Ryker was extremely annoyed with himself. He should have turned around and walked away. He should have let her fall flat on her face on the cement. It would serve her right for not looking at where she was walking. Yet the moment he kissed her, he knew there was something there.

The ebbing feeling didn't make him feel any better. It annoyed him even more. Shoving his hands through his hair, he walked the dark streets of Mary's neighborhood. There was nothing threatening that would linger around. This town was way too small for that.

Besides, he grew up on the most dangerous streets where burglaries happened on a daily basis and fights breaking out were nothing new to him. Yet he still kept an ear out on his surroundings.

He walked a couple more blocks and saw the car they came in sitting in a dark corner. He had told Abraham to wait here while he took care of "business". Abraham knew him better than that, but didn't question him.

When Ryker reached the passenger side, he knocked on the window hard enough to wake up his sleeping brother. He jerked awake, startled by the noise. Rubbing his eyes, he looked over at Ryker before unlocking the car door.

"So, did you take care of business?" Abraham asked while starting the car and pulling onto the quiet street.

They both knew the answer already, but Abraham wanted him to say either way. However, Ryker was just as stubborn as Abraham. He would be a dead man before he admits he still has resolved what he felt towards Mary. Honestly, he doesn't even know where to fucking to begin.

"It doesn't matter," Ryker mumbled, but they both knew that was a lie. It did matter which was why they traveled thousands of miles to visit this pack—which was also why Ryker stood next to the restaurant's waste bin out back and waited for Mary to end her shift.

"She might not be so bad, Ryker," Abraham mentioned.

"No," Ryker said firmly. "I mean it when I said I'm done going to go there again."

"Did Lottie fuck you up so bad that you can't even get over her?" Abraham retorted, dumbfounded with his brother's unwillingness to deal with female wolves.

"Don't!" Ryker lashed out at the mention of the female who broke his heart. He gave her everything he could except for money and rank. If she had asked for his life, he would have given it to her. It was that simple. She used his affections for her to make herself feel better. He was a fool to trust and to fall in love.

Abraham turned onto the road that led to Alpha Ivan's house. Their surrounding changed quickly from an open landscape to woodsier surroundings. The moon sat high above them while the radio played rock music softly in the car.

"I'm just saying—"

"We are here strictly for business," Ryker interrupted heatedly.

"Ok, if you want to lie to yourself, go right ahead," Abraham shot back just as angrily. His own temper rising with his brother's.

They came to a full stop in front of the house. Abraham holds Ryker in the highest respect. With the two growing up rough during their teens and struggling on their own for the last five years, Abraham trusted his brother with his life.

He knew Ryker struggled with trust issues. Ryker changed since Lottie. He became colder and less nice towards females. He didn't hurt them because both brothers believed in never hitting a female, but his words were biting and cold. With him being this cold, Abraham thought females would find him unsuitable and a total asshole, but it was quite the opposite.

When Ryker rose to his position and slowly earned a reputation in the werewolf community, gaining his wealth through investments and bridging business partners, Ryker started gaining a pool of females around his feet. They didn't mind his cold, biting bark or his unflattering words.

Quite honestly, Abraham was even surprised that Ryker was being nice to Mary—well, Ryker's way of being nice, really.

Still, he couldn't blame Ryker for feeling cautious and not trusting anyone close. Lottie really did a number on him. Abraham remembered it even when it's been years.

The problem between the two brothers, Ryker wore his heart on his sleeves and got his heartbroken to shreds while Abraham found it much harder to fall in love. He stuffed his heart deep inside of him.

Ryker slammed his door close, which jerked Abraham back to sitting in the car. He let go of the wheel and shifted the gears to park before getting out of the vehicle.

Ryker didn't bother waiting for Abraham. His mood has completely plummeted, and he needed a drank. Badly. He walked inside with purpose, with no care that this wasn't his house. He entered the kitchen and looked through the drawers until he found Alpha Ivan's wonderful stash of liquid gold. He took it upon himself to grab a bottle and a square glass from the cabinet before heading to his bedroom.

He locked the door to stop his brother from coming inside and giving him another one of his speeches. He heard it way too often that he didn't need his brother's irking presence.

He turned on the light switch before walking further into the room. Tossing the liquid gold glass bottle onto the middle of the bed, he started removing his dress shirt. He discarded the shirt on a red velvet armchair before sitting on the edge of the bed. He grabbed the bottle and pour himself a nice cup.

In one gulp, he downed the burning yet sweet liquid. The pain in his right chest was damning. He wanted to rip his heart out and stab it to give an unfamiliar pain. It wanted to weep and cry for a female who didn't want him. Well, he'll give it something else to worry about.

