Ryan’s P.O.V.

“Okay, so following Kai’s orders after the shooting. Two more warriors have been added to patrol for each sector, trackers are also scouting the area for any left over evidence as we speak, and all members have been told to keep away from the border until further notice.” I informed Otis, while pacing across the front of his desk.

The top of his red head bounced in acknowledgement as he wrote it down.

“Also, the five captured renegades will be here in the next few days for Kai to question. I put a rush on it because I think the renegades are behind the notes.”

“I agree, is that all?”

Spinning on my heel, I started walking back to the right,“No, a new day to take the teens into town needs to be set. Their parents went and got things for the household but the teens are bugging me about needing personal items.”

He snorted, “Right. Personal items. I’ll speak to Kai about it.”

“Lastly, a date needs to be set for Jaspers pack initiation and you need a secretary.”

With one last squiggle on the page, he looked up, “But I have you.”

“Ha. Ha. Asshole.” I snarked back, sliding into the leather chair across from him.

Sighing, Otis leaned back in his chair, “Alright. Go ahead. I know you’re just dying to talk about her.”

My eyes bounced around the room, “I don’t want to talk about Kai but if you want to talk about Kai, then we can talk about her.”

He rolled his eyes, “Come on, man.”

“Something’s going on with her, Otis.”

“Like what?”

I shook my head, “I can’t explain it but when she came back down that tree the other day...the look in her eyes was different.”

His face scrunched in confusion, “What do you mean?”

I shook my head again, “The way she looked at us. It was...calculating.”

“That’s how she always looks at us.”

“No, you don’t understand. It was like we were suddenly strangers to her.”

“So you’re saying what exactly?”

“I- I think she saw something up in that tree and she’s not telling us.” I hated to say it, hell I hated to think it but Kai had changed after coming down that tree. Her ruby eyes held a cold glint to them, one I had only even seen her use when hunting something down. Whatever she saw changed something for her and it hurt that she didn’t confide in me.

Otis Ahh-ha’d me, “Didn’t she just agree to give you a chance?”

I furrowed my brow, “Uh, yeah. Happiest day of my life but what’s that got to do with it?”

“Ryan, friend, buddy. Kai is not the easiest she-wolf to understand, you’re being paranoid. You can’t read too much into every look or glance she gives you. You also need to give her time to adjust.”

“Paranoid? No, I-”

He cut me off, “Plus you were asking her all those questions trying to get to know her. Which I’m sure she didn’t answer.”

I ran a hand over my face, “You should’ve seen the look this woman gave me when I asked what her favorite color was,” chuckling I continued, “You’d think I asked about her ex’s!”

Laughing loudly at the memory, I slowly stopped when I realized Otis was looking anywhere but at me while chucking tensely. “What? What’d I say?”

“Nothing. See! You’re proving my point! You’re being paranoid. Give Kai time to open up to you. In the meantime don’t read into every little thing she does. You’re going to drive yourself crazy, Ryan.”

I took a minute to think it over. I didn’t feel like I was being paranoid...right? Maybe the not so unconscious fear of Kai changing her mind was getting to me. Perhaps it was better if I just relaxed more around her instead of constantly thinking about what she thought of me.

Hesitantly I responded, “You could be right, I definitely need to relax a bit when it comes to Kai.”

He threw his hands in the air, “Finally! She-wolves aren’t attracted to hoverers.”

Scoffing, I flipped him off.

“It’s true! And you need to take it easy with the males in the pack too.”

I pressed a hand to my chest, “Who? Me? I haven’t done anything to them!”

Otis gave me an unimpressed look.

“Well, not since me and her got together. I’m a changed man!”

He gave me a placating look, “Are you really together, though?”

“...We’re...talking..”

“But does that really count?” He asked, with a condescending smile.

“Yes dammit!”

Laughing, he stood from his chair, “Whatever, let’s get a beer.”

Standing up, I adjusted the collar of my long sleeve and followed him out into the hall. Passing a few shifters on the way to the stairs, I looked at their short sleeves and shorts in wonder. How they didn’t freeze their asses off in this cold I didn’t know because I was always cold as hell. That probably had more to do with my mom being a Syrian wolf shifter and my dad being a pure blooded Alaskan wolf shifter. The combination of their blood had ended up with my body heat being just a couple of degrees lower than a shifter needed to survive the Alaskan winter in t-shirts.

