08/18/2017

Cousins?

Evelyn and Ryder were cousins?

Kristin broke out into a smile, "I try," she said, causing Ryder to roll his eyes and Evelyn to chuckle. "It's nice meeting you too," she added before they exchanged their orders and she left for the kitchen.

"That's your cousin?" Kristin raised her brows at Ryder, finding this to be very unexpected.

"Kristin, half of the people in this pack are related to me, why are you so surprised?" he gave her a look of confusion.

She shook her head, shrugging. She was just glad they were cousins, she hated to admit her jealousy over him. It was annoying.

"What side is she from?" she cautiously asked him, not wanting to bring up Rickard again. She was curious though.

"My mom had four other sisters, Evelyn is from her side," he replied, "My father was an only child."

"Oh," Kristin was beginning to realize she had a lot more to learn about Ryder. Exactly why they should take this slow.

"Does that mean this was your mom's pack?" she asked, realizing that all of that side his family lived here.

He nodded, "She didn't have any brothers, so since she was the oldest, whoever her mate was, would become the Alpha."

Kristin was hesitant to keep asking him questions about his family, since obviously that was a sore subject, so she just nodded, hiding her curiosity.

"How long was I sleeping, back there?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Only for half an hour," Ryder said, scrunching his brows, "Then you started crying and panicking so I woke you up."

Kristin looked out the window to her right, avoiding his gaze.

"They're about what happened, aren't they?" he asked, looking intently at her.

"They're different each time," she shrugged, only half lying.

She was still looking out the window, not wanting to let him see her eyes. Then he would know for sure she was lying.

At the best moment possible, Evelyn came back with their food, making Ryder drop the subject.

"Alright, I'll see you around, Alpha," she teased Ryder, "And it was really nice meeting you, Kristin. I'm glad Ryder found you," she smirked at Ryder before walking away.

Ryder rolled his eyes, digging into his food.

Kristin munched on some french fries, not having a big appetite.

When Ryder was done he looked over at her plate.

"Kristin, why aren't you eating anything?"

"I'm not hungry," she shrugged. The last couple of days she hadn't really ate much, so this was normal-- well, normal for these circumstances.

"You haven't eaten since you got here earlier today," he said suspiciously.

Actually, she had skipped breakfast as well. She wasn't about to tell him that though.

"I said I'm not hungry," she repeated, giving him an annoyed look.

He narrowed his eyes at her before finally letting them leave.

"Now where are we going?" Kristin asked as they drove past all of the pack's houses towards the title's houses.

"To my house," Ryder casually replied.

"Your house?"

"I moved out when I was seventeen, so I could live by myself."

"What a loner," she teased and he just rolled his eyes.

"The Alpha's house is getting remodeled right now so we're staying at my old house."

Kristin was curious about the remodeling but didn't ask, thinking Rickard might be brought up again. That had been his house after all. And Ryder's mother's.

Kristin raised her brows as they approached the huge two story house.

"I had this built three years ago."

"Who would have thought, you actually have decent taste," she said, looking up at the towering house through the windshield.

Ryder scoffed, "I have the best taste," he corrected.

"Mmhm," she muttered, getting out and following him through the front door.

Once she had walked around inside looking at all of the rooms, Ryder's voice got her attention.

"You can sleep in my room," he said, walking into the living room to sit on a couch.

"I don't think so," Kristin crossed her arms at him, "I'm sleeping by myself."

"There's only one bedroom," Ryder smirked at her.

"You're lying."

He chuckled, shaking his head.

"This is a two story house and you only have one bedroom?" Kristin had a hard time believing this.

"If you think I'm lying then go look for yourself."

Kristin narrowed her eyes at his smugness, "I'm sleeping by myself."

Ryder rolled his eyes, "Calm down, I'll sleep out here."

"No, you sleep in your room, I'll sleep on the couch," she argued, not wanting to take the only bed.

"Let's watch a movie," Ryder said, changing the subject.

Kristin sighed, actually thinking a movie would distract her from the approaching night.

She sat next to Ryder, but still put decent space between them.

Ryder saw this and shook his head, clicking the tv on.

"You're killing me."

