Alpha, Are You Blind?

Chapter 3

Jennifer’s POV

Today, Ryan had a meeting with the other Alphas. Due to his eye injury, he refused to walk, claiming it was not graceful enough. Instead, he suggested he should sit in his wheelchair while I pushed him from behind.

It was my first time handling a wheelchair, and I struggled to steer, nearly bumping him into walls. The guards in the corridor looked at us in shock and tried very hard to stifle their laughter at our antics.

“This is way more embarrassing,” I grumbled.

“How was I supposed to know you couldn’t handle a wheelchair?” Ryan darted me a glare.

“Maybe you didn’t need the wheelchair. You’re blind, not legless,” I shot back.

“Watch your tone,” he warned.

“Or what? Are you going to off me? To tell you the truth, I was thinking about it all night,” I whispered, “I want to live, but I’m not scared to die. Don’t underestimate someone unafraid of death, Your Highness. You have no clue what I might do.”

“I have no idea,” he admitted, then smirked, “But I know what I’ll do. If you’re not afraid to die, I won’t punish you that way. I’ll send you back to your pack and make your stepbrother marry you. I assume your father would agree, right?”

I shivered at his words. What a monster.

“You’re a beast,” I muttered.

“Yeah, and mind your words, beauty,” he smirked, “If you can’t talk right, your mouth will find other uses.”

To avoid what he implied happening again, I stayed silent for the rest of the journey. On entering the office, I scanned my surroundings and saw my father in a small corner of the office area. He raised his hand to greet me when he saw me, but anger made me turn my head away and ignore him.

After the attendees greeted Ryan and discussed his injury, they began to take turns presenting him with papers. I nodded at the crowd, intending to leave when I heard Ryan ask me, “Can you read?”

“Sure,” I was a little offended by the question. I wasn’t taken seriously in the pack, but I was the daughter of an alpha and well educated. I was raised as an heiress before my stepmother and stepbrother came barging into my life.

“Read them for me then,” Ryan ordered.

Well, now I regret it. I should have played dumb and lied about being illiterate.

With everyone watching, I picked up the papers and read them. While I knew what each word meant, I found it obscure when they were linked into sentences. Maybe it was because the report was about business modelling and industrial production, not my area of expertise, as my expertise lay in drawing. I realized Ryan may have thought I couldn’t understand the meaning of these numbers, hence he allowed me there.

Every now and then someone would knock on the door and come in to discuss work with Ryan. That was the first time I realised how busy a lycan prince could be.

The final debriefer was Alpha Ken from The Stone Pack who debriefed Ryan on the strike. I was a little surprised because when I was a kid, before my mum died, she took me to the Stone Pack to sketch. My impression of the Stone Pack workers was that they were very nice and easy going. They showed us where they worked, the gold mines that hadn’t been mined yet, and the manager took us on a ride in a mine car. Mum drew portraits of them and everyone had a big smile on their faces. Recalling my childhood visit to the Stone Pack, where everyone was friendly, I wondered what had caused the sudden conflict after years of harmony.

Alpha Ken had been reporting for what felt like ages, and Ryan wasn’t pleased with the solutions he suggested. Frowning and shaking his head in frustration, Ryan was on the brink of losing his cool.

Just in the nick of time, Lucas stepped up with a plan, “I’ve got an idea. We’ll send someone to negotiate with the strike leader. Once we handle him, the rest will fall in line.”

Ryan nodded in approval, “Smart move, just as you said. You shall go and assist Alpha Ken and get this sorted in a week.”

Lucas’s proud grin faded into concern, “Your Highness, I’d rather not leave you. Alpha Ken can handle it alone. I’ll stay and look after you.”

Ryan reassured him with a smile, “No worries. Jennifer’s here to take care of me.”

Feeling flustered at being suddenly singled out, I glanced awkwardly at Lucas. He smiled at me, saying, “Alright then, I’m off to the factory with Alpha Ken. Take care of His Highness while I’m gone.”

Shortly after Lucas and Alpha Ken left, Ryan activated the smart speakers, playing music and shutting the blinds in the office, creating a private bubble.

