?Chapter 93:

He leaned in, his voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. “I’m a man of many talents. Skating, cooking, ying the guitar…”

I gasped, pretending shock, and ced a hand against my lips. “What are you now? A rockstar?”

His head tilted back, his eyes squinting, and a big smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Hardly. But I do enjoy strumming a few chords.”

Ryder was like a whole new personality on the rink—still mischievous, yet with a certain ease that made me feelfortable despite myck of skating skills. He made me cling to him the whole time, even threatening to push me if I didn’t stay close. Our disy, unfortunately, didn’t escape the watchful eyes of those around us. Normally, stares like this would make me anxious, but with Ryder around, I really didn’t give a damn. Ryder, on the other hand, seemed oblivious, though I knew he was aware of every gaze. He was an Alpha, after all.

When we finally left the rink, Ryder turned to me with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Want to grab some dinner somewhere? Maybe somewhere a little more… low-key?”

“‘But we just ate beforeing here,’ I countered. I was a bit hungry but not in the mood for dinner again.

‘It won’t be anything much—burgers, fries, and chicken max,’ Ryder offered. He had already taken off his ice skates and was now fastening theces of his sneakers.

We ended up at a McDonald’s tucked away in a quiet corner of the city. The aroma of freshly sizzling meat, hot pastries, and simmering sauces danced around our nostrils as we stepped in. My stomach churned. Okay, now I was hungry.

Ryder was greeted with nods and smiles from the staff, who seemed to worship him. I watched, fascinated, as he effortlessly charmed them, ordering our meal with ease.

‘You’re quite the celebrity, aren’t you?’ I snorted.

Ryder’s expression turned amused, and he poked my cheek. ‘Perks of being an Alpha, I suppose.’

Our food arrived, and we dug in, savoring the vors and filling our stomachs. Ryder filled in the silence with tales of his childhood adventures, and I listened, entranced, visualizing every word. He wasn’t usually this talkative, and I had the feeling that if I said a word, the spell would break.

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It made so much sense why he’d made us stop at McDonald’s. The night was at its peak when Ryder announced we had one more ce to cross off before we could call it a day. On a normal day, I’d be dog-tired, but tonight was filled with adrenaline.

Ryder led me through the grand halls of the Lycan pack’s museum, and I couldn’t help but gape in awe. The walls were adorned with breathtaking masterpieces, each one more stunning than thest. I had heard rumors that the pack possessed an impressive collection of original artworks, but I never thought I’d see them up close.

‘Ryder, are these…?’ I trailed off, my eyes wide with wonder.

‘No freaking way!’ I gasped. Those were freaking originals. Oh. My. God.

Ryder smiled, a small one, his eyes gleaming with pride as he stared at the objects of awe in appreciation. ‘The originals, yes. We’ve had them in our possession for centuries.’

After several minutes of asking questions and staring wide-eyed, I drifted from one piece to the next, drinking in the beauty and history that each object radiated. But one artwork, in particr, caught my eye—the Lunaris Amulet. I had only seen pictures, studied its design in art history books, but here it was, shining with an ethereal light.”

“‘Oh my God,” I breathed, my hand reaching out to touch it before I remembered myself.

Ryder came up behind me. “‘You like it?”

I spun around, my eyes locking onto his. “Like it? Are you kidding? This is the Lunaris Amulet! I’ve only dreamed of seeing it in person. You guys have everything I’ve ever wanted to see but haven’t been privileged enough to.”

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