The Mating Game: Big Bad Wolf(19)

“She does mean everything,” Marge whispered to her as Daisy opened the fence gate and walked through.

Daisy considered this. They’d be interrogating the heck out of her and she’d have to dodge all kinds of awkward questions.

But, pie.

After a moment’s consideration, the pie won.





Chapter Eight




As soon as Ryker walked in through the front door of his house, he sensed that Daisy was gone. The house felt empty and a little colder without her there. He called out her name and went to her room, but she was nowhere to be found.

He felt a sharp stab of loneliness lance through him. How strange; he’d never minded being alone in his own house before. He enjoyed his own company. Maybe it was the fear of Daisy not coming back at all.

She’d be gone in a few weeks either way, back to her lifestyle of old money and privilege, so it shouldn’t bother him, but it did.

Had she changed her mind and headed for the hills? Any sane woman would, after dealing with his family.

Then light dawned. His family – right. Of course. That was where Daisy was. He went back into Daisy’s room. Yep, her purse was sitting on the nightstand. So, she hadn’t left the property.

He shifted into wolf form, dropping to all fours, and ran the short distance to his parents’ ranch house. Normally he’d lope along slowly, drawing in all the familiar homey scents of the pack lands. The wood-smoke from fireplaces, the scent of his pack members, the loamy earth, the sap of fallen pine needles that crunched under his paws. Not today, though. Right now he was pissed. He’d told his family not to come back onto his property, and they’d disrespected him. Family or no, he was the Alpha.

Daisy was in the dining room of his parents’ house, sitting between his mother and his Aunt Marge, with several empty plates in front of her.

He stormed in, glaring at his mother, who jumped and let out a startled squeak.

“I am your Alpha. I told you to stay off my property and leave Daisy alone,” he snapped at her. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Daisy looked at him with big, innocent eyes. “Oh, it’s my fault,” she said as his mother started mumbling excuses. “You told me all about that pie, and I couldn’t resist. I had to come try some.”

His mother flashed Daisy a grateful look, and he was sure he saw Daisy wink at her. Great. Daisy and his mother were conspiring together? It was a good thing she wouldn’t be sticking around.

Wasn’t it?

He scowled at them. “I am taking my mate back now.”

“So she is your mate?” his mother said eagerly.

He let out a rumbling growl of annoyance. Why had he just said that? He didn’t need to encourage his mother any further.

“You heard him. His mate,” Marge said to Harriet, nodding with satisfaction.

Daisy leaped to her feet and hurried to the door. “Bye, all! Thanks for a lovely dinner!”

Daisy walked out the door with Ryker, and when he shifted, she did too.

This time he took it easy, strolling along the dirt road that led back to his house. He told himself that he was just being thoughtful – he wouldn’t want to make her run on a full stomach. Or did he want to see how she liked the quiet country road and the pack lands? Was she a city wolf at heart, or could she ever come to enjoy living in the country like this?

She seemed to enjoy it, frequently sniffing at the air and the ground, strolling slowly, in no apparent hurry.

When they got to his front door and shifted, she smiled and said, “Lovely land you’ve got here. Way more relaxed than my family’s lands. They’ve got everything mowed and trimmed to within an inch of its life.”

“I know my family dragged you to their house to interrogate you,” Ryker grumbled as they walked into the living room.

“It was fine,” Daisy said. “I actually enjoyed it.”

“You mean they weren’t completely crazy?”

“Oh my goodness, beyond crazy. Crazy doesn’t even begin to cover it.” She grinned at him. “You wouldn’t believe the kinds of questions they were asking me. Your mother told me that she could have her husband build us an extra-sturdy bed if we needed it. Wanted to know if there was any chance of grandcubs yet. Said she’d be fine with designing a wedding dress with a larger waistline if necessary, no judgement, but she hoped she’d get to pick the middle names.”

Ryker turned red and spluttered. The fact that Daisy was still here was proof that miracles still happened.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he muttered, hurrying to the fridge to grab a beer.

“More than a little,” she said with a grin.

Then her face went serious as he sat down next to her, handed her a beer, and downed half of his in one long, desperate swallow. “I feel bad about lying to them, Ryker. They’re good people. I mean, I did try to remind them that we just met each other and all that, but then your cousins kept chiming in with stories about how their parents married after dating for a week, and…”