Chapter 39

"So...it really is sort of like a wolf pack," Jo said, resting her head back against his shoulder, turning her head to look at him. After coming inside, they had curled up on the couch together, Ryker pulling her to him so that her back was pressed up against his chest. Outside, the wind brushed against the windows of the house, promising that winter wasn't too far away.

"Kind of," Ryker said, "Alphas lead. It's like being the mayor of a very small, weird town."

"And you're born into the position?" she asked, wrapping her head around werewolf pack dynamics. "Are there betas? Can anyone be the alpha?"

Ryker laughed, rumbling against her back. His fingers trailed over her right arm and encircled her wrist, forefinger meeting his thumb. "Okay, that's a lot at once."

"I'm curious," she said with a shrug. "If I'm your mate, don't I need to know about all this?"

"There's no if," Ryker growled authoritatively, pressing a swift kiss to her neck as he tightened his arms around her for a moment. Was it terrible of Jo to secretly enjoy teasing him about things like that, knowing how he reacted? He always seemed to want to prove to her they belonged together with his kisses, his touches, his actions...and not gonna lie, it thrilled her.

"Okay, not if," Jo said, laughing as she returned his kiss by grazing her lips against his jaw. "Because, then. Because I'm your mate."

Ryker gave her a lazy, satisfied smile, that had her flicking his chest with her fingers in scolding annoyance. He ignored it as if her fingers were an inconsequential fly. "We're born into the position, yes, but we don't automatically keep it. It's more like our genetics give us an advantage. But someone could always challenge us. Still, the alpha blood is there, and even if it skips a generation, you could get an alpha down the line again."

Jo hesitated a moment, then dove forward with her question, figuring she needed to know. "Why isn't Brett an alpha?"

Luckily, Ryker didn't seem offended. "Not his personality," he said. "But it's not really a surprise either--his mom wasn't my dad's true mate, so the alpha tendencies aren't as strong."

"Does that bother him?" she asked curiously.

Ryker tilted his head, considering his words. "I don't think so, at least not anymore. His mom and my dad had an amicable divorce, so that was never an issue. And Brett knew pretty early that he wanted to be a doctor--it'd be pretty difficult to balance that and being Alpha."

"Does it bother you?" she asked quietly. She wasn't sure how she'd feel about having her life preordained from birth.

Ryker's gaze turned to hers, and the intensity of his stare made her forget what she asked for a moment. He brushed his nose softly against hers and she couldn't help the little half-smile that stole across her face as his eskimo kiss. This man could be ridiculously dorky sometimes, and she was all here for it. She loved being one of the few people who got to see this side of him.

"Only when it means I could be putting you in danger by being Alpha," he said quietly. "My need to protect my pack is strong, which is why I never minded being Alpha one day. But protecting you--that's my greatest need now." He smirked a little. "Even though I know you can protect yourself." He kissed her hair. "Fire girl."

Rain suddenly beat against the window ferociously as if to emphasize his words.

Jo considered herself a strong, independent woman, or at least she tried to be one, and while she appreciated Ryker giving her the space to be just that--in fact, she'd have questioned their soulmate status if he hadn't--she also appreciated him wanting to protect her. It made him seem so very, very attractively masculine.

So irresistibly masculine. Without really realizing what she was doing, Jo turned in Ryker's arms, sitting astride his lap as she leaned forward to kiss him, one hand pressed to his chest while the other curled around the back of his neck, fingers brushing through his thick hair.

Ryker groaned, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her impossibly close as he deepened the kiss. When they broke for air, his eyes were dark with desire before he closed them, resting his forehead against hers. "Jo," he murmured. "You're going to be the death of me."

"That's the worst saying ever," Jo grumbled, sparking a short chuckle from Ryker as he pressed a kiss to the sensitive skin under her ear.

Jo inhaled sharply, and Ryker's arms tightened around her once again. "If you're going to kick me out tonight, you better do it now," he growled, voice rough with suppressed need. Maybe someone else would find that growl threatening, but for Jo--well, it did completely different things.

