Bound by the Alpha Twins

Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Choice

Rihanna’s POV

I can feel Roy’s words lingering in the air long after he walks away. You’re going to have to make a choice eventually. It’s all I can think about as I leave school, my steps faster than usual. The cold air bites at my skin, but it’s nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

What choice? I keep asking myself. What choice could there possibly be? I know one thing for sure: I don’t want to play their game. I refuse to. But the more I try to resist, the more I feel like I’m being drawn into their world.

The Blackwood twins. They are not just any boys. They’re powerful, charming, and—dangerous. Everyone at school knows that. Hell, I’ve seen the way people look at them—like they’re untouchable. But now, somehow, I’ve caught their attention. And I don’t know if I want it or if I even can handle it.

The bell rings, signaling the end of the school day, and I hurry out the front doors, trying to ignore the whispers I hear as I pass.

"Did you see that? Roy was talking to Rihanna again!"

"I thought she hated them? Why does she keep letting them mess with her?"

I can hear them clearly, and it stings. I don’t want to be a part of their world. I don’t want to be the center of this twisted game. But it feels like I don’t have a choice.

Just as I’m about to cross the street, I see him. Troy. He’s leaning against a black motorcycle, the same one he always rides, watching me with those unreadable eyes. His lips curl into a smirk as I stop in my tracks, hesitating.

“Did you really think you could just walk away, Rihanna?” His voice is smooth, his words making the hair on my neck stand up.

I cross my arms, standing my ground. “I’m not playing your games, Troy.”

His smirk fades slightly, but he doesn’t move. “You’re already playing, whether you like it or not. And trust me, it’s not a game you can just walk away from.”

I roll my eyes, trying to keep my cool. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, you do,” he says, pushing off from the motorcycle and taking a few steps toward me. “You felt it too. That thing between us. You can’t ignore it. Neither of us can.”

I try not to react, but his words hit a nerve. He's right. There is something. I can feel it when he’s around, like the air is thicker, heavier. It’s this pull I can’t quite explain, and I hate it.

“Why don’t you just leave me alone, Troy?” I snap, feeling my frustration building. “I don’t want anything from you or your brother. And I don’t need your drama in my life.”

Troy’s expression softens, just for a moment, before the smirk is back. “You keep saying that, but you don’t mean it. Not really.”

I open my mouth to argue, but before I can get a word out, a voice calls from behind me.

“Hey, Troy, enough.”

I turn to see Roy walking toward us, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jacket. He looks relaxed, but there’s a glint of something sharp in his eyes. Something that says he’s not in the mood for games either.

“Let her go,” Roy says, his voice low and commanding.

Troy laughs under his breath, shaking his head. “I’m just talking to her. What’s your problem?”

Roy’s gaze shifts to me, and for a moment, I swear I see something more in his eyes. Something deeper, but he blinks it away before I can figure it out. “It’s fine,” I say quickly, stepping back, putting space between us. “I don’t need your help.”

I can feel Roy watching me, but I don’t look at him. Not now.

The tension between the three of us is thick, like something’s about to snap. And for a moment, I wonder if I’m standing in the middle of something I can’t get out of, no matter how hard I try.

“Rihanna,” Roy says, his voice softer now. “We need to talk.”

I glance up at him, but I don’t reply. I’m not sure I want to. I don’t want to get dragged into whatever this is. Whatever they are.

“I’ll be waiting for you at the park,” he says before I can protest, his voice steady. “You don’t have to come, but you should. Think about it.”

And just like that, he walks away, leaving me with Troy. I can feel Troy’s eyes on my back as I stand there, unsure of what to do. I know what Roy wants. He wants me to make a choice. To play into whatever game they’re playing. And I know that if I go to the park, I might be walking straight into it.

“Don’t keep him waiting,” Troy says, his voice low, almost threatening. But there’s something else in it too. A hint of something else, something that feels like a warning. “If you think you can just ignore them, you’re wrong. They’re not going to leave you alone, not now.”

I want to say something, to tell him to leave me alone, but the words don’t come. Instead, I turn and walk away, my mind racing. I don’t want to go to the park. I don’t want to deal with Roy and Troy. But at the same time, I can’t shake the feeling that if I don’t, I might regret it.

The park is only a few blocks away from school. As I make my way there, I can feel my pulse quickening. I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know what’s going to happen.

When I finally reach the park, it’s empty. The swings are moving in the wind, creaking with each push. The place feels eerie, like something big is about to happen, but I don’t know what.

I don’t see Roy at first, but I hear him before I see him. His voice calls out to me from behind a tree.

“I knew you’d come,” he says, his tone almost like he’s been waiting for me all along.

I turn slowly, seeing him standing there, his hands still in his pockets, his eyes intense. He’s not smiling, but there’s something about his gaze that makes my heart skip.

“You wanted to talk,” I say, trying to sound steady, though my voice cracks slightly. “So talk.”

Roy steps forward, closing the distance between us. I’m not sure what to do, what to say. He’s too close. His presence is too overwhelming.

“You’re not like the others,” he says, his voice soft, almost like he’s trying to convince me. “You don’t just give in to the way things work here. But you will. You’ll come to see why it’s different for you.”

“I don’t need you to explain anything to me,” I say, taking a step back. “I don’t want your world. I don’t want your games.”

Roy’s gaze softens, but there’s a flicker of something dangerous in his eyes. Something that tells me this is far from over. “It’s not a game, Rihanna. It never was.”

I swallow, trying to keep my composure. “Then what is it?”

He doesn’t answer at first. He steps even closer, and before I can react, he reaches out, cupping my face with one hand. It’s gentle, but there’s an intensity in his touch that sends a shiver through me.

“It’s whatever you want it to be,” he says, his voice low, almost a whisper.

And in that moment, I realize he’s right. I’m standing at a crossroads, and I have no idea where this road leads. I don’t know if I can trust either of them. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to resist.

But I also know one thing.

I can’t keep running forever.