Chapter 17 - A Wild Panther

"What are you talking about?"

Ryley didn't have any idea about what happened as he fainted from nearly getting shot. He could only recall the biggest man among the three hitmen who found and held him captive escaped by a helicopter.

"The one who did this to you…" Clyde said, his handsome face was looking grim as his index finger pointed at the white bandage on Ryley's collarbone.

He was about to gut that little bastard and send his corpse back to whoever he served, but Lucas prevented and advised him that it would be better to let Ryley decide on it.

The blond frowned, he should've grimaced in pain since the wound was still fresh from last night but he didn't. His hand moved on its own, fueled by the curiosity that filled his mind. He wondered if he could accept modeling jobs for men's beachwear in the future.

However, Clyde stopped him and read his mind out of nowhere. "You can't open it now, let it stay for the next 36 hours." His thumb then gently rubbed Ryley's slender fingers. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to your skin."

His eyes moved from the blond's still confused face, he didn't actually want it to disappear from the handsome model's body. It'd be nice if it could serve as a reminder for how Ryley tried to shield him from a deadly attack that could've taken his life.

But it was Adrian's special ointment that Clyde used to treat it, and he himself said he wanted the beauty before him to return unscathed, so he could be sure that not even a scratch would be left on the part where the bullet grazed Ryley.

"What about you?" Ryley extended his hand, his cold fingers touched Clyde's earlobe that wasn't covered by any bandage. His lips gaped without him realizing. "Why didn't you treat your wound?"

Clyde smiled, closing his eyes as he let out a small scoff. "It's for myself. It will remind me of our alliance." The Alpha then gave his shirt to Ryley and took the one with all the buttons torn. Then he put his arm under the blond's thighs and carried him with ease. "Alright, let's go now."

Ryley put his arm over the man's broad shoulders, holding onto his new dangerous ally. The sight above him seemed to cloud his vision, making his gaze dreamy.

He didn't know what had gotten into him, but his eyes seemed unable to leave the man's face. Fixated, not knowing whether it was because of the Alpha's stern look that was simply irresistible or his strangely comforting presence.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Clyde said, snapping Ryley out of his momentary daydream. "Is there something on my face?" He asked, but the subtle grin on his face clearly showed he was just pretending to be oblivious of Ryley's attention.

The blond shoved Clyde's face in annoyance, then averted his gaze while holding back his embarrassment. "Yeah, your face is so annoying to look at."

The Alpha only laughed. He leaned over and teased, "Almost thought you'd let me have another go."

His words made Ryley blush even harder. "You horny bastard!" He said, trying to slap the Alpha but the man dodge his palm fast. "Put me down! I can walk on my own!" The blond demanded.

"Sure." Clyde then slowly let him down to the ground, but when Ryley took his step, he felt his hand caught.

His brown eyes glared at the sight of their intertwined fingers. "What are you doing?"

"Just to make sure you won't run away again." Clyde walked past him and led ahead.

Ryley opened his mouth about to protest, but the man interrupted. "It's easy to get lost in here. You're lucky you didn't meet any wild animals when you wandered this forest."

The blond shut his mouth tight, he could only pout and let Clyde lead his path. He thought that the Alpha had a point, but his heart was telling him that it wasn't entirely true.

He did meet a wild animal. A panther, if he might say.

And the beast wouldn't let go of his hand now.

***

The sun was already high in the sky when they arrived. A line of armed guards was seen standing steady and slightly bowed their head as they saw their master coming.

Clyde briefly nodded at his head bodyguard, his hand still locking the blond's.

Lucas' thick eyebrows unintentionally shot up, somewhat astounded at the look of his master holding hands with someone he barely knew. But he chose to not question further though this unusual sight was hard to ignore.

He dragged the young lad and threw him in front of them, then yanked his curls hard, forcing him to show his badly beaten face.

Clyde moved aside and stretched his hand behind the model's slender back, gently escorting him forward.

Ryley winced in pain as soon as he walked past Clyde's towering body, partly averting his gaze from the horrible sight before him. It was as if he could feel the fists and boots that left bruises and bloods flowing from the guy's nose.

The Alpha gestured for his guards to take their aim, pointing the tip of their rifles behind the sniper's head.

"No! Don't!" Ryley suddenly intervened, his brown eyes worriedly searched for Clyde's ice cold blue. "I don't want him killed."

"He held you captive and almost shot you. It's what he deserves," the man replied, his tone somewhat questioning Ryley's intention.

The blond was confused about what to do, the poor kid seemed like he was trained to hunt people but something reminded him that he might've been forced into taking such a job.

He remembered the chocolate bars the guy gave him last night. It eased his starving stomach a little.

"You should take him," Ryley said, trying to convince the Alpha. His voice lowered a bit as he saw the kid with pity in his eyes. "At least for now,"

This was the only thing he could do to return the favor. He hated owing anything to others, and he couldn't just ask the Alpha to let go of the small figure.

Besides, the blond had another plan in mind.

Then his eyes caught another figure tied into a tree. The crew cut guy turned out to have many lives since the knife on his back failed to kill him. He seemed too weak to lift his head, but Ryley could see that half of the bastard's face basically melted, looking very unsightly.

"Is that man alive?" He asked, his tone was tinged with anger.

"Not anymore if you wish he wasn't," Clyde replied, and his guards were already taking their stance.

Ryley held his hand, preventing the Alpha from signaling his guards. "Did you find out who sent them here?"

There was an inexplicable anger between the man's brows as he replied, "They wouldn't tell. Seems like they'd rather die than open their mouth."

"And even if they speak, they might give you the wrong name and turn you against people who have nothing to do with this." Ryley unconsciously muttered fast as he let go of the Alpha's hand and fiddled with his own fingers, looking deeply cautious.

His handsome face darkened in an instant when he began to learn the situation. He clearly heard their boss say he was 'the other target' before.

Ryley didn't mean to belittle his sister's evil but Rachel couldn't have been able to do this all on her own. Heck, she's just a small agency's staff, so it's impossible for her to afford even street thugs.

The blond had been in the entertainment industry long enough to not easily believe even a nice person. He had seen countless betrayals and destroyed careers despite his young age as a model. He was a victim of such a cruel scheme once— a price he had to pay for rising to the top purely with his own hard work.

And now, since he allied himself with Clyde, he had to protect the man from making the wrong decision.

"What did you say?" Clyde couldn't exactly hear him but he knew Ryley was saying something important.

Ryley faced the taller man with a concerned gaze then voiced out his mind with a whisper. The Alpha leaned closer but a deep frown appeared on his forehead, as if opposing the plan. "If I do that, he'll try to kill me again. And not just me, he will probably go after you too."

The blond bit his lower lip in annoyance then slowly grunted. "If you kill him, they will send you another one. But if you let him go, you will see who's holding his leash!"