The Rejected Female Wolf - Chapter 115: Chapter 115

"Ryder?" I nudge his shoulder and then I flick him. He still doesn't respond so I do the only thing I can think of.
I smack him across the face.
I didn't smack him too hard because that would alert the mystery man, or should I say Patrick, to our presence.
Thankfully, Ryder's eyes lose some of that hazy look that he had in them before.
"We need to go back." He nods his head before walking off. I look over to Brian and Emily but they just shrug before following him.
We pass all the houses and head into another part of the forest. Ryder keeps walking until he gets to one specific tree. He walks up to the tree and puts his hand on the side. I look at him weirdly wondering what he's doing. A few moments later, the trunk of the tree opens up and Brian and Emily step inside and walk down a flight of stairs. What the heck? Last time I checked, tree trunks didn't open up into doors, and they definitely have never had stairs in them before. I frown slightly before following them.
Once we get to the bottom, Emily flips a light switch so we can see properly. I look around and I take in everything around me. Inside, it basically looks like a normal living room. There's a couch, a TV, some pictures on the wall, etc.
"Where are we?" I asked after I examined the room for a few more minutes.
"This is the safe room. There are only 3 people who can open up the door to get here. Ryder, myself and Chris." Brian explains while pacing around the room. He looks really worried about something and I wonder if he knows who the mystery man is too. It would make sense if he did since he is Ryder's best friend. I look around the room and see that Ryder hasn't come down the stairs yet.
"Where's Ryder?"
"He's probably talking to Chris. We might be here for a while, and someone needs to watch the pack and do some investigation."
"Do you know who that guy is?" I ask, feeling slightly nervous.
"I think so, but it would probably be better if Ryder explained since I'm not 100% sure." We wait for a few moments before Ryder comes down the stairs.
His hair is messy and he looks like a confused puppy. He runs his hand through his hair a few times while pacing. He starts mumbling to himself and as time goes on he looks more and more distraught. I stand up and walk to him to try and comfort him.
"Ryder? Are you ok?" I'm standing in front of him with my hands on his shoulders, but he doesn't seem to notice. I grab his chin and turn his face towards me, but it looks like he's looking right through me.
"How is this even happening?"
"How is what happening? Do you know who that person is?"
"It's not possible, he can't still be alive."
"What do you mean? You're not making any sense."
"He chased after them. How is this possible? I saw his body! I know he's dead!" The look on Ryder's face is of pure sadness and it makes my heart clench painfully in my chest.
"What's going on? Who are you talking about?" I take my hands off his shoulders and take a step back.
"He can't still be alive. I saw his dead body." His eyes look haunted as he keeps murmuring to himself. I look over at Brian and Emily, but they don't say anything. Brian looks like he's putting the pieces together, but Emily looks just as confused as I am.
"Ryder?" I ask in a quieter voice.
"I saw him die! I saw it with my own eyes! He died right in front of me! I guess he didn't exactly die if he's still alive though." Ryder shakes his head with a bitter chuckle and continues his pacing. Brian stands up and walks over to Ryder.
"Alpha, I think you need to explain things to your mate," he says while grabbing onto Ryder's shoulders.
"How is he still alive?" Ryder mumbles with a look of disbelief on his face.
"I'm not sure, Ryder, but there are some things you need to explain."
"I just don't know how any of this is possible." Ryder says with a sigh. Ryder and Brian walk over to the side and start talking quietly. I want to know what they're saying, but I know that I'll find out soon enough.
"Do you know what's happening?" Emily asks through the mindlink. She is looking at me with a confused look on her face. I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't know what's happening.
"I have no clue," I say with a sigh. After a little longer, I start to get restless. I need to know what's going on. Brian and Ryder are still talking to each other quietly, but they stop all of a sudden and look at me. I raise my right eyebrow waiting for either one of them to say something.
"Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" I demand when no one says anything. I look at the two of them trying to get my answers from their facial expressions, but they don't give anything away except for Ryder. He looks like he's relieving some painful memories and the look on his face makes my stomach turn. Suddenly I'm not so sure I want to know.