I held my breath, wondering what was coming next.

“Your...Highness...?” I asked cautiously.

Ryan impatiently tugged at his tie, visibly irritated. “Come over and untie this thing from my face.”

As I unraveled the blindfold, Ryan unexpectedly grabbed my hand before I could fully untie it. Ryan touched my palm, edging his way up the skin, his fingers reaching into the sleeve. My hairs stood on end as I struggled to get away from him, only to be yanked back by brute force. His touch sent shivers down my spine as he reached for my wristwatch, swiftly removing it and dropping it into a glass of water with precision.

How did he...?

It happened so fast, so smoothly—it felt like he knew exactly where everything was.

Fuck me.

Did I just stumble upon a secret I shouldn’t have known?

My mind went blank.

The black silk blindfold slipped off, revealing Ryan’s face for the first time. His long, thick eyelashes framed deep eyes that locked onto mine.

“Scared?” he asked softly, his voice warmer now without the blindfold, almost gentlemanly.

“I’m not that easily spooked,” I fibbed.

Ryan chuckled, teasing, “You’re putting on a brave front.”

I narrowed my eyes, firing back, “And you pretended to be blind!”

“I didn’t exactly fake it. I did hurt my eye, it’s still in the recovery phase. Only very occasionally can I see things dimly,”Ryan clarified. “By the way, your brother wasn’t solely responsible for my injury. He was an i***t, but he only did what his father ordered him to do.”

“But why did you ditch my watch?” I inquired.

“It was bugged,”Ryan shrugged his shoulders.

I was shocked. In the morning, I’d been touched by Lucas’s concern. Now I shuddered. “Lucas is part of this?!”

“Yes, Lucas teamed up with your father and my uncle against me. I need time to gather strength to fight back,” Ryan explained, grimacing. “Alpha Ken bought me that time.”

“So the strike at Stone Pack was staged?” I pieced together.

“Exactly.”

It all made sense now. Realization dawned on me and I continued, “Alpha Ken is a good friend of yours, and he purposely lured Lucas away from you so you could ask me... for help.”

Ryan fidgeted with his tie, clearly bothered. “Ask you for help? Why should I trust you? You’re Alpha James’ daughter.”

After a pause, I replied, “You have no other choice.”

“And what about you?” Ryan probed.

I reached out and adjusted his tie, loosening the knot a bit, moving it down a fraction of an inch, and then retying it. I subtly signalled our intertwined fate, “I don’t have much of a choice either.”

Ryan smiled as he took my hand in his and said, “Let’s discuss terms then.”

Leaning into his strength, I embraced him from behind. “My mother’s property is now my father’s. I want that house. Plus, another million to leave this place once everything is settled.”

Ryan seemed surprised. “That’s all?”

“That’s it,” I affirmed.

“I thought you’d ask for more.”

Ryan was right. I did think about asking for more, but the desire was endless. Chasing it without knowing when to stop would only lead to misery.

“Are you familiar with art collectors?” I asked him.

“No, why?”

“My mother was amazing painter and she mingled with collectors. Whenever she took me to visit the galleries of those collectors, I always wondered one thing. Once the collector owns a valuable painting, the owner will think about how to protect it and how to prevent thieves. His inner peace will be shattered by owning the painting. Thus, does the collector possess the masterpieces, or do the masterpieces possess the collector?”

“A profound perspective,” Ryan muttered and he gave me a sly smile, “I thought you might desire more than wealth—perhaps to be my Luna.”

I lowered myself to Ryan’s ear and whispered, “No woman would fall for a pervert who molested her. Even if that person is you, Your Highness.”

Ryan sank his head to his chest, letting out a sigh. “I apologise for my actions yesterday. Lucas is eavesdropping nearby. I had to make him believe that you loathed me enough that you wouldn’t lend me a hand. But I know an apology won’t cut it…How about I make some compensation to you？Although I can’t provide it at the moment, I offer you a vow. Whenever you need it in the future, I will always keep my promise.”

I pondered for a moment and said, “Fair enough.”