CHAPTER 9. The Late night visit.RYDER“That's right, Ryder. I'm your would-have-been bride if you hadn't ruined everything with your insane speech. You can't imagine how embarrassed I was after that. I couldn't even come to greet the guests. I was riddled with shame!“I shook my head, hating the ugly twist of event. This whole thing just took a turn to 'freaking - impossible!'Standing and needing to put a distance between myself and her stench, I lingered towards my shelf. The smell of my newly, bought books rid me of her stench.Nah, no way this was gonna happen. Another girl, I would have reconsidered. Another girl, I would have yielded to Father's request.But not Ciara, not this Goddess-forsaken creature.It was very typical of Father, I must say. I mean, it's understandable he'd wanna chunk Ciara down my throat. She was, after all, the only she-wolf he'd put respect on her name, aside from his late Luna, My Mum.In his books, he was doing me a favour, pairing me up with the mos
CHAPTER 10. MEETING THE BOSSHARARunning in high-heeled shoes has never been my area of expertise. I've never been deep into fashion and just went with whatever was comfortable. High-heeled shoes always had me tripping and seemingly clumsy. I had to avoid them and every occasion which specifically demands them.Winding up as a worker in the bar did bring about a terrific change though. It was one of the huge flaws of my job – their strict requirements for every female worker to be on heels. I would have loved to exempt myself from the rules, using my pregnancy as the perfect excuse. That was impossible. They had no idea I was carrying a child and I intend to keep it that way for a long time.So yeah, had to compromise myself every day, putting on heels and taking on the torture that came with it.After a little more run on the sidewalk and I arrived at the bar. I had an afternoon shift, which would end a few hours before midnight. The bar was a bit serene. There were a good number o
CHAPTER 11. MEETING HER RYDER.”Again, I have to say, this seems like a setup. Or a threat. Silver pack is definitely up to something. I suggest we act now,“ Giveon stated firmly. We've been at it since dawn, going over every pending issue. Deliberating on the possible actions to take about whatever situation wasn't appealing.It was a roundtable meeting for just the seven top-ranked warlords of our pack, Father and I. Giveon was the third-ranked warlord.“Nah. We would be seen as bullies, trampling on a weaker pack. We got no solid evidence about their alleged - conspiracy with the rogues. I suggest we wait and watch.“ Fredrick countered. He was the sixth.“I agree with Fred, Ryder. We should wait and watch. Silver pack is just a speck of dust to us. We could have them destroyed in just a sweep of our claws. They're not much threat, so waiting isn't detrimental to us in whatever way,“ Jason added. He wasn't a warlord, but he was my Beta, so he had to be here.“But Jason, the earli
CHAPTER 12. MY MATE IS WITH A CHILDRYDERSeconds passed, and she was still here, not disappearing or vanishing like the mirage I thought she was. I was slowly taking the risk of accepting that she was indeed real. With that acceptance, came a surge of emotions. I was struck by overwhelming emotions and it had me in place, just staring at her. If she was Hara if this was my Hara, then how the fuck did she get here? The last time I checked, she'd vanished into thin air, making me look like a liar, a fool, and a delusional man. How had she shown up here so easily? Perhaps, did she come here, upon hearing that I'd looked for her?That wouldn't be the case. She seems so terrified and distorted at my presence. If she'd come here for me, then she'd show it. She'd acknowledge me, not get this terrified.With that option off the list of the possible reasons she's here, there was only one option left - she came here on her own. But why?What happened that night? What's she doing here? With
CHAPTER 13. SWEET REVENGE FOR MY MATERYDER“I'm really sorry, your highness, but that's all I know about her. She did not love interacting with others, and would rather keep to herself, always. There's no information about her past, friends, relatives, or even acquaintances.“I finally looked up from the resume I was holding. It was Hara's resume. Staring at it for half an hour and wishing it had more information to offer was just hurting my feelings. I'd asked for it in a rush, thinking I could find a little clue about her past years, or what she'd been doing since she vanished. I was pretty much amazed when all the resume had was just her fake identity, Suzy, and an age I wasn't sure was real. Just a name and age. Nothing more. No records of distant or close relatives. No records of her qualifications. Nothing. It was the silliest of things. I've never seen such a blank resume ever. This just proved how incompetent this buffalo of a manager was, and I was itchy to knock some lif
CHAPTER 14. THE UNEXPECTED VISITOR The rain draped down my skin in a steady, downpour. I was wet like a puppy and my hair was sleek and glued to my face. It was heavy rain and a weird change in the weather. No one had mentioned the possibility of rain today. The day had also been so bright and had no trace of a storm. All of a sudden, the cloud had turned gloomy and the rain came down.The sidewalks were filled with people running to take shelter from the rain. I seemed to be the only one who wasn't in a hurry to leave the rain. Although, I was cold down to my marrows and my feet shook like I was going through a thousand series of orgasms, making it harder for me to walk. But the rain was cooling my mind, toning down the heated thoughts and emotions. That's why I didn't wanna leave it in a hurry, even if I get sick from it afterward.The distance to my house has never felt so far and it felt like I've been walking for hours when it's only been minutes. The event of the day suddenly
