by J. L. Wilder
“A dragon clan isn’t the safest place for a pair of wolves to live,” Ryker said. “Not right now, anyway.”
When I’m in charge, maybe things will be different. But under Shane, it would definitely be much too dangerous for them.
“What’s a dragon clan like?” Danny asked.
“Well, you’ll see when we get there,” Haley said. “But we would have a house, like this one.”
“Would I have my own room?”
“Of course,” Ryker said. “A growing boy has to have his own room, right?”
A shadow crossed Haley’s face. Ryker thought he knew why. She and Danny had been living in a one-room dwelling for his entire life so far. He should have chosen his words more carefully. He shouldn’t have implied that their son might need anything she hadn’t provided.
Danny looked like he was thinking about everything he’d been told. His nose wrinkled. And suddenly, Ryker recognized the expression. He had worn it on his own face a half dozen times.
God, he really is my son. There was a difference between knowing it intellectually and seeing these similarities reflected back at him. Danny looked exactly like Ryker had at his age.
He was overcome with a sudden wave of sadness about the fact that he hadn’t seen his son in early childhood. He hadn’t known Danny as a baby. He hadn’t gotten to watch him grow up. There were all kinds of things that he had missed out on and would never be able to get back.
But I can experience what’s still to come.
He’d be able to watch his son as a teenager. He could teach him to drive. He could teach him to fly, as his wings grew large enough to bear weight.
And maybe...maybe Haley will let me train him to take over as alpha after all.
He knew he was foolish for hoping, but it was what he wanted. And he couldn’t let go of the dream. He had to imagine that somehow, someway, he might be able to make it happen.
Danny finished his last few bites of eggs. “Can we go play outside now?” he asked his mother.
Haley looked at Ryker, and Ryker realized with a jolt that she was letting him decide.
It was such a little thing—but he was being permitted to make a decision in their son’s life, and that suddenly meant the world to him.
“All right,” he said with a grin. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
RYKER
“Where the hell are you?” Barty demanded. “You’ve been gone for over a week! Shane is losing his mind here!”
“I know,” Ryker said. “I know. You have to keep him calm for a few more days, that’s all.”
“A few more days? Ryker, come on!”
“Listen, everything’s different now,” Ryker said. “The whole plan has changed.”
“Now you’re changing the plan too? I can’t fucking believe this.”
“It’s for the best. It’s going to work out to everyone’s advantage, I promise,” Ryker said.
“We’ve been putting this plan together for months! You already changed everything when you found Haley. I never wanted to use her for this, but you insisted.”
“I know that,” Ryker said. “But listen, Barty—we have a son.”
“That fake pregnancy idea is stupid, and I can’t believe you don’t see it.”
“Not that,” Ryker said impatiently. “We have a real son.”
A long, drawn-out silence.
“What are you talking about?” Barty demanded.
“Haley was pregnant when she left the clan,” Ryker said.
“Bullshit,” Barty said.
“It’s not bullshit. I’ve met the kid, Barty. He’s ten years old. He’s sharp as a tack. And this changes everything.”
“How?”
“How? Come on. I really do have an heir now. No one can dispute my claim to the alpha role. My father was alpha, I have my mate by my side, and I have my son. That’s all I need.”
Barty sighed.
“I know I’ve put you through the wringer with this plan,” Ryker said. “I’ve relied on you every step of the way, and you’ve never let me down. I know that. You’ve been the best second a guy could hope to have. I just need you to get me through the next few days, and then the clan will be ours again, and Shane will be out of power for good.”
“What do you need me to do?” Barty asked, sounding rather resigned.
“Call a meeting with the clan council,” Ryker said. “But you can’t let anybody know what it’s about, okay? You have to let them think it’s something innocuous.”
“Like what? What do you think they would believe?”
“I don’t know. Tell them it’s about calling me to account for being away so often if you want. Shane would definitely go for that.”
Barty barked out a rough laugh.
“We’ll have the meeting the evening after next,” Ryker said. “Do you think you can get it organized by then?”
“I guess so,” Barty said. “Probably. But, Ryker, you have to understand that people aren’t happy with you right now. The clan is being run ragged because you’re not here.”
“Shane doesn’t have to do that to them,” Ryker said. “One person being away doesn’t make that much of a difference.”
“I know that,” Barty said. “If they stopped and thought about it, they would know it too. But Shane isn’t giving them time to stop and think. That’s what you need to understand about what’s happening here. He’s working everyone to the bone, and he’s making sure they hear how it’s all your fault.”
“But what is he even finding for them to do?”
“He’s doubled up every guard detail. Says we’re not safe.”
“No one has ever attacked our clan. The only people our women aren’t safe from are him and his band of betas!” Ryker felt fury surge through him. To think that Shane would blame him for the way he was treating the clan—it was absurd.
“Ryker, I know that. But for you to stay away two more nights might not be the best idea.”
“My son is a child,” Ryker said. “I can’t just whisk him off to a new place. He needs this transition.”
