A Wolf's Pride (30 page)

Taking the
little girl from Sebastian's arms, Ryan smiled warmly at her,
instantly recognising the grey eyes that she showed him
occasionally when she deigned to open them rather than simply keep
them closed. “Who’s this?”

“
This is
Jasmine,” Sebastian answered.

“
As pretty as
the flower for which she was named,” Ryan cooed.

Tobias’
expression darkened and he turned his gaze towards Alex and Lily.
“Yes and unfortunately her sister is the same.”

“
Unfortunately?” Ryan asked confused.

“
They’re going
to grow up and be beautiful, I can tell.”

Gazing warmly
at the little bundle in his arms Ryan could see why Tobias would
think she would be beautiful when she matured. He couldn’t however
see why Tobias’ sounded so distraught over that fact. “I’m not
seeing the problem Tobias.”

“
When you’re a
father you’ll understand, or maybe you’ll be lucky and have only
boys like Travis. I can just see all the boys who will want to take
my daughters from me before they reach maturity. I know all the
disgusting things they will be thinking at that age.”

“
Tobias,
they’re females,” Ryan began calmly. He could sense his cousin was
agitated and didn’t want to make the matter worse. “One day their
mate is going to come and he will want to claim them.”

“
Yes,” Tobias
conceded. “And before he does that there will be conditions, trials
that he will have to go through to prove he’s worthy of one of my
daughters.”

“
And I thought
you were protective of Alex,” Ryan scoffed.

“
Like I said,
when you’re a father, you’ll understand.”

“
When I’m a
father,” Ryan muttered. His gaze was instantly drawn to Chloe, the
only woman he would ever contemplate starting a family with. If he
couldn’t claim her his hopes of a family would wither and die. The
thought was a sobering one. “Sebastian, here, take Jasmine.” He
handed the baby to his brother and stepped away from the
room.

“
Where are you
going?” Sebastian called.

“
I need some
time alone, to think,” he answered and walked from the
room.

Chapter Twenty
Five

“
Hey, Orville!”
A loud voice called, the sound reverberating around the corridor.
Ryan turned slowly as mortification filled him. Only a few people
were aware of his middle name and the fewer that knew the better.
Whoever was calling him, spreading his own personal shame, was
making his life difficult and they were in for a lifetime of grief
for doing so. He groaned loudly as he spotted Erica waving
cheerfully to him from the end of the hall.
It would have to be one of the few people I can’t cause grief
without making trouble for myself. If I upset her not only will
Sebastian be out for blood, Alex won’t be pleased and when she’s
not pleased Tobias isn’t too happy either.
He groaned aloud in distress.
I
wonder who told her, mother or Sebastian? Why they feel the need to
spread such a disgraceful secret I don’t know.

“
Hey, Orv–” she
called again though she was unable to finish speaking as Ryan put
on a burst of speed, rushing to her side and clamping a hand over
her mouth.

“
Don’t say it,”
he hissed in her ear. He lifted his hand from her mouth slowly,
hesitantly, as if ready to spring back into action should she begin
to say his name again.

“
I wouldn’t
have had to say it in the first place if you had been aware of your
surroundings. It was the only way to get your attention,” she
stated calmly as soon as his hand left her face.

“
Excuse me?” he
demanded astonished. There were other, less embarrassing, ways to
strike up a conversation.

“
I’ve been
calling you for ages. It was only when I called you Orville that
you even showed signs of life.”

“
How long have
you been following me?”

“
I left
literally a few seconds after you.”

His eyes
narrowed in suspicion. “Why? You seemed like you were happy right
where you were.”
Even you seem to be
getting on better with my mate than I’ve been in the last few
hours,
his mind added, his tone
jealous.

“
Because I
wanted to talk to you.”

“
I left because
I wanted to be alone. I need some time to think.”

“
About Chloe?”
she drawled. He scowled and turned to walk away from her. Seeing
his intention, Erica sprung into action, linking her arm through
his and preventing his escape. “Where do you think you’re going? I
want to talk to you.”

“
I already told
you that I want to be alone Erica. And what do you think you’re
doing?” he snarled, moving his arm. His attempt to dislodge her was
significantly hindered by his need to be gentle. Erica was his
brother’s mate after all; he couldn’t harm her.

Not the way
you hurt our mate you mean?
His wolf added
snidely.
I’m blaming you for the claiming
failing. If you hadn’t hurt her, we could have been buried deep
inside her by now. We could have taken her again and again and
again. She would have been screaming our name, begging for release.
Instead we’re reduced to simply imagining what could have
been.
The wolf was cruel, merciless in its
tormenting.

Ryan growled a
low and dangerous warning.
I’ll talk to
her. I’ll figure out what’s bothering her, and when I’ve appeased
her concerns, I’ll explain the claiming to her so she doesn’t run
from us again. The claiming will go ahead tonight.

“
Let go of me
Erica,” he repeated. “What do you think Sebastian would do if he
saw us like this?”

“
My guess,” she
paused. “He would probably hit you like he did when he found out
that we kissed.”

“
That was your
fault,” he hissed, angry at the memory. Never in his long life had
he fought back against Sebastian and he never intended to. It was
for his brother that he fought, not against him but if Erica
continued to touch him in this way Sebastian wouldn’t hesitate to
try and hurt him and he had a mate to think of now. He couldn’t
afford to be injured when Chloe might be in danger.

His anger is
reasonable,
the wolf began,
What would you do if the situation were reversed?
If Chloe were this close to Sebastian? Her body pressed up against
him like this? His scent bleeding into hers, clouding that
intoxicating fragrance?
Ryan saw red. His
struggles to be free intensified.

