“Return to the hotel,” he instructed Luca.
What transpired?Luca enquired of him.
“Nothing,” Ryder muttered. “She is a wolf.”
“No.” He observed his Beta frown, disbelief evident on his countenance.
“She possesses striking white wolf-like eyes,” Sadie lamented. “However, she harboured no fondness for Ryder.”
Ryder scowled at his sisters’ remarks.
“White wolf eyes,” he heard Luca whisper.
“Affirmative, white with black bordering the edges.” “I imagine it is rare,” Ryder replied, though it was not a question.
“What is it, Ryder?””
“I am merely experiencing involuntary neural activity.”
“I believe she behaved as though she were your companion,” Sadie suddenly interjected from the backseat.
He turned to her, his expression marked by a profound frown; no one in the pack, not even his parents, was aware of that day, least of all Sadie. Ryder could sense Lucas’s gaze upon him as well.
“What is the basis for your assertion?”He enquired of his younger sister, unable to comprehend her reasoning.
I observed her shrug and say, “Her entire body reacted erratically. I attempted to advise you to remain composed and intended to communicate my thoughts telepathically, but upon touching you, she simply fled.” It was peculiar; I noticed it, as did my wolf. “Could you detect her scent?””
“No,” he replied to Sadie, and he was unable to do so, particularly with her scent perpetually concealed. Reversed his position in his seat. He contemplated the woman’s profound anguish, which intensified further upon Sadie’s touch.
Her immediate aversion to Luca and Sadie the other day. She was likewise a wolf. He was now frowning; she was aware of his identity, of which Ryder was confident. She had previously encountered him and likely recognised Luca upon his entrance into the store.
“Ryder?”It was Luca.
“Not at this moment,” he retorted to his Beta, aware of the man’s thoughts. Because he was now contemplating it himself. The anguish that had torn through him and Aiden eight years prior. Unexpectedly and without warning. He had not comprehended it, and it had nearly resulted in his demise. That evening, Ryder gazed out the car window. He had not detected the scent of that girl either, the one in his bed; he had perceived nothing that night.
Subsequently, in addition to the existing anguish, he experienced the rejection of his authority as Alpha, which compounded his suffering and nearly drove him to the brink of self-destruction in a desperate attempt to alleviate the torment. So excruciatingly unbearable that he would have preferred death to experiencing that pain.
His pack physician had administered sedation due to his and Aiden’s inability to manage the situation. However, only a limited number of individuals were aware of that. His unit and his medical officer, Samuel. That was all.
Brianna’s Perspective
Brianna awoke with tears streaming down her face; she had not dreamt of him in years, particularly not in a manner where he was caressing and kissing her, unable to satiate his desire as he had on that singular night they shared. However, it has concluded, this time with him engaging with another, marking and asserting possession over someone else, which caused her profound anguish; even the mere thought of it was tormenting her. She covered her face with the pillow to stifle the sobs that shook her body, holding it tightly to prevent Logan from hearing her and becoming concerned about her well-being.
She had not envisioned Ryder Wood in nearly five years. She had exerted all her strength, alongside Layla, to push him aside. It was detrimental to contemplate something they could never attain. Now, how they should have been able to possess him, not as their Mate. It appeared that they had not progressed as previously assumed. Encountering him had merely inflicted pain and anguish upon them, and now they appeared to have returned to their original predicament. Weeping for what was never theirs and will never belong to them.
They had lost him long since. Indeed, they had never possessed him to lose in the first instance. In that regard, he had gazed directly at them yesterday, devoid of any semblance of recognition in his eyes. She had resided within his pack for 21 years, and for 4 of those years, he had been her Alpha, yet he remained oblivious to her existence, unable to even acknowledge her presence. She had vowed her allegiance to him, as others had, despite her uncertainty regarding his significance to her at that time. Nevertheless, he had uttered her name, gazed directly at her, and acknowledged her pledge. The man had instructed her warrior class monthly since he assumed control, and they had encountered each other numerous times over the years, even after she recognised his significance to her. Nevertheless, he failed to identify her.
It appeared to be a curse from the goddess of mood.
She emerged from her bed as the sun barely grazed the horizon. Upon stepping onto the balcony, she sought to allow the frigid morning air to render her heart numb. In the distance, she perceived a flicker of movement. Directing her gaze towards it, Layla advanced to offer her vision. “Wolves,” she declared, before retreating back into Brianna’s consciousness.
“Would you like to go for a run?”Brianna enquired of her wolf.
The sole response she received was, “No.” This had been the situation for nearly a decade. Layla had not transformed in an extended period. It appeared to lack the desire. Brianna understood that she could no longer transform into her wolf form, as it had been too long since she last did so; she had resigned herself to this reality without needing an explanation. Demoralised and experiencing significant pain, she ultimately decided against further shifting.
Layla no longer wished to be present; she desired to be distanced from her own species. She resided solely within Brianna’s consciousness, able to assert herself and communicate at will, yet no longer transformed into her grey and white wolf form. Ceased that behaviour prior to their departure from the pack and subsequent rogue status. It had not changed since Brianna was 20, in fact.
She might once more begin to transform when Logan shifted for the first time; perhaps she would desire to run alongside his wolf when he acquired it. Brianna harboured such hope. She remembered her inaugural shift to Layla, which occurred independently at 16 under the full moon, merely four days post her birthday. She had no one present at that time, as her parents had long since passed away.