CHAPTER 15. MY MATE LOVES ANOTHER RYDERStanding with my shoulders slumped, waiting impatiently for her permission was certainly not my favorite moment. It was almost a minute and she was yet to say something. She was just staring at me, with a furrowed brow and a confused look. Her expression didn't quite define what her exact thoughts at the moment were. And I had to know, what she thought of my request to come in. My heart raced at the possibility of her turning down my request. I, for one, will never force myself inside but I will not be able to leave here either. It's gonna be a dilemma. A fucked up dilemma, to be exact. I didn't want to do it again. I didn't want to tap into her mind, at least, without her consent. But the wait was killing me, and she didn't seem like she was going to be giving me a reply anytime soon. I had to know for sure what my chances were. If at the end of this waiting, she'll let me in.Although, it was understandable that she'd be so startled by my vi
CHAPTER 16. BE MY SPYFeeling like a disowned pet, I couldn't take myself back to the palace looking so pathetic. I was sulking and it would get tongues wagging if I showed up in the palace in such a manner.I stopped by a bar in the area and had some shots of whiskey. Been a while since I had a drink, and right now, I was gulping them down as if my life depended on it. I was far from being okay, but the sun had set and the cloud was pitch dark. I had to return to the palace.I paid for my drinks and headed home.The palace was still busting with activities, as it always does. I avoided the main entrance and got inside through the back instead. I was in no mood for the formalities and meetings. All I wanted was to lock myself in my room and sulk to my heart's content.I'd barely made it to the elevator when Father halted my steps with his words.*Ryder, finally you're back,“ His voice echoed in the hallway.“Yes, Father. I'm back. And if you'd excuse me, I'll like to get some rest. I
CHAPTER 81. A MAFIA?RYDER“What the crap, man? What's gotten into you?!” Darius spat, shoveling to his feet.“Don't you even think of playing dumb with me. The jig is up. I just spoke with Jason, you damned bastard!““I don't know what you're talking about, dude. What did that miserable rogue say to you to get you all worked up?!””You're the miserable one!” I barked, railing free from the guys and delivering another punch to Darius. They held me back immediately, pinning my hands to the back, “Fucking let me go!”“Ryder, get a hold of yourself. What's come over you?” Fred cautioned, pulling me back, it wasn't easy to keep me caged. They were using up all their energy on it.”What is this?“ Giveon asked confusedly, glancing from me to Darius, “Dude, what's Ryder talking about?” Giveon asked him, but he still wouldn't admit it.”I got no clue, I think Ryder just lost his mind,““The hell I did! You had Hara kidnapped, and then you went ahead to inject rogue blood into Jason. And until
CHAPTER 80. SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYERYDER”How is he, Doc? Is Jason gonna be alright?” I asked one of the doctors who have had him under survey ever since he was confined here. We were standing at the entrance of the room, an attempt to stay far away from Jason's earshot.”I'm afraid not, Your Highness,” The Doctor sighed dejectedly. There wasn't an ounce of hope in his tone. Got me scared.”But, he got out of his coma, right? And he's talking now. Isn't that a good sign?” I badly wanted to be told that Jason was gonna be alright. That's all I wanted to hear, but it doesn't seem like I'm gonna be hearing that from the doctor.”This is the last stage for him before he completely loses everything to the rogue blood in him,“”What? Wait, I don't understand–””Your Highness, Jason's case is complicated. I mean, he's the first pure blood with rogue blood in his bloodstream. And even though we're not sure how extreme his case is, we do know that he's gonna have the basic traits of a rogue,“
CHAPTER 79. NO MORE SECRETSRYDER48 hours passed and I was released from confinement. There was no solid evidence to attach me to the crimes and Tiffany took care of providing me with an alibi. So they had to let me go.On my way home, I was restless. The war was yesterday, but according to Tiffany, the war didn't happen. She wasn't sure why, but all she knew was that Red Moon Pack's warriors didn't show up. Something wasn't right and I was itchy to find out what it was. But more than that, I was in a hurry to get back home to Hara and my unborn child.“How's Hara doing?” I asked Tiff, she was right beside me in the car. Her gaze lifted from the phone she held, and she was hesitant in giving me a reply.”Uh, she's fine,“ Her reply was not convincing at all. It got me edgy.“Tiff, is something wrong? You seem agitated, and you've been avoiding my gaze. What's wrong?”“Nothing, Ryder. And please, don't ask me any more questions. I don't have an answer to them,” She whined, forcing her
