The Alpha’s Forbidden Mate

Since this afternoon, my life has been a mess. The apartment owner kicked me out for not paying rent for the last month. It’s not that I didn’t want to pay, it’s just that my salary isn’t enough because I had to cover the damage I caused by spilling coffee on one of the cafe’s patrons. Worse, the compensation for the dress she wore was half of my salary. I don’t know what kind of fabric that woman wore that forced me to replace it so expensively. Oh damn, today I am really cursed. The landlord wouldn’t accept half payment without an explanation, and my things were thrown into the hallway like trash. And as if that wasn’t enough, a few hours later I got a text from the cafe manager where I worked, saying I was fired. I had explained that I had compensated, but apparently that woman was the owner’s mistress who complained to her master if my work was careless. “Oh, Lira. What mistake did you make that misfortune follows you so relentlessly.” I cursed myself as I walked along the sidewalk. My life was completely a mess in less than twelve hours. I stopped in front of a building with red neon lights flashing. “MOONLIGHT CLUB.” Bass thumped from inside, calling me like a siren luring sailors to the cliff. “Enough,” I muttered softly, then took a long breath. “Tonight I just want to forget everything.” As the door opened, waves of music and the scent of alcohol rushed in. Blue and purple lights danced in the air, creating an illusion of another world where everyone seemed free and happy. Their bodies moved with the rhythm, but I wasn’t interested in joining. I just wanted to sit, still, and drown my head in a drink. I chose a seat at the bar and tapped the table lightly. A female bartender with a thin smile looked at me. “What can I give you tonight, miss?” she asked. “Whatever you have that’s the strongest,” I replied without thinking. “I want something that will make me forget my own name.” The bartender, a blonde woman in front of me, raised an eyebrow but said nothing. With deft moves, she poured the drink into a fresh glass, added ice, and nudged it toward me gently. I drank it quickly. It burned hot, down my throat and into my chest, but the tightness in my head didn’t go away. My life really feels like a cheap joke tonight. “Refill,” I said again. The bartender watched me for a moment before complying. The second, third, fourth glass, I stopped counting after a while. Each sip I hoped would bring a little calm. But all that came was dizziness, a heavy head, and a growing emptiness. The lights looked blurry. The music sounded far away, like it was coming from underwater. I rested my chin on my hands, trying to steady myself. But my mind kept spinning, replaying the message I had just received. “You’re too careless, to have angered your boss’s mistress so much that she fired you.” Damn it. After two years of overtime without a break, is that the payback? I was fired just because of a harangue by a b***h. “Refill,” my voice came again, weak but stubborn. The bartender stopped in the middle of a motion. This time, she didn’t move. Her gaze sharp, yet gentle. “That’s enough, miss,” she said softly but firmly. “You can barely lift your head.” I blinked. The world around me swayed gently, and I realized my chin was resting on the edge of the bar table. I finally lowered my head with difficulty, sighing roughly. “Just, one more,” I said softly, almost pleading. She didn’t respond. Just turned around, arranging bottles on the back shelf. I knew she wouldn’t give me any more. So I gave up. With my last strength, I fished my wallet from my jacket and placed a few bills on the table. “Where is the toilet?” I asked, my voice nearly swallowed by the music. The bartender looked at me with a touch of worry. “Turn right in the hallway after the stairs, keep going to the end. There’s a ‘Ladies’ sign on the door. Don’t go into the wrong door.” I nodded slowly, then stood from the chair with a wobbly step. The floor seemed to move beneath my feet. I held onto the edge of the table, trying to steady myself. A few people looked at me and giggled. I know I looked like a walking corpse, but I didn’t care. I just needed cold water on my face before my head exploded. The music grew louder as I moved through the crowd. The colorful lights made everything spin like a beautiful nightmare. “Hey, pretty, want me to escort you to the toilet?” a man’s voice came from behind me. Heavy and full of cheap lure. I didn’t turn. I wasn’t even sure I could see faces if I tried. My vision was blurred, colors blending together. My steps swayed again. “Don’t be like that, sweetness,” another voice followed, closer this time. I felt someone’s hand nearly touching my thigh, but by luck or reflex, I stepped away one step before they could truly touch me. “Go away,” I muttered, not turning. They laughed softly but didn’t pursue. I kept walking, down the narrow corridor toward the toilet. The lights there were dimmer, the music faint. The walls were dark, covered with scribbles and shadows. My feet sounded hollow, mixing with my pounding heart. When I reached the door labeled Ladies, I nearly bumped into the handle. With effort, I pushed the door and stepped inside. The room was cold, lit by a dull white light. I walked to the sink, looking at my reflection in the mirror. My face looked pale in the mirror. I turned the faucet, and cold water flowed freely. As I splashed it on my face, the droplets ran down my neck, making me shiver a little. For a moment I smiled at my own reflection. A bitter, empty smile, almost like a taunt. “Look at you, Lira.” I whispered softly. “Even the mirror hardly recognizes you anymore.” I stared into my own eyes in the mirror, then exhaled slowly. Where I would go after this, I didn’t know. There was nowhere waiting for me to go home to. No one. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to calm down, but the dizziness wouldn’t go away. My head felt heavy, the world seemed to sway slowly. As I stepped out of the toilet, my vision swam. The world in front of me spun slowly. I instinctively reached for the wall, gripping it to avoid falling. The corridor ahead looked unfamiliar. The lights were dim, the shadows of passing people blurry. I didn’t know which direction I had come from, so I just walked, following instinct or perhaps hoping my feet knew the way out. My steps wobbled, and I nearly toppled forward several times. After a while I saw two men dressed in black standing in front of a large door. They were tall, solid, with arms crossed in front of their chests. I paused a moment, narrowing my eyes. My vision was blurring, but in my foggy mind, the door seemed like the exit I had passed by earlier. “That means that’s the exit.” Without thinking, I began to walk toward it. My steps were heavy and staggering, as if each step could make me fall at any moment. But I kept walking with one simple goal in mind. Out of here before I completely lose control of myself. I approached the two black-clad guards with nearly drunken steps. My head felt heavy, but somehow I was sure there was a way out behind that big door. I just wanted to go home or anywhere, as long as it was far from the noise and the piercing light. One of the guards glanced at me but said nothing. The other stood upright, but did not block me. Their gazes were sharp and cold, making the hairs on my arms stand up, but I didn’t care. “Thank you…” I whispered softly, barely audible because the music from behind the wall rumbled on. My hand reached for the door handle and I pulled it slowly. The door opened without a sound. The air inside immediately felt different. Calmer, and colder. The scent of alcohol mixed with expensive tobacco filled my nose, making me instinctively take a short breath. As I stepped fully inside, I heard a soft click behind me. I turned quickly, but the door was already closed tight. “Eh?” I tried to pull the handle again, but it wouldn’t move. It was locked. My heartbeat started to race. I turned around, looking around. The room was dim, lit by a hanging lamp that reflected golden light on a long marble table. A black sofa formed a half-circle in the center, and at the room’s end there was a thick dark curtain. Only then did I realize this wasn’t the exit. This was a VIP room. “Gosh..” I whispered softly, massaging the throbbing temple. My head felt foggy. The alcohol made my vision spin, and my stomach churned. I leaned against the wall, trying to steady myself. “Maybe I took the wrong door,” I muttered, laughing dryly at my own foolishness. “It’s been so long.” I was held spellbound. That voice was deep, cold, and pressure-filled. Like someone who’s used to giving orders, not waiting for explanations. Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the room’s dim light, and there I saw him.