“But—”
“I know, Barty,” Ryker said. “I get it. There’s a lot going on there. It’s only two more days. Set the meeting, and keep things calm until I get back. I’m counting on you.”
“You want an awful lot,” Barty grumbled.
“I know I do,” Ryker said. “But I’ve always known that you were someone I could rely on.”
Barty sighed. “I’ll set the meeting,” he said.
“Thank you.”
“And what will you do when the day arrives?”
“I’ll show up with Haley and Danny,” Ryker said. “I’ll bring them before the council and show them that I have everything required to ascend to the alpha position, and then I’ll petition to have it restored to me. I don’t think it’ll even come to a fight. Shane will have to step down, and the clan will be mine.”
“Ryker...” Barty trailed off.
“If you’ve got something to say, say it,” Ryker said. “We might not get another chance to talk about all this before we meet, and I’d like to know that we’re on the same page.”
“Don’t get offended,” Barty said. “But...well, are you sure this kid is yours?”
“I’m sure,” Ryker said. There could be no mistaking it. Barty would know if he’d seen Danny. He would see him soon enough, and then he wouldn’t be able to doubt.
“It’s just that Haley has lied to you about this kind of thing before,” Barty said.
“No, Barty, she hasn’t,” Ryker said. “I told you, I was the one who lied. I betrayed her, not the other way around. She was never anything but good to me.”
“Okay,” Barty said dubiously.
Ryker could tell his friend still didn’t quite believe him.
But he wouldn’t waste his time trying to convince Barty. He won’t be able to deny the evidence of his eyes once he actually sees Danny. No one could argue that that’s not
my kid.
“The night after next,” he said. “Seven o’clock.”
“All right,” Barty said. “I’ll make it happen. And you and Haley will be there?”
“And our son,” Ryker said.
“Okay,” Barty said.
“Everything we’ve been planning for is about to happen,” Ryker said. “You’ll see, Barty. By this time next week, Shane will be gone, and the clan will be under our control.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
HALEY
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” Haley said quietly.
They were sitting at the kitchen table, and Ryker had just explained the plan for tomorrow’s meeting to Haley. Now she was pushing her chicken around on her plate, drawing patterns in the gravy.
Valerie had gone to put the kids to bed, so Ryker and Haley were alone. He watched her, saying nothing, clearly waiting for her to think through her reservations.
“Everything you’ve told me about Shane makes me want to keep Danny away from him,” Haley said. “You talk about him like he’s some kind of monster. You know you do.”
“He’s not a good person,” Ryker said. “He’s abusive toward the other members of the clan. He overworks everyone, and he’s downright brutal toward the women. That’s why it’s so urgent that he be deposed.”
“I know that,” Haley said. “It’s not like I’ve ever thought you were just in this out of a lust for power.”
“You did think that,” Ryker said. “You thought that at first.”
“Okay, maybe I thought that way when I was first exiled,” Haley said. “It seemed that way. You can’t really blame me, can you?”
“No,” Ryker assured her. “I don’t. Of course you would have thought I was after power, what with the way I was acting at the time. But I’ve always had the best interests of the clan in mind.”
“I know,” Haley said. “I see that now.”
“And that’s why we have to do this. That’s why it’s so important that we go to this meeting and prove that I’m the rightful alpha. Shane has to be removed from power. It’s the only way we can protect the rest of the clan.”
“I’m happy to go along to the meeting,” Haley said. She wasn’t happy, exactly, but she was certainly willing, and she was doing her best to put a positive spin on things for Ryker. “But I don’t want Danny to go.”
“You said you were comfortable with Danny being a part of this plan. You said you wanted him to be a part of it,” Ryker said. “You wanted him to come back to the clan because it’s the safest place for him to be.”
“I know,” Haley said. “And I still want that. But why can’t he stay here with Valerie until Shane’s been deposed? That seems so much safer to me.”
“We need him,” Ryker said. “It’s his existence that cements my claim to the alpha position. Without him, Shane’s going to be able to argue that I shouldn’t have the role, that he should be the one to keep it.”
“He’s going to make that argument anyway, isn’t he?” Haley asked. “He’s not going to go quietly.”
“No, he won’t,” Ryker agreed. “But if I have my son standing by my side, he’ll have no case at all. The rest of the clan will turn its allegiance to me immediately.”
“I just don’t understand why Danny has to be there, in the room,” Haley said. “Isn’t it enough that I come along and tell them you’re my child’s father?”
“I don’t know,” Ryker admitted. “I’d like to think that would be enough. But, Haley...you have to remember that they don’t trust you. It’s my own fault. I set us up for this situation when I had you exiled because I lied about the kind of person you were. But there are some, now, who see you as untrustworthy.”
Haley sighed and dropped her head into her hands.
“I know,” Ryker said quietly. “It’s entirely my fault. I’m sorry. We wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for my bad decisions.”
“I don’t think you should blame yourself as much as you do,” Haley said. “I’ve forgiven you for that.”
“You have? Really?”
