whispered back. “And Rae, too.”
“And Rae, too,” I agreed. They were my siblings. My lifelines. My world.
Until Ryder had slid in and created a new home inside me. A new safe place. A new state of being.
“But don’t say it in front of Kylan,” Silas added. “He’s possessive of his Raelyn.”
“Kylan,” I repeated, recalling what he’d said the other day. “What did you mean about Rae being with him? And since when does she go by Raelyn?”
Silas chuckled. “Oh, it’s quite a story,” he said, shaking his head and lightening his grip.
“As good a story as you becoming a lycan and mating two alphas?” I asked him, arching a brow as he stepped back.
His cheeks reddened as he reached up to grab the back of his neck. “That, uh, well, they might be equally good.”
“Then start talking,” I told him. “I want to know everything.”
He chuckled again and threw his arm around my shoulders. “All right, W. We’ll start with Kylan and Rae.” He began walking me back into the house. “It all started when Rae decided to bite a royal vampire.”
“I might know a little something about that,” I admitted, thinking back to Ryder’s lip.
“Was it in front of the entire council and Lilith herself?”
I stopped walking. “She didn’t…”
“Oh, she did,” he assured me. “I thought for sure she was dead, but Kylan picked her for his harem instead.”
I frowned. “After the Immortal Cup?”
“She never went to the Immortal Cup.” He led me through the door. “I guess I should start at the beginning.”
“That’d be helpful.”
His lips twitched. “All right. Once upon a time…”
29
Ryder
My lip still stung hours later, reminding me of Willow’s presence even though she was in the other room with her old friend. “Is it normal for a lycan bite to take this long to heal?” I asked Jace. He sat in my study with his ankle crossed over his opposite knee.
He appeared amused by the question. “Longer, usually.”
“Hmm.” Well, at least I knew what to expect going forward. “This is why we’re not supposed to play together.”
“But the danger of it is intoxicating, isn’t it?” His gaze was knowing. “Makes you feel alive.”
He wasn’t wrong. I did like knowing Willow could hold her own against me. At least subtly. We’d work on her skills to truly make her an opponent. Then I’d really enjoy playing with her.
“We’re also harder to entice,” Edon interjected, sounding bored. “Take this conversation, for example. I’m utterly bored by it, while you two seem rather ramped up with excitement.”
I looked at the alpha, amused. “You’ll do,” I decided out loud. And not just because he’d brought me the head of the lycan who had tormented my Willow.
His dark irises danced over me, assessing. “Still to be determined.”
My lips quirked, amused by his easy banter. The alpha certainly had balls challenging me like that. “You’ll learn,” I tossed back.
He lifted a shoulder, then looked at Jace. “We have less than three weeks until the next council meeting. I’m going under the assumption that Willow’s nature won’t remain a secret for much longer. So what’s our plan?”
“Why is he the leader?” I interjected.
“Because he’s the one I trust most in this room,” Edon replied without looking at me.
It was a fair assessment, albeit a risky one. “And how well do you know Jace?” I wondered out loud.
“My reputation isn’t the debate here,” Jace murmured. “And I’m not the leader, Ryder. But Edon’s right. We need to discuss our play for the council meeting.”
“I vote we don’t go,” I suggested. “It’s a waste of fucking time with a bunch of pompous pricks who just want to sit around and debate the best method for killing humanity. I’ll pass.”
“You have to attend if you want to solidify your royal seat.”
“I’ve already taken it,” I pointed out. “Lilith is welcome to appoint a new royal. I’ll just kill the opponent and remain in charge.” I looked at Jace. “Honestly, what’s she going to do? She’s a child compared to me.”
“She subdued Cam,” Jace said solemnly.
“Did she, though?” I countered. “Or did he willingly go underground to play the long game?” We both knew he was still alive. And while I wasn’t his biggest fan, I could admit his affinity for strategy was quite admirable.
“Darius believes he allowed himself to get caught.” Jace’s admission surprised me. It showed we’d moved forward in the game, his olive branch now tangible. “I’m inclined to agree because he left behind a road map that we’ve followed for the last