I almost rolled my eyes. Did he honestly think I was missing? That was pathetic. Either he was genuinely so far up his own ass to think that I still wanted to be with him, or he was playing up his worry for sympathy points that he wasn't going to get from either of us.
"Let me say this clearly so that I can't be misunderstood," I said. "I'm not one of you anymore. I've cut all my ties. I'm not part of the Treachery. Got it?"
The horrified expression on Ryker's face would've been funny if it didn't morph into fury a second later. "That's not funny, Orpheus. We all missed you. And where the hell have you been, anyway?" He jabbed a furious finger in Red’s direction. "Screwing around with some random guy?"
My blood boiled. Nobody spoke about my mate like that. But before I could respond, Red was the one who spoke up.
"Um, if you'd been paying attention, you'd know that my name is Red, not Random Guy." He grinned widely. "You're not entirely wrong about the screwing around part, though."
Ryker balked and I had to bite back a laugh. This wasn't the way I expected this confrontation to go at all. It was much better. Maybe we could offend them into leaving us alone without any physical violence.
"Excuse me?" Ryker demanded. He glared at me. "Orpheus, what is he saying? Tell me it's not true."
"It is," Dust chimed in. "I've been spying on them for the past few days. All they do is walk around holding hands and making out. It's nauseating, honestly."
Ryker’s voice was nearly a scream. "What?"
Ignoring him, Red examined his nails. "So that was you. Just so you know for next time, you might want to do a better job. I clocked you the second I saw you at the cabin."
Dust scowled. "Watch your mouth."
"No, I don't think I will," Red said casually.
"Seriously, Orpheus, why are you wasting your time with this guy?" Pitch demanded. "You already had a mate back home. Just come back with us and stop being so dramatic."
This time I really did roll my eyes. After all this, they thought I was only being dramatic. Maybe I should've pitied them. They could've been just as brainwashed as I was back when I lived under Ryker's thumb.
"I already told you no. Don't make me say it again," I said. "And Ryker was never my mate. Not my true one."
Behind me, I noticed Red's expression soften a little.
"He treated me like shit, so don't expect me to come crawling back," I went on angrily. "I have a better life now, with everything I ever wanted. You're the ones who should all stop wasting your time. Go home."
The other three seemed stunned, but Ryker was furious. His body tensed up as he lunged a step closer, getting in my face. He ground his teeth so hard I could hear it.
"Enough," he snapped. "Leave this slut behind and come home with me. Now."
I'd never wanted to hit somebody so badly in my life, but he wasn't even worth the effort to raise my hand. I stepped away from him, trying to make it as clear as physically possible that I wanted nothing to do with him.
"No," I stated. "And I suggest you never call him that again."
Shaking with fury, Ryker turned his glare on Red. My mate was calm and cool, even though I noticed the flicker of irritation in his eyes. Ryker's insults meant nothing to him. Red was confident in our relationship, so he didn't need to display any signs of jealousy in front of my ex.
"He's a fox, isn't he?" Ryker asked. "You can't trust them, Orpheus. All they do is lie and cheat. He's probably sleeping with other people behind your back."
That infuriated me. It wasn't true, and I despised hearing him speak badly about Red. "Enough."
But Ryker didn't stop. He gestured to Red, who had been silent this whole time. "See? He doesn't even deny it!"
That's because he doesn't need to,I thought irritably.
I glanced to Red, whose amusement with the situation seemed to be wearing thin. I felt terrible that they wouldn't leave him alone.
Ryker took another step towards me, his hands open in a pose that was supposed to look inviting but didn't. "You need to be with your own kind, with raven shifters. Come home with me, Orpheus."
I frowned and stepped away from him again. I wished he would get the hell away from me, but his desperation was urging him on.
"Red is my fated mate," I announced. "He is also pregnant with our child. So please, just leave now before you embarrass yourself further."
