Anticipation

RYDER

Adara was angry that I hadn’t told her my plan. She ignored me the entire walk back to the pack house.

“Adara . . . ” I said softly as she walked past me into the kitchen. She ignored me, her anger still fresh.

I sat at the kitchen island and watched as she angry-cleaned the dishes.

~She’s hot when she’s angry . . . ~my wolf growled, clearly still in the mood. Not that he was wrong—she was pretty sexy when she was mad.

“Adara,” I said again.

She shook her head silently, continuing washing the dishes. She threw the sponge into the water and looked up at me.

“What the hell were you thinking? Did you even consider talking to me about this?”

I sighed. “Adara, it’s the only way to protect the pack. You saw your brother. He is dark, it’s taken root in him. He wasn’t about to see past his anger. This is the only way to avoid the loss of innocent lives.”

Adara wiped at her face as stray tears fell. “But what if you lose . . . What if you die . . . ”

I stood from my seat as she began to break down. I took her arm and pulled her out into the hallway. I held her close to me, her whole body shaking as she sobbed in my arms.

When her sobs subsided, I pushed her chin up so her eyes met mine. “Adara, when have I ever lost a fight?”

She wiped at her face. “Never . . . ”

“Then what makes you think I’m going to start now?” I leaned down and kissed her lips softly. She melted into me, kissing me back with all the love she had. I pulled back.

“And now I have so much more to fight for.” I kissed her again before taking her hands in mine. “Better?” I whispered.

She smiled up at me. “Better . . . ”

“Good, now how about you and I go make dinner before there’s a riot,” I offered, walking back into the kitchen.

The pack was painfully quiet at dinner. Everyone was tense and unsure of what to say, knowing their Alpha was about to sacrifice himself for them.

We all jumped when Callum slammed his glass onto the table.

“This is ridiculous, Alpha. Let us fight for you. Let us protect our pack!” The rest of the warriors nodded and Adara and I looked at them with pride.

I smiled, my eyes full of appreciation for their loyalty.

“Thank you. But it is my duty to protect my pack. This challenge will make it so you will never have to worry about an attack from White Moon ever again.”

Callum frowned. “If you win . . . “

I stood from my seat. “I will win.”

The pack looked up at me with pride as they stood one by one, raising their glasses. “To Alpha Ryder!”

The rest of the evening was filled with joy and laughter, the pack taking the time to be together, maybe for the last time.

***

As we walked up the stairs to the alpha apartment, I held Adara’s hand in mine, the warmth of her soft hand sending tingles up my arm.

When we entered the room, I shut the door, clicking the lock as I pushed her up against it.

“I’ve been wanting to do this all day . . .” I whispered, kissing her neck as I held her body against mine. She closed her eyes, inhaling my scent and running her hands over my chest.

“I hope you know we aren’t sleeping tonight,” she teased.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” I growled, before lifting her up and throwing her on the bed, earning a squeal from Adara.

I moved above her, my hands exploring her whole body as our lips met with a fury. She kissed me hard, as we moved against each other, stirring my whole body.

We tore our clothes off, not wanting the thin fabrics in the way as we rolled around in the bed, kissing and touching each other with heat and pleasure.

She moaned as I teased her, not giving her what she wanted.

She rubbed against me and my eyes darkened as I plunged into her, moving hard and fast, each of us panting and moaning as our pleasure released.

She laid her head on my chest, feeling it move up and down as my breath began to steady.

“Whether you win or lose, tomorrow is going to suck,” she said, drawing circles on my chest.

I ran a hand through her hair. “I know. Hopefully Austin will submit and this can all be over quickly. I don’t want to hurt him, Adara, but I will if it means keeping you and our people safe.”

“I know.” She smiled before kissing me gently. I kissed her back, meeting her feelings with my own. Her lips pressed against mine, kissing me softly but deeply.

We moved slowly, taking our time to hold each other and feel our bodies as they moved against each other.

I kissed down her neck slowly, sending shivers down her spine as my hands moved against her body.

We made love slowly this time, gently kissing and touching until finally moving together, letting our ecstasy spill over.

Adara kissed me again gently, holding me close as she looked up into my eyes. “Ryder, I love you.”

I smiled, pushing the hair away from her face with my hands before cupping her cheeks. “I love you too, Adara.”