King Of Me (Pernicious Red Book 1) Read online

  They got out and checked on the rest of the pack and made sure everyone got settled in okay before going to their own cabin. She could sleep like a baby right now. Trinity mirrored her tiredness. Something about being in a car all day had them exhausted.

  She could her Ryker on his cell phone yelling at whoever was on the other line. He had to be pacing around because she was only catching tad bits of the one sided conversation. “I’ve told you already, I’ve changed my mind!” He sounded a mixture of frustration and angry. She glanced at Jackson who sat on the couch opposite of theirs looking nervous and uncomfortable.

  She really wanted to know what was going on now. As Ryker came back into the cabin his face looked grim and she could tell he was mad. “What’s going on?” She asked as she and Trinity looked between the two brothers. “Look we.” Jacson stoppe himself from whatever he was about to say with a look from Ryker.

  “It’s nothing.” Ryker ground out. Was he seriously still not going to tell them something that had to be relatively important if he was worked up about it? “You’re still going to do this?!” She threw her hands in the air and stood. “This will be the last thing I don’t tell you. You’ll find out tomorrow anyways.” He walked out of the cabin again after that.

  Jackson gave them one last look and walked out after him. “What the hell is going on?” Trinity irritably asked. She just shook her head wondering the same exact thing. What had they kept from this time that they would find out? She had a feeling whatever it is was It wouldn’t be good.

  She needed to be focused on what was to come, not Ryker and Jackson’s inability to tell them things and full truths, it would drive her insane and throw her off her game. “We need to be clear headed anyways, let’s just focus on this meeting.”

  Trinity agreed with her. “Your right, we have more important issues to deal with.” She didn’t sound so sure though. She probably felt like she did. Something big was being kept from them.

  Chapter Ten

  There seemed to be a heavy tension in the air when she woke the next morning. Ryker had slept very far from her on the bed and had kept his tone clipped and short with her when he had spoken to her. Something was definitely bothering him. She had never seen him like this before. When she caught him looking at her it was like with sadness about him.

  She was getting irritated with the whole thing. Everyone was told to eat light and get ready and then head to their group destinations to await what may or may not be a huge fight/ She had no doubt the Bristow pack was doing the same exact thing.

  Everyone was all about business. Tight smiles and high strung energy was going around.

  Alice gave her a small smile as she headed with the group she would be in charge of to their destination. No cars were being driven, they moved out on foot and in wolf form. She began getting herself as ready as possible.

  She wore her black uniform as always and pulled on a pair of her fingerless gloves. She pulled her hair into a tidy ponytail and after lacing up her combat boots and sheathing a dagger she left from the cabin to find Trinity who had left a few minutes earlier. She wasn’t hard to find standing amidst the people heading in various directions.

  “This is really happening, were about to see guild members and the Bristow pack.” Her friend stared out at the trees. “I can’t really wrap my head around it either.” She admitted. The meeting was taking place at a closed down gas station. There wasn’t much in Piermont besides emptiness and abandoned homes and businesses.

  They left about thirty minutes later in the truck at first but then parked and would walk the rest of the way. A lycan named Leo now joined them and another truck was behind them. Ryker pulled the truck over and they all climbed out. The heat was sweltering. Every lycan was in all black or dark blue. Most would end up shifting if they fought but the hybrids often fought in their vampire forms.

  They walked a little ways up the road where a small but well maintained empty gas station came into view. “Be ready for anything.” Ryker said to all of them his gaze focused. Her wolf seemed to know something she didn’t She was trembling in anticipation, but of what?

  She looked over at Trinity who turned her head and looked at her. “Do you feel that?” Her friend asked. She nodded. Ryker looked back and caught her eye before turning his head and she could see his jaw tense. What the hell was his problem? She saw another group of lycans standing at the station already.

  That had to be the Bristow pack alpha, his brothers and a few other lycans. She could clearly see them as they got closer. Pictures didn’t do them justice. They were mouthwatering visions of pure sexiness. They were in dark maroon and watched as they approached. She felt like they were all staring at her and Trinity and mixed with how weird her wolf was starting to act she wished they were invisible.

  They finally reached the parking lot and stopped a few feet away from the opposing pack. Her eyes immediately locked onto Declan Bristow whose on electric blue eyes were staring back at her. She could have melted under his gaze. He grinned and showed a brilliant white smile and she could see the tips of his fangs.

  “You are the most gorgeous thing I’ve seen in a long time.” He was talking to her? Trinity was beside her which seemed more his type, but no his flawless face was looking directly at her why his brother Mason only had eyes for her best friend and Trinity actually blushed and looked at the ground.

  What the hell was this? They were here to hash things out not want to jump their bones. The brothers were all very attractive, a little taller than Ryker and Jackson and slightly more muscular.

  She didn’t respond to his compliment, plus she remembered the stories about this pack. They weren’t feared for their good looks.

  “Let’s get this over with.” Ryker gritted out. Declan sighed as if bored but nodded his head before he started to speak again.

  “I have already punished those responsible for the messy attack of your home Ryker, what else are you looking for?” Declan had a smooth voice and looked completely unbothered about the situation they could be in. “You know what I want.” Ryker responded.

