Alpha's Mate (Completed)

Chapter 46

~Ryker POV~

''Holy crap. Where is it?!'' I mutter aloud, throwing things around my room.

''Ryker? Is everything okay?'' I hear the voice of my mate call out from her room. Mate, My mate. Her voice. Because she's here with me. My wolf does a jump for joy inside me. The sound of her footsteps approach my room, and I slam the drawer shut, turning around rapidly. ''What are you doing?''

''Nothing.'' I say innocently, palms up. She gives me a playful glare. We had arrived back from the almost-war yesterday, and everyone keeps asking when I'm going to propose again. Which I'm trying to do. Except I can't find the ring.

''I'm now stupid. Now what are you up to?'' She smirks, getting closer to me. I turn away, trying to hide my guilty face. She grabs me from behind, straining to be able to reach my shoulder. I chuckle.

''Nothing, I told you.''

''I don't believe youuu.'' She sing-songs. I glance down, ready to pluck her hands from my shoulder, when I see the ring. My eyes widen, and I freeze. She notices my stiffening and her tone becomes more concerned, her playful mood fading. ''Hey, what's wrong?''

The ring is on her right hand and her index finger, but she's still wearing it. I lift my hands to stroke her fingers softly. She leans more heavily into my back, and I can practically picture her face. Eyes closed, small smile gracing her face, entirely distracted. At this point, I slip the ring off her finger, slowly, gently.

However, she still notices, and her small hands recede from my shoulder. I suck in a breath, senses alert, but she makes no move to leave. Ever so slowly, I turn around. She meets my gaze firmly, never shamed or embarrassed. I smile softly at her boldness.

''You took it?'' I murmur wonderingly.

''The day I left.''

''Why?''

I can tell she wants to look away, but she forces herself not to break eye contact. ''I needed something to remember you by.'' She breathes, barely a whisper. It's the most vulnerable she's even been with me, and it warms my heart.

''Why did you leave?'' I ask, needing to know the story from her perspective.

''You know.'' She shrugs, vulnerability over. She plops herself on my bed, laying down and stretching herself out. I sit down next to her, legs straight, feet dangling off the bed.

''I know it had something to do with Ryan. Did he kidnap you?''

''No.'' She shakes her head, eyes filling with shame and regret. ''I left by choice.''

''By choice?'' The volume of my voice increases. ''Why?''

''He threatened you. And your parents. And my parents. And Brinley, Ashalyn and our whole pack.''

I growl at this, even though the man is dead, grabbing her waist and pulling her into my lap. I do love how she uses the words our pack. She doesn't resist being in my lap, but sits up stiffly against my chest.

''And you didn't think I could take of the threat, that our pack couldn't, that I wouldn't have protected your friends and family?'' I ask, hurt.

''But would you have protected yourself?'' She asks softly. I mull over this for a minute.

''Probably not.'' I admit, grinning. It quickly fades. ''But there was no reason to leave. I'm a big boy, Kimbriella.''

''I know.'' She sighs, leaning her head back to see me, squirming around in my lap to do so. She presses a chaste backwards kiss to my neck. I shift awkwardly, lifting her out of my lap.

''What?'' She pouts, eyes clear and blue and absolutely innocent. Tease.

''Sweetie, you were practically giving me an accidental lap dance.'' I inform her. Like she doesn't know exactly what she's doing.

''Sorry.'' She murmurs, smiling, sounding remarkably unrepentant.

''No, you aren't.'' I mutter, and her adorable face, with her great smile, lights up.

''You're probably right.'' She grins, kissing my cheek before hopping out of my bed and walking out of the room.

''Wait, where are you going?'' I pout.

''Food!'' She calls, the single word explanatory.

''Ring first!''I yell.

''Fine.'' She agrees loudly. She comes back to give it to me. I finger it delicately, my stomach clenching at the thought of proposing again.

Mate her. My wolf suggests.

Sawyer, you know she wants to wait. I counter patiently.

That doesn't mean we don't want to. I groan. I want to agree, really I do. This is truth, after all.

Shut up. I tell him instead.