Ryker was so intent on getting rid of the pain in his chest, he finished the bottle in record time. Falling back onto the bed with a heavy sigh, he stared up at the ceiling. His mind was running a million reasons a minute.

"What the fuck am I doing here?" he growled to himself before shoving both hands through his hair. Rolling over to his side, he scrubbed his face and scratched at his stubbled beard.

"Fuck it," he snarled.

He would not allow Mary to change who he was. It took so long for him to get here. He won't return to who he was. Closing his eyes, he focused on shoving all thoughts about her from his mind. Her nice curvy body, the way she felt against him, how good she looked tonight dressed in a chef's jacket---fuck, he was going insane.

He grabbed the pillow and threw it over his head. Covering his face and ears, he tried once again.

She smelt wonderful tonight. He loved the rosemary leaves and buttery aroma that seemed to fall off her in waves. He couldn't help but noticed the way she smiles too. It wasn't captivating at all, neither was it seductive, yet what pulled him in was something simpler than anything he can imagine. It was the warmth and honesty that stemmed from those smiles from her.

Ryker fell asleep but dreamt about Mary all night long. By the time he woke up, he was as thoroughly frustrated with her as he was with the lack of sleep. This feeling would not resolve itself on its own. He was becoming an obsessive idiot, and that was the last thing he wanted.

He knew what he needed to do. Ryker needed to high tail his ass out of this territory as soon as he can. There was no point in remaining.

He took a quick shower, threw on a V-neck dark navy t-shirt and dark denim jeans before pulling on white casual shoes. Unbothered to even fix his hair, he combed through it once, twice, and a third time and called it good. Rubbing at his chin, he made his way out of his bedroom, intent on finding his brother and giving him the news of returning home.

It took him a while, but he found them. In the least likely area that he thinks they would be. The idiots were sitting on the kitchen island stools and watching Mary cook. How on earth did she end up here early in the morning was beyond him? It was barely eight in the morning.

Abraham was the first to notice him before the rest of his enforcers noticed him. Mary was the last to look up from the stove. She stopped stirring the food was in front of her.

"Good morning," Mary replied.

"Morning," Ryker grumbled before moving to sit next to Abraham.

Abraham threw him a look before wiggling his eyebrows. Ryker noticed from the corner of his eyes that Mary was looking at them. He turned his head in time to catch a shadow of a blush on her cheek. She wasn't blushing at him. No, whatever they were talking about earlier placed that blush on her cheek. He wanted to wipe it off immediately.

He glared at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Alpha Ivan instructed me to cook you all breakfast since you all loved it so much last night," she responded gently even when she felt his glare burn holes through her face.

"It's delicious! Here, try the breakfast egg muffins," Gray offered, pushing the plate of nicely golden and colorful egg muffins towards Ryker.

"If you could wait, I have some hash about ready to eat," she replied.

Ryker narrowed his eyes at her before pinning Gray with a look that could split a tree. Gray smiled anxiously at Ryker before turning his back and jumping into a mindless conversation with his peers. Abraham shoved Ryker in warning before turning his attention to Mary.

"So, Mary, where did you learn to cook?" Abraham asked.

"I've always had an interest in food. I mean, I enjoy eating, so I have to learn to cook, right?" she replied with a shy smile toward Abraham.

The way she looked at Abe ignited Ryker's earlier irritation further. He kicked his brother's shin hard. Abraham grunted before looking at Ryker in confusion.

"It's just my brother and me after our parents died. When Marcus turned eighteen, he became an enforcer and you all know the weird shift hours that enforcers work. He was almost never home. I was alone, and so I learned to cook myself. It just seemed to fall together with just the two of us. He did one thing to keep us above water and I did what I can to help," she added before placing a plate in front of Ryker.

She turned back to the stove and grabbed the skillet filled with cheesy bacon and hash. The aromatic bacon smell swept in front of Ryker. It quickly got Ryker's attention. He watched her scooped the food onto the plate for everyone.

"So, do you have a mate in mind?" Abraham inquired.

Mary's blush appeared again. She laughed nervously before scooping some food onto Ryker's plate. He didn't ask for it. He didn't tell her to make him a plate, but she seemed to do it without thinking. It was highly intimate to fill the plate of an Alpha like this. Should only be done if the two are mated but he didn't question her. She seemed oblivious to her actions.

"No," she replied, "but it is okay. I love my life right now."

"Do you?" Ryker said.

She pinned him with her attention. He found he didn't mind it at all. She answered him without looking away.

"I do," she responded.

"I think differently," he countered.

Her eyes narrowed on him. She remained rooted to her spot in front of him, although on the opposite side of the island.

"I think you wish to have a mate," he stated, challenging her to accept because they both knew she wouldn't have kissed him if she wasn't seeking. She wouldn't have been at the Mating Ball if she wasn't interested.