  “You want me to stop trying to expand my territory?” Declan smiled. “That isn’t going to happen and the attack never would have happened if you have adhered to our deal and not decided to keep my mate for yourself.” Declan lost his smile by the end of his sentence and her stomach dropped.

  Mate? No, way he was referring to her. “Or mine for that matter.” Mason spoke up. Trinity tensed beside her. Is this what their wolves were trying to tell them, what they wanted? “Ryker?” She asked lowly. He didn’t turn around but she knew it was true. Was anything he said true? If what Declan said was true he had every right to attack Ryker. Everyone knew you didn’t keep someone from their mate. It was a law the lycans lived by.

  “You guys could have been our mates. Your both top of the line hybrids and at first your wolves were all for it and then they woke all the way up and knew we weren’t their match. We could have done it anyway but you guys would have never shifted.” Jackson looked at the ground as he spoke.

  So they had lied to them?! Over something this big?! Declan eyes went icy. “You didn’t tell them?” Ryker didn’t respond. “I don’t want to lose you Red.” He said to her instead. It was a little too late for that one. She couldn’t trust him. “What deal is he talking about?” She asked ignoring his previous statement.

  “If I caught you two and handed you over he wouldn’t attack my pack territory but I couldn’t do it. I got to know you and I knew you were perfect for me and Trinity was a match for Jackson.”

  She glared at him. Why were the men in her life selfish assholes? She spotted a guild member that had been a teacher as she thought this.

  He visibly swallowed as she glared at him next. “Deals off Declan, you can’t have her.” Ryker stood stock still while Declan nodded.

  “I knew you would say that.” All he did was make a small gesture in the air and wolves and hybrids started pouring from the tress surroundin
g the station. How had no one sensed them? Ryker had forgotten to mention the Bristow lycans were twice the size of his pack wolves and the hybrids looked like merciless trained assassins.

  “You can change your mind.” Mason said. Leo hit a button on a walkie talkie before stepping back and shifting into his dark brown wolf form. The other lycans with them shifted as well. As soon as they finished it was a silent bell rang. The Bristow lycans started running at them.

  Their groups that had been waiting came charging up the road already shifted and the hybrids moving at a ridiculous speed. The fight started without her even knowing it had escalated this quickly. Ryker pulled his shirt off and shifted he snarled and jumped at Declan just for him to fly back with a wave of Declan’s hand.

  What the hell was that? Ryker got locked in a fight with another wolf as soon as he landed a good few feet away. Jackson ran to help him. She was about to run and help when Declan spoke. “My pack will not fight you. They are to never harm you or Trinity in any way.” What? She turned back and faced him.

  “Why not?” She glanced around at the complete mayhem around them as they just stood casually here at the station. Sounds of pain and growling filled the air loudly. There were already dead lycans and hybrids from each side on the ground but Ryker’s pack had far more down already.

  His pack wasn’t ready for this; he hadn’t given them enough time. They would be slaughtered. She watched a big brown wolf knock Alice down. These were people she had grown close to and cared about even if Ryker was an idiot she couldn’t stand here and do nothing.

  Alice wiggled away from the wolf with a nasty gash on her own wolfs shoulder. “What will make you stop?” Trinity asked beside her. “Come home with us, you two belong with us.” Declan said.

  Her wolf loved this idea, she didn’t but she couldn’t let these lycans die over this when she could end it. She looked at Trinity who gave her a slight nod. “Okay, well come with you, just make them stop.” Declan’s eyes lit up and Mason smiled. “Get their friend.” Jeremy the third brother nodded and blurred to Alice. The brown wolf backed off and he gently lifted her very hurt body.

  “We can heal her, Ryker cannot.” Declan explained. Then his pack started to pull away from Ryker’s. How had he done that? His vampire side she realized. Ryker had severely underestimated Declan. He could use his mind as a weapon and to communicate with his pack.

  Ryker shifted back and ran towards them a few of the pack members at his side. “What the hell is going on?” He asked as he reached them. “I’m going with him Ryker.” She didn’t look at him as she said it. This was probably the hardest but most sensible decision she had ever made.

  “What? No, Red why would you do that?!” He yelled. “Look around Ryker, they aren’t ready for this.” Declan held his hand out to her and she hesitantly took it. The feeling she felt touching him was nothing like what she had felt with Ryker. Well it was, but it was magnified by a hundred.

  She wanted to cry, this was really who she was supposed to be with but she had fallen for Ryker. “Ryker you don’t have to worry about your territory, I will let you have it in comfort. Alice may return if she chooses once she is healed, that I am doing for Raelynn, not you.” It felt weird hearing him say her full name.

  “You sonofabitch!” Ryker yelled. He went to charge forward but Frankie, Jackson and Leo pulled him back. Jackson whispered something in his ear and gave Trinity a heartbroken look. Trinity didn’t see it. She was already being led towards a truck by Mason. “We should go now.” Declan said. She silently nodded and let him lead her towards the same truck. She heard Ryker yelling behind her and passed the sad faces of his pack as Declan opened her door for her to be taken away somewhere yet again.

  You have reached the ending of King OfMe. Book one in the Pernicious Red series. Thank you for reading! Book two will be out soon! You can follow me on social media with the links below

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