Chapter 45

"You're pacing."

"Yeah. What of it?"

"Why don't you turn wolf and go for a run? You're making us dizzy walking circles like that."

Ryker grumbled deep in his throat and stood still, shooting glares at Brett and Charlie. The three of them were out on the porch at the Monroes' house, a plate of demolished pizza slices, BBQ ribs, and various leftovers sitting on the table from lunch. It was the weekend, and he would've much rather be hiking with Jo or showing her around one of the nearby towns, but no. He was stuck here, waiting for his dad to get home from talking to some of the pack elders before they left to meet with Duncan.

Charlie held up his hands. "I'm not dizzy. But Brett has a point."

Ignoring them, Ryker walked to the edge of the porch and grabbed the railing. As nice as it sounded, he couldn't go for a run right now. He couldn't risk his dad coming back, not finding him, and then going off on his own.

Something soft bounced off the back of his head. Ryker turned around and saw a chewed-on pizza crust laying on the wooden planks of the porch. Slowly, he looked up.

Brett was on his phone, while Charlie was leaned back in his chair, looking up at the sky suspiciously. But honestly, it could be either of them. While Brett was the Mature Older Brother, he had a jokester streak. But Charlie could also be trying to distract him through whatever means necessary.

Ryker picked up the pizza crust and broke it in two. Charlie glanced over at him, which earned him one piece of pizza crust right to the forehead. Or it would've hit him in the forehead if Charlie hadn't batted it out of the air.

"Hey, not cool," Charlie said, "That was really fast."

Ryker launched the second half of the pizza crust at Brett. Out of all of them, Brett had some of the fastest reflexes in the pack. While he wasn't the strongest in his wolf form, he was extremely fast. His hand shot up and snatched the pizza crust out of the air without even looking up from his phone.

"Grow up, you two."

"Don't forget to include yourself in that," Charlie muttered, tilting his chair back on its back legs.

Ryker rolled his eyes at his brother--likely he was the one who started it. But he was distracted by his phone buzzing against his leg. Hoping it was Jo, he quickly pulled it out and was rewarded with a picture of her looking way too adorable as she lounged on a chair on her front porch, apparently reading a book and drinking coffee--it'd been sent in response to a text he'd sent a few minutes ago asking what she was up to.

Ryker sat down on the edge of one of the empty deck chairs and quickly replied with a GIF of a cartoon wolf grinning. She responded just as quickly with a GIF of some actor or another rolling their eyes.

"Someone's got it bad."

Ryker glanced up at Charlie, then over at Brett, who was looking amused. Ryker raised an eyebrow.

"You had the stupidest grin on your face, dude."

Brett laughed. "I'm enjoying seeing someone else get teased for once." As the first out of their group to find a mate, he'd probably enjoyed more than his fair share of teasing over how whipped he'd been. But hey, that just came with oldest child territory. Everyone knew that.

"Whatever." Ryker shrugged. He looked at Charlie. "I know you're just jealous, it's okay." Charlie had dated on-and-off through the years to occupy his time, but hadn't found his mate yet. He didn't seem to care, but Ryker sometimes wondered if he did more than he let on.

Charlie grabbed the pizza crust off the ground and threw it right back at Ryker. "I--"

He stopped as they all turned at the sound of crunching gravel. It was his dad, pulling up to the house in his truck. He'd been meeting the Elders at one of their houses on the other side of town, so had decided to go in human form.

Ryker stood as his dad exited the vehicle, tension instantly returning at the thought of the meeting that lay ahead. It was going to take everything in him not to strangle Duncan after what he'd pulled. And if it turned out he'd sent some goons to terrorize Jo's family...

Well, his dad better hold him back, that was all Ryker could say.

"You ready?" his dad called, not wasting any time.

Ryker hurried down the porch steps. "Yeah, we running or driving?" It was traditional for meetings between Alphas to occur in wolf form, but at the same time, when it was a pack that your pack was having problems with, you had to be careful. If someone from that pack hadn't gotten the message and smelled two enemy wolves in their territory...

"Driving," his dad said simply. "We're meeting at the college since it's neutral territory." Lots of people like to walk around the campus on weekends or rent out its buildings for meetings and performances, so Malcolm was probably wise to just drive there. Didn't need someone seeing something they shouldn't.

Ryker nodded, even though he didn't particularly like the idea. "Who's paying for the damage if something goes wrong?"

"Nothing's going to go wrong," his dad insisted with a bit of a bite. "I won't hear the end of it from Marnie if it does."

