by Morgan Fox
Ryder glanced down and noticed they were in fact dressed alike, everything except the color of his T-shirt. Ryder’s was black. He chuckled.
“You’ve got a point,” Ryder said, grinning and with the presences of his new second, he felt some of the tension slip away.
“Thank you,” Ryder said, extending his hand out.
Brody took it, his eyes narrowing. “For what?”
“For taking a chance to…for helping me start over.”
The corner of Brody’s mouth curved into a mocking grin. “I haven’t done shit yet. I just hope I don’t disappoint you.”
Ryder placed his hand on Brody’s shoulder. He appreciated the werepanther more than he might ever know. Ryder respected Brody, and he’d proved time and again that he was loyal to the end. “Your brother and the council were idiots for treating you the way they did. I can’t imagine anyone else standing beside me right now.”
Brody pressed his lips tightly together. “I can think of one other,” he muttered.
But before Ryder could interject a comment and pry further, the doors to the chambers opened abruptly, drawing their attention immediately. A dark-haired man with piercing gray eyes locked onto Ryder. “You may approach the council now.”
Brody stepped up, his voice low as he murmured, “Maybe you should’ve just stormed in and made a grand entrance.”
Ryder fought the smile that teased his lips. “I already did that once. I thought I’d try something new.”
Brody nodded, smiling with wicked intent. “Then let’s see how receptive they are to you now.”
Ryder and Brody entered the chamber, standing shoulder to shoulder. There were more guards present than the last time Ryder made an appearance, and the sight of them gripping their weapons made him want to laugh. The councilmen were afraid, and it was a good damn thing they were. He wanted them scared. He wanted them to answer for what they had done to him and Bianca.
Suddenly his chest ached as he thought about the woman who was most likely already slipping away from him. But he’d asked Brie to do it, and he wouldn’t change his mind, not knowing how much she cared for Brody.
Brody had proved to be a good and decent man, and he was glad she had found someone like him. In fact, selecting a second was easier than he ever thought it would be, so many of his loyal friends had betrayed him. He found that his ties to the lycans had been more honorable than those of his own kin. Bryce had been the first to sour his stomach with lies and deceit.
The list of liars continued to expand as he thought about the others that pretended to be his friend and partner. None of them were truthful with him, and even though they meant Ryder no harm, he would never forget that they had chosen the council over him. Brody had been the only one to tell the council to go to hell when he saw what they were doing. He chose to leave all that he knew, all the protection his pack offered, to be with Bianca. Ryder would be forever grateful to him for taking care of her when he wasn’t able.
The long, formal oak wood table was located at the far edge of the room. Each of the councilmen sat in their designated seats. Warren, the council leader, sat in the center of the long table, while Ryder’s father sat to his right. Behind them stood their mates, draped in the same white, ethereal robes as the councilmen. Ryder glanced at his mother and nodded, her eyes glistening with a soft smile.
Everything about the room was pristine and organized. Hundreds of chairs occupied the space in front of the council table. The chairs were filled with the members of his pack. Their wide, curious gazes followed him and Brody as they stalked down the red-carpeted aisle.
Ryder and Brody stopped a few feet away from the council leader. Ryder’s pulse thundered in his ears as he contemplated exactly what he was going to say. He honestly hadn’t even thought about it. His mind had been on other things.
Bianca.
How would he ever be able to truly let her go? He wasn’t sure, but he knew he didn’t have any other choice. The council had messed up his chances of a happily ever after with his mate. Meddling in the affairs of others should not be allowed to continue in the pack. That was one of the reasons he stood before them today.
“Son,” Ryder’s father said, standing to greet him. “I’m glad to see you are well.” His father boasted with pride. “You and Sebastian McCarthy have proven that the lycans and werepanthers can work together peacefully. You have made your pack incredibly proud of you.”
Ryder nodded, accepting the applause that rose up from behind him. He turned to see his pack on their feet. Ryder’s chest filled with a renewed sense of belonging. Inhaling deeply, Ryder returned his gaze to his father.
