Chapter 181
Chapter 181
95 – Kennedy
A sudden tension grips me, and my breath catches in my throat. Time seems to freeze as I lock eyes with this older version of Ryker. His gaze is a deeper, darker shade, yet every bit as intense as I remember. If he weren’t holding me up so firmly, I’m certain I would have crumpled to the floor by now.
“What?” I whisper, barely audible. Ryker tightens his embrace, and I clutch his forearms as if my very survival depends on it. I’m probably leaving marks on his skin, but only a small part of my mind registers that fact-it feels insignificant compared to everything else swirling inside me.
He looks at me with a mixture of sympathy and concern before asking again, “What do you remember from that night? I need to know where to begin my story p>
My lungs struggle to draw in air, but it feels like I’m suffocating. I can’t tear my eyes away from those familiar, piercing eyes-so much like my mate’s. He knows what happened. He might even understand why. He knows me, yet I have never met him before in my entire life.
Suddenly, I feel his hands gently cup my face. I try to blink, but my whole body feels sluggish and clouded. Then warmth spreads from his lips across my skin, igniting a fire that rushes through me. I take a deep breath, and finally, my eyes sharpen into focus.
“Hey. Stay with me, okay?” Ryker mindlinks softly. “Maybe he can help fill in some of the blanks p>
He presses a tender kiss to my lips, and I bury my face in the hollow of his neck, letting his scent seep into every fiber of my being. When I feel steady enough, I sit up and turn back toward Alpha Ryan. I don’t even realize when Ryker shifted my position.
“All I really remember is the crash,” I begin, drawing in a shaky breath. “I was asleep. It was my fault we were even on the road.” A tear escapes, but before it can trail down my cheek, Ryker’s thumb gently wipes it away. “I woke up to the sound of the crash and our car rolling. That’s what my nightmares were always about being trapped inside the car, staring at my parents’ lifeless eyes.” A shudder ripples through me. Ryker rubs my thigh with one hand while holding me close with the other. “Everything else is just fragments, blurry and broken p>
Alpha Ryan takes Sarah’s hand, pressing a kiss to the back before resting it on his leg. “I don’t believe you or your parents were the intended targets that night. More like collateral damage,” he says carefully. “I don’t mean that to sound callous or to diminish your loss—it’s just my perspective. But I do know what happened from a different angle. We were on that road too.” His gaze shifts between me and his son behind me. “We’d just met with the Alpha from Moon River. He has three daughters and was seeking an alliance through a chosen mate bond.” I hear Ryker growl low in his chest behind me.
“Arrogant asshole,” Ryker mutters under his breath.
“Yes, yes, Ryker, we all know how you feel about that. Relax,” Alpha Ryan replies with a small smile before turning back to me. “At the time, I didn’t realize his true intentions, or I would have come alone. But that’s beside the point. We thought we left peacefully p>
Ryker stiffens beneath me. “No way,” he growls.
“There absolutely is a way. You’re looking at her right now p>
“Wait! What’s going on? What am I missing?” I ask, glancing at everyone. Their faces mirror the same shock and confusion. Even Josh looks stunned.
“We were attacked,” Ryker resumes, his voice steady but laced with anger. “I never had proof that Moon River was behind it, but all our vehicles were forced off the road, and wolves ambushed us. When the fight ended, we checked every car to make sure we accounted for all our people and theirs. That’s when I found you, sobbing inside a car so crushed we had to bend metal just to get in. We knew you were human and didn’t want to frighten you. I pulled you out myself.” His chest rises and falls rapidly, matching my own ragged breathing.