Sired to the alpha

17

The night dragged on in silence.

I sat on my bed, the wolf pendant still clenched in my fist, its smooth surface now warmed by my skin. The house was quiet, but my thoughts screamed louder than any storm. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Ryker—his glowing eyes, the way his body twisted into something unnatural, the sound of his growl echoing in my bones.

But just beneath that fear… was something else.

Fascination.

I hated that I wasn’t just afraid—I was curious. What did it mean to be an alpha? Were there others like him? Was he born like this? Made?

I needed answers. And I knew the only person who could give them to me was the one I’d just told to leave.

I didn’t sleep. Couldn’t. When morning finally crept through my curtains, dull and gray, I was already dressed and pacing. My phone sat untouched on the nightstand, Ryker’s name at the top of the screen from when he’d called—twice—after leaving.

By noon, I caved.

I didn’t call. I couldn’t. But I needed to see him.

The woods behind the old train yard weren’t marked on any map, but Ryker had shown them to me once. He’d said he came here when he needed to think. A place away from everyone, where the world forgot to exist.

It seemed like the kind of place someone who wasn’t quite human might belong.

The leaves whispered under my boots as I made my way deeper into the trees. Everything felt still. Watching.

“Ryker?” I called, my voice unsure.

For a long moment, there was only silence. Then a branch snapped to my left.

I turned quickly, heart lurching—but it wasn’t Ryker.

It was a woman.

She looked… wild. Pale eyes. Hair tangled, as if she’d been running through the woods for days. She stood barefoot in the underbrush, her gaze locked onto mine like a predator assessing prey.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said, voice low and husky.

My throat tightened. “I’m looking for Ryker.”

Her expression didn’t change. “Ryker doesn’t bring humans here.”

I stepped back instinctively. “He didn’t. I came on my own.”

Her nostrils flared slightly, like she was smelling me. Something about her posture shifted—less animalistic, more amused. “You’re the reason he’s been acting like a lovesick idiot.”

My heart skipped. “You know him?”

She gave a dry laugh. “Everyone in the pack knows Ryker. He’s our alpha.” She took a step forward. “And if he gave you that—” Her eyes flicked to the pendant around my neck. “—then you’re already tangled in this deeper than you understand.”

I swallowed hard. “Then explain it to me.”

She tilted her head. “You really want to know what you’ve gotten yourself into?”

“Yes.”

The amusement faded from her face. She walked past me, gesturing for me to follow.

I didn’t make it home.

The forest swallowed the sky, and night dropped fast—too fast. The strange woman vanished after leading me back to the tree line, and I was alone, stumbling through unfamiliar shadows, clutching the pendant like it could somehow keep me safe.

I didn’t know where I was going—until a pair of hands grabbed me from behind.

I screamed, fighting back, until—

“Evangeline—hey, it’s me.”

Ryker.

My breath caught as I turned and saw him—his chest rising and falling, a look of pure panic in his eyes. He looked like he’d been running for miles. His shirt clung to his body, soaked in sweat and rain, and there was something wild and raw in the way he stared at me.

“I’ve been looking everywhere,” he said, voice tight. “Why the hell were you in the woods alone?”

“I needed answers,” I snapped, pushing him back. “You didn’t give me any, so I went looking myself.”

“You could’ve been killed.”

“Yeah?” My voice shook. “Well, welcome to my world right now—because being with you? It already feels like I’m falling apart.”

His jaw clenched. “Don’t say that.”

“Why not?” I demanded. “Because you’re scared I’ll leave you?”

He didn’t answer. Not with words.

Instead, Ryker stepped forward, cupped my face in his hands, and crashed his mouth to mine.

The kiss was fire and desperation and need—like he’d been dying to do this since the night we met. His hands slid to my waist, pulling me closer, and I didn’t stop him. Couldn’t. Every inch of me responded to his touch like I’d been waiting my whole life to feel this.

“You drive me insane,” he growled against my lips. “You don’t listen. You push every button I have. But I can’t—” His forehead rested against mine, breath hot. “I can’t stay away from you.”

My fingers twisted in the fabric of his shirt, feeling the heat of his skin beneath it. “Then don’t,” I whispered. “Just… don’t lie to me anymore.”

His lips brushed against my jaw, trailing heat down my neck. “I won’t. I swear.”

“Promise me, Ryker.”

He pulled back just enough to look in my eyes. “I promise you everything.”

And then his mouth was on mine again, hungrier this time. The kiss deepened, turned possessive. His hands roamed, exploring, memorizing. I gasped when he lifted me with ease, pressing me against the wooden wall of a nearby cabin, his lips moving to the hollow of my throat.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” he murmured.

“I think I’m starting to,” I breathed.

The night wrapped around us like a secret. Every heartbeat felt like a countdown, and I knew this moment—this fire between us—was going to change everything.

But somewhere, far off in the distance… a howl rose again.

Longer.

Louder.

Closer.

Ryker stiffened instantly, his body tensing beneath my touch.

“We’re not alone,” he said, voice barely a whisper now.

I clutched his shirt tighter, eyes wide. “What does that mean?”

His eyes darkened, flickering gold again.

“It means they found us.”