Oh Hell No

Chapter 34

"Do you, Quinn Sanchez, fully renounce all ties to the Garavin Pack, and accept that you will no longer be a part of it?"

"I do," Quinn was looking much more confident than he had before, mostly because he was actually standing up straight to look more formal. It also helped to have Chris right next to him, and that Alpha Lewis no longer followed the tradition of having every pack member there to witness the leaving of a pack member. He had found it to be much more work than it was worth considering how often people left or joined because they found their mate.

"Well, that's all I can do from my end. Alpha Mason will finish the ceremony by accepting you into his pack. You'll still be able to visit your family from time to time, in case that was a worry," Lewis finishes, more than glad that these sorts of things didn't take as long as they used to.

"And I've already let Alpha Mason know that you're coming with us," Ryder added, having gathered how anxious Quinn can get in a short amount of time, "He has no problem accepting you into the pack."

"You guys can go ahead if you want," Chris points out, probably looking for an excuse to get some more alone time with his mate, "Quinn still has to pack and say goodbye."

"Alright," Jamie shrugs and immediately walks off.

Ryder stares after her for a minute in confusion, before nodding for Leona, Peter, and Henry to follow her, "I'll see you guys soon. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Quinn's face warmed while Chris frowned, only making him laugh more as he went to catch up with the others.

"Are we not going to shift?" Leona asks once he reaches them and continues walking.

"You guys can, I'd be running on three legs though so I think I'll stay in human form," Jamie tells them, getting a weird look from Peter who thought for a second that her wolf form might only have three legs.

"Well when we get back, I can look at it if needed," Henry offers, already suspecting that he would get a resounding no.

She frowned slightly. They are literal werewolves, she could just wait for it to heal naturally, even if it would take longer. Doctors were never her favorite people; all the unnecessary touching and question asking they did hadn't endeared them to her in the slightest. Suckers and stickers could only pacify her before the age of seven. So, a "we'll see" is the best answer he was ever going to get.

Peter and Leona eventually did go ahead of them in wolf form instead of slowly walking back. Henry almost preferred walking, it made socializing easier and sometimes he just wanted to enjoy the scenery as opposed to running through the woods at full speed, causing everything to blur together. His presence did serve to annoy Ryder a great deal though; he was hoping to have time to talk to her more. It appeared he would have to wait, which is probably for the best so he can ensure privacy for their conversation. Also, he had no idea exactly what he wanted to say, only an idea of what he wanted to have happen after they talked.

He was learning the hard way just how bad he is at this.

- - -

"Jamie!"

Danielle wasted no time in pulling her future daughter-in-law into a tight hug, quite possibly bruising a few of her ribs in the process. They would heal, Jamie's priority was getting air to her desperate lungs. Henry had gone back to his office already, so if she passed out now from a lack of air it would be rather unfortunate.

"Yep, no need to show your actual son any love for getting home safe or anything," Ryder muttered, gently tugging at one of Danielle's hands to signal that it was time to let go. She had unknowingly deprived many werewolves of air to the point of blacking out before so a signal was deemed necessary.

She waved him off, "I knew you were going to be fine, it was only if you didn't come back with her that you'd have something to worry about."

He sighs heavily, "Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome, sweetie," She smiles brightly, "Now, is there anything I can do for you? Are you hungry, tired, injured?" She asks, dragging Jamie over to the couch and sitting her down.

"I'm alright," She had already eaten when she was in Garavin territory. More than anything she just wanted to lay down for a bit, the walk back had been long and boring.

"Hey, mom, what'd you think of Chris's mate?" Ryder asks, trying to steer the conversation away before she could ask any uncomfortable questions.

"Oh, he was just the sweetest thing," She gushed, easily distracted, "I know they're going to be one of the cutest couples; they probably already beat out Chelsie and Devin, if I'm honest."

"You're just saying that because you don't like how often Devin swears," Chelsie chimes in, on her way to the kitchen for a glass of water, "Also welcome back, Jamie. It's nice to know that Ryder won't be a whiny pup anymore."

Jamie snickered, "Shut up," He snapped.

"As fun as this is, I'm tired," Jamie interjects before Ryder's pride can be hurt more, "So I'm just gonna take a nap."

"Oh," Danielle's attention immediately turned to her, "Well, if you need any extra blankets or anything you can just ask Ryder," She sent a glare his way, 'If you don't fulfill every single wish that girl has, I will put you up for adoption.'

'Thanks for taking my side, mom,' He responded sarcastically, "Come on, Jamie. I need to grab something from my room anyway."

They both head upstairs, with Ryder opening the door for her. His room was the same. Of course it was. She didn't know why she expected it to become incredibly messy because she was gone for a couple days. For some reason, the thought of him tearing up his room in grief over her was really flattering. Plus, if he did then she could have teased him relentlessly about it.

"Hey, Jamie?" She turned her attention towards Ryder, who she noted had shut the door.

"Yeah?" She prompted, a little off-put by the way he kept glancing away from her eyes.

He stepped forward, gaining more confidence, "Can I mark you?" 

A/N: Damn, writer's block sucks. On the plus side, Ryder finally grew a pair so Jamie and him might finally take their relationship to the next level