Chapter 5

Hannah

The warmth of the Whispering Pines pack lodge wraps around me like a blanket, but it does little to soothe the restless energy thrumming through my veins. I glance across the room and find him—Rhys, leaning against the far wall like he’s trying to melt into the shadows. His shoulders are drawn tight, his arms crossed over his chest, and his silver-gray eyes scan the gathering like he’s bracing for an attack.

I can’t blame him. This isn’t exactly a welcoming crowd. Most of the pack members are trying to play it cool, but I’ve caught the whispers, the sideways glances. They’re curious, suspicious even, and it’s all directed at Rhys.

My wolf is on edge, protective and bristling at their judgment. She doesn’t understand why they can’t see what I see—the quiet strength in him, the goodness he tries so hard to hide. But I know this isn’t easy for him, being here. Staying. It’s a small miracle he hasn’t bolted yet.

I cross the room, weaving through the cluster of pack members until I’m standing in front of him. He doesn’t notice me at first, too caught up in his own thoughts, but when I place a hand on his arm, he stiffens. His gaze snaps to mine, and for a moment, I see the storm behind his eyes—conflict, hesitation, and something deeper. Something raw.

“Relax,” I say softly, offering him a small smile. “You look like you’re ready to run.”

“Maybe I am,” he mutters, his voice low and rough. His eyes flicker to the crowd, then back to me. “This isn’t exactly my scene.”

“Give it a chance,” I urge, my fingers brushing lightly against his sleeve. “They just need to get to know you. And once they do, they’ll see what I see.”

He huffs a quiet laugh, but it’s bitter, humorless. “And what’s that?”

“A good man,” I say simply. “Someone who belongs here, whether he believes it or not.”

His jaw tightens, his gaze softening just enough to make my chest ache. For a moment, it feels like we’re the only two people in the room, the hum of conversation and laughter fading into the background. The mate bond pulls at me, a tether drawing us closer, and I can feel it in him too—the way his wolf stirs, restless and wanting.

But before either of us can say more, Ryan’s voice cuts through the air like a blade. “Dinner’s ready! Grab a seat before Jenna eats all the bread rolls.”

“I heard that!” Jenna, his human mate, calls back, her laughter breaking some of the tension in the room. She shoots me a wink from across the lodge, but even her warmth can’t fully diffuse the weight of Ryan’s gaze as he looks at Rhys.

I grip Rhys’s hand as we take our seats at the long dining table, the wood polished to a warm shine and adorned with evergreen garlands and flickering candles. The food smells incredible—roasted meats, steaming vegetables, warm bread—but the tension in the air is impossible to ignore. Rhys sits stiffly beside me, his movements measured, his eyes scanning the room like he’s waiting for someone to pounce.

Ryan, seated at the head of the table, doesn’t waste any time. “So,” he says, leaning back in his chair with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Rhys, right? You’ve been here a few days now. What brings you to Whispering Pines pack territory?”

The room falls silent, every pair of eyes turning to Rhys. My wolf growls low in my chest, but I force myself to keep my expression neutral, my hand tightening around Rhys’s under the table.

“Just passing through,” Rhys answers evenly, his voice calm but firm. “Didn’t mean to intrude.”

Ryan’s smile sharpens, his alpha presence pressing down on the room like a weight. “Passing through, huh? And yet, here you are, sitting at my table, getting cozy with my sister.”

“Ryan,” I warn, my voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

“What?” he asks, feigning innocence. “I’m just trying to get to know the guy. Isn’t that what you wanted, Hannah?”

Rhys sets his fork down with deliberate care, his silver-gray eyes meeting Ryan’s head-on. “I don’t want any trouble,” he says, his voice steady but laced with a quiet intensity. “I’m here because your sister asked me to stay. If it’s a problem, I can leave.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” I say firmly, my voice loud enough to draw a few startled glances. “Ryan, back off. Now.”

Ryan’s jaw tightens, his alpha authority bristling in the air. “Hannah, you don’t know anything about this guy. For all we know, he could be—”

“Enough!” I push back my chair, standing so fast it scrapes against the floor. “Rhys is my guest, and I will not stand here and let you treat him like some kind of criminal. He’s done nothing to deserve this.”

Ryan stands too, towering over me, but I don’t back down. My wolf surges forward, protective and fierce, and for once, I let her. “I’m your alpha,” he says, his voice low and dangerous. “And your brother. I have every right to protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting,” I snap, my voice steady even as my heart pounds. “Not from him.”

