Chapter One: Ryder's Possessive Behavior

 ~Hazel~

The moon goddess is a player.

There is no other reason why she would put two people from different classes together and make them mates. I am so convinced that she enjoys the show that goes down here.

She must love to have a lot of fun hurting werewolves’ feelings.

It was the coming of age month when all the werewolves who hadn’t gotten their mates went to this huge party with the sole aim of finding their mates. My best friend, who is an omega by the way, found out that her mate was a beta from another pack, but he rejected her coldly, with the excuse of not being up to standard.

Not him talking about standards with his duck face.

This is the reason I’ve prayed fervently for the past three weeks that my mate would be an omega, just like me, and he would love me forever. That was the only way that I could leave this hellhole that had been created for me by my step-parents.

I was still musing when I felt a kick to my shin. I cried out in pain, stumbling over the bucket of water that I’d been scrubbing the floor with.

“Watch it, skank! My foot insurance is worth more than your stupid life!”

I recoiled on the floor, my knees bleeding from the abrasion with the hard floor.

“Now, I’ve got the scent of a filthy omega on me. What will you do to atone for this, huh?”

I raised my head to see Freya, a beta-she wolf who has made it her mission to make my life a living hell in the Pack. For some reason best known to her, she saw me as a sort of competition.

Looking at me, I didn’t see how I could compete with such a girl. Her red curly hair made her look like a character out of a Disney movie. She was tall and slender and had the sweetest voice. I, however, was her stark opposite. I was short and fleshy, my hair was short and tangled most of the time due to lack of care, and my voice wasn’t lady-like either.

“I’m sorry, Freya.” I apologized. “But you kicked me. Shouldn’t you be apologizing for that?”

Oh, I also forgot to say that I have a loud mouth which always puts me in trouble somehow.

“Did you just talk back to me?” Freya gasped. “How dare a filthy omega talk back to a beta?”

I sighed in frustration. It was enough that I was here worrying myself about who my mate was going to be, and how he would react if he saw me tonight. I didn’t have the energy to fight with Freya.

“Wasn’t your mother an Omega before your father mated with her? You also have the blood of an omega running through your veins. So don’t try to blow your trumpet”

Damm it.

This mouth of mine again.

The look on Freya’s face told me that I’d bitten more than I could chew. Her face which was always angelic suddenly turned cold and menacing.

“You…You skank! How dare you”

Her hands were raised to hit me when a voice interrupted. It was as deep as the deepest canyon, filled with aura and authority. I didn’t need to look before I knew that it was Alpha Ryder, the alpha of our Pack.

“What’s the commotion all about?”

Immediately Freya heard Alpha Ryder’s voice, tears started to roll down her eyes in chunks. She ran to Alpha Ryder and grabbed his arm, all the while shaking like a leaf in winter.

“Ryder, she pushed me. She pushed me and tried to attack me”

I was speechless. Totally stunned. I couldn’t believe that this was the girl whose mouth had been running like a tap that had been let loose.

Just wow.

Her acting was so good that I found myself almost believing her. Maybe she should have considered a degree in acting and theatrics. It was a more suitable job for her than rolling around with the alpha in this pack.

“Is this true, Hazel?”

I slowly looked up into those brown eyes that had always seemed to trap my soul whenever I stared into them. That face that always had me in a chokehold. I swallowed, trying to ease my stupid beating heart.

“A-Alpha…” I finally croaked out.

“Have you suddenly gone dumb, Hazel? Did you attack Freya or not!”

Even though his tone was sharp and cold, I couldn’t stop myself from melting inside. This was the first time that he had called me by my name. And oh, it sounded so good coming from him. It sounded like honey slipping through the pores of a honey spoon. So smooth.

I wondered if he decided that he would be calling my name after that kiss that we shared in the dark basement two weeks ago. I wondered if he remembered it the way that I had. I wondered if he had cherished it the way that I had.

But with the way his gaze slid to my lips, I could tell that he remembered. And maybe…just maybe…he wanted to do it again.

 “Ryder, you need to punish her. She attacked me!”

Her shrill voice brought me back to the present. I could stand anything else but not being framed for what I did not do.

“That’s a lie. She kicked me. Look, this is where I fell on” I said, raising my skirt to show the alpha my knee.

“What? You stealthy bitch. Is this you trying to seduce the alpha?”

“Enough!” Alpha Ryder growled. “Go on now!!”

Freya’s perfect face folded into a frown as she walked away. 

“Wait in my room” Alpha Ryder shouted at her .

It was no news that they’ve been sleeping with each other for a long time.

She paused in her tracks and blew him a kiss. I rolled my eyes, not understanding the jealousy that I was starting to feel. Whatever they did was none of my business anyway.

The alpha faced me when she left.

“I really did nothing wrong to her. I was just cleaning when she kicked me and I fell over and bruised my knee—”

Before I could finish my rant, I found myself being pinned against the wall by Alpha Ryder. My heart somersaulted and started to beat a hundred times in one second.

His left hand pinned my hands over my head, while his right hand grabbed my chin. He tilted my head up, making me look into those eyes that made me question my choices.

“What was that all about, huh?” he rasped.

I gulped, his scent destroying my senses. “W-what was what?”

“You, raising your skirt in the pretense of showing me your knee. Was that you really trying to seduce me?”

“No! I—it was… I didn’t…”

I wasn’t prepared for it.

I wasn’t prepared for the way his lips claimed mine in the most passionate way possible. I wasn’t prepared for the way he slid his hand down my waist, cupping my ass and grinding me against his rock-hard erection.

I swallowed hard, trying to regain my composure, but the intensity of his presence made it impossible. His thumb brushed against my jaw, a gesture both commanding and tender, sending a shiver down my spine.

"You'll speak when you're spoken to, Hazel," he growled, his voice laced with authority and something darker—something that made my insides twist with anticipation.

"I—I'm not trying to seduce you, Alpha," I stammered, but the words felt feeble, as if they belonged to someone else. His gaze burned into mine, and the air between us grew thick with unspoken tension.

"Is that so?" he murmured, his lips dangerously close to my ear now. "Then why do you tremble every time I touch you? Why does your heart race when I'm near?"

I bit my lip, unsure of how to respond. Was it fear, or was it something else entirely? The way his hand remained firmly on my waist, his fingers pressing just enough to make me ache for more, told me that he already knew the answer.

His lips descended again, capturing mine with a hunger that stole my breath. This kiss wasn’t like the one in the basement—it was bolder, more possessive. His tongue swept across my bottom lip, demanding entry, and I yielded without a fight. His hand tightened on my wrists, holding them firmly above my head, while the other roamed freely, tracing the curve of my body as if he owned every inch of it.

When he pulled back, his eyes were darker than before, filled with an emotion I couldn’t place. After he released me, my head was reeling, and my face was heated. I was confused, but pleased.

That was Alpha Ryder. He kept confusing me and I couldn’t tell if he wanted me or not. A few times, he would kiss me so passionately that I’d begin to daydream that he was my fated mate, and the next minute, he approached me like a parasite who was determined on drawing off his energy from me

“W-what was…what was that?” I breathed when I finally found my voice.

“Have you been touched by any man?” he rasped, his breath tickling my senses.

“N-no. I’m still a virgin”

“Good. Keep it that way. No other man is permitted to touch you, and that is an order from your alpha. Is that understood?”

I nodded shakily, my knees almost giving way.

That was what he did to me. Always making me weak in the knees. But I still couldn’t understand why he didn’t want me to be with other men. He wasn’t my mate, and everyone already knew that he had some sort of relationship with Freya. So what was this possessive nature?