“I’m thankful that we were successful, Father. I’m also thankful for the support I received from Brody Sullivan and Bianca Jacobs.” Ryder’s gaze shifted to see Bryce enter the room from the side. He stood with his arms folded over his chest beside one of the guards. Ryder glanced back to the council leader, narrowing his eyes. “Without them, I’m afraid Lilly would still be alive.”
The room buzzed with whispers and mutters at the mention of Bianca’s name. Ryder turned to face the crowd. “Oh, right. If you haven’t heard, my beloved father and the council banished Bianca from the pack when they feared we were a mated pair. You see, they didn’t want my training to be distracted by anything, and rather than let us be mated as we were destined to be, they used our training accident as a way of removing her from the pack, telling us all she died. But she was very much alive, and the council, or people, threatened her with death if she dared returned or told anyone about what they had done.” A roar of voices came up around him. The stunned faces of his pack revealed their disgust and shock. “The council forced her to live in fear all these years, and I think it’s time that ended.”
Ryder shot a heated glance toward Warren. “Your next order of business better be to grant Bianca permission back into the pack. She deserves to be with her people.”
Ryder quickly turned and scanned the room to locate Bianca’s parents. Once he found them, he stalked toward them and practically yanked her father from his seat. “You and your wife disgust me. You allowed this to happen to your only daughter because you’re cowards. You can never undo the damage you caused Bianca…what you’ve done to her. But you better believe that for the rest of your lives, you’re going to try to make things right with her.” He inhaled, his nostrils flaring. “If she even wants you in her life…that will be her choice.” Ryder shoved him back down into the chair.
Again the crowd buzzed and murmured with the news he’d delivered. Then the doors flew open, and in walked Conrad Black and Tiffany. Her blue eyes were round, her face pale with worry. She rushed toward Ryder and took his hand in hers, squeezing as if she’d thought she’d lost him.
“What are you doing here?” Ryder asked, his voice low.
Tiffany nibbled her bottom lip nervously, her eyes casting downward. “I tried to tell you before, but I got distracted.”
Warren slammed the gavel down hard onto the table as he shouted, “Order.” The room slowly settled into silence.
Ryder grabbed Tiffany by her shoulders, forcing her to lock eyes with him. “Tell me now,” he demanded.
“Ryder O’Laughlin, if you would be so kind as to respect the rules of this chamber,” the council leader began, “it would be much appreciated.”
Ryder’s heated gaze snapped in his direction. “Then I suggest you start answering my questions.”
Warren stood, his shoulders back, his spine ramrod straight. “It is true that I banished Bianca from this pack. It is also true that I asked your father to work diligently at training his hybrid son to be the best tracker and warrior our pack has ever seen.” The room vibrated with the sound of whispers. The council leader banged the gavel once more to restore order. “But I did not do these things to be malicious or unkind. In fact, at first I was very hesitant to do any of it.” Ryder arched a brow, waiting to hear more. “I was approached by a powerful fey witch who told me of a fut
ure where our pack was destroyed by a virus and the only way to save ourselves was to put all our hopes on one hybrid male.” He locked eyes with Ryder. “You were that hybrid, Ryder O’Laughlin.”
Stunned, Ryder’s jaw fell open. He couldn’t formulate any words. What was he supposed to say to any of that?
“Who was this fey witch?” Brody questioned.
“Me,” Conrad Black said, moving forward to stand closer to the council table. “I knew who and what you were destined to be, Ryder, and I couldn’t risk that Tiffany wouldn’t have her guardian when she needed him. If you had chosen a mate, if you had not been physically strong enough to care for her, protect her.” Conrad’s eyes settled on Tiffany. “All of this might’ve ended much differently.”
Ryder sought out Tiffany’s glistening gaze. “Did you know any of this?”
She shook her head. “Not until the day before we attacked Lilly. I wanted to tell you. Truly I did.” Tiffany’s grasp on his hand tightened. “Please don’t be angry with me, Ryder.”
