Violet's POV
The knock echoed through the stillness of my room, gentle but persistent, as if the person on the other side was afraid of disturbing my sleep but equally unwilling to leave without a response. My eyes fluttered open, the blur of sleep thick in my mind. I rolled over with a groan, the blankets tangling around my limbs as I tried to shake off the haze of slumber. The clock on the nightstand read 8:47 AM.
Great, I thought, half annoyed, half amused. Who could possibly be knocking at this hour?
"Who is it?" I called out, my voice still thick with sleep, curling against the last remnants of the warmth from the bed.
The door remained quiet for a moment, and then there was a faint rustling sound. That familiar, confident voice that always made my heart race responded, "It's me, Alpha Ryker."
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips despite myself. Ryker. My heart skipped a beat, not from surprise, but from the way his presence always seemed to stir something deep inside me. I couldn't help but be drawn to him, like gravity pulling at the earth’s core.
Sluggishly, I dragged myself out of bed, the thick duvet slipping off my body and pooling on the floor as I stumbled toward the door. My feet barely hit the floor as I wiped my eyes, squinting against the harsh light streaming in from the windows. My hair must’ve been a mess, tangled from a restless night, but I didn’t care. I peered through the peephole, expecting maybe one of the other pack members to be there. But no.
There he was, standing tall and broad, his dark eyes locked onto mine. I could feel the warmth of his gaze even through the peephole, and my breath caught in my throat. His tousled hair fell perfectly around his face, and the tightness of his jawline seemed to add to his rugged handsomeness. Ryker.
I opened the door before I could second-guess myself, the soft click of the latch echoing between us. Without even thinking, I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around him, pressing myself into his chest. The scent of pine and earth surrounded me, grounding me as always, but today there was something else lingering in the air. Tension.
Ryker stiffened for just a moment, caught off guard by my sudden embrace, but then his arms slid around me, pulling me even closer, as if he never wanted to let go. His lips brushed the top of my head, his breath warm against my skin.
"Miss me that much already?" he teased, his deep voice rumbling through his chest as I inhaled his scent.
I pulled back just enough to look up at him, my fingers brushing against his stubbled jaw. A playful smile tugged at my lips, but the ache in my chest wasn’t lost on me. I could never be too casual with him, never too indifferent to the way my heart felt like it was caught in a vice whenever he was near.
"You know I can’t resist you," I replied, my voice low but teasing, my eyes never leaving his. His gaze softened just a bit, that sharp intensity melting into something warmer, more sincere. He reached out, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear, his fingertips grazing the soft skin of my face, sending a shiver down my spine.
Without thinking, I leaned in, capturing his lips with mine in a kiss that started slow but quickly deepened, filled with the quiet, desperate need that always simmered beneath the surface when we were together. The taste of him, the warmth of his touch—it was intoxicating. I felt my body press even closer to his, as though I could meld into him, disappear into his embrace and never come back.
But as the kiss broke, reality crept in again. I backed away just a bit, a frown tugging at the corner of my mouth.
"Why are you here, Ryker?" I asked, trying to sound casual, but my heart was thumping wildly in my chest. His presence always had this effect on me. He stood there, looking at me with those sharp eyes, like he was trying to weigh something on the tip of his tongue before finally speaking.
"I wanted to see you before I leave," he said, his voice carrying a weight that immediately shifted the atmosphere between us. "I’ve got a business deal that’s going to take me away for a while."
"A while?" The words slipped from my lips before I could stop them, and the sudden tightening in my chest was enough to steal my breath. I couldn't look at him, not because I was mad—no, I was just… sad. I knew what this meant. I’d known this day was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear.
"Yeah," he confirmed quietly, the edges of his words carrying a sadness that mirrored mine. "It’s going to be longer than I thought. I’ll be gone for a few months, Violet."
I swallowed hard, forcing back the lump in my throat as I finally met his gaze. "A few months?" The words felt like a punch to the gut. A few months? It felt like a lifetime.
"You’re going to be gone that long?" I repeated, my voice cracking slightly. I hated the way I sounded—weak and vulnerable. But damn it, I couldn’t help it. Every time he left, every time he wasn’t there, the emptiness that followed felt suffocating.
He nodded, his hands sliding down my arms until they rested gently on my waist. His thumbs brushed over the fabric of my shirt, a soft gesture that seemed to ground me, even if the ache in my chest was still there.
"I'm sorry, Violet. I didn’t want to leave like this, but you know how it is with business. It’s important. But I’ll come back. You know I will."
"I know," I whispered, the words tasting bittersweet in my mouth. But the truth was, I didn’t know. I didn’t know if I could handle being away from him for so long, didn’t know if the distance would change things between us.