I hear footsteps on the hardwood floor. They’re too heavy to be Remi or Margot. The person stops walking, and I hear the sound of bottles clanking together, followed by a twist top beer being opened.
“Ransom’s in the fridge getting a beer,” I tell Ryker with my eyes still closed.
“How do you know its Ransom?”
“Elias only drinks beer when it’s on tap, and Ranger found this artisanal beer that he only drinks now, and he was bitching about how it’s been sold out at the store. Which means it has to be Ransom,” I tell him proud of myself.
“You know my family better than I do,” he jokes, but I hear the slight twinge of hurt in his voice, so I open my eyes and look at him.
“That’s only because I’ve basically been living with them for the last ten months,” I say with a sigh. “You’ll get close to them again now that you’re home.”
“I hope so,” he anxiously rubs the back of his neck. “I really messed up by being gone for so long.”
“It’s not too late to fix it.” I reach up and run my hand down his cheek. “You’re planning on sticking around for a while, aren’t you?’
“Good luck getting rid of me.” His expression is full of adoration as he looks at me.
22
Ryker
It’s been a month since the night of the ritual, and ever since, Pruitt has become a natural when it comes to everything wolf shifter. Everything but shifting that is. We spend a lot of our nights out by the lake trying to call her wolf out. Pruitt is beginning to get more and more frustrated she can’t fully shift. Her hearing and sense of smell are remarkable, better than anyone in my family. She can pick up on whispered conversations two floors away.
One night, I needed to go for a run and let my wolf out, and she decided to join me. Even when I’m in my wolf form, I struggle to keep up with her when she runs now. And every time she beats one of my siblings or me in a race, my chest fills with pride for my little mate.
She is absolutely extraordinary.
And now, as I walk up the stairs to her art studio for the first time, she blows me away yet again. Every surface of the small space is covered in her drawings and sketches. Many of them are drawings of my wolf, but there are other portraits and landscapes here and there. Each line drawn is perfectly placed and looks like she drew them with such ease.
“You’re an amazing artist,” I tell her as I move around the space so I can see each and every drawing.
“Thank you.” She grins. “I know I look like a crazy person with all these pictures of your wolf, but he was basically the only thing I could draw for a while. I was a little obsessed with him…” She bites her bottom lip as her gaze slides away from me.
“Well, the feeling’s mutual. He’s a pretty big fan of yours as well.” I smirk at her as I make my way over to a painting easel with a big canvas on it. My black wolf stands there, his golden eyes staring at the ghost of a figure next to him where Pru has the outline of a wolf that hasn’t been completed yet.
“I didn’t know what color to paint her, so I left her like that,” Prue explains, coming up behind me.
“You’ll be able to finish it soon,” I assure her as I pull her close to me.
Even though the past month has been filled with the frustrating fact she hasn’t been able to shift, it has also been the best month of my life. I’ve gotten to know the grown-up Pruitt, not just the little girl that I remembered. She’s still the headstrong and independent girl that I recall, but she’s also so loving and caring toward all the people in her life. She’s refused to sleep at my house since the night of the ritual, not wanting to leave Addison alone at nights, and she spends a lot of her days helping Addison run her business since her aunt hasn’t had the energy to do it all.
I love how Pru jumps into everything she does headfirst, whether it’s my crazy supernatural world or taking charge of a fairly large brand. She’s even been holed away the last couple days working on clothing designs for the company. I haven’t been able to see her much, and it’s been making me crazy.
“I’ve missed you.” I push my nose into her hair and breathe in the scent of vanilla that always accompanies her.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to spend much time with you,” she mummers against my chest. “Addison hasn’t been having a good week, and I can’t leave her alone.”
“I know. That’s why I asked Noah to come over so we can have the night to ourselves.”
“You did what?” She pulls back from me, a questioning look on her face.
“Noah is going to come over in about an hour so I can take you on a proper date tonight,” I repeat. Even though we’ve been out to lunch or dinner a couple times over the past month, I haven’t taken her on an official date.
“Really?” she asks, her face lighting up with excitement.
“Really. I know being mates means we bypassed a lot of the usual dating that comes with relationships, I feel like we missed out on the first date experience.”
“True, but it’s pretty awesome if you think about it. We won’t have any of that first date awkwardness,” she says, smiling. “I’m excited.”
“Good. Go on and get ready. Noah should be here soon.”
