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.


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    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 ck 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 nce at Lauren from beneath myshes. 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 mped down on my curiosity.


    She seemed to notice me looking at her because she shot me a re. It didn’t have the same bite as


    her usual ones and if anything, it was weak inparison.


    “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 pir.


    “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 thest 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 va?N


    Π


    “Are you sure?”


    She nodded. “You can think about it. I have to finish up in the kitchen and if Ie 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 waspletely filthy with cobwebs hanging over every inch


    of the room and dust particles flying around. If I had to guess, I would say nobody 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 sce 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 waspletely 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 lips I turned to her in shock and confusion, “Ryker had a child?”


    “He was going to,”


    She opened her mouth to exin but a livid looking Lauren walked in. I thought I had seen her pissed


    off before but it was nothingpared 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 mmed the door shut and grabbed my upper shoulders in a bruising grip. She mmed 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 re.


    “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 nce 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 gued my mind as my body 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 theke 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.