“You must know that,” she said. “With the way things have been between the two of us lately, isn’t it obvious?”
“I don’t know,” Ryker said. “I didn’t want to assume that I had your forgiveness.”
“Well, you do,” Haley said. “I’m not interested in being hung up on the past anymore. It’s time to move forward. So stop blaming yourself, okay? Let’s just...live in the present.”
Ryker nodded. “All right.”
“As for this meeting,” she said. “There’s really no way it can be done without Danny?”
“I don’t know,” Ryker said. “It’s possible that it would work without him. And if you really want to leave him here, we will. I just think it makes sense to have as many cards on our side as we possibly can.”
“You’re right,” Haley said. “I don’t like it, but you’re right. But if it comes to a fight—”
“If it comes to a fight, the fight will be between Shane and me. You won’t have anything to do with that.”
“But I don’t want Danny seeing that,” Haley said. “He shouldn’t have to witness a fight. He’s too young.”
“If Shane challenges me, you take Danny and come straight back here,” Ryker agreed. “I don’t think it will happen. I think as soon as the pack sees Danny, they’ll understand that he’s my son and that it couldn’t possibly be a trick. But if something goes wrong, the two of you will be able to leave. You won’t be involved in the fight.”
Haley nodded. She knew that was right, but she couldn’t help feeling anxious.
After all, tomorrow she would be facing her clan again, for the first time in years. She would be before the council—the group of people who had thrown her out ten years ago.
I’m just anxious because I don’t want to face those men again, she thought.
But maybe having Danny by her side would be a good thing. After all, they’d thrown her out for being infertile, and if nothing else, Danny’s existence proved that to be a lie. He was the child they’d all assumed she would never be able to have.
Maybe tomorrow wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
HALEY
“Take off your clothes.”
Haley felt breathless. Her hands went automatically to the hem of her shirt and she lifted it up and over her head, pulling her bra up with it. She tossed them into the corner.
“Now the pants.” Ryker was leaning against the closed door and watching her hungrily. The expression on his face made Haley feel the way she had felt when she was twenty years old, when she was fresh and ripe and sexy and had known, with every move she made, that she was captivating men all around her. It had been a long time since she had felt that way. Even Ryker—her own mate—hadn’t always made her feel that way.
He took me for granted.
But he wasn’t taking her for granted now. His pupils were dilated and he was panting in a way that let Haley know the dragon was very, very close to the surface.
It was a mark of the trust she had for Ryker that she stayed there in the room with him, continuing to undress. If the dragon broke free now, while they were confined in this small space, she stood to be very badly injured.
But he’s under control. He’s always been very good at keeping himself under control.
A part of her wondered whether she was being foolish. And yet, she trusted him, and the desire that raged within her wouldn’t allow her to leave. She needed him.
He advanced on her, his expression wild. He grabbed her in his arms and tossed her back onto the bed, and Haley knew at that moment that this encounter was going to be completely on his terms.
And still, she trusted him.
His hands slid up her body, from her thighs to her breasts, where he paused for a moment to take them in hand. The grin on his face was almost feral. Haley gasped as his thumbs flicked over her nipples.
He crawle
d up onto the bed and shoved her legs apart with one knee. She lifted her hips slightly, wanting—
And he was there, throbbing against her, overwhelmingly hot with passion, but he didn’t take her. He held himself still, waiting. Teasing.
“Ryker, fuck me,” Haley said, nearly begging.
His grin broadened, but he didn’t move.
He wasn’t quite human at that moment. The dragon was so close to the surface that Haley felt as if she was looking it right in the eye. She shivered. That power.
He really is an alpha. He can absolutely have his way with me right now and I’ll just hold on for the ride and thank him for it later.
He bent over her, bringing his lips so, so close to her face—
And then, tenderly, incredibly, he kissed her chastely on the forehead as he slid into her.
Haley thought she was going to lose her mind with the intensity of it. There was no mistaking this for anything but pure love, pure adoration. It had never been like this between the two of them when they had been married. She had never felt so close to him before.
“I love you,” Ryker breathed. “I love you, Haley. I love you so much.”
She couldn’t find words. She was lost in the feeling of him moving inside her, the heat of his lips on her face, the strength of his hands, fingers twined in hers, holding her down. She felt—claimed. That was the only word for it. Her alpha had come back to her and claimed her at last.
And she gave herself to him completely. She forgot her body—forgot that it even belonged to her. Everything she was belonged to him in that moment, and she knew implicitly that he would take care of her. He would give her everything she needed.
He fucked her slowly, taking his time, establishing an unhurried rhythm that made Haley feel as if she could just lie here with him all night. Her orgasm was approaching, she knew, but gradually. She could feel it building inch by inch, collecting slowly like a snowball rolling down a shallow incline, and as she got closer she knew the speed would increase, but now, at the start, there was no rush at all. She felt almost calm.
He moved his lips to hers, and she relaxed further into the taste of him. It was like his body was an ocean and she was a drop of water, disappearing into him. It was heavenly. She loved it.