“
Calm down
Ryan, you’re attracting even more attention. Look, Sebastian
doesn’t need to see us like this. I just want to talk to you about
Chloe.”

“
What do you
know about my mate that I don’t? You’ve refused to speak to her
since we got here. What happened to you was a tragedy and I’ll
always be sorry we didn’t reach you sooner, but my mate had nothing
to do with it, she’s completely innocent.”

“
I
know.”

“
What?” he
spluttered.

“
I said I know.
Chloe isn’t Vincent. That bastard is dead, Sebastian and I saw to
that. If I’m honest I feel sorry for her. She didn’t believe in any
of this and now you’re telling her that her family are torturers,
murderers? To be with you, she would have to throw away her family,
her life, as she knows it. If the situations were reversed, could
you do it?”

He paused,
thinking. “It would be difficult, but for her…I think I could do
it.”

“
Because she’s
your mate?”

“
Yes. I would
do anything for her.”

“
Or your wolf
would drive you crazy?”

He frowned
deeply. “It’s more than that. She completes me. I can’t be without
her again. I won’t.”

“
Things are
different for her,” she stated simply.

“
How do you
know so much?” he asked seriously.

“
Because I
listen. I want to help you. You’re ill equipped to deal with this
situation alone. You are somewhat emotionally handicapped so I’m
here, for Sebastian's sake, to act as your crutches until you can
learn to walk alone. Are you coming or do you want to muddle
through by yourself? I do warn you though that if I leave you to
your own devices you will probably make things even worse than they
already are.”

“
Things aren’t
that bad, we’ve just had a little misunderstanding. Once I explain
things to her everything will be fine and we’ll attempt the
claiming again tonight.”

Erica's jaw
dropped in shock, her mouth hanging wide open. “You’ve got to be
kidding me. You’re worse than I thought.”

“
Is something
wrong?” he asked innocently.

“
I feel really
sorry for Chloe, she has to deal with you. You’re coming with me.
Now.” Her grip on his arm tightened and she pulled him down the
hall, past the royal quarters and into the rooms she shared with
Sebastian. A quick sniff told her that Dylan and Wyatt had left
recently along with Yvonne and Elaine. “We’re alone but I’m not
sure for how long. Dylan and Wyatt have probably just been taken to
see the babies, I’m not sure when they’ll get back so we have to
make this quick. Sit down,” she commanded. He stood dumb for a
moment and Erica snapped at him, “Do you want to claim your mate or
not?” He sat quickly.

She paced for
a few moments, trying to find the right words to begin. Her eyes
would occasionally flicker towards Ryan and she would instantly
curse softly. She had known he would be somewhat unaware of what he
had done but to be completely ignorant? She couldn’t put into words
how she felt and that was a major problem when trying to give
advice.

“
You said you
could help me,” Ryan prodded gently. “Perhaps you could start by
explaining to me why things are so different for Chloe than they
are for me?”

“
Yes,” Erica
decided. “That would be a good place. Firstly, Chloe is human. She
has no wolf guiding her, no compelling reason to be with you. There
are no horrid consequences to deal with if she doesn’t accept you
and your claim, no voice inside her head that would try to drive
her mad. And secondly, she’s a woman, even if she were one of our
people; she could ignore her inner wolf. I did when Sebastian first
tried to claim me. The instinct isn’t guiding her to you, your
actions are what are guiding her to either stay with you or hate
you and what you’ve done is definitely pushing her towards the
latter.”

“
What I’ve
done?” he asked incredulously. “I haven’t done
anything.”

“
You are
amazingly dense. No, you’re beyond dense, you’re an idiot,” she
stated adamantly and Ryan growled in response. “You
burned
her things
Ryan.”

“
To protect
her, of course I did.”

“
Did you tell
her that?”

“
Of course I
did.”

“
Did she
understand what you meant?” Erica pressed.

Ryan frowned,
remembering Chloe’s confused look as her possessions had been
carried away. “She must have. I told her why I was doing it and
after that…” He paused, racking his mind for any sign that she had
understood what was going on.

Our mate isn’t
stupid,
his wolf inserted.
Of course she understood. Besides, at the time
there were other, more important things to focus on.

Like her
safety?

Exactly!
Ryan, don’t let this woman make you feel guilty for what we did.
Everything we do is in the best interests of our mate. Sometimes
females can be irrational. They don’t worry enough about their
safety. It’s our responsibility, our privilege, as a mate to
rectify that deficiency. Take Erica for example. She ran from her
mate disregarding the consequences and got caught by
hunters.

And
Chloe…
he mused.
She never wears a seatbelt when she drives. She unknowingly
invites trouble. She doesn’t understand our people. I have to look
out for her, even if it’s against herself.

“
She had to
have understood. I have told her time and time again that
everything I do, I do for her protection. She has to know and
understand that.”

Erica
screamed aloud in frustration, throwing her hands into the air and
resuming her pacing. “I can’t believe that people as stupid as you
are allowed to live. Just talking to you makes me understand why
herds are culled.”

“
We’re wolves
Erica, sheep are culled, not us.”

“
Well maybe
they should transfer the practice. You really aren’t going to
understand what I’m trying to tell you unless I spell it out for
you. I’ve spoken to your mate and unlike you I’ve listened. You,
yes you Ryan, are wrong. She doesn’t understand and because she
doesn’t understand she’s starting to hate you. If you don’t fix
this quickly it may be too late to save your
relationship.”

“
I did what I
had to do, the smell Erica. There was so much blood. Everyone could
smell it, those
things
were endangering her life.”