in the back than on top which made taking care of it a charm. I ran a hand through my wet hair and decided to leave it at that before changing into some actual clothes and shoes.

I left my bathroom and started downstairs, but halted all of the sudden in the middle of the staircase. Everything around me seemed to slow down as my mind slowly pieced together what my senses were catching. The beautiful smell of cinnamon and nutmeg were masked by the heavy stench of something metallic.

The air around me was a little harder to breath, due to the tightening of my throat. 

My heart began to beat so loud that my ears started to hurt. 

My eyes darted around the staircase below me with such speed that they barely caught anything they landed on.

My chest widened, an empty feeling taking place between my organs.

And then I ran. 

I ran downwards.

And I didn’t stop.

Not until I saw the blood.

My feet became rooted to the ground when I saw the scene that laid before me.

No.

I couldn’t help the miserable sob that left my throat at the sight.

“No,” I croaked, running a hand through my wet hair. “No…” I ran over to where she was and again ran a hand through my hair, pulling at the roots to wake me up from this nightmare. 

No.

How could this have happened? I was upstairs-why didn’t I hear anything? 

No.

I stood next to Lina’s form, draped over the table, her blood pooling onto it. 

No.

No this was all a joke. A sick joke.

“Lina,” I whispered, fearing I might startle her. “Lina…” I gently moved her head so her eyes would look into my own. But she wasn’t looking at me anymore because she wasn’t there. She was gone. And her eyes told me that as soon as I looked into them. She was dead on the inside, long past being saved.

I let out a sob as I pulled Lina’s body to mine, crushing her in a hug as her warm blood soaked through my shirt. My chest hurt, as though someone had pierced me through it and I wondered for a moment if I had actually been injured just then.

“Lina…” I cried, tears of pain leaving my eyes for the first time in years. It felt strange, but I welcomed the pain. It seemed to make the whole in my chest expand even wider but I continued to cry nonetheless.

The woman who had taken me in without a second thought. The one who fed me and cared for any injury I had. She had taught me how to dance with a girl and what to wear to different events. She taught me how to treat a girl I cared about and what to say and not say to her. The women who gave me a life I could love and asked for nothing in return. She was dead.

“Mother,” I forced the word out, the feeling of it unnatural in my mouth. But she was dead and it was too late to say it, which only made my chest ache more as I let out an animal like wail. 

She would never hear how much I loved her. How much I cared for her and wanted to protect her. How thankful I was for all she did. She would never know. Every wound she had helped heal within me was being ripped open at the realization. Tears flowed down my face and blurred my vision.

She was lying in my arms. She was dead. She was never coming back.

I cried for the absence of her smile. For the memories we’d never make together. For the death of another light in my life.

The longer I held her, the colder her body became in my weak arms.

I don’t know how long I was with her, but I eventually had to let her go. 

I needed to know what happened. 

I needed to find the others.

Her body was covered in blood, but the source seemed to have come from her neck. A s***h across her neck told me how she had died and I sobbed at the thought of her last expression.

I picked her limp body up, and carried it to the living room, where I laid her on the couch. I adjusted the pillows behind her head before kneeling down next to her body and taking her left hand into my own. It was so cold, so unlike how it was when she was alive. A strangled sob left my throat as I looked at her beautiful and lifeless face. I gently reached forward and shut her eyes before standing, almost falling back down in the process. Wiping the tears from my face, I made my way through the house, following the new scents that lingered. Each step felt numb as though my body itself had lost feeling. I wouldn’t doubt if it had.

The smells went outside, smells I didn’t know personally, but a familiar scent nonetheless. They were rogues, the heavy scent of the woods and grime telling me so. But why were there more than one rogue? My anger rose at the thought of a group of rogues ambushing my mother before she even had a chance to shift into her wolf form. 

They didn’t even give her an opportunity to fight. They killed her with disgrace as though she had no importance or strength.

I ran through the woods and towards the house that most of the wolves in our pack lived at, following the trail of smells. The house was a few minutes away but with anger, adrenaline, and werewolf genes, you could find yourself there in a matter of seconds.

I almost stopped in mid run, remembering that Tom might still be at the house. He would find his mother downstairs, lifeless and motionless on the couch with her eyes shut as if she had fallen into a deep sleep. I couldn’t just let him deal with that on his own but the anger and hunger from revenge running through my veins wouldn’t allow me to turn around. I couldn’t let whoever did that get away alive. I kept running, hoping that Tom would forgive me for leaving him to suffer alone at the sight of her body.

I burst through the clearing, not stopping even as I ran towards the crowd that surrounded something, probably the killing of the traitors. The wind blew against me, taking my scent with it. But something was off. People looked… angry. Scared. Worried. Definitely worried. But why? I shoved my way through the clearing, ignoring the gasps and cries from the people who smelt the blood that was soaking into my skin. In the center of the crowd was a large opening that no one dared to step foot into. Standing in it were the Alpha and the rogues who had likely killed Luna. The Alpha was not in control here. They were.

And they were led by none other, than my very own father.