The Rider Alpha's Runaway Luna

CHAPTER 12 BREAKFAST WITH COMPLICATIONS

Ryker pulled up to Kyra's apartment building at exactly seven in the morning driving a rental SUV instead of his motorcycle because he was transporting his son for the first time and he wanted to do it right.

He'd barely slept after the phone call with Kyra, too busy coordinating with Kai to keep Seraphina contained at the hotel and away from anywhere Kyra might be.

Kade came running out of the building with Kyra trailing behind looking exhausted, and Ryker felt his chest tighten at seeing them together. "You really came!" Kade said excitedly, launching himself at Ryker for a hug that felt more natural than it should after knowing each other for less than a week.

"I said I would," Ryker said, catching him easily. "Your old man keeps his promises."

"Don't call yourself that," Kyra said quietly, but Kade was already climbing into the SUV and examining everything with curious eyes.

"This is so cool," Kade said. "Do you have other cars besides the motorcycle?"

"I have a collection," Ryker admitted, helping him buckle his seatbelt. "Maybe I can show you sometime."

Kyra slid into the passenger seat and immediately put as much distance between them as possible, her back pressed against the door like she was planning an escape route. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"There's a diner two blocks from Kade's school," Ryker said. "Marcus recommended it, and said they have the best pancakes in Portland."

"Marcus talks to you about breakfast recommendations?" Kyra asked, her tone sharp. "How friendly."

"He cares about you," Ryker said carefully. "And he wants to make sure I'm not screwing this up."

"Too late for that," Kyra muttered, but Kade was chattering in the backseat about his upcoming school project and the moment passed.

The diner was exactly the kind of place Ryker would never normally eat at, with cracked vinyl booths and laminate tables that had seen better days, but Kade loved it and that was all that mattered. They settled into a corner booth with Kade between them, and Ryker watched his son study the menu with serious concentration.

"Can I get the chocolate chip pancakes?" Kade asked Kyra. "With extra whipped cream?"

"It's a school day," Kyra started, but Ryker cut her off.

"Get whatever you want, kid," he said. "It's a special occasion."

Kyra shot him a look that could kill. "Don't undermine my parenting," she said quietly. "He has rules for a reason."

"Sorry," Ryker said, meaning it. "You're right, what does Mom say, Kade?"

"She says sugar before school makes me hyper," Kade said solemnly. "But maybe just this once?"

Kyra sighed and Ryker saw her resolve crumbling. "Fine, but only because this is special," she said. "And you're eating all your vegetables at dinner."

"Deal!" Kade said happily, then looked at Ryker. "Do you like pancakes?"

"I do," Ryker said. "But I usually eat boring adult food like eggs and toast."

"That is boring," Kade agreed. "You should get pancakes too."

So Ryker ordered pancakes even though he hadn't eaten them in years, and when they arrived, he found himself actually enjoying the sugary mess while Kade told him about his favorite subjects at school. Kyra stayed quiet, picking at her own food and watching them interact with something that looked like pain on her face.

"Mom, are you okay?" Kade asked suddenly, noticing her expression. "You look sad."

"I'm fine, baby," Kyra said, forcing a smile. "Just tired."

"Is it because of the lady?" Kade asked innocently, and Ryker's blood went cold. "Aunt Zara said some lady was coming to cause problems."

"Zara talks too much," Kyra said, shooting Ryker a panicked look. "And there's no lady, sweetheart, everything's fine."

"Who's the lady?" Kade pressed. "Is she your friend?" he asked Ryker.

"She used to be," Ryker said carefully. "But not anymore, and you don't need to worry about her."

"Is she mean?" Kade asked. "Aunt Zara said she was mean."

"Kade, enough questions," Kyra said firmly. "Eat your pancakes before they get cold."

Ryker's phone buzzed with a text from Kai and his stomach dropped. *She slipped past us. On her way to the diner. ETA three minutes.*

"f**k," Ryker breathed, then caught himself. "Sorry, bad word."

"What's wrong?" Kyra asked, reading his expression.

"We need to leave," Ryker said, already standing. "Right now."

"Why?" Kyra demanded, but then her face paled as she looked toward the diner entrance. "Oh no."

Seraphina Vale stood in the doorway looking like she'd stepped off a runway, her designer clothes and perfect makeup completely out of place in the shabby diner. Her eyes scanned the room and landed on their booth, and the smile that crossed her face was pure venom.

"Ryker, darling," she said, walking toward them with deliberate grace. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Seraphina, leave," Ryker said, moving to block her view of Kade. "We agreed you'd stay at the hotel."

"No, you told me to stay at the hotel," Seraphina corrected, her eyes sliding past him to where Kyra sat frozen. "But I wanted to meet the woman who's been causing so much trouble."

"I'm not causing trouble," Kyra said, her voice shaking. "I'm just having breakfast with my son."

"Your son?" Seraphina laughed. "I think you mean our son, considering Ryker and I have been together for three years."

"That's not how children work," Kyra said, finding some steel in her spine. "And Ryker already told me you broke up."

"Is that what he told you?" Seraphina asked, turning to Ryker with raised eyebrows. "Because that's not how I remember our conversation."

"We're done, Seraphina," Ryker said firmly. "I made that clear yesterday."

"Who's that?" Kade asked, peeking around Ryker. "Is she the mean lady?"

Seraphina's expression shifted to something calculating as she looked at Kade. "I'm not mean, sweetheart," she said in a sugary voice. "I'm a friend of your daddy's."

"Don't talk to him," Kyra said, standing up and putting herself between Seraphina and Kade. "You don't get to talk to my son."

"Technically he's pack property," Seraphina said coldly. "As the alpha's heir, he belongs to all of us."

The words hung in the air like poison and Ryker saw red. "Get out," he growled, his alpha command making every wolf in the diner flinch. "Now."

Seraphina's eyes flashed but she held her ground. "This isn't over," she said. "That boy is pack business and you can't hide him in the human world forever."

She turned and walked out, leaving a stunned silence behind her. Ryker looked at Kyra and saw pure terror on her face, seeing her gathering Kade close like she was preparing to run. "Kyra, wait," he started.

"We're leaving," Kyra said, her voice breaking. "Stay away from us, Ryker, just stay away."

She grabbed Kade and rushed out of the diner before Ryker could stop her, leaving him standing there with half-eaten pancakes and the ruins of his attempt at a normal family breakfast.