Chapter 22
Ryder had put in another movie, but I was falling asleep about halfway through. I woke when I''d rolled
on my bad shoulder and hissed with the stinging pain. "You okay?" Ryder asked. "Want me to get a
pillow or something to support your shoulder."
"No, I''m fine. I should probably go back to my room and go to bed." As me being half asleep wasn''t
proof enough, I yawned loudly.
Ryder grinned but held me to him when I tried to get up. "We could justy here for a while. I like this,
and the couch is big enough."
"But I''m falling asleep."
He shrugged. "Yeah, me too, but I don''t want you to leave."
I started tough, despite the fact I kind of didn''t want to leave either. "Werewolves are so weird."
Ryder grinned again. "So is that a yes? Will you stay with me? It doesn''t have to be here, we could go
to your room or mine."
That sounded a little too... "Uh..."
"I''m talking about going to sleep, nothing more. Only doing it together."
"Sure, I bet that''s what you say to all the girls," I told him, sitting up.
Ryder actually snorted. "They wish."
I nced over my shoulder at him and narrowed my eyes. "Oh really?"
"Yep, but this offer is for one girl only - you."
It was stupid, but it was ttering. I returned Ryder''s smile. "Okay." Why not? YOLO, and all that right?
"Okay? Really?"
"Yeah, but let''s go. I''m tired, and my head is starting to hurt."
Ryder practically jumped off the couch to take my hand and helped me up. Heced his fingers with
mine as we walked down the hall.
My nerves grew as we walked into his room. What was I thinking? I was going to sleep in Ryder''s bed
while he''s sleeping too...at the same time? Ryder sat on the bed, taking off only his shoes before
pulling back the covers and lying down. I blew out a breath as I did the same. Only I was on the very
edge of the bed.
Ryder snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me to him until my back was against his chest. "Just
sleeping, that''s all," he said, sounding tired. "Do you want me to leave themp on or are you good with
the dark?"
"Seriously, what am I, six?"
He grinned. "Hey, don''t be hating. There is a lot of people afraid of the dark and are older than six."
"Sounds like you''re talking from personal experience to me?"
"Maybe."
I looked at him over my shoulder. "Really?"
"You''re not going to make fun of me are you?"
"No, of course not."
Ryder hesitated. "I was afraid of the dark until I was fourteen. It''s true." I gave him a dubious look. "Why
Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!
would I dare make up something like that? My rep would be ruined if it got out. I hadn''t shifted yet, so
my night vision sucked. I always had this paranoid fear of someone being in my room without me
knowing. Dean knew about it and would always psych me out before we had to go to bed."
I smiled despite my best attempts not too. I couldn''t help it.
"You said you wouldn''tugh."
"I''m not."
"You''re smiling, that''s like silentughter."
"Silentughter? Really? I wasn''t smiling because I wasughing at you. It''s just I thought it was kind of
adorable."
He gave me a deadpanned expression. "Adorable? Ugh, that''s even worse for my rep. We''ll just have
to keep this a secret." He grinned again. "So what are you afraid of Brook and don''t go all deep on me.
I''m talking about is it bugs, heights, water?"
"Bugs are iffy, they creep me out, but I''m not afraid of them. I can deal with heights, but I get dizzy, and
I love swimming. I guess what scares me is thunderstorms. You know, the really big ones with all the
wind, lightning, thunder, and tornadoes. Really freaked me out."
"Good thing we don''t have too many of those here." Ryder hugged me to him some more. "Night
Brook. Thanks for staying with me tonight."
"Night and no problem."
I groaned as someone shook me. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty. Time to get up," someone said,
sounding way too cheerful. It took me a minute to realize it was Ryder.
"What time is it?" I groaned, trying to hide under the pillow, but the ass stole it from me.
"Almost four in the morning, so you better hurry."
I managed to peel one eye open to re at me. "Are you kidding me? Four in the morning? Why are
you bothering me at four in the morning?"
"Because you don''t want Beth to hate you and agreed to do kitchen duty when starts in an hour. So
chop, chop." He pped his hands.
I red at him as I sat up. I was going to kill him if he pped one more time. Just one more and lights
out! I stood, shuffled to the bathroom with my eyes half-open. I nearly jumped in fright as I looked at
myself in the mirror. My goose egg was a lovely shade of purplish-brown. My face, in general, was pale
and puffy. Man, even my eyes were all crusty, and let''s not talk about my hair. Did Ryder saw me like
this?
Insecurities raised their ugly head, and I felt myself sinking. I''m sure Ryder is re-thinking whole mate
thing now. I sighed and turned on the water, letting it warm up. This whole girlfriend/boyfriend or mates
thing sucked. I never cared about what I looked like when I woke up before. Why did it have to now?
When I finally got the courage to leave the bathroom, Ryder was in bed - asleep. How dare he...little
bastard. I went right back into the bathroom, filled up a ss of cold water. With silent, evilughter I
poured it over his head. He shrieked like a little girl as he shot up from the bed and I tossed the ss,
thankfully stic, and ran. When Ryder shouted my name, I ran as if the devil was chasing me, which
in this case just might be true.
Somehow I managed to make it downstairs without killing myself. I came sliding into the kitchen,
earning strange looks from Beth and Rose. I ran next to Beth and ducked behind the ind. She gave
me one of her death res, but I was more worried about Ryder at the moment.
"If you tell Ryder you haven''t seen me I''ll do one of your dirtiest chores today. I swear it!"
Beth continued to re at me, but her head shot up when someone came into the room.
"Brook here yet?" Ryder demanded.
I bit my lip to keep fromughing, and when Beth didn''t answer him at first, I was sure she was going to
rat me out. "No, I haven''t seen her," she said finally. "If you do. Tell her she''ste. I''m so not doing this
by myself since it was totally her fault in the first ce."
"You''re not covering up for her are you?"
Beth made a condescendingugh. "Why would I do that?"
"Alright enough of this silliness," Rose demanded. "You get out unless you''re going to help," she
demanded to Ryder I assume. After a moment she said, "He''s gone. You can get up now."
"What did you do to him? Beth asked as we washed our hands.
"He woke me up and had the gall to go back to sleep even before I left the room. So I gave him a cold
water bath."
Beth scowled but the way the corner of her mouth twitched, I think it was only so she wouldn''tugh.
"You doused the future alpha with cold water?"
"Yep. He screamed like a fangirl with her crush."
"You know some packs would consider that an act of disrespect which is punished harshly."
"Well, then those packs need to get their sticks out of their asses. He totally deserved it, and I''d totally
do it again. I bet you would''ve done the same thing in my ce."
She red at me, but I didn''t think it was as cold as before. Suddenly, I wondered if Beth had any
bruises to hide as I did. I know Mike tried to avoid hitting her but did their father? He hit their mother
and Mike. Somehow I couldn''t see him sparing Beth.
"Enough gossip! Time for work," Rose demanded, making both Beth and I jump. "We have almost forty
hungry wolves waking up soon, and they''re going to want to eat."
"Yes, ma''am," Beth and I said almost at the exact time. She gave me an odd look, and I made an
exaggerated shudder.
"Creepy," I told her.
"Yeah, no kidding."