CHAPTER 78. A SIGNHARAI walked past the lobby of the hotel and headed for Roland's suite. It's been tense at the palace since Ryder was arrested. The warlords wouldn't even let me come out, I had to lie that I was going to see Hailey. Still, they weren't at ease with me leaving. I wouldn't be surprised if they were tailing me right now.I just needed to speak with Roland. I'm all shades confused, but I had to be sure he had no hand in this crisis Ryder was facing. I know Ryder too well, there's no way he killed those humans. Someone was setting him up, I just need to be sure that it wasn't Roland.I got to his suite and was gonna knock but I heard his ecstatic voice talking to someone and I had the urge to eavesdrop. “Yeah, everything's going according to plan. With Ryder locked up, my pack warriors have a good chance of defeating Ryder's four warlords…“He waited for the other person in the line to say something and then he chuckled and continued.“I know the four warlords are str
CHAPTER 77. OUR CHILD?RYDERThe blaring siren sounds awakened me from my slumber. I had a throbbing headache, coupled with the fact that I found it hard to shrug off the dizziness. I'd sedated myself to sleep and I wish I didn't. Now waking up was hard, and my nerves are weak. I tried again and it was futile.I had to implore my wolf side and only then could I shake off the remaining effects of the sedatives. I was fully awake now, and yeah, the blaring siren sounds were real and fucking close.I hopped down from the bed and hurried outside, dressed in my sweatpants and a loose shirt. The hallway was a mess.“What's going on?!“ I asked no one in particular, as I brushed past running bodies.“I think the humans are trying to start a fight!“ A random voice replied. Everyone was in panic and it got me more anxious to hurry outside and see what the hell was going on.I froze in my tracks when I got outside and saw a long line of policemen in my front yard. Also, they had guns and we're
CHAPTER 76. A WAR TO KEEP HERRYDER“What?!” I was already hurrying inside and they came behind me. “They sent over the warning at midnight, a few hours after you left the nightclub,” Jay explained, "And in the letter, it stated that they were giving us two days to let Hara return to them, or we go to war,”“That's absurd. Red Moon Pack doesn't stand a chance against us. They might have good warriors but they're just on the same level as our trainees. Waging a war against us is suicide,” I was gloating, I was being downright disdaining and arrogant right now. But that's the only reaction I could come up with. In all honesty, I'm a bit anxious about this news. I knew it would come to this someday, the very moment I set eyes on Hara in my pack, I knew this day would come. And when her mate showed up, I knew it would come faster. And here it is, the bloody day I get to choose between Hara and the safety of my pack. After last night and how blunt she was about her feelings, the Ideal r
CHAPTER 75. SO EASY TO BETRAY MERYDERTime went still. Our breathing slowed. Distant chattering faded into thin air. My heart banged hard against my chest. I tucked my sweaty hands into my pockets. I could feel the low whimper of my wolf as he slid to the back of my mind. Hara's outburst just spiraled me and everything else around us off balance.”Wh-What did you just say?“ I asked in a weak stutter. But dear Goddess, I heard her loud and clear. I just wished she would be a little bit considerate of my bleeding heart and not repeat what she just said. But she did, she repeated it, more firmly this time.“What if I wanna leave, Ryder?“ She asked, “What if I'm suffocating here and I want nothing more but to be free from you?”“You really wanna leave?” Tears intercepted the free flow of my words, and they made their way down my cheeks. But she didn't seem to care.”Maybe,“”Was that why you defended him back there? To show me just how much you still love him?””I just didn't want you t
CHAPTER 74. I'll RATHER BLEED THAN LET YOU GOHARASeeing him standing there plunged me into a depth of panic and despair. Tears stung in my eyes and made their way down. He was yet to say a word, but his eyes were doing all the talking. He was blasting me with his eyes, telling me to go straight to hell. His eyes held a dose of rage I'd never seen before, and a greater shade of bitterness. He was hurting, more than I thought he would. My endless tears wouldn't let me talk, and even if they weren't in my way, I still wouldn't talk. What could I possibly say to fix this? Nothing, nothing I say right now would quench the fire of rage in his eyes. All I have to do is brace myself up for it.”Grab your stuff!” He ordered me glacially, quavering from anger. His clenched fist was hungry to ruin someone's face.I flinched at how thunderous his voice was. I ran back into the bedroom to get my bag and the bundle of my messed-up clothes. When I got back into the lounge, it was a bloody disaste
CHAPTER 73. IT HURTSRYDER“And that's a wrap,“ Tiffany declared exuberantly as the Frenchmen signed their part, sealing up this deal.I was ecstatic, but the fuck, I had to pull myself together. This deal was worth trillions and just what I needed to kick off my estate project. I haven't felt this fulfilled in a while, the feeling was surreal.The three Frenchmen stood to their feet and we shook hands with them.“I look forward to working with you,” One of them said in a heavy French accent. It's kinda insensitive that I didn't even grab their first names. Tiffany took care of all that. She took care of everything, to be honest. All I did was attend this meeting and sign the papers.”Me too. Have a safe trip tomorrow,” I beamed, stuffing back my hands into the pockets of my pants.“Again, I love your tux. The designs are fabulous,“ The youngest of them commented, breaking off in between sentences. English wasn't his first language and he seemed to be having greater difficulty with it