Chapter 20
The next morning. Ryker and I trained together again, although this time he chose a spot closer to the house. I knew he was still concerned about the rogue issue but I was grateful that he took time out to still train me when he could have simply just delegated the job to someone else.
Lauren arrived while we were training. In fact, I saw her spying on us from behind some bushes. I don’t know if Ryker saw her too and I didn’t want to ask because I didn’t want to think about her or my impending bad day spent with her
After training, we freshened up and I thought Ryker would have left right after but he came down to the dining room and ate breakfast with me. Lauren joined us once again and a part of me couldn’t help but wish that she would just disappear 1 didn’t like her presence and more so I didn’t like it when she was around Ryker especially because the would try to keep his attention on her and pretend like I wasn’t there.
I hated that I felt jealous over him. I never felt this way about Tyson so what was different about Ryker? It could be that he treated me like a person and not an object and the fact that above all, he had my best interests at heart.
Ryker finished his breakfast first, but then again he didn’t really eat much. All he took were two slices of toasted bread and cup of black coffee.
“I have to go,” he said more to me, “I will be back before nightfall. Lauren will watch over you.”
I nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
He walked over to Lauren and whispered something in her ear that had her skin turning a papery white color. She swallowed harshly and nodded then with one final hard look from Ryker, he was gone.
I cast a wary glance at Lauren from beneath my lashes. Her skin was still white and she looked slightly terrified and a bit horrified. I couldn’t help but wonder what Ryker had told her. I knew asking would be a terrible idea so I clamped down on my curiosity.
She seemed to notice me looking at her because she shot me a glare. It didn’t have the same bite as her usual ones and if anything, it was weak in comparison.
“Don’t you have shit to do?” she sneered as she stood up from the table. “I hope you don’t expect me to follow you around like a lost puppy. Just stay in the house and we won’t have a problem.”
She didn’t even wait for me to give her a response; she just stormed out of the dining room and went out through a door that led to the back of the house. Eve appeared almost immediately from where she was hiding behind a pillar.
“What’s up
with her?” she jerked a thumb in the direction Lauren went through and I shrugged.
“I don’t know; I expected more force from her if I’m being honest.”
“I think the Alpha gave her a stern talking to after the last incident.” She dropped her voice to a whisper, “From what I heard from my friends at the pack house, she is at risk of losing her position as General if anything happens to you”
“He wouldn’t do that.” I said but Eve’s expression had me believing otherwise, “She is his best fighter, he wouldn’t remove her from the position because of me.”
“You underestimate the lengths and Alpha would go for their mate.”
“But we haven’t even mated yet,” Eve shrugged as if it didn’t matter, “Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know, but the Alpha would. You should start by asking him.” She gave my hand a soft pat then retrieved the dirty dishes. “If I were you, I would enjoy the fact that I don’t have her breathing down my neck. Have you explored the house?”
“No,” I admitted, “She said Ryker wouldn’t like it.”
“I could show you around if you like. Of course there are certain rooms I’m not allowed in but I’m sure the same rules don’t
lu to vaİN
Π
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “You can think about it. I have to finish up in the kitchen and if I come out and you’re not here then I can take it as you don’t want to but if you are, then I’ll show you around.”
Against my better judgment I sat at that table and waited for her to return. She didn’t take long- maybe half an hour but when she walked out and saw me she smiled and I figured that I made the right choice.
We explored the main floor first and I had already seen most of the rooms; the kitchen, dining room and Ryker’s office. There was a storage room I hadn’t gone into before an Eve told me that they all had strict orders not to go in.
I pushed open the door and it was filled to the brim with stuff ranging from boxes to furniture and I even saw some clothes. lying around. The room was completely filthy with cobwebs hanging over every inch of the room and dust particles flying around. If I had to guess, I would say nob*dy had opened it in at least five years.
Although my curiosity was not abated, I figured there must have been a reason for that so I quietly closed the door and allowed Eve lead me up the stairs.
Upstairs was a different ball park. The only room I had been in was my own. There were at least four other doors there. The first she led me to was Ryker’s bedroom and I refused to open the door. His room is probably his solace and it would have been rude of me to invade on that.
I went to the next door and pushed it open and I was in awe. The room was completely bare but the walls were painted a soft golden color and it was massive with a huge balcony that overlooked a field. There was no speck of dust to be seen anywhere so I knew it was being cleaned frequently.
“What used to be here?” I asked, “Or has it always been empty?”
“It was a nursery
once.”
When those words left Eve’s l*ps I turned to her in shock and confusion, “Ryker had a child?”
“He was going to,”
She opened her mouth to explain but a livid looking Lauren walked in. I thought I had seen her pissed off before but it was nothing compared to the raw and unfiltered anger that drowned her features. She genuinely looked like she was a second away from ripping my head off.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she spat.
“I was just taking a look around.”
She grabbed me harshly by the upper arm and all but threw me out of the room. I stumbled and if not for Eve who grabbed me to stabilize me, I would have probably fallen on my ass.
Lauren slammed the door shut and grabbed my upper shoulders in a bruising grip. She slammed me hard against the wall that stars danced around my vision for a second.
“If you ever enter that room again I will rip your heart out of your chest with my bare hands.”
“Lauren,” Eve began but Lauren shot her a death glare.
“And you,” she spat in her direction, “You’re encouraging all this bullshit. I will have you thrown out of the pack in a split
second.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you.” I wanted to get Lauren’s attention off Eve, “It was my idea to look around and she just followed me. She had nothing to do with any of it.”
“I don’t care whose idea it was,” Lauren sneered, “Stay the hell out of that room and don’t taint his memory with your presence” With one final harsh look, she stormed off.
Eve rushed over to my side to check on me but I raised a hand to let her know I was fine. I took deep breaths to calm, 1999
racing heart and when I was sure my voice wasn’t going to break I turned to her.
“It was her child, wasn’t it?” I asked and she nodded solemnly, “What happened?”
“I don’t know. One second the Alpha was building a nursery and the next he was tearing it down.” She took a step closer to me. “It was never confirmed that it was hers. But we all assumed because they were together at the time. I’m sorry; I didn’t think she would react that way.”
“It is fine.” I stopped her rant, “I just need to go to my room.”
“For what it is worth: 1 truly am sorry.”
“You should go back to work Eve.”
I couldn’t bear to cast her even a sparing glance as I slowly made my way back to my room. I wasn’t upset with her but I didn’t want her to see the hurt that I was inevitably feeling.
What if Lauren was right this entire time? Why else would Ryker keep her around if it wasn’t because he still felt something for her? They were having a child; you don’t do that with someone that you don’t care for.
Different thoughts plagued my mind as my b*dy moved on auto pilot. I locked the door to my room and changed my outfit for a night wear. I knew I wouldn’t be leaving the room again. I didn’t want to face Lauren, not after what I did.
I cannot imagine how she must have felt seeing me in a room that was meant to be for her child, a child she probably lost because that is the only reason why the room would have been torn down.
The room started to get a little stuffy so I made my way to the balcony to get some air. I let out a heavy sigh when I saw Lauren sitting by the lake beneath my room. She was wiping at her face furiously and I knew she was crying. I decided to go back inside before she saw me so she could at least have the dignity of crying alone.
As I thought about the new information I had acquired, I knew what I had to do- I had to leave.
