THIRD PERSON POV:
Ryder tried to speak with Bella, but she didn't leave the closet until he was gone. She was too ashamed to come out. She didn't want him to act out of pity for her because she believed she knew his kind-the bad boys who wouldn't date a girl that wouldn't have sex with him.
But she was mistaken.
He hated himself for not being able to control himself around her, and he had never had sex with a virgin.
The entire evening, she tried to keep away from him. Ryder, on the other hand, was boiling over the entire occasion. He watched his mother proclaim vows of love to another man, and the reality of what she had said to him was clearer than ever. She wasn't going to get back with his father like she had promised him as a kid, and there would never be a big happy family.
He tried to occupy his mind with happy thoughts of Bella. Damn, she looked good in that dress, and he wanted more than anything to run his hands over her well-defined curves. Too defined for a sixteen-year-old. As he stared at her, he tried to convince himself she was overweight, so he could ignore the fact that her body enticed him. She was his, and the Moon Goddess had ordained it, so why was this difficult? He questioned himself.
"Hey," someone said, cutting through his thoughts.
Ryder wanted this person to be Bella because he was dying to be in her arms the entire time. He craved the security she brought, but the scent wasn't hers; it wasn't even close. He knew who it was before he even looked up. This brought a frown to his face, and he downed the glass of wine in his hand before turning around to walk away.
He had no other person to hate so much, except his half-brother, Tyler. Bella didn't have blood ties with him, but the bastard had his mother's blood, and except for having the same wavy brown hair like his father, the beta of the Dusk Pack, the bastard looked like him and he hated it.
In order to get away from him, Ryder made his way to the back of the house, where he intended to get some fresh air. There were people littered around; some were couples, and others were with their families. He was the only lone wolf, which made it difficult to get over the hard feeling of his mother leaving. He had sworn that this would be the last, and after the wedding, she would be dead to him.
"Hey," the same annoying voice came again, and he spun around angrily, grabbing his half-brother's hand. "Chill out, man. You left your phone on the table, and I came to give it back," he said, and Ryder let go of him, snatching his phone from his hand.
Ryder took a huge breath, trying to fight off the anger rising in his chest. He took a couple of steps away from his half-brother, whom he badly wanted to beat to a pulp because he felt that would relieve his anger.
"Are you okay, man?" he asked, taking a step towards Ryder who already had his hands cupped in a fist with his ever-rising breath.
"Get the hell away from me!" Ryder said in a raised voice, but his concerned brother couldn't let it go. He had watched Ryder the previous day, and he had sensed something was wrong.
His mother had only told him good stories of his older brother, and now that he had met him in the flesh, he wanted to bond, but Ryder seemed troubled, and he was genuinely bothered.
"I'm sorry I cannot, because you are my brother, and..."
Before he could complete his statement, Ryder turned around, delivering a heavy blow
to his nose, which sent him crashing to the ground. He got on top of him.
"Tyler, or whatever the hell you call yourself, stay out of my business!" he delivered another punch to his face, which drew the attention of everyone at once, and people began to yell.
Ryder didn't stop, but before he could deliver the last punch, he felt a heavy punch in his face. Then he saw the Beta of the pack standing before him, and his mother rushing to the bastard instead of him.
"Tyler, baby," his mother called out, kneeling and cupping the face of her son.
Tyler, who was badly beaten, said nothing, but glanced at his mother and Ryder simultaneously. Then he silently wept because his mother had left out this part about his brother from him. He was bad-tempered, and not someone Tyler wanted in his life.
"If you touch my son one more time, I will..." Beta Duncan was about to hit Ryder when his mother intervened, causing him to pause his heavy fist in the air as he couldn't hit his newlywed wife and the mother of his only child.
"Teach your son to behave or he won't like me," the man said, turning away.
"I hate you alright," Ryder said, and the beta turned around at once.
"What did you say, you little punk?" He lifted Ryder by the collar, and his mother grabbed the beta's hand.
"Duncan, please," she said in a soft tone, causing him to let go of Ryder by tossing backwards, and he staggered to find a stance.
Then he lifted Tyler in his arms like a kid, taking him towards the house. "Everyone, the party is over! You can return to your houses," the man yelled on his way to the door.
"Have you got anything to say for yourself?" Ryder's mum asked, and he ignored her, attempting to walk away, but she grabbed his hand forcefully. "Listen to me when I speak to you, young man!" she said in a stern tone, but he yanked away her hand, walking towards the entrance as he looked around in the crowd, checking for Bella, wondering if she had seen what happened.
Then he caught her eyes the moment he walked into the house. She was across the other side of the room by the stairs, and the moment their gazes met, she rushed up the stairs.
Her mind was conflicted as she had watched everything that had happened, and she only imagined if the Beta had delivered the second blow. It would be more than that, because no matter how stupid Ryder was, Alpha Fred wouldn't let a man who stole his wife kill his son and go scot-free or even harm a single hair on his head.
What if Ryder killed Tyler? she questioned herself as she rushed to their room. Then he would be arrested or killed. It was all too risky, and he let his emotions take over just like she did with her best friend, Bonnie. It scared her, just thinking of it.
When she got to the room, she slammed the door shut, rushing to the closet where she shut the door, and placed her back on it, sliding down to the floor as tears ran down her eyes.
Why did it hurt her so much? Why did she suddenly care for him? She couldn't possibly love him, but his actions drove her crazy.
When the door to the room opened, her heart skipped a beat. Ryder rushed to the closet, banging hard on the door, but she wouldn't open it.
"Bella, I know you are in there, and if you do not open up, then I will have no choice but to break down this door!" he banged harder, and when she wouldn't open, he felt
his heart sink. "Bella, please!" he said in a raised tone before his voice fell.
"Don't turn your back on me, too."
He slid down the door and pulled his legs to his chest, burying his face in his knees with his back against the door. Then she stood up and opened the door.