Forget about me

Chapter six

Ryder

"Sleep we-" Jem cuts himself off. The unfinished sentence grates on my nerves and I whirl toward him about to smack him over the head with my spatula when I see the look on his face. His expression is frozen somewhere between rage and shock. The usually smiling and cheerful Jem gone. Which doesn't happen often. It freaks people out when Jem smiles as he beats them up, because it makes him look a bit crazed, but his mood is simply always bright, but it's when his smile falls away you should be scared.

Following his line of sight, my eyes fall on Alex's face. My blood turns to ice the spatula freezing in the air. A dark blue and purple bruise surrounds her left eye. That side of her face slightly swollen. She must have hidden it beneath makeup yesterday. My gaze trails down to her neck where a bruise that looks a hell of a lot like a big handprint sits as a necklace on the fair skin.

Jem whirls and slams his hands down on the counter the muscles in his back bunching with contained anger. Closing his eyes, Jem inhales through his nose and slowly releases the air through his mouth containing his rage.

"Who did this to you?" my voice is low and calm. Far more collected than I feel. A swirling storm of fury, fear and guilt tears through my insides nauseating me. The storm spreads through my body making my muscles tense as if preparing for a fight.

"Who did wha-" she breaks off, her hand flying to her face as if only now remembering the bruise marring the skin there.

Stepping up to the kitchen isle I brace my hands on the stone counter staring her down. "Who?" voice taking on the tone I use when a pack member doesn't give me the answer I want. I'm not backing down on this. One way or another I'll find out who dared lay a hand on my girl and tear them limb from limb. Unless she'd like to do that herself. Then I'll drag them to her feet in offering before watching Alex destroy whoever hurt her.

The door to the garage opens Shade and Hunter stepping through, both sweaty from their workout. Their voices die down as they feel the air thick with tension. My eyes don't leave Alex but I hear my brothers coming closer.

"What's going on?" Hunter questions eyes bouncing between Jem and me searching for an answer.

Shade always so fucking observant halts by the corner of the kitchen isle his eyes landing on the girl in front of us, sucking in a sharp breath his body goes stiff.

Hunter follows our eyes. Cursing vividly, he stalks to where Alex sits, spins her chair around and grips her chin between his thumb and index finger. He turns her head to the side and inspects her eye before tilting her head up and checking her neck. Hunter brushes back her hair tracing the handprint with his fingers.

"Who?" I press when Hunter steps back releasing her. She looks between all of us noting the murderous expressions we all wear.

"It doesn't matter." She mutters turning her attention to the pancake becoming burnt on the pan behind me. "Can we eat? I'm starving." She deflects her gaze moving to the coffee hot and ready in the pot.

"You don't eat until you've given me a name." I snap levelling the spatula at her.

She leans back in her seat crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine, then I guess I'll starve." The set of her mouth tells me she really will. She can be so fucking stubborn. I suppose that hasn't changed.

Sighing I turn and toss a pancake onto a plate before placing it down in front of her. The idea of her starving not one I can stand. Jem places bowls of strawberries, blueberries, cream and Nutella down on the isle before handing out plates to the rest of us.

Silently, I hand out pancakes tossing away the burnt one and finishing the rest of the batch. We all watch Alex wolf it down. She moans as she chews and it makes my cock stand at attention. The noise far to sensual to be brought on by a pancake. Discreetly I rearrange my hardening cock and turn the stove off grabbing a pancake for myself pouring some berries over it.