Ryder closed his eyes, trying his best to juggle his soaring thoughts. He cleared his throat. “So every detail of my life has been planned out for me?”
Still standing, Joe O’Laughlin was the next to speak. “This was why I was so hard on you, boy. I couldn’t risk that you wouldn’t do what was necessary. You had to be tough, hard, and unflinching in the eyes of the enemy. When Mason Levi contracted the virus and joined our enemy, we knew you were the one we had to send after him.”
Rage fired Ryder’s blood. “How the hell did you even know any of this about me? How could you be sure I was the one?” he questioned angrily.
Conrad sighed heavily as he admitted, “Honestly, I was the only one of my people who believed it. I didn’t have enough proof to get my advisors to support me.”
Ryder wanted to swallow his tongue. “Are you telling me that you risked fucking up my life on a hunch?”
Conrad shook his head, raising his hands in a show of surrender. “Not a hunch. I was sure you were the one I was searching for. Your power signature brought me to your pack. When I saw you and felt your energy, I knew you were the one.”
Ryder scoffed. “So then what? You persuaded my pack to broadside my life with thoughts of your magical mission?” Conrad didn’t answer, he just stared at him. Ryder felt sick. That was exactly what they had done to him. “You robbed me of my mate because of a hunch.” Ryder ran a stiff hand over his face.
“A belief that turned out to be true,” his father reminded him.
Ryder’s hands moved to his hair, yanking as if to rip out the strands at the root. Frustration ripped through his mind, tearing at his resolve. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His entire life had never truly been his own. “Has everything been a lie?”
Ryder’s mother stepped forward, and his father turned to glare at her in warning.
“No,” Ryder said, pointing his index finger at his father. “You will not stop her from talking. If we’re getting all this shit out in the open, then she gets to speak as well.”
Joe slowly nodded his head in agreement, and his mother moved forward. “There is something else that was done to you, Ryder, something that I never wanted them to do, but without it, even banishing Bianca never would’ve been enough.”
Ryder’s throat was gritty as he tried to swallow. His pulse quickened as so many possibilities filled his mind. Whatever it was, he knew he wasn’t going to like it. “What else could they have possibly done to me?”
Tiffany hugged him close, resting her cheek against his chest. Yep, he wasn’t going to like it one bit. He pulled Tiffany away and stared at her. His heart was heavy with dread.
“Tell me,” he begged her.
Tiffany’s eyes were filled with pity, and the sight made his grip on her arms tighten. “I’m so sorry, Ryder. But they took away your memories of your time with Bianca.”
Ryder frowned. “Why would they do that?”
“To keep you from pursuing her,” Tiffany said matter-of-factly, as if he should’ve known that.
Brody cleared his throat. “Is there a way to get Ryder’s memories back?”
The doors to the chamber opened again. This time Brie and Bianca stepped into the room. Ryder arched a brow as they approached him. He couldn’t tear his eyes off of Bianca. Her raven hair tumbled down over her shoulders to her waist. Her golden eyes brightened as she held his gaze. His breath quickened as he caught her wild scent. He balled his hands into fists, keeping them anchored at his sides for fear he would reach out and touch her.
“Brie can help you get back your memories,” Tiffany muttered, pulling him from his thoughts and back to the matter at hand.
Brie stood before him. “I know you asked me to strip Bianca of her mating bond with you, but after learning…that you were cheated…I couldn’t do it without making sure you knew everything first.”
Ryder drew his brows down into a tight scowl. “Why do I feel like everyone but me knows what happened in my past?”
Brie smiled and tenderly asked, “Will you give me a chance to show you what was taken from you?”
Ryder bit the inside of his cheek. What if what he saw made things harder for him? He still planned to give Bianca a chance at a normal life, one free of complications. But the way she looked at him, emotions in her eyes that he couldn’t describe, he knew he might not have the strength after all.
He rubbed his hand over his face, wishing for the power to do what was right.
