Light the Fire (Jackson's Hollow #1)

Chapter 39

"So...it really is sort of like a wolf pack," Jo said, resting her head back against his shoulder, turning her head to look at him. After coming inside, they had curled up on the couch together, Ryker pulling her to him so that her back was pressed up against his chest. Outside, the wind brushed against the windows of the house, promising that winter wasn't too far away.

"Kind of," Ryker said, "Alphas lead. It's like being the mayor of a very small, weird town."

"And you're born into the position?" she asked, wrapping her head around werewolf pack dynamics. "Are there betas? Can anyone be the alpha?"

Ryker laughed, rumbling against her back. His fingers trailed over her right arm and encircled her wrist, forefinger meeting his thumb. "Okay, that's a lot at once."

"I'm curious," she said with a shrug. "If I'm your mate, don't I need to know about all this?"

"There's no if," Ryker growled authoritatively, pressing a swift kiss to her neck as he tightened his arms around her for a moment. Was it terrible of Jo to secretly enjoy teasing him about things like that, knowing how he reacted? He always seemed to want to prove to her they belonged together with his kisses, his touches, his actions...and not gonna lie, it thrilled her.

"Okay, not if," Jo said, laughing as she returned his kiss by grazing her lips against his jaw. "Because, then. Because I'm your mate."

Ryker gave her a lazy, satisfied smile, that had her flicking his chest with her fingers in scolding annoyance. He ignored it as if her fingers were an inconsequential fly. "We're born into the position, yes, but we don't automatically keep it. It's more like our genetics give us an advantage. But someone could always challenge us. Still, the alpha blood is there, and even if it skips a generation, you could get an alpha down the line again."

Jo hesitated a moment, then dove forward with her question, figuring she needed to know. "Why isn't Brett an alpha?"

Luckily, Ryker didn't seem offended. "Not his personality," he said. "But it's not really a surprise either--his mom wasn't my dad's true mate, so the alpha tendencies aren't as strong."

"Does that bother him?" she asked curiously.

Ryker tilted his head, considering his words. "I don't think so, at least not anymore. His mom and my dad had an amicable divorce, so that was never an issue. And Brett knew pretty early that he wanted to be a doctor--it'd be pretty difficult to balance that and being Alpha."

"Does it bother you?" she asked quietly. She wasn't sure how she'd feel about having her life preordained from birth.

Ryker's gaze turned to hers, and the intensity of his stare made her forget what she asked for a moment. He brushed his nose softly against hers and she couldn't help the little half-smile that stole across her face as his eskimo kiss. This man could be ridiculously dorky sometimes, and she was all here for it. She loved being one of the few people who got to see this side of him.

"Only when it means I could be putting you in danger by being Alpha," he said quietly. "My need to protect my pack is strong, which is why I never minded being Alpha one day. But protecting you--that's my greatest need now." He smirked a little. "Even though I know you can protect yourself." He kissed her hair. "Fire girl."

Rain suddenly beat against the window ferociously as if to emphasize his words.

Jo considered herself a strong, independent woman, or at least she tried to be one, and while she appreciated Ryker giving her the space to be just that--in fact, she'd have questioned their soulmate status if he hadn't--she also appreciated him wanting to protect her. It made him seem so very, very attractively masculine.