“So, when are you going to give the pack an Alpha Female?” I asked as we started heading down the stairs.

He turned his head so I could see his smirk before saying, “As soon as Kaiya dumps your desperate ass.”

Snorting he took off down the rest of the stairs and towards the kitchen as I chased after him growling, “Come here, you son of a bitch. I’ll show you desperate.”

Seeing the kitchen door swing shut after him, I rushed through and immediately slammed into someone on the other side. Instead of taking us both to the floor, I, a six foot four adult male shifter, bounced off the person and hit my head on the swinging door behind me. Shaking my head clear, I opened my mouth to apologize but froze in embarrassment when I met bright red eyes.

Kaiya stood there dressed in dark green cargo pants and a tucked in black t-shirt. Brown hair loosely framing her beautiful face that was tilted upwards to stare back at me. A face that was slowly turning into one of what looked like concern the longer I stared at her.

“Otis, I think Ryan has a concussion.” She told him in that seductively raspy voice of hers.

Feeling my wolf stir in my head, I snapped out of it, “Uh, no, no, I’m fine.” I can’t believe she didn’t even budge when I ran full speed into her.

Looking over her head, I saw Otis press a fist to his mouth in order to smother his laughter. Glancing down at Kai, I watched as she moved away from me and to the fridge. A choking sound filled the room causing my eyes to snap to Otis and give him a dirty look. He just turned to face the back door, shoulders shaking as he bent slightly at the waist.

“Oh, and Otis I’d never be your Alpha female. I’d dominate you too severely. And I don’t know what you mean by dumping but Ryan’s not desperate just ... a little eager.” Kai causally announced during her search for something in the fridge.

While my wolf pranced around in my head with his chest puffed up, my cheeks started flaming at her words.

Asshole, she heard you!! I linked to Otis.

“I, ahahah, can’t, haha, it’s too much!” Otis laughed loudly before leaving out the back door.

Not knowing what to say but not wanting to leave her presence so soon, I walked over to one of the counter stools and took a seat to admire her. Her shoulder muscles flexed and rolled underneath her smooth caramel colored skin as she dug around in the fridge. Her current hairstyle also put the curve of her neck on full display. Pale jagged lines from the scars that covered the front of her throat spilled over to the sides making them visible even from behind.

Do oath. Knot female. Complete bond.

Slader! I shouted at him in shock, eyes locking on the countertop in embarrassment. You know we can’t….At least not yet.

He growled lowly at me, Why no?

Slader. We don’t even know how her kind mates. What we consider bonding might not be the same for her.

She want us.

Making sure Kaiya still had her back to me, I responded, How are you so sure? I’m not even sure.

He lifted his snout high in the air, She no reject. She mount us!

Gasping in sheer disbelief at his words, I began choking when it went down the wrong pipe. Slamming a hand down on the counter I started coughing hard in an effort to catch my breath.

“Are you alright?” Kai asked.

Looking at her through teary eyes, I waved a hand, “Yea, I’m good.”

“You sure?” She questioned with a skeptical look.

“Yea, yea.”

With one last look, she shrugged and then turned back to continue looking through the fridge. Eyes pinned back to the countertop, I responded to Slader’s outrageous claims.

Slader! What the hell are you talking about? She never mounted us! Wolf spirit and Moon, man! What goes on in our dreams doesn’t transfer over to real life!

No dream. Mate mount us in woods!, He snarled stubbornly back at me.

That’s not something I’d forget about, Slader! She absolutely did not mount us in the- Oh my moon. Slader. She did not mount us! She was trying to shut us up! Kai just hung on to us!

... mate no mount?

No, buddy. She didn’t and if she ever does it won’t be around fifteen other people in the middle of the woods!

Well... I didn’t really know what she was into but I hoped not. I’d feel bad if I had to gouge out that many pairs of eyes afterwards.

Slader whined before curling up and putting his tail over his eyes.