Page 42 of His to Defend

He was right.

And that pissed him off.

He had to get out of there.

Ryker’s bear roared. He turned away from his siblings and started running to the woods, shifting in the process. His clothes shredded all around him. But he didn’t care. All he cared about was the feeling of power that flowed through his veins as he let his animal take over. The pure adrenaline as he pushed his muscles harder and further than he ever had before, crashing through the trees.

He didn’t know where he was going as long as it was far away from Nina and everything he’d screwed up.

Nina promised herself she wouldn’t worry. She wouldn’t let herself get worked up or think anything of the fact that Ryker had never returned to the wedding after ditching out of the ceremony.

But despite the promises she’d made to herself, she couldn’t help it.

When, after the cocktail hour—complete with speeches from both Luke and Kade together and a short one from herself—Ryker still hadn’t shown up, her concern grew. Nina tried to track down Natalia to see what was going on, but she was nowhere to be found either. It wasn’t until the band started up and the dances began that Natalia reappeared.

“Where’s Ryker?” She didn’t bother beating around the bush.

“He left.”

“I noticed.”

For the first time, Natalia’s expression softened when she turned to look at Nina. “I’m sorry. I really am. He didn’t want to go. It was…”

“It was what?” Panic and hurt and a flood of other feelings crashed through her. How could this be happening? She’d just found him. Just found someone she felt connected to, someone she thought she might actually love and…

“It was a family emergency,” Natalia said. “Our brother Liam came and he had to go. He really did.”

“Why didn’t you go?” Nina asked. Nothing made sense. “You’re family.”

“It’s different.” Her smile was sad and she looked as though she wanted to say more, but after a moment, she pressed her lips together and nodded.

Nina blinked hard and looked up to the sky. The sun was just starting to set and the stars would be out soon.

She wouldn’t cry. She couldn’t let herself.

“Can you tell me where he went?”

Natalia shook her head.

“His phone number? How I can reach him?” To her horror, she heard her voice crack. She would not cry. “Can you tell me anything, Natalia. Please?”

The other woman glanced around and then finally looked back to Nina. “I can tell you that he didn’t want to go, Nina. If there was any other way, he would have taken it. Honestly.”

“But I—”

“He cares about you, Nina.” Natalia took her hand and squeezed gently. “I’ve never seen him look at another woman the way he looks at you. Just remember that, okay?”

Nina shook her head gently. “I don’t understand.”

“I know.” Natalia leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m sorry.” A moment later, she was gone, disappearing into the crowd.

Nina knew that even if she did track her down, she likely wouldn’t get any more information out of her.

She straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. She couldn’t fall apart. Not yet. It was Harper’s wedding and she would not ruin it. Not for anything. Not even if her own heart was breaking.

She should have known better than to let her guard down and feel anything for Ryker. A fling. Just a bit of fun. That’s all it was supposed to be.

If only she had listened to herself.