“I know what you’re thinking.” Ryne leaned over to whisper in her ear, his tone teasing. He grabbed her hand as he steered the vehicle with the other.
His touch was somehow comforting, so she didn’t pull away, even though his comment made her bristle. Deciding to put him in his place, she commented on his current apparel. “Actually, I was thinking how cute you look in those clothes. Short plaid golf pants are just so...you!” His expression made her laugh. “Well, you should be thankful Mr. Aldrich had a suitcase of clothes in the back and all those wet wipes. Otherwise we’d both still be filthy and you’d be naked.”
Ryne grunted and Mel wisely kept silent for a while, watching the scenery. Eventually, Ryne spoke again.
“What are you really thinking about?”
“I’m just trying to figure out how I’ll manage being a werewolf in Chicago.”
“In Chicago?” He looked surprised.
“Well, where else would I be?”
“Back in Stump River, with me.” Ryne stated the fact as if it were a foregone conclusion.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah.”
“Says who?”
“Says me!”
“And what if I don’t want to go?” She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over her chest, turning to stare out the window. Ryne didn’t respond and she checked on him out of the corner of her eye. He was gripping the steering wheel hard enough that his knuckles were turning white and a muscle ticked in his jaw. She looked away and they drove in silence. Finally, he sighed and spoke in a low voice.
“Why? Why don’t you want to go back? Is it too quiet? You don’t like my house? The lack of a coffee shop?”
She shrugged and picked at the material of the seatbelt.
“Is it me?”
His voice sounded uncertain and when she looked his way, there was a general air of hurt about him.
“Well...”
“Melody, I apologized for what I said that last day in Stump River. I didn’t mean any of it. It was all because of the Keeping. You were asking questions and I couldn’t provide any answers. If you found out, and then told someone else...” He sighed. “Your life was at stake. Your life and the lives of my brother’s entire pack. I couldn’t take the chance...”
“Why didn’t you just trust me?”
“It’s hard to explain. It’s almost bred into us. The need to hide; to not let outsiders in; to be suspicious of human motives. Our people were persecuted for millennia, almost hunted to extinction. Centuries of distrust are hard to ignore. Even when a human is your...friend...you tend to hold back.”
“I suppose... I guess I have forgiven you, though you didn’t need to be quite so mean.”
Ryne chuckled. “You’re stubborn, Melody. If I didn’t come down on you hard, you’d have just kept hanging around, trying to worm your damn interview out of me.”
A guilty smile curved on her lips. He knew her so well.
“So you’ll forgive me and come back?” Ryne sounded hopeful, but Mel wanted more.
“Why do you want me back?”
He shrugged. “Well...you’re a werewolf now. You need a pack to help you. Going it on your own is tricky. Most lone wolves don’t survive.”
“So, my returning is totally for my own good.” She raised her eyebrows, questioning his reasoning.
“Sure. You need a home. My pack needs more members. You like Bryan and Daniel. Oh, and did I tell you about the Loberos? They’re joining us, too. There’s Marco, his mate Olivia, their son—he’s just a baby—and Marco’s sister, Tessa. You’ll get along great with them and Olivia is about your age, I think.”
“Uh-huh.” Mel stared out the window and fought to swallow past the lump in her throat. He wasn’t saying anything about caring for her, loving her. She’d been so sure last night, when she’d been almost delirious and fighting not to shift, that he’d said he loved her, but now...
She felt him flicking glances her way; sensed his worry, but had no inclination to talk any more. Ryne was arrogant, rude, and domineering. He was also clever and witty, courageous and strong, good looking, sexy and, when she’d really needed it, he’d been gentle and tender. Damn, she hated to admit it, even to herself, but she loved the man. Still, if he wanted her to be a part of his life he’d have to do better than he had so far and clearly express his feelings. If she gave in to him now, it would set a precedent for the rest of their time together.
Instead, she focused on herself, pondering where her werewolf genetics might have come from. It could be her father or maybe somewhere in her mother’s background. Mel had never known her grandparents so it was hard to tell. Likely it was a mystery that she’d never solve, especially since they had to keep their existence a secret. After all, she could hardly walk up to her mother and say ‘Hey, are there any werewolves in our background?’