All for You Ch. 02

*Sorry for the delay. Please enjoy!*

*****

Ryker

I tried my best to focus my attention on everything Alpha Howard of the Lakewood Wolf Pack was saying to both my father and I, but I couldn't think straight. Kendra, who I had just literally found out was my mate less than twenty-four hours ago was walking a little ways in front of all of us and her beautiful blonde hair was swaying back and forth in such a way that had me hypnotized and I wanted nothing more than to run my hand through it to see just how soft it felt.

"So what do you say? Is it a deal?" Alpha Howard said stopping in his tracks. I stopped to but I haven't a clue as to what he was talking about. We had come to a small creak not too far from the center of the forest, which had large boulders on top of each other that were covered in moss and small flowers. I could see Kendra wiggling her bare toes on the rock like she wanted to stick her foot in the water below but decided not to.

My father, Alpha Warren, and myself were being shown around by Alpha Howard, his Beta Steve, and Kendra to see some of the areas that the Lakewood Pack owned that our own pack could take advantage of as payment for the interest on a loan they needed. Alpha Howard had kept insisting that we would find some natural resources here but to honest everything this pack has, our pack, the Altos, has plus more.

I turned my head at my father who was close to retiring more and more every year since he reached the age of 82. He was still respected among our pack as a leader but the workload and all responsibility was passed on to me now.

"I think it's something of worth with that offer," my father said rubbing his hand across his bottom chin. "Although I don't think it would be enough to cover the fee for the loan."

I still didn't know the details of what they were talking about since I had been so distracted by Kendra but I had to say something. "We don't really need to give them an interest fee," I said shrugging my shoulders. I had mentioned this last night but I thought it was worth repeating. True, my pack was rich and to be honest I don't let that fact get in the way of business but for Kendra's pack I was willing to make an exception.

"Son, I really think that..."

"Please do not take us being a small pack for us also being weak and poor," Alpha Howard interrupted quickly. "We know what we are dealing with when it comes to requesting a loan and we have every intention of paying you back plus interest just like any other money handling deals you have dealt with before." He spoke in a strong, confident tone and I respected him for sticking up for his pack. I was not trying to disrespect him by doing him any favors. I just wish I could tell him it was all for his daughter's sake.

For some reason Kendra does not like the idea of us being mates and hasn't told her father so I haven't told mine either. It's normally a joyous occasion when wolves find their one true mate because it rarely happens nowadays. Wolf packs are spread out more and more and the chance of finding your mate that doesn't already live in your pack is one rare, special thing. I never thought to find mine. I never even thought it was possible for me. But now that I've found her, now that I've found Kendra, it's like this magnetic or gravitational pull that makes me want and yearn for her, even just be near her, in a way that I can't even put into words. But still I don't even know her.

"I do respect your pack's ability to pay us back," I said clearly. "I had only meant my offer of a no interest fee as a...gift."

"Gift?" Everyone said including Kendra.

I shrugged. It was the only thing I could think of.

"And you don't like the offer of having use of this beautiful spring water for you and your pack? You won't find any water like this in your region," Alpha Howard said waving towards the springs. Oh, so that's the offer he had made before.

I looked at the springs again and shook my head. "No, we don't have anything like this in our southern region but-" I stopped midsentence and decided to change tactics. "Maybe we can use some."

Alpha Howard's eyes lit up and I could see Kendra's face soften. She must have been happy to see her father happy that I had granted his request. "Great, yes, so that spring water will work for an interest repayment. Along with the rest of the loan money of course."

"Yes." I nodded once. I looked over at my father who had a skeptical look on his face but when he met my eyes he nodded to. I wondered what he was thinking but he must know that this pack didn't have much to offer us in terms of anything of high value. We had been hiking most of the day and mostly it's been nothing of real interest that we've come across.

"Good," Alpha Howard said looking like he wanted to pat me on the back. "Let's go back to my office to discuss the final details."

#

Kendra

Why I was doing this? All sense of reason must have left my mind because I was standing outside my father's office waiting for their meeting to be over. I don't know why I was standing against the wall like I wanted to go inside because I didn't. Part of me, probably the more logical part, wanted to be as far away from this area as possible but my other side, mostly my wolf side, wanted to see Ryker again. To be near him.

What if he left to go back to his pack and I never saw him again? I have refused to go live with him so that means if he were to walk out of this office and never returned then my last glimpse of him would be whenever he walked out of the room.

So I stayed.

