Embracing the Wolves

[*] Murderers United

Author's Note: So I'm trying something different. The chapters marked with an asterisk are from a limited omniscient point of view (there's only two of these chapters).  They only serve to create dramatic irony for Ashlynn (and I suppose Ryder too for just this chapter) to be honest, but you can also understand the beginnings of how Ryder thinks and uncovers things for himself and why he acts a certain way around a certain character. SO if you're someone who wants total explanations, read the chapters. If you strictly want to uncover the story as Ashlynn does, don't read the chapters. 

DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU.

*****

Ryder drove back to Ashlynn's house in an unexplained fury. Once his car had pulled into the driveway, the strange, beautiful woman had stood up. Filled with a mixture of anger, wonder and natural territorialism, he quickly got out of his Porsche and approached her.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" he hissed at her on the porch. He was sure to quickly glance and sniff around to know that no one was home and no neighbors were watching. The woman's face was familiar, but loads sadder than the night of the fire. That night, she was filled with vengeance and intent. While Ryder knew she was older than him and someone who demanded respect, he didn't wait for her response. He began to walk away from her before she followed and spoke.

"Where are you going?"

"I can't be seen with you," he answered while opening the driver side door. He looked down at her with a surprising amount of control. "Meet me at the old house on 4253 Obsidian in twenty minutes," he ordered before trusting she would manage her own way there in the allotted time.

***

Ryder paced for only five minutes before the woman arrived. His thoughts were clouded with everything to do with Ashlynn—if his car prank ruined her day, if she was worried about a stranger on her doorstep, how disappointed she was in him—everything down to whether or not she even liked Colin's cooking that he knew would be Hamburger Helper. But just like his every day struggle, he had to silence that part of his mind in order to deal with the issue at hand.

"So what's your name?" she asked politely while she walked around and examined every inch of the historic house like Ryder remembered doing himself long ago.

"Yeah right."

"You don't trust me," she figured and eventually stopped circling the foyer. Ryder only shifted and crossed his arms.

"I think I have a good reason as to why," Ryder responded with a scoff. Now the lady smirked.

"So you're the alpha," she named. "I thought it might be you or the other boy in the fire. I'm not surprised it's you. He saved the girl, you went for the kill. Alpha priority."

"Not my kind of alpha," Ryder whispered under his breath despite wanting to defend his decision to have Zander take Ash to the hospital. But he didn't owe that to a stranger. "And I wasn't trying to kill Preston."

"I know," she laughed. "You just let him suffer from the fire and woke him up only to nearly beat him to death—"

"I wasn't trying to kill him!" Ryder suddenly roared and felt his eyes blur for half a second to where he knew they were glowing red. But instead of cowering away in fear of rank, the woman was amused.

"Maybe not," she changed and then took steps towards him. She stopped when she was a foot away and Ryder was void of his wolf barking inside of him for the proximity somehow. His hand even twitched at the thought of grabbing the dagger he had stolen from Ashlynn a long time ago. The woman's dark eyes searched his. "But you could have," she added, hinting that she knew about Ryder's identity as an Alpha. The two glared at each other for a brief moment before she took two steps away from him and let her hands clasp behind her. "So I think I did you a favor."