Mind suddenly made up, she grinned a little, leaning forward to speak quietly into his ear. "Maybe I don't want to kick you out tonight." A giggle broke from her lips. "After all, wet dog sme--" She broke off into laughter again as Ryker suddenly stood up, still holding her against him as his lips pressed against hers.

"You were saying?" he said, his arms keeping her secure against him as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"I was saying," she said mischievously as he started for the stairs, "that wet dog..."

He kissed her again.

"What was that?"

Jo laughed again. "Wet dog..."

He kissed her as he started up the steps. "Mhmm...?"

"Ryker! You're impossible!"

"You love me this way."

Her laughter died as she looked at him, heart thrumming in her chest as she suddenly realized what she wanted to say. And although it was scary to be the first to say it, he'd been the forward one in most of their relationship, so it was fair that it was her turn now. There was no uncertainty left in her. Everything with him felt right in a way it never had with anyone else she'd known, and she wasn't one to hesitate once she'd made up her mind.

"I do," she said softly, brushing her thumb along his cheek. "I do love you."

He paused outside the bedroom door, his eyes wide as they scanned her face, almost as if he didn't believe her. Jo smiled teasingly, suddenly confident. "Did you hear me? I said..."

He kissed her roughly, pressing her back against the wall. "I love you, too," he said, his voice hoarse as if his emotions were scraping his throat raw. She looked in those hazel, ever-changing eyes and was stunned by the open adoration she saw there. No one had ever looked at her like this.

"Yeah?" she asked, her smile soft.

"Yeah, Jo."

She kissed him, gentle at first before it became fierce as he maneuvered them out of the hall and into the bedroom. The moonlight shone silver through the windows as he sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding her.

Fingertips slipped under the edge of her shirt, sending trails of heat across her skin. As they broke apart from the kiss, Ryker pressed his forehead against hers.

"Are you okay with this?"

"Mhmm," she said, planting a kiss in the corner of his lips. She climbed off his lap to stand in front of him. His hands reached for her, catching at her hips and pulling her back toward him, his eyes warm and loving and intense.

Jo reached for the hem of his old t-shirt. Grinning, she slid her hands under his shirt and helped him slip it off, over his head. As he grabbed for the edge of her shirt, his eyes clouded with the far-away look that happened whenever he was talking to the other werewolves in his pack for a split second before he shook his head, growling.

"Not now," he muttered, presumably to himself and whoever was trying to get in contact with him. His grip on her hips tightened, and he kissed her neck, trailing kisses up to her jaw before he suddenly stopped.

He frowned, looking over her shoulder. Whoever had been trying to talk to him had gotten ahold of him. His expression darkened until he looked like a thunderstorm about to unleash. Jo stepped back, passion cooling into concern.

For a moment, he drew her to him, his arms looping around her. "I have to go," Ryker said, "Family emergency."

"What's going on?" she asked, pushing back against his shoulders so she could see his face.

"It's Aaliyah and the kids," Ryker said, "Someone from Duncan's pack threatened them on their hike today with Aaliyah's dad. They just got back."

Jo's eyes widened. "Oh my god."

"I have to go check on them," he said, his hand catching one of hers. "Brett said they're not hurt, but I swear--" He made a harsh sound and stood up.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked as they headed out of the bedroom and down the stairs, his hand still wrapped around hers, "Do you want me to go with you? I don't want to be in the way, but if I can help..."

Ryker looked down at her, golden eyes torn as he thought about it. They stopped by the front door. "I want you to, but there's just a lot going on now. Stay here. I'll make sure there are people watching the house." He bent now and kissed her forehead. "Okay?"

"Okay..." she squeezed his hand and then held out the shirt she had grabbed from the bed at the last minute. "You might want this."

Ryker took it and then kissed her again, short and sweet. "Stay safe."

"You too."

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Thanks for the reads, votes, and comments! Hope you're enjoying the story!! Huzzah for 40 "chapters," so excited for the next chapter to be the official 40th chapter. :D