I couldn't make out what they were saying but soon enough the door had finally opened and Steve, the Beta stepped out. He was an older man like my father and had been friends with him growing up. That's probably why my father selected him even though he probably wasn't the best fit for the job. My father could be a softy too much sometimes.

Steve smiled as he walked towards me. "How are you today, Ms. Lakewood? How come you are not outdoors enjoying the last few weeks of summer? Where is your handy sidekick Mindy?"

"Uh...she's um...somewhere. I'll probably meet with her later," I stammered out. I tried peaking over his shoulder into the office since he had left the door open but I couldn't see much.

"Did you want to go in the office to talk to your father?" Steve asked giving me a confused look.

"No, no..I was just. I'll go outside now. Uh.." I stopped because just then Ryker had stepped out of the office. His eyes immediately found mine and the rest of my brain tuned out like it was just me and him in the hallway.

Ryker's face was serious. "I need to talk to you Kendra." I nodded.

Steve who had turned to look at Ryker was giving him a weird look, like who was he to speak to the Alpha's daughter alone. But he didn't know we were mates. No one knew.

I led the way towards the stairs to the first floor and surprisingly Steve didn't follow us. He must have gone back into the office because neither my father nor Ryker's father had left out yet.

When we were outside I walked a few yards away from the cabin then stared up into the afternoon sky. I loved being outdoors more than anything and right now I needed to distract myself from my final goodbye to Ryker by staring at anything but him. The clouds were a bright white color and were spread far apart that made making any imaginary images from them a little harder. I looked toward the ground at my bare feet then over to the edge of the forest to see if I could spot my favorite route.

"Kendra," Ryker breathed out softly and I lifted my eyes like a magnet. The second our eyes connected I felt like crying. I didn't want to say goodbye to him. I didn't want to do it. I didn't think it was going to be this hard but now that it's happening I didn't want him to go. I wanted him to stay here with me forever. I didn't even get to know him and now he's about to leave. He finished the meeting with my father so what else is there to do here?

"Yes?" I whispered.

"I'm going to be leaving soon," Ryker said.

"I know."

"We need to tell our fathers what's going on between us now. I'm not leaving here without you."

I sucked in a breath when he said that. "I thought...I can't leave. I live here. My home is here, we discussed this."

He took a deep breath then set his jaw. "I know you don't want to leave, but I have to get back to my pack. I thought I could spare a few days but..."

"I don't want to go. I can't leave my father I..." I looked back towards the house. My fear of seeing him leave was now replaced with panic. "My father is older now. Who would take care of him? He needs me. After my mom died I had promised to always be there for him. And I can't leave my home I.."

"Kendra, please," Ryker said closing his eyes. "I can't. I can't leave you behind. I've never knew what it meant to have met a true life mate before and now that I have I don't want to be away from you. I live hundreds of miles away and I can't abandon my pack. I'm sorry. I know this is difficult..."

"Difficult!" I couldn't help my voice from rising but once I realized it I immediately lowered it. I didn't mean to yell at Ryker. This situation we found ourselves in wasn't his fault but still. He had to know the truth. He had to know how I felt. I looked at him with the upmost seriousness. "Can you put yourself in my shoes? What if you were me and you were asked to leave your home, your family, your friends and everyone and everything you love to move hundreds of miles away with a complete stranger? How would you feel to wake up one day and be told that you probably would never wake up in the home you've known all your life or see your garden that you've build writher away over time after months of caring for it? Or not being able to run through the forest that has surrounded your whole childhood again? How would YOU feel? It sucks. This whole thing suck and I don't want to go with you. I don't want you to leave but I don't want to go."

Tears had fallen down my face as I spoke. I didn't mean to say that much, I really didn't but one thought led to another horrible thought that kept on going. I was breathing heavy and I thought I needed to sit down. It was like my world was spinning literally and I wanted nothing more than to go upstairs to my room and lay down.

I was in a situation that doesn't have a happy solution for either one of us. Either I'd go with him and he would be happy and I would be miserable. Or we'd both be far apart and both miserable.

"I understand," he whispered. His looked torn. "I wouldn't want to go with me either."

"It's not you I don't want to go with. It's leaving here that's the problem."

"You know, you would not be my prisoner or anything. You could come back and visit whenever you'd like. No, it wouldn't be every day, but I don't want you to be sad and feel torn from your home."

"What about my father? He needs me."

"I need you," Ryker said then shook his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I know you and your father are close and I see he depends on you in his life a lot but I think he would understand under these circumstances to let you go with me."

