Chapter 377
Chapter 377:
“Just hear me out,” I interrupted, resting a hand on his chest. “I know you don’t trust him. I know you see him as a threat. But he is still your brother, Ryder. Your family p>
“He’s nothing like me,” he said, his voice tight. “He’s unpredictable. Dangerous p>
“Maybe,” I admitted. “But he’s also been locked away. Forgotten. Can you imagine what that must feel like? He isn’t just your brother — he’s part of this pack. We can’t abandon him as though he doesn’t matter p>
Ryder looked away, his jaw taut. I could see him wrestling with himself, torn between his duty as Alpha and his bond as a brother.
“Push a little more,” Layla urged. “He’s almost there p>
𝗠𝗈𝘳e 𝘯o𝘃𝘦𝗅s oո 𝘨𝖺𝗅ոо𝘃e𝘭𝘀.со𝗆
I took his face in my hands and drew his gaze back to mine. “I trust you, Ryder. And I trust your judgment. But I also believe in second chances. Please — just talk to him. Find out where his head is. If after that you still believe he’s a threat, we let it go. I promise p>
He held my gaze for a long moment before finally exhaling. “All right,” he said. “I’ll talk to him. But if he makes a single suspicious move, he goes back p>
Relief washed over me, and I smiled. “Thank you p>
Ryder drew me close and pressed his lips to my forehead. “You’re lucky you always manage to convince me p>
“Or that we always manage to convince you,” Layla added smugly. “Ace wouldn’t have it any other way p>
I couldn’t help but laugh softly, feeling a warmth I hadn’t felt in a long time. Perhaps this wasn’t the happy ending I had been dreaming of — but it was a step in the right direction.
And for now, that was enough.
Ryder’s Point of View:
To say that Jasmine had completely bewitched me would be an understatement. She never had to try to claim my heart or my mind — they had been hers from the very first moment I laid eyes on her. But that night… that night she was playing with fire, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to burn.
When I walked into the room after a long day, all I wanted was to feel her warmth, hear her bright laugh, and let her presence dissolve the weight that came with being the Alpha of the pack.
But my wife had other plans.
Why was she smiling at me like that the moment she saw me? It was as though she knew exactly what she was doing — as though she could see right through my exhaustion to the need that always smoldered just beneath the surface whenever it came to her.
“Ace, get a hold of yourself,” I murmured to my wolf as his restless energy surged.
“Get a hold of myself?” he scoffed in my mind, his voice rough and eager. “She is our mate, Ryder. She is practically begging us to let go. Please, stop pretending you have any self-control left p>
Damn it. Ace was right.
When she pushed me onto the bed and straddled me with that fierce, burning confidence, my heart lurched without warning.