Marilyn "Marnie" Callaway was the college president and one of the few people around who were in on the Monroe pack's secret. Her family was one who had moved to the area around the same time the Monroe's group had, way back in the day, and their knowledge was as old as the town itself. She probably agreed to let them meet on campus under the strict insistence that nothing too wild happen.

"Where do you want us?" Charlie asked from the porch. He and Brett would be heading out right after them but as wolves. Werewolves were bigger and faster than normal wolves, and they would arrive not too long after Ryker and Malcolm.

"At the edge of the campus grounds," Malcolm said, "Will is there already, he'll put the two of you in place."

Malcolm's Beta also happened to be a teacher at the college, so he would be doubly invested in making sure things went smoothly and Duncan's pack of morons didn't cause trouble.

Brett leaned over the side of the porch, hands draping over the railing. He frowned at both of them. "Be careful. Don't do anything stupid. Got it?"

Malcolm's eyes narrowed. "I hope you're talking to your brother, not me."

Brett shrugged, looking entirely unapologetic. "I could phrase it differently. If you'd like."

"I think I'd like you to not phrase it at all."

"I just don't want to have to patch you up later," Brett said casually, "I'm really busy, it's date night tonight."

Ryker rolled his eyes. "You're already married."

"Look, you're too young and new at everything to know this, but romance is important in a relationship no matter the age," Brett said in his patented 'wise and knowing' tone. "You'll figure it out one day."

"Yeah, once I'm as old as the hills. Like you."

"Get in the truck, Ryker," their dad rumbled. He pointed back at Brett. "Watch yourself."

Brett grinned. "In a stay safe way or watch my mouth way?"

"Both."

They closed the truck on Brett's smirk, Ryker chuckling as he did. No one seemed to be able to bring Brett's snarky side out quite like their dad. Ryker and Lexi were equally good, though, at testing their dad's sanity.

It was a way to keep life from getting boring.

"Wipe that smile off your face."

Oh boy. The grumbling was probably going to last all the way to meeting.

Ryker smirked. "I'm cheerfully reflecting on this opportunity to grow and learn as I prepare for my future responsibility as Alpha of the pack."

Malcolm groaned. "I never thought I'd be a grandpa before I passed on my duties."

"Sorry, old man." As much as Malcolm groaned about it, he'd been the one who insisted Ryker should get an education and try to meet his mate before taking over the pack. As long as Malcolm was still healthy, he said there was no reason for Ryker to take over before he was ready.

And while that had frustrated Ryker before Jo, he completely understood now. If he'd had to try to balance being Alpha on top of figuring out how to date and win over his human mate...if he'd had to figure out balancing wanting to spend all his time with her alongside Alpha responsibilities...

Well, it wouldn't have been fun, he'd just leave it at that.

"Call me old man again and I'll whoop your ass."

"Oh, sorry, is ancient man better?"

Malcolm reached over and shoved Ryker's shoulder none-too-gently, causing Ryker to laugh. He didn't miss the twitch in his dad's lips, as if he was repressing a smile. But he knew from long experience that if Malcom didn't want it seen, it wouldn't appear.

"Let's talk about the meeting," Malcolm said, switching to serious Alpha mode. Ryker automatically straightened and nodded.

"What's the strategy?"

"Discussion," Malcolm said firmly. "We need to see what they say they want. No matter what, we're not committing to anything in front of them, got it? There can always be another meeting."

"Got it."

"And do not lose your cool."

Ryker cut his eyes at his dad but didn't say anything. His temper had gotten him in trouble more than once, but he wasn't a moron. It wasn't like he was going into this planning to attack Duncan, though he did like imagining it. He deserved it for everything he had put Ryker's family through. And for him, that certainly included Jo.

"Why do you think he's doing this?" Ryker asked, bringing up the question that had been rolling around in his mind for weeks. It wasn't like they were a weak pack that looked easy to takeover or run out.

Malcolm frowned. "Could be anything." He glanced over at Ryker and then focused on the road again. "Duncan's young. And impulsive. Always has been, even when you all were kids."

Ryker didn't remember spending a lot of time around Duncan when they were younger, mainly because Duncan had always been annoying. Plus their packs had never really gotten along. Duncan was doing his best to make the relationship worse. "I'm going to ask him."

Malcolm snorted. "Fine by me. Don't get mad if he says something to get under your skin."

"Sort of planning on that." Everything Duncan said got under his skin.