Chapter 60 Together
Ryder POV
Our eyes lock as she sinks down, inch by inch, taking me inside her tight, wet heat. Fuck, she's perfect clenching around me like a glove, her inner walls pulsing with every breath.
I fall back against the pillows, gripping the sheets so hard my knuckles turn white, fighting the urge to thrust up into her. This is her show, her way of claiming control, and I'm lost in it.
She starts to ride me, slow at first, her breasts bouncing with each rise and fall. I can't take my eyes off her—silver hair cascading over her shoulders, lips parted in ecstasy.
"Faster," I growl, my hands moving to her ass, squeezing as she picks up the pace. She clenches tighter around me, deliberate squeezes that make stars explode behind my eyes. "God, Jolie... you're killing me."
She leans forward, her hands bracing on my chest, changing the angle so I hit deeper inside her. Her moans fill the cabin, raw and unrestrained, as she rides me harder, her clit grinding against my pelvis with every downward thrust. I latch onto her breast again, sucking fiercely, drawing out a cry that echoes my own building release.
Her rhythm falters as she nears the edge, her body tightening, clenching me in waves that pull me under. "Ryder... I'm coming..."
She shatters around me, her pussy milking my cock in rhythmic spasms, and it's too much—I grip the sheets harder, twisting them in my fists as I thrust up once, twice, spilling into her with a guttural roar.
We collapse together, her weight a perfect blanket over me, both of us slick with sweat and breathless. She nuzzles into my neck, planting soft kisses along my jaw. "Together," she murmurs again, and I hold her close, knowing that whatever comes, we'll face it like this—united, unbreakable.
She settles against me, and I listen as her breathing evens out into sleep. But I stay awake, watching the moonlight move across the floor, counting down the hours until hunters arrive and everything we've built comes crashing down.
Morning comes too fast. I wake to find Jolie already gone, the space beside me cold. Panic surges until I hear voices outside and recognize Elena's sharp tone giving instructions.
I pull on my clothes and step out into gray dawn light. Fog rolls through the clearing, making everything look ghostly and unreal.
Jolie stands in the center of the stone circle, silver light glowing around her hands. Elena circles her like a predator, calling out commands.
"Faster!" Elena claps once. "The enemy won't wait while you gather power!"
Jolie's hands move in complex patterns, and the silver light forms into shapes—shields, spears, waves of pure energy that dissipate into mist.
"Better." Elena nods approval. "But still too slow. Again!"
Knox appears beside me with two cups of coffee. "She's been at it for an hour already."
"An hour?" I take the coffee gratefully. "What time did she wake up?"
"Before dawn. Said she couldn't sleep." He sips his own coffee. "Elena's pushing her hard."
"She needs to be pushed." Doc joins us, looking like he didn't sleep much either. "We ran the numbers last night. If a standard Council hunting party comes—eight to ten elite fighters with silver weapons—we're severely outmatched."
"Then we don't fight fair." I watch Jolie create a massive shield of moonfire. "We use the terrain, set traps, hit and run."
"And if that's not enough?" Knox asks.
"Then we make sure Jolie gets away." The words feel hollow"Even if we have to sacrifice ourselves to do it."
"Not happening." Jolie's voice cuts across the clearing. She walks toward us, dismissing the moonfire with a wave. "Nobody's sacrificing anything."
"You were listening." I raise an eyebrow.
"Enhanced hearing, remember?" She takes my coffee and drinks half of it. "And I meant what I said. When they come, we fight together. All of us walk away, or none of us do."
"That's not practical," Doc starts.
"I don't care." She hands back the empty cup. "I spent twenty years being the person everyone sacrificed for, the weak link everyone had to protect. I'm done with that. This time, I'm strong enough to stand beside you."
She means it. I can see it in the set of her shoulders, the fire in her eyes.
"Then we fight together." I pull her close and kiss her forehead. "But you follow orders when things get bad. Agreed?"
"Only if you promise not to do anything stupid and heroic." She pokes my chest. "I can't lose you, Ryder. Not after finally finding you."
"Deal." I hold her tighter, breathing in her scent.