“Ryder?” Tiffany whispered. “I know you’re struggling with so much right now, but you deserve to know…you deserve to have your memories back, no matter what you decide afterwards.”
Ryder cupped Tiffany’s face and kissed her forehead. He knew she was right, but he still couldn’t seem to shake the unease he felt. He did want his memories back. He needed to see what was so important for them to strip away from him in the first place.
He swallowed hard, locking eyes with Brie. “Do it. Restore my memories.”
Brie smiled shyly and then closed her eyes as a warm tingle glided over the skin of his arms, neck, and face. His chest squeezed, his heart revving to a velocity that stunned him. Closing his own eyes, he sucked in a breath, feeling the pressure of his memories begin to seep out from a hidden spot within his mind.
Ryder’s muscles tightened as he remembered sneaking out of his bedroom when he was nineteen, wanting desperately to see Bianca. His thoughts were always on her and her golden eyes, eyes that had robbed him of coherent thought time and again. He tapped on her bedroom window, hoping not to wake anyone else in the house. He could feel her stirring in her bed, and then he heard her heartbeat increase as she met his gaze. Her delicious smile stole his breath.
Slowly she opened the window and she reached out to take hold of his outstretched hand. “Come with me,” he told her, helping her crawl over the ledge in her white nightgown.
He held her close as she shimmied her way out. Never once did she hesitate to go with him, or ask where he was taking her or what he was doing at her bedroom window in the middle of the night. She trusted him completely, and he knew it was because she loved him. He could feel the bond they shared as true to him as the skin covering his bones.
Giggling, Bianca held his hand tightly as he led her away from her house and into the woods behind their homes. He had made a fort, a place they could go and be alone. Finally.
His father had been watching him like a hawk and had done almost everything to keep him away from girls, especially Bianca. But Ryder didn’t want to stay away from her. He wanted her. Needed her. She was the air that filled his lungs, and he felt like he was suffocating each time he was without her. She belonged to him and he knew it. She was his mate, and soon he would claim her.
He held her close, taking her sweet mouth with his, kissing her with a mad passion that had her nails digging into the flesh of his back. He hissed as she nipped at his lips. Instinctively her pelvis pressed against his. He rubbed his hardened shaft a
gainst her, grinding his hips.
“I love you, Bianca,” he muttered between kisses. “I want you so much.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered, moaning as he kissed the slender column of her neck. “Oh, Ryder.”
He moved her inside their secret hiding spot and quickly laid her down on the bed of blankets he’d arranged for them. His hot mouth tugged at her nightgown-covered nipples, sensitive beads that were pleasantly erect. He trailed his fingers over the silky-smooth skin of her thighs, pushing her clothing up over her hips. He rested between her legs, his cock ready to tear through his jeans.
He wanted to claim her, the instincts were there, but a sound forced his lips to draw back from her body. He cringed as he rolled off of her just as his father roared up from behind him. Ryder shuddered as he remembered how angry his father had been when he discovered him with Bianca, so close to taking what rightfully belonged to him. They were young, but they weren’t that young.
More and more memories flooded through him, reminding him of how much he’d loved Bianca, needed her, but was denied his natural-born right. He felt an agonizing ache tear at his chest. He rubbed his palm over the spot, hoping to ease the pain.
As he finally opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Bianca. Her tear-filled gaze forced a breath from his lungs. Those feelings came rushing back to him as if no time had passed between them. He wanted her in his arms. He wanted to kiss her trembling mouth, to let her know just how much she meant to him. But he couldn’t. He didn’t know how. He wasn’t that youthful boy any longer. He was a grown man, a hybrid, and even with his memories, he couldn’t ignore the fact that Bianca now loved Brody.
“Ryder?” his mother gently called his name. “Are you all right, baby?”
He shook his head. He wasn’t all right. He might never be all right. But he had to finish what he’d come to do, regardless of his personal anguish over Bianca.
He turned toward the council. “So does this mean you’re granting Bianca permission to rejoin the pack without punishment or ridicule?”
“Yes,” they said unanimously.
