Free Darkmoon (#5) (The Cain Chronicles) by SM Reine Page B

errand boy anymore. He was bent on talking with Rylie—whether Seth wanted him to or not.
    He found Rylie with his brother in the orchard. They were sitting on a bench, staring out at the trees, and separated by about six inches of space and radiating awkwardness. Seth looked up when Abel approached. “Hey.”
    “Don’t stop the party on my account,” Abel said, leaning on the nearest tree. “What’s with all the joy and laughter?”
    Neither of them responded. Rylie looked drained and sad, and it put a dent in Abel’s usually impenetrable sense of humor.
    “I’ll let you guys talk,” Seth said, and he went inside.
    “Okay, what’s with that?” Abel asked as soon as he was gone.
    Rylie blew out a sigh. It was cold enough that her breath billowed around her face. “Seth’s trying to talk me into using a bodyguard.”
    He laughed. “Seriously?”
    “Yeah. The new pack member has a background in ‘personal security,’ and Seth arranged for him to watch me.” She groaned and covered her eyes with a hand. “I don’t want to be watched. I don’t need to be protected. I am not going to have some scary biker wolf lurking everywhere I go.”
    “I’m scary,” Abel said.
    “Not to me.” Her hand slid off of her face, and she gave him a pathetic smile. “I’m glad you’re back.”
    “Yeah, you sound glad.”
    “I just found out that I’m going to have twins, my fiancé is trying to attach a biker security detail to me, and Levi is stomping around like he runs the ranch. Should I be in a good mood?”
    “Sure,” Abel said, “because now I’m back.”
    The corner of Rylie’s mouth twitched. “We need a game plan. Pyper and Daven are starting to treat Levi like he’s the Alpha, so he’s getting traction. But he won’t be able to challenge us if you start controlling the pack’s transformation on the moons. Levi can’t do that yet, so no amount of blustering is going to help if you do it first.”
    “I don’t need to know how to change the wolves if I just punch Levi’s face in.”
    “But you’ll also be showing that you can only lead with force. This is a lot better, trust me,” Rylie said. “I can show you how to do it. It’s easy.”
    “For you.”
    “And it will be for you, too.” Her voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. “Once you can change yourself at will, I’ll show you how to use it on other wolves. Okay?”
    “You’re awfully bossy for a fragile little flower that needs a bodyguard.”
    “Shut up or I’ll bite you.”
    He grinned. “Any time, Rylie. Any time.”

N INE
    The Real Alpha
    Weeks passed without Abel and Rylie getting a chance to speak again. Despite Brianna’s help, Scott kept Abel busy running errands, and winter started turning into spring. Moons came and went. March approached. And Rylie kept growing.
    He finally caught her doing dishes one night after dinner. Her stomach was getting in the way, and there was a big wet patch where she had been leaning against the sink.
    “So when are you going to teach me to change?” Abel asked.
    Rylie handed him a wet plate and a dishtowel. “I don’t know. I’m always so tired. Seth and I have been going to bed early every night.”
    “You can stay up just this once,” he said, running the towel over the plate and dropping it on the counter. “Unless a late bedtime is too rough on the Alpha?”
    A small smile touched her lips, but it was interrupted by a yawn. “Okay. Tomorrow.”
    It felt like eons until “tomorrow” arrived. It started snowing again, and it looked like a nasty storm was brewing. The air was thick with anticipant silence.
    Abel met Rylie by the pond after dark. She was wearing Bekah’s puffy white jacket and snow boots. He hadn’t bothered putting anything on over his jeans, though. If he was going to be changing into a wolf, then his clothes would only get shredded.
    Suppressing a shiver, he paced along the shore of the pond to keep himself warm.
    “Tell me what to do,