Embracing the Wolves

[33] Sides

After all the boys had left, it was just me, Ryder, Zander, and Merida sharing a late lunch together. While Merida talked about the drama unfolding at work or informed her sons about the belated condolences from her extended family or friends about Marc, Ryder's eyes stayed down to his food and Zander kept glancing at me with a contained smirk. Even though it was Ryder who could read my thoughts and sense my feelings, it was Zander who could anticipate the chaos raging inside me. Suddenly, I just placed my fork down and sighed while looking at Ryder. I thought it would challenge him to set aside his pride and talk to me about what the hell he just ordered of his pack, but his eyes immediately met mine, void of guilt or apology. The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

Even Merida began glancing between me and her son, noting something was going on and she was about to excuse herself from the table if it wasn't for her motherly ways keeping her here for the fallout.

"Say what you need to say," Ryder said to me.

"Ryder," Merida chastised for maybe his tone towards me, but to me, there was no tone. It was just him being cut and dry which is what we needed because Lord knows we were always emotionally charged. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe she just didn't like her son to be so uncouth. He looked over at her with the same expression though.

"You told me I should communicate more with her, so I am," he responded. "She's the one about to silently explode at this table because she thinks her speaking up is gonna hurt my feelings or something."

"I don't care about hurting your feelings."

That's why you're my mate, he thought proudly, but the alpha in front of me settled with: "Then go ahead," he challenged and sat back onto his chair with his arms crossed.

"Do you really think staging a war is really the best option?"

"No."

No? "Then why are you doing it? Yeah, the Leonards are assholes and my brother is impulsive, but come on—"

"What do you expect—"

"Let her finish," Ryder told his brother.

"Tyriette is too small to have a dozen wolves raging through it."

"We have more than a dozen," Ryder frowned. I glared at his sass.

"Two dozen confirmed, I think," Zander added. I rolled my eyes. "And that was an hour ago."

"Boys," Merida said. Their smirks dropped but Ryder remained looking at me once more. He waved his hand in circles as if asking for more complaints from me.

"Two dozen on your side, another from the Leonards, and then Andrew and Aaron and now Evan and maybe—"

"Is that everyone?" Ryder turned up his nose. I blinked incredulously. "I'm just trying to get an accurate count in my head. Strategy."

That's it. I stood from the table and then Ryder finally snapped out of his pretentious throne and stood as well.

"Wait," he pleaded. "I'm sorry."

"No you're not."

"You're right. I'm not," he reluctantly admitted and then nodded for us to sit back down. I reluctantly obliged. His straightforward honesty was infuriating and attractive all at the same time.

"He's not going to apologize because he's not giving you his battle strategies," Zander excused.

"No, he's not going to apologize because he isn't sorry," I corrected. Then my eyes found Ryder's. "I don't think it has anything to do with strategy, so what is it? Is it about Andrew doing one thing behind your back for once or me talking to Lee this morning or what?"