I feel guilty that she put my safety and happiness over her own heath. But Addison has always put me first. It took years of convincing to get her to open her first boutique because she was afraid she would be away from me too much if she did. But I saw how happy she was when she would show me her designs and I couldn’t keep her from that. And now, six years later, she has shops across the country and is very successful.
I make a mental note to ask Esme about possible things she could do to help Addison. If she’s as powerful as Ryker says, she should be able to do something. Right?
“Do you love him?” An unfamiliar voice breaks into my thoughts, and I turn to see Avery standing not far away. She’s completely naked and makes no move to cover herself up. She stands there, hands on her hips, completely okay with her nudity. Meanwhile, I’m so not.
I shake my head. “Wait—what? I’m sorry, would you like some clothes?” I stammer.
“No, I’m fine.” She glowers down at me. “I asked if you love him.”
“Ryker?”
“Yes, of course, I mean Ryker, who else would I be talking about?” she snaps. “Do you love Ryker?” She repeats, irritation written all over her face.
“I don’t see how that is any of your business,” I counter.
“He’s my friend, and he saved my life. I care about him, and I don’t want him to get hurt by some human.” She sneers at me like my existence alone offends her.
“Well, apparently, I’m not human.”
“As long as you can’t shift, you’re basically human, with some added bonuses sprinkled in.” Avery raises her chin. “And as long as you can’t shift, you can’t mate with him. And he’s running out of time.”
“What do you mean he’s running out of time?” I straighten in my seat, concerned. “Is he sick?”
Avery laughs. “No, it’s far worse than whatever is rotting your aunt’s body from the inside out.” Her harsh words hit me at full force, cutting deep. But I assume that was the point, to hurt me. “He’s going to turn rogue if he doesn’t mate soon.”
“How do you know that?” I question, raising from my seat. “Why should I believe you?”
“Because unlike you, I actually know Ryker.”
“I know him,” I say with a huff, offended she would insinuate otherwise.
“Okay, you think you know him? What’s his favorite color?” she fires at me.
“I—”
“It’s green.”
“What does he dream about?”
“I don’t—”
“He dreams about the little girl that died.”
“Well, surprise! I didn’t actually die.”
“Well, maybe you should have because it would have been easier if you were dead. Instead, you’re defective and can’t shift for shit!”
“How dare you!” I feel the vibrating in my chest, just like I did when Ryker had kissed her. I don’t know if it’s anger or if it’s the power that’s trapped inside of me, but it starts to seep out. I can’t see it, but I can feel it wrapping around me.
“No, how dare you come back here and fuck everything up. He was going to be fine without you! It would have taken some more time, but he was going to be okay! But now, he’s found his true mate,” she emphasizes with a sneer, “Only he can’t mate her because she’s basically a fucking human!” she spits. “And now you’re going to have to watch as he turns into the thing he’s been hunting. A bloodthirsty, hormone-driven monster!”
My hand moves before I know what’s happening. My palm connects with Avery’s face with a loud smack. It hits with so much force her head flies to the side.
She whips back to face me again, her eyes now glowing bright amber, and her canines have elongated. Her wolf has taken control, and from the looks of it, it’s pissed.
But so am I.
“You bitch!” She lunges at me. Her hands now have claws, and they swipe at me. Just like when I was running in the woods, I move faster than I knew was possible. I dodge her attack, smacking her hand out of the way as I do.
“Really, Avery?” I taunt her. Maybe I should be trying to defuse the situation, but my usually calm self has left the premises, and the part of me that remains wants to rip her face off. “You say you care about Ryker? What will he think if you hurt me? Huh?”
“I do care about him!” Her voice has changed too, it’s deeper and gruffer than it was before. We circle each other, each of us trying to calculate the other’s next move. Each time Avery tries to attack, I easily avoid her by either gracefully stepping out of the way or blocking her swings.
“Yeah, so do I!” I shout back at her.
“You’re only going to bring pain to him and his pack!” She strikes out for my face, her clawed hand moving quickly. But I’m faster, and again, I spin out of her reach. I feel a small smirk grow on my face when she growls in frustration.
“Why would you even say that? I would never hurt Ryker or his pack!” Block.
“You’re putting them in danger by even being here. If this Nicolai guy finds you, Ryker will never let you go, and it will cause a war.”
“As long as Nicolai doesn’t know I’m here, then we’re safe.” I dance out of her reach. We’re now dangerously close to the pool. One wrong move and we’re both going in.
“You’re stupider than I thought you were if you believe that. He’ll find you, and then he’ll kill Ryker to get to you!” she snarls.
A sudden realization hits me, and I stop moving. I stand still and stare at her. “You don’t just care for Ryker. You’re in love with him,” I tell her, my smirk disappearing from my face. “You don’t hate me because I’m a human or a defective wolf shifter.