"Can I pick the movie?" Kristin asked in a sweet voice, ignoring his comment.

"No," Ryder said, flipping through the movies.

"Please?" she widened her eyes when Ryder turned towards her.

"Fine," he handed her the remote.

"Yes! We're watching my favorite movie," Kristin's smile widened as she clicked to the Disney section.

"Anything but that," Ryder groaned, slouching on the couch.

"Ryder, this movie is really good," Kristin scolded.

"We've already watched it, you've probably watched it a hundred times already," he complained.

"At least," she replied shrugging.

"You owe me," Ryder muttered as the movie started. "I'm going to--"

"This is the story, of how I died," Kristin interrupted him, quoting the movie as it played. She wasn't sure why he looked annoyed.

"Kristin--"

"Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine," she laughed at his annoyed expression and reached over to grab a blanket off the back of the couch, wrapping it around her.

Ryder sat through almost half of the movie, only really paying attention to Kristin quoting it, until she fell asleep.

She leaned towards him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Ryder rolled his eyes at her actions, knowing she would never do this awake.

The next morning Kristin awoke, stretching her arms.

She yawned before snuggling back into her pillows.

She smiled, thinking it was weird how her pillows smelled like Ryder.

Then she opened her eyes, realizing the whole room smelled like Ryder.

Dark grey walls surrounded her, a dresser was in one corner, and a shelf with a box full of trophies sat in the other corner.

Kristin sat up, looking down at the bed she was currently in, bringing the blue sheets to her nose to smell Ryder's scent on them.

She turned around, making sure he wasn't in the room with her. The bed was huge after all, they both could have fit. She would have never let him though.

Sliding off the side onto the floor she looked down to see she had slept in her black jeans and top. They felt extremely uncomfortable now.

Adjusting her hair, she walked downstairs, finding Ryder on the phone.

"Give me a minute," he grumbled to whoever was on the other end.

She watched him pause for a moment before turning around to see her.

"I'll get there when I get there," he snapped and hung up the phone.

"Morning," he said, turning to toss his phone on the counter.

Although they had been living together for two weeks before this, Kristin felt somewhat different.

Maybe because you slept in his bed last night? she thought to herself.

Or because you know you're mates now.

"So how did I get from the couch to your room?" Kristin raised a brow, crossing her arms at him.

Ryder shrugged, walking out of the kitchen and down the hallway.

"I said I was going to sleep on the couch," she said, following him through a door into what looked like an office.

"You said you wanted to sleep by yourself and I was already sleeping on the couch so it just made sense for you to sleep in the bed," he said, looking through papers that were spread over the desk.

"You carried me there?" she put her hands on her hips.

Ryder looked up at her, "You could have slept-walked upstairs," he shrugged.

"I don't sleep-walk Ryder," she gave him a flat look. She wasn't denying that her sleeping arrangements weren't comfortable. In fact, his bed was super oversized and comfy, plus it smelled like him. It was just the idea of Ryder carrying her up the stairs and putting her into the bed whilst she was sleeping that made her face tint a shade of pink.

"That's weird," Ryder said, glancing down at the paper in his hand. She waited for him to continue but realized he was referring to how she got into his bed.

She followed him out of his office and up the stairs, wanting to know what he was doing.

"Ryder," she whined when he kept walking in circles.

"I just wanted to see if you were following me," he stopped walking and smirked.

"I need to take a shower," she huffed, feeling the need to get ready for the day.

Ryder raised his hands, "Don't shoot."

She gave him an unamused look, partly because it had triggered her to remember her nightmare, and he chuckled.

"Bathroom's right there," he pointed down the hall.

Before Ryder walked away Kristin spoke up.

"Is there only one bathroom in this house too?"

"No, there's three," Ryder said in a 'duh' tone.

"Why on earth do you have three bathrooms and only one bedroom?" Kristin shook her head.

"There has to be one by my bedroom, and one in the weight room, and one downstairs of course."

"Someone's high maintenance," she smirked at him.

"Says the one who complains about there only being one bedroom," he rolled his eyes, "You know that bed is big enough to fit the both of us?"

"Not going to happen," she called as she walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

•. •. •. •. •.

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