Tasting

260–Unexpected Help

Nora:

However, the minute that the guard held me, I began struggling to free myself.

“He would never hurt me,” I claimed in my half–conscious state, but nobody could hear me. The guard carried me from the scene, and soon I lost all my senses. The screams died down, and the visual fear faded

away.

I could no longer witness what was going to happen next. My body was carried back to the mansion and laid to rest in the bedroom.

It was the strangest sleep ever. Throughout my dreams, I chased after Ryker, who was in his monster form. I wanted to stop him and tell him that he was fine, that I would make sure no harm came his way.

But then I began to feel the mattress beneath me–my own bed.

I slowly started to regain consciousness in my own bed. Beside me stood a man. I had to force my eyes open to see who it was.

It was a guard with a gun, ready to defend against anyone who might come for me.

“Ryker!” I uttered, catching the attention of the guard, who instantly leaned over me to offer water, but I gently pushed his hand away to look around and recall what had happened before I passed out.

The memory of the humiliation, along with Ryker turning himself in, rushed back to me, and I couldn’t help but sit up.

260–Unexpected Help

“RYKER!” I shouted, and the guard quickly stood

“She’s awake!”

1. up.

I heard him call for others, or whoever he could find. My head was still hurting, and my eyelashes were already wet.

Had I been crying in my sleep?

I couldn’t be sure. I was just certain that it wasn’t a nightmare and that Ryker had been called a monster.

“Ryker!” My heart ached at the reminder of what might have happened to him. Wait!

How long have I been out? Has it been days? Has Ryker already been punished?

No!

That shouldn’t happen. It must not happen. I was convincing myself that it wouldn’t happen, but then again, I knew what they would do to the monster who had killed Mia.

And Ryker admitted to being both.

As my bedroom door opened, I expected one of the brothers or Lord Atwood to come inside and have a talk with me. But instead, the ones who entered were not the people I wanted to see.

“Natalya! Daphne! April,” I grunted, glaring at them angrily.

“You’re awake now,” Natalya said. She would usually not speak up unless she was surrounded by the brothers or speaking to me in whispers, or she was with her group.

וד

“Why the fuck are you three here now?” I yelled, realizing part of the reason so much had happened was because of them.

If they hadn’t started playing so many games, the ball wouldn’t have gone the way it did. The way Ryker left the ball and now had no ally just made him look so guilty.

However, the girls didn’t look very smug this time. In fact, April seemed like she had seen some terrible things.

“You shouldn’t be yelling right now. So much has happened in the pack, and you’re still angry with us. Why not help us fix everything?” Daphne hissed, her arms crossed over her chest.

“What? What do you mean–what is happening in the pack? Where is Ryker–oh Goddess, the last time I was awake-“I gasped, my hands flew to my lips, and my heart started to pound.

“Your memory is right. Ryker took the blame just to save you,” Natalya mumbled. Their words shook the ground beneath my feet. I didn’t expect it to be true. I was praying it was all just one big nightmare, but

it wasn’t.

“What are we going to do now?” A part of me had died when everyone called Ryker a monster.

I know the pack members sensed something was wrong with their alpha kings, but they never thought their alpha king would kill a pack member.

“I want you to help us free Ryker!” she said, and my heart sank in my chest.

“What?” I looked at their faces one by one.

200–UnexpectedHelp

“They are going to kill him for what he’s done; I hope you know that,” Daphne stepped forward, stating it loud and clear.