When I open the door, the hallway is empty for half a second. Ryker steps into view from the shadow of the archway, as if he has been there the whole time and I simply had not been brave enough to look.
He is in the suit I laid out for him: black, crisp, the jacket pulling tight across his shoulders when he moves. His hair is combed back and his jaw is freshly shaved. The Alpha of the Royal Pack is assembled piece by piece for the pack to see. Yet his eyes remain just Ryker’s, dark and tired, fixed on me as if he is afraid I will vanish if he blinks.
My throat tightens. Last night sits between us like a barricade. He walked away from my hands, the bond went cold when I reached for him.
Ryker stops a step away, close enough that my wolf lifts her head, but he does not touch me yet. “Elen