The tension crackles, the air thick with unspoken challenges. Finally, Jenna places a calming hand on Ryan’s arm. “Ryan,” she says softly, her voice a balm against the storm. “Sit down. This isn’t the time or place.”

Ryan glances at her, his expression softening just enough for him to back down. With a frustrated growl, he drops into his chair, and the room slowly comes back to life, conversations resuming in hushed tones.

I don’t sit back down. Instead, I turn to Rhys, who looks like he’s barely holding himself together. “Come on,” I say, tugging on his hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

He doesn’t argue, following me out of the lodge and into the crisp, quiet night. Snow crunches under our boots as I lead him into the woods, the cold air biting at my cheeks. We don’t stop until we’re far from the lodge, the murmurs of the pack fading into silence.

“I’m sorry,” I say, turning to face him, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions swirling inside me. “That was completely out of line.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” he says quietly, his tone wrapped in a kind of weary detachment that makes my heart ache. “He’s just doing what he thinks is best.”

“That doesn’t make it okay,” I insist, stepping closer. “You don’t deserve to be treated like that.”

He exhales a slow, visible breath in the cold air, his eyes fixed somewhere over my shoulder. “You don’t know the whole story, Hannah. If you did, you might not feel the same way.”

“Then tell me,” I urge, my voice soft but unwavering. “Let me understand.”

For a long moment, the silence between us feels deafening, the stillness of the snowy forest emphasizing the weight he’s carried for far too long. Finally, he lifts his silver-gray eyes to meet mine, and I see it clearly now—an ocean of pain he’s worked so hard to bury. Pain so sharp it slices into me, too.

“I was part of a pack, once,” he begins, his voice low and rough, like the words are dragged out from someplace deep and raw. “My father was a cruel man. He stole from the pack. Lied to them. Worse than that, he hurt my mother—beat her when his temper rose. I swore I’d never be like him.” He pauses, his jaw tightening. “I spent every moment trying to be the opposite. Someone honorable. Someone who protected others. And for a while, I thought I’d escaped his shadow. I became an enforcer. Trusted. Respected. Or at least… I thought so.”

The delicate weight of snowflakes falling around us is a stark contrast to the heaviness of his words. “What happened?” I ask softly.

He hesitates again, and when he speaks, there’s a bitter edge to his voice, as if the memory itself tastes foul. “A packmate I thought was my friend betrayed me. He framed me for stealing from the pack—just like my father. Accused me of something I’d fought my entire life to avoid. He wanted my place, my position, and he got it.”

My chest tightens, the betrayal cutting me, too, as if I could share even an ounce of his burden. “And the others? They just... believed him?”

“They didn’t need much convincing.” His laugh is humorless, sharp. “The sins of the father, right? I should’ve known they would always see me as his son. Same bloodline, same story.”

Tears prick my eyes, but I blink them away, focusing only on him. “What did you do?”

“What could I do?” Rhys lifts his arms slightly, a helpless motion before his hands fall back to his sides. “The alpha took his word. Everyone else followed. Staying would’ve been pointless. I thought about fighting it, proving them wrong, but I saw it in their eyes—they’d already decided what kind of man I was. So, I left. Wandered. Figured it was better to disappear entirely than hang around where I’d never belong.”

“Rhys…” I whisper his name, his pain nearly overwhelming me.

He looks down again, like meeting my gaze is too much. “Now it’s just easier to be alone. No one to disappoint. No one to betray me. No one to hurt.”

“You’re wrong,” I say, stepping even closer, the space between us almost gone now. “Being alone doesn’t protect you from hurt. It doesn’t save you—it traps you. It leaves wounds that never have a chance to heal.”

His eyes snap back to mine, and for a moment, he looks like he wants to argue. To tell me I’m wrong, that he’s beyond saving. But I see something else flicker there, too—hope, faint and fragile, like a flame that’s nearly gone out but could flare to life with just the right spark. “I don’t deserve this, Hannah. I don’t deserve you.”

“Yes, you do,” I say firmly, my voice trembling with emotion. “You deserve love. You deserve a pack, a family. You deserve everything you’ve been too afraid to hope for.”

He looks at me like he doesn’t believe me, like he doesn’t know how to. But I’m not giving up. Not on him.

