Alpha Ryland

Chapter 23

I'm staring at Ryland, waiting for him to finish reading the message. "We should leave soon to meet up with him at the rendezvous point in your pack." He puts the phone on the table and sits on the couch with his hands on his face. He looks stressed out.

When we head over there, there will be a war starting and Ryland is going to fight. What if my pack ends up killing him? He's risking his life, and for what? Does he just want vengeance for his pack? Take back the stolen land? What is his end game here?

I move next to him and put a hand on his back. He looks at me but doesn't smile like he usually does. He sighs and stands up, grabbing my phone and walking away. I follow after him and he goes into our room. He places the phone on a charger and looks around, "we are going to have to pack for another long trip."

Thinking about our last trip, I grimace. I'm not particularly happy about walking again. My feet have just started to feel normal again! And my thighs are already powerful enough after all that exercise. "How about we fly an airplane or take a train? A car at least!?"

He glances over at me while placing some shirts into a luggage he took from under the bed. "I don't think so." I let out a cry of annoyance and look up with my shoulders rolled back, "ugh!" He continues packing and I grab his shoulder, "please!? We can cut down our travel time by days! Weeks, even! We could also maybe..." I think about my parents for a short moment and say, "stop by my place?"

"Why?" he immediately asks. I don't know exactly why, just that I still care for my parents and don't want to be apart from them without telling them why. I need a proper goodbye if I'm going to stay with Ryland from now on. This might get a bit tricky. "You want to leave me?"

"What?" I ask quickly. This took a turn.

"Leaving me for your first lover, Dylan?" He stands up straight and looks at me. I shake my head, "why would you even think that?" He doesn't look away from me or loosen his tight, stern face.

"Do you still have feelings for him?" Ryland asks as if I would actually like two people at the same time. I shake my head and stand right next to him, "of course, not! I only love you and only you, Ry." His frown turns a little upward, now settling as a straight line on his lips. "Pack your bags."

We spend the next hour or so packing and making plans. I had finally got him to agree to get on a plane! He said he hasn't been on one before and is nervous about it. I tell him it will be fine, from what I know about my travels in my private helicopter. We spend the rest of the day with his sister and her husband.

When the time comes for us to leave, which was the next day, we get up early to drive back to the boarders of my pack so we can fly. There is no airport in his pack, and I don't think they would like it if people flew in and out of the pack they tried to steal. Now that I think about this, I am going to no longer be a part of the Northern Pack. I'd have to switch to the Central Pack that is barely known.

We have to cut through some people's lands so we can avoid the guy we had to give my hair to. Getting into the Northern Pack is apparently easier than leaving. We went to the Eastern pack to cut through to enter into the North. It is a little farther, but with the plane it will go by like nothing. When we arrive to the airport, I manage our tickets so Ryland doesn't "accidentally lose it" to get out of riding one.

When we board, Ryland's leg keeps bouncing up and down in anticipation. I put my seat back as far as it can, being in the front of the plane thanks to my parent's money, and close my eyes. He is letting me see my parents until Jake lets us know what to do when we arrive.

The plane starts to take off, the seatbelt signal letting us know to stay in our seats, and the plane moves like a car. We are going around the roads here until the pilot has a straight road ahead. Ryland starts off, "So, what are your parents like?"

I open my eyes to see Ryland nervously looking out the window, then look back at me for an answer. I sigh, thinking about how they would meet for the first time. "They aren't around much, but they are very smart and might quiz you. Quiz you, as in, who are you, what do you do, why you should be the next heir of the company, etc."

He stares at me, "heir to the company...?"

I nod, "I'm the heiress, therefore you would also inherit the large company. It wouldn't be too difficult managing it from afar, but with this war, I don't know what is going to happen."

He nods and look back out the window. The plane starts to accelerate and he jerks forward. I place a hand on his thigh to calm him down, but he is still freaking out. I kiss his cheek and he starts to relax a little. He fully relaxes after he grabs my hand and holds onto it like a parachute if the plane ever went down.

He gets better after the first thirty minutes of flying. I had to sacrifice my sleep on the plane to comfort him. Ryland is staring at the wall of the plane, not daring to look out the window for fear of getting sick. I lay on his arm and take a short nap before being awoken by the stewardess. "Excuse me, Maura Delreal and Ryland Oaks, correct?" I nod at her and I can only assume Ryland did the same. "I'm sorry, but we were ordered to drop you off at a different location."

I look over at Ryland, a little worried, then back to her. "Where?"

She smiles, "The pack house. Alpha Zax had requested for us to stop by his nearest airport and send you there. It must be a great honor!"

I look back at Ryland when she leaves us alone. It's not a great honor as I would have though before I met Ryland. No. Now it is a suspicious inconvenience. "Maura?" Ryland asks me with a question stinging in his eyes. I shrug my shoulders, knowing just as much as he does. Either my absence had been major news and my Alpha wanted to know what happened to me for the weeks I was gone with limited contact with the outside world, or Zax know something about our plan. Either way, this is not going to end well.

Ryland seems to understand the position we are going to be in, tilting his head down, knowing that there is no way to escape from meeting Zax. Ryland is most likely going to present himself as a Central Pack member, and we are going to marked as public enemies. I can only hope my families status will help us out. Ryland's face looks dark and grim, but this is not from the flight, but from fear. "I will protect you no matter what." He lifts his head, "I'll do anything."

His words aren't comforting at all. Him saying he will do anything is making me uneasy because it can mean so many things without boundaries. Lying, stealing, and murder, are one of the top fears that pop into my head, of course not in order of the worst. I lean my head back on his shoulder and he pulls me close, "I love you, Maura."