Page 9 of Claiming Her Alpha
“So, you’re not just any warrior, are you?”
“No.”
“I didn’t mean to get you in trouble. Although I don’t completely understand why.”
“Because I lost control and hurt one of my men. I put my own needs over those of the pack.”
She sat back down. “And now you’ve lost their trust.”
“Exactly.” He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face as if it would wipe away any of his worries. “It’s even harder for me because I didn’t grow up with them. I worked hard to be where I am today but now that’s all gone.”
“Where did you grow up?”
“I was rogue. My mother never talked about her upbringing but with the way she kept my father a secret, I don’t think he was her true mate. After she died, I found a pack that would take me in.”
“And the Blood Wolves became your home?”
He nodded and watched as she set the empty wrappers aside. “When I chased you, I didn’t realize what was happening. I didn’t put two and two together. My wolf lost it when he saw Tailor hurting you. If I’d figured it out faster I could’ve explained it to them and we would’ve handled it differently.”
“Maybe, but there’s no use in thinking about what could’ve been.”
“I like you.”
Laughing again, she gave a one-shouldered shrug. “You’re supposed to. You’re my mate.”
She scooted back and leaned against the wall, drawing her knees to her chest and closing her eyes. She looked exhausted and she still had a long way back home.
“You should rest.”
“I should but I would rather talk to you.”
“Are you sure? You have a long way home.”
Her eyes opened and his heart broke. They shone with unshed tears, the sorrow pouring from them like a dagger to his chest. “We don’t need to talk.”
He stood and kneeled on the bed before her, gently cupping her cheek. She leaned into his touch and only then did he realize that this was the first time she felt the spark between them, the first time his skin touched hers to her knowledge.
“I want to talk with you. I want to know you. I want to touch you and hold you in my arms,” he shushed to a comforting tone.
Tears spilled from her eyes as she reached for him, her fingers dancing over his cheek. And then down to where Alpha Vallerian had left his marks. She ran her fingertips over the open skin, as if she wanted to help them heal again.
“Kendra, I want to know everything about you. When you leave, I want to at least have some sense of knowing my mate.”
Without warning, Kendra lunged, capturing Ryker’s mouth with hers. Tangled up in each other, they crashed onto the mattress. She shifted her weight to straddle him, her hips pinning him to the bed. Though her lips were soft, they were demanding on his as the taste of peaches washed over his tongue. Before he could get enough, she broke the kiss and sat up. She grinned down at him, though her eyes reflected a little bit of shyness.
“I’m sorry.”
He splayed his hands over her thighs, tracing soothing shapes over her . “There is no need.” He chuckled against the butterflies tingling in his stomach.
Her beautiful blue eyes turned dreamy as she smoothed her palm over his stomach. “Do you have siblings?”
“No. It was just me and my mother.”
She sighed. “I know I shouldn’t say this, but I wish sometimes it was just me.”
“You don’t get along with your family?”
She began to draw circles on his chest, her fingers leaving sparking trails even through the fabric. “The twins are fine. We aren’t best friends but we get along.”