I reach up, cupping his face with both hands. His skin is cold beneath my touch, but the warmth in his eyes as he looks at me sends a shiver down my spine. “Stop running, Rhys,” I whisper. “Stay.”

The tension in his body snaps, and in the next moment, his mouth is on mine. The kiss is deep and desperate, filled with all the emotions he’s been holding back. His hands grip my waist, pulling me closer, and my fingers thread through his hair, holding him to me as if I can somehow anchor him here, with me.

When we finally pull apart, our foreheads rest against each other, our breaths mingling in the cold air. “I’ll try,” he murmurs, his voice rough with emotion. “For you, I’ll try.”

Tears prick at my eyes, but I blink them away, a smile spreading across my lips. “That’s all I need.”

We stand there for a long moment, wrapped in each other’s arms, the snow falling softly around us. And for the first time since I met him, I see a flicker of hope in his eyes—a spark of something brighter, something stronger.

He’s going to try. And I’ll do whatever it takes to show him that he’s not alone anymore. That he never has to be.

???

Back at the cabin, the warmth of the fire contrasts with the chill still clinging to our clothes. Rhys’s gaze lingers on mine as he closes the door behind us, and the intensity of it sends my pulse racing.

“Hannah,” he murmurs, stepping closer, his voice low and filled with promise.

The moment our lips meet, a shiver of desire courses through me. His mouth is hot and demanding against mine, the softness of his lips a stark contrast to the scrape of his stubble. My wolf howls in triumph, the sound echoing in my mind as I kiss him with all the pent-up longing I've been harboring.

"Rhys," I whisper against his lips, my voice trembling with need.

His response is a low growl that reverberates through his chest, vibrating against mine. "Hannah," he murmurs, his hands moving to my waist, pulling me flush against him. I can feel the heat of his desire, the strength of his need matching my own.

We undress each other with fumbling, eager hands. I tug at his shirt, revealing the hard planes of his chest, and my wolf thrills at the sight of our mate in all his glory. Rhys's fingers work the buttons of my sweater, his touch leaving a trail of heat as the cool air kisses my skin, only to be replaced by the warmth of his palms sliding over my shoulders and down my back.

A playful smile tugs at my lips as I tease him about the many nights I've lain awake, aching for this very moment. Rhys responds with a soft growl, his voice rough with need. "I'm not holding back anymore," he promises, his silver-gray eyes darkening with desire.

Without warning, Rhys picks me up, his strong arms cradling me effortlessly. "Rhys, what are you—" My words are cut off by a gasp as he carries me to the bed, my wolf preening at the display of his strength and protectiveness.

He lays me down gently, his gaze roaming appreciatively over my body as he follows me onto the soft sheets. "So beautiful," he murmurs, his words a benediction.

Rhys kisses his way down my body, his lips leaving a scorching trail in their wake. Each kiss, each nip of his teeth sends waves of pleasure through me. "Rhys," I breathe out, my body arching toward him.

My wolf revels in the way he claims me so thoroughly with his touch. His hands are everywhere, exploring, worshipping, as if he wants to memorize every inch of me.

When he reaches the apex of my thighs, my breath hitches in anticipation. My pulse races, my body arching toward him, desperate for the release only he can provide.

Rhys's mouth is a revelation, his tongue teasing and tantalizing, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. My wolf practically purrs with satisfaction, urging me to give in to the pleasure, to trust our mate implicitly. The world narrows to the heat of his mouth, the expert glide of his fingers, and the inexorable pull of our bond, growing stronger with each passing moment.

His fingers dig into my hips, holding me in place as his breath fans over my sensitive flesh. "Let go, love," he implores, his voice a soothing balm. "I've got you."

My pulse races, my body desperate for the release only he can provide. Rhys's mouth is a revelation, his tongue teasing and tantalizing, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. "I'm so close," I whimper, my fingers threading through his hair.

His response is a muffled, "I know," followed by the expert glide of his fingers that sends me spiraling.

My body writhes under his touch, the tension coiling tighter and tighter until, with a final flick of his tongue, I shatter into a thousand pieces. The climax washes over me, a cascade of heat and light that leaves me boneless and gasping for air.

Rhys crawls back up my body, his eyes filled with pride and tenderness as he pulls me into his arms. I cling to him, my body still trembling from the force of my release. My wolf feels sated and content, basking in the afterglow and the undeniable truth that our mate is exactly where he belongs—by my side.

As we lie there, entwined in the flickering light of the fire, I hope that nothing ever comes between us again.