"How touching." Elena's dry voice breaks the moment. "But we're wasting time. Girl, back to training. The rest of you, start preparing defenses. I want traps, barriers, and fallback positions. Move."
We scatter like pups being scolded. Knox and Doc head into the forest with tools and rope, already planning trap locations. I reluctantly let Jolie go back to Elena, watching as they return to the stone circle.
The next six days blur together in a haze of training and preparation.
Jolie pushes herself beyond any reasonable limit. She trains from before dawn until after dark, learning to shape moonfire into weapons, shields, and raw destructive force. Her control improves rapidly, but I can see the exhaustion building in the shadows under her eyes, the way her hands shake when she thinks nobody's watching.
Knox and I set traps throughout the forest—hidden pits, tripwires connected to falling logs, silver-laced snares that will burn any wolf who touches them. We mark safe paths with subtle signs only we can recognize, creating a maze where we have every advantage.
Doc fortifies the cabin, reinforcing walls and creating a medical station with everything he might need for emergency treatment. He doesn't say it, but we all know he's preparing for casualties.
On the fifth day, Elena takes Jolie somewhere deeper in the mountains. They're gone for twelve hours, and when they return, Jolie looks different. The silver light beneath her skin is permanent now, visible even when she's not actively using power. Her eyes glow faintly in shadows.
"What did you do to her?" I demand when Elena brings her back.
"I opened her completely to Luna's power." Elena's expression is grave. "She asked me to. Said she needed to be strong enough to protect her pack."
"She could have died!" I round on the ancient healer.
"She could have." Elena doesn't flinch. "But she didn't. And now she has access to power that will make the hunters think twice about attacking."
Jolie takes my hand, and her touch sends electricity up my arm. "I'm okay. Better than okay, actually. I can feel everything now—the pack bonds, the territory, even you." She presses my hand to her chest. "Your heartbeat matches mine."
It does. I can feel it through the mate bond, our hearts beating in perfect sync.
"Don't ever scare me like that again," I pull her close.
"Can't promise that." She wraps her arms around my waist. "But I can promise I'll always come back to you."
On the sixth day, scouts arrive.
Knox spots them first—wolves in the distance, watching from ridgelines. They don't approach, don't engage, just observe and report back.
"They're coming tomorrow," Elena says that night around the fire. "I can feel it. The veil is disturbed by approaching violence."
"How many?" I ask.
"Many." Her ancient eyes reflect firelight. "More than I expected. Someone called in favors, assembled a true hunting force."
"Gio." Jolie's voice is flat. "My brother wouldn't come alone. He'd bring allies, promises of reward for anyone who helps capture me."
"Then we show them why that was a mistake." Knox checks his weapons for the hundredth time. "Let them come. We're ready."
But we're not ready. Not really. Four wolves—three fighters and one still learning her power—against a hunting party that could number twenty or more. It's suicide.
"There's another option." Elena stands, looking older than ever. "I can call the storm."
"What storm?" Doc frowns.
"I'm not just a healer." Elena raises her hand, and blue fire dances across her palm. "I'm a keeper of old magic. I can summon a blizzard that will blind and disorient the hunters, trap them in these mountains until spring if necessary."
"Why didn't you mention this before?" I stand too.
"Because it will cost me." She closes her hand, extinguishing the flame. "Every spell has a price. This one will take years from my life. Many years."
"Then don't do it." Jolie moves to Elena's side. "We'll find another way."
"There is no other way." Elena cups Jolie's face with surprising tenderness. "I've lived long enough, child. Long enough to see empires rise and fall, to watch generations of wolves be born and die. This is a good way to end—protecting the future instead of hiding in the past."
"Elena" I start.
"It's decided." She drops her hand and looks at each of us in turn. "When they come tomorrow, I'll give you the storm. Use it well. Make my sacrifice count."
Before any of us can argue, she walks back into her cabin and closes the door with a finality that echoes through the clearing.
We sit in silence for a long time, and the fire burns low while the wind picks up, carrying the scent of snow and distant violence.
"Tomorrow, then." Knox finally breaks the quiet. "We make our stand."
"Tomorrow." I pull Jolie close. "Together."