Valerie did not understand what she was feeling. She loved having Ryker around because she was lonely, and he had expressed his liking for her from the beginning, which she found understandable. He wouldn't be around if he didn't like her, but love was a different matter.
Her interactions with him had always been honest, and she wasn't going to let that change. "Ryker, I like you a lot, I really do, but love is the least of my concerns."
Ryker's face fell, but Valerie placed her hand on his comfortingly as she explained her reasons.
"My pack betrayed me, the worst being my blood sister, Scarlet. Not to mention the mate bond and Tristan setting me up."
"Just because I smile every day doesn't mean I'm fine. My heart bleeds every time I close my eyes to sleep because all I see is how my own pack, whom I protected with my blood, turned against me."
