The Alpha's Mate Who Cried Wolf novel Chapter 8

I look up to see Ryker staring down into my eyes with sadness. 

"There's more I need to explain to you, but it can wait till tomorrow," he whispers. I nod and look at the clock. It's late! My father will kill me. I should have been home ages ago!

Pushing myself out of Ryker's arms, I bolt for the door to leave, impatiently turning the handle clockwise and counter-clockwise to no avail. 

"Where's the key?" I ask. 

"Astrid! You're not going anywhere yet, and you aren't going back to that house!"Ryker argues.

"Ryker, you said you would unlock the door when I'm ready to leave! Please, you have to let me go. He will kill me if I'm late home," I explain, trying to force the door open. 

"Astrid, I won't let him lay a finger on you again. Do you hear me?" Ryker says sternly.

"He will hunt me down, Ryker. If I don't go home, he will kill me. He will look for me here," I argue. 

"Good. Let your dad come. Because it's the last time he will ever see you," Ryker says.

"What are you going to do to him? You can't. You can't kill him," I say. 

"Why not? You will never have to fear him again if I kill him now."  

"I know he has hurt me, Ryker, but my mother loved him. She died because of me. I don't want to be the reason the man she loved dies too!"I cry.

Ryker steadies my chin with his hand to make me look at him. 

"I think you should tell me what happened that day, the day your mother died," he says. 

"The only person I told is Dad. I don't want to do it again." I look away in shame. 

"Maybe in time, you'll tell me." I give him a slight nod.

The phone at the diner rings. We look at each other, knowing it's my dad asking why I'm not home yet. Ryker nods to Jim to answer it. 

"Maybe we should wait till tomorrow, then. You have enough on your mind to process at this stage," Ryker says. I slam my fist on the table. 

"I want you to tell me now, Ryker!"I yell as I sit down on the chair opposite him.

Ryker looks away before inhaling and exhaling sharply. He sits down on the chair and looks into my eyes. His eyes convey a thousand untold stories. Maybe Ryker doesn't know where to begin. He stretches his arms out and opens his hands. 

"Give me your hands," he says with a soft smile. 

"Why?" 

"It will make it easier for me to explain what a mate is and the mate bond," he says. 

"Okay..." I whisper as I place my hands in his. Subtle sparks of electricity ignite in our skin. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. He holds my hands and gently massages their backs with his thumbs, shooting electricity through my body.

"On our eighteenth birthday, when our wolf awakens, we can sense our mate when they're near. Sometimes we find our mates straight away and sometimes it takes years. Your mate will have the most amazing scent you've ever smelled. It will trigger your wolf in ways you can't hide, deny, or contain. Your wolf will want to follow the scent. Once you make eye contact with your mate, your wolf will announce that person is your mate. We develop an instant connection: it feels like magic and fireworks exploding when we touch each other. A need to be near each other at all times develops along with a sense of great desire for each other. We accept each other as mates by marking each other on the neck with our fangs. We bite each other, leaving our marks to show others we are mates. The bond intensifies. We can feel each other's emotions and sense each other at all times. Your mate is your life partner, your soulmate, the one you will spend the rest of your life with and have pups with. It's recommended to consummate the mateship as soon as possible to avoid attracting all the unmated males in the area who will want to mate with you. Oh, and I'm the Alpha, and you're my mate, so that makes you the Luna of the pack," Ryker finishes. My reaction unsettles him.