I thought of my father arguing with Ryker over not taking away his only daughter popped into my head but I dismissed it as a false reality. My father was not the argumental type and he would never fight against me moving away if he knew it was to live with my mate. "My father is too prideful to put his feeling into consideration when it comes to me sometimes. He would think only of me and not himself. So I must think of him."

"What about me?"

I stared at Ryker again and his handsome rugged face and my heart soared. I realized now that this was a choice. A choice that I had been fight with myself all along. It's between my family, my pack, my father, my life or Ryker. One would be my past and the other my future. I love my home, I love my life now and Mindy and my dad and my other friends, but would I feel the same ten years from now? Even five years. But Ryker...when I look into his eyes I see possibilities for everything and who knows what else I'd find in his pack, in his home...

I looked away towards my feet then up towards the clouds again. They had moved further away by now and here I was still trying to figure out where I was headed. I looked back at Ryker. I couldn't deny the excitement that the thought of living with him had stirred up but that didn't mean the pain of leaving was easier. " I want to be with you..."

"but..."

I didn't say anything for a moment. Then, "if I were to...consider going with you when would I come back?"

Ryker took a deep breath as he thought. "I will be transferring the money for the loan to your father after I have returned back home. Your father and I have agreed that he would repay me in six months time. Plus intestest. We had agreed upon the springs so I could come back to retrieve bottles of that water at that time. I could come sooner maybe three months if you want to visit with your father and friends if you like?"

"So three months if we were to leave tomorrow?"

He nodded. Slowly.

"Are you sure. You don't seem sure about it."

"A return trip here in three months has to be scheduled around other businesses I have with the pack. I believe it's possible but I have to plan with my Beta when I return. "

"Oh."

He stepped closer to me until we were less than a foot apart. I could feel his dominant energy coming off him in waves and it's making my knees buckle. I swallowed softly and stared at his chest hidden behind that hot leather jacket he wore. To my surprise and pleasure he touched me. He placed his fingers under my chin and lifted it so that I was now staring into his eyes again. "You will be happy with me I promise. I will make a way for you to return home soon to visit. I just need you to trust me. I've never done this before but I know I can't simply get in my car and leave without you. I could never do that."

The image of Ryker actually getting into a car and waving goodbye felt like the worse pain I've ever felt. How I could feel this way...this strongly about a stranger, someone I had just met yesterday is beyond me but my wolf inside felt like she would curl up and die if I had to say goodbye to him forever. It wasn't going to happen. I knew it deep down that that scenario of him leaving me behind was never going to happen.

I thought I had a choice but there never was a choice. Ryker was and is my destiny, my future and my life now whether I was prepared, scared, ready or not. My life would forever be different now and I as I look at Ryker staring at me with so much care in his eyes I don't feel like it's all bad.

In fact, I think it might actually be okay. as long as I have Ryker by my side I should be okay...by myself...in a new land...surrounded by only his pack and his friends. I swallowed loudly.

"Don't be scared," Ryker said smiling at me know like he knows I've made my decision. "I will take care of you."

I slowly..very slowly wrapped my arms around him. I think he didn't expect me to do that so he remained very still. After a few seconds of me now letting go he wrapped his arms around me too and we just stood there. I didn't want to go upstairs and face my father. I didn't want to call up Mindy to tell her too but I knew without a doubt that I was leaving home. I was leaving and it was the scariest thing that I have ever done in my life. I had Ryker and I trusted him but who knows what I will find when I went to his home? What adventures await or what friends I would make...or what enemies.

The thoughts shock my body and Ryker squeezed tighter. I loved the smell of him and I opened my mouth to breathe it in better. If moving would keep me with Ryker than I have to do it. I don't think I would ever had agreed to leave my small pack or my life behind if asked by anyone other than him.

"Ryker..."

"Yes?" he said his voice deep and smooth like he's in a calming state.

"I will go with you." I felt his body move up and down as he took a deep breath or maybe even a breath of relief.

"Good. Thank you."

"On one condition," I added.

"What's that?" His back tensed up again.

I pulled away a little from our hug so that he could see my face. "You have to promise me and give me your word that you'll bring me back to visit soon. I can't just bring news to my father that I'm leaving without knowing for a fact that I'll be back to see him soon."

Ryker stared for a few seconds then nodded slowly. "I promise. I'll find a way for us to come back to visit soon. I can do that for you, Kendra."

"It's really okay?"

"It's okay," he said then pulled me back into our hug. Now all I had to worry about was my father and as much as I liked to pretend I knew what his reaction would be the truth was I had no idea. And even though I was in Ryker's arms, the thought of telling my father I was moving hundreds of miles away to join a new pack scared me shitless.