Hated by her Alpha mate

A ray of hope

As soon as Alfred woke up, his head started hurting him. The previous day's dialogue with Rachel didn't go as he expected. And in his rage, he had hit her. But Rachel's reaction had angered as much as fascinated him.

I thought she didn't have the guts to even raise a finger against anyone. Unfortunately, she picked a fight with the wrong person. Someone needs to teach her obedience. And I need to stop losing my calm around her, damn.

All he could think of was how to punish her for her rudeness towards him. She didn't deserve to be his mate, yet there she was trying to dominate him.

He freshened up, ate breakfast, and went towards his study to prepare for work. There she stood in front of the door, waiting for him with a serious look, her arms folded across her chest. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, and she wore a white plain tee and blue jeans.

"Good morning." Rachel greeted him. Alfred didn't bother to greet her back. He opened the door and went in.

"I will sign the contract", said Rachel. Alfred was surprised by her sudden change of mind. He turned back.

"I knew you would come to your senses. I'll have to print it again since somebody tore it apart yesterday." Rachel wasn't affected by his taunt.

"On one condition, though. I want a job."

"A job? What kind of job?"

"Something that pays. An office job preferably."

"No."

"Why?!"

"Nobody makes demands of me. Also, you are arrogant and defiant.", and he turned and walked towards his chair.

"Look who's talking." She taunted him.

"There you go. Someone needs to teach you how to be respectful."

I don't believe this guy! Calm down Rachel, this is not going well. It's your needs, so act polite. She took a deep breath and calmed her nerves.

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to be demanding. It's just that I am bored sitting all day alone in this house. Moreover, I thought about the contract and understood that it was the best way to move forward for both of us", she lied calmly.

"Still, it's a no. You are wasting my time", he said, seated on his chair.

"Please! Consider this as a favor. I'll owe you one." He didn't reply.

"Please, Alfred", begged Rachel, almost on the verge of tears. Alfred thought that accepting her request was the easiest way to make her agree to the contract. He had nothing to lose.

"Alright, just this once. But better behave yourself. I will ask Peter or Ryan to look into it."

"Thank you."

"Don't make me regret it." Rachel nodded and left the room with relief.

It was late in the evening. Rachel was reading a book in the garden when a tall and wheatish young man appeared. He was wearing a sky blue shirt and black pants and holding his jacket in his arms.

"If I am not wrong, you are Ms. Rachel Carter. Hi, I am Ryan Cage." He offered his hand forward.

Rachel had heard about Ryan from Mrs. Heather. He is the next beta of the Blue Moon pack as well as Avery's mate. They had been together for two years now and had decided to get married after Alfred took over as the Alpha of the Blue Moon pack. Ryan also managed the Human resource department for most of Ramirez's businesses. He was very charming with black curly hair and a fit body. His manners were very gentlemanly.

"Hi Ryan, nice to meet you", said Rachel, shaking his hand.

"Alfred informed me that you are in pursuit of a job. May I know your qualifications or rather interests?"

"I studied engineering for a year, with a specialization in software development. I didn't complete the course though. But I am personally interested in something similar."

"Okay, that sounds reasonable. I'll get back to you. Meanwhile, please send me your resume with your detailed skillset in it." They shared their mobile numbers and email IDs with each other.

"Thanks a lot for your help."

"Not a problem, Ms. Carter." He said with a bright smile. Why isn't Ryan my mate? Wished Rachel.

"Please call me Rachel."

"There you are! I have been looking for you since I reached home", came Avery. She hugged him and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"I was talking to Rachel about her work."

"Oh, I see. Good for you, Rachel."

"Thanks."

"Come on honey, I am famished." she pulled Ryan by his elbow.

They look so cute together. This is how mates behave towards each other. (Sigh) I might be the unluckiest!

A few days later, Rachel got a call from Ryan.

"Hi Rachel, Ryan here. This is regarding a job offer for you." Rachel was excited.

"Hi Ryan, please go on."

"We have an open position for a newcomer. It is for the mobile app development team that deals with apps for all our businesses. Does that align with your interests?"

"Of course! It's more than what I could have asked for. When can I join?"

"I'll send you the details by email. You will receive your work laptop in a couple of days."

"Sure. Thanks a lot again, Ryan!"

"Haha... It's my job. Bye, take care Rachel."

He disconnected the call. Rachel couldn't believe it. Finally, something was happening in her favor. She knew she had to take maximum advantage of this opportunity. Whatever the pay was, she must save it all. And when the right time came, she would escape from this house and Alfred.

The following week, on the day of joining, Rachel woke up and got ready early. She was informed that the culture there was formal and work-driven, hence she had to look professional and presentable. She chose a black pencil skirt, a baby pink ruffle blouse, paired with black peep-toe heels. Avery insisted on going shopping and bought her some formal and semi-formal attires.

Alfred was about to leave when Rachel walked down the stairs. He was unconsciously gaping at her. His eyes slid down along her curves. Rachel saw this and felt a knot in her stomach. She tried very hard not to blush. It was the first time she saw him really noticing her. He realized his actions and immediately averted his eyes, and left the house. Slightly disappointed, Rachel too left for the office.

Her first day in the office was complete chaos. She was supposed to work under Mr. Leonard, who was a very strict and vigorous manager. He appreciated punctuality, diligence, and hard work. Leonard's team worked on the new hotel booking app for smartphones. On the first day itself, Rachel was put to debug a reported bug in the app. She was completely new to the programming language that they were using and had to learn it from scratch. On top of that, other seniors in her team didn't have time to help her due to an approaching deadline.

She had to stay at the office until late, but she enjoyed the hardship for the first time ever in her life. That night she slept most peacefully with a smile on her face.

A week later, Avery was having a conversation with Ryan on phone.

"By the way, how has Rachel been doing at work? It's been more than a week since she started, right?"

"Yes, I heard she's doing fine. You know Mr. Leonard, he expects a lot from his team."

"Right. I hope she can cope up."

"She's smarter than given credit for."

"Someone is very impressed with Rachel", said Avery chuckling.

"I won't deny it. She picked up her work quicker than most others, considering the fact that she is not even a graduate. And she is already building a good rapport with everyone in the department."

"With you too?"

"Are you jealous?" Ryan asked teasingly.

"You suit her more than Alfred."

"You suit me more than Rachel."

"Of course! It's late now, shall we continue tomorrow?"

"Okay, bye babe, love you"

"Bye babe." and Avery disconnected the call. She was grinning because a brilliant idea just popped into her head. Something that could kill two birds with one shot.