The Alpha's Secret Mate

chapter 16

“Listen carefully, girl.” The Pack Mother’s voice hardened, every word edged with authority. “If you wish to behave like a cheap roadside w***e, take that behavior beyond these walls. Such immodesty has no place in this house.”

Her words struck harder than I expected, leaving me momentarily still, trying to gather my thoughts.

A w***e? For a simple top and ripped jeans?

I knew my outfit wasn’t exactly suited to the weather in Blackwood, but had I known I’d be coming here, I would have dressed differently—something more… acceptable. Still, how could she call my clothes immodest? They covered enough. Back in the crimson pack, I’d endured my share of taunts, but never about indecency—only about how little my clothes were worth. Even then, I had always made sure I looked presentable.

She stepped closer, her presence looming. “And forget everything your pack taught you,” she added coldly. “Things are different here. Break the rules, and you will be punished.”

The message was clear without her saying it outright: she ruled this place.

I swallowed hard. If I wanted to survive here, I would need to earn favor—hers most of all.

I gave a small nod. “Alright, Miss.”

Her lips curved, faint but approving. “You learn quickly. Good.” Her gaze drifted toward the bed, then to my still-unpacked suitcase. “Now, about your dowry… hand over anything of value.”

The room seemed to grow smaller as her expectation settled heavily between us.

“…whatever you’ve brought. You can leave out the cheap clothes—I have no use for them.” Her nose wrinkled slightly, as though the mere thought offended her.

A frown tugged at my lips. No one had said anything about a dowry.

“What’s the matter?” she pressed, her tone sharpening. “Did you not hear me?”

I shook my head quickly. “No, Miss. I heard you… it’s just—no one told me about any dowry.”

Her eyes narrowed, suspicion flickering in their depths. “Are you refusing my order?”

Order?

The word felt foreign on my tongue. I didn’t belong here, and she certainly wasn’t my master. Dowries had faded into history long ago—so why was she demanding one now?

“That’s not it,” I replied, forcing calm into my voice. “I simply don’t have anything of value to offer.”

For a moment, silence stretched between us—but it didn’t last.

“Is that so?” she said at last, her lips curving faintly. “Then I’ll just have to see for myself.”

Before I could stop her, she strode to the bed and began rifling through my belongings, her hands moving without hesitation.

A sharp wave of irritation rose in me. So now she was invading my privacy.

“Please, stop,” I said, stepping forward. “You can’t just go through my things like that—”

She snapped her head toward me, her gaze cutting.

“How dare you speak to me in such a tone?” she demanded, voice laced with cold fury. “Have your parents taught you nothing?” A slow, knowing smile crept across her face. “Oh… wait. I remember.”

“…you don’t have a mother.”

The words landed like ice in my veins, and for a moment, everything inside me went still.

A slow, cruel smile spread across her lips. “Though I doubt it would have made much difference,” she continued lightly. “The apple rarely falls far from the tree, does it?”

My hand curled into a fist at my side. “And do your manners include speaking about someone’s mother like that?” I shot back, the words escaping before I could stop them. I didn’t care. She had gone too far.

The shift in her expression was immediate. Her smile vanished, replaced by a flush of anger that crept up her face. “You… filthy little scum!”

With a sharp shove, she sent my suitcase crashing to the floor. The loud thud echoed through the room, making my heart leap into my throat. Then she advanced, each step deliberate, predatory—like a hunter closing in on cornered prey. Her eyes burned with fury, fixed entirely on me.

Still, I didn’t look away. Even as fear twisted tight in my stomach, I held her gaze.

“I’ll teach you some manners right now,” she hissed, raising her hand.

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself. My pulse pounded wildly in my chest, each second stretching longer than the last.

But the blow never came.

Hesitantly, I opened one eye. My breath caught.

A gloved hand had intercepted her mid-strike, gripping her wrist firmly.

It was Kyle.

Luana’s POV

Kyle’s hand clamped around Joanne’s wrist, firm and unyielding. His expression was carved from stone as he stepped in front of me, a silent barrier between us.

“Why are you in our room?” he demanded.

Joanne Mason. So that was the name of the Pack Mother.

With a sharp jerk, Joanne tore her hand free and fixed him with a glare that burned, fearless and unflinching. “How dare you touch me!” she snapped. “I warned you not to come near me!”

My brows lifted in surprise. There was tension here—more than tension. Something deeper. Bitter. Complicated. It made sense, I supposed. Kyle wasn’t her blood.

“I haven’t forgotten anything, Joanne,” Kyle replied coolly, meeting her gaze without a flicker of hesitation. The air between them thickened, heavy with words unspoken. “But you seem to have forgotten that any form of physical harm against the pack’s Luna is a crime.”

Joanne stiffened, the edge in her expression faltering for a brief second. “Are you threatening me?” she asked, though her voice wasn’t as steady as before.

Kyle tilted his head, one brow lifting slightly. “A threat?” His lips curved faintly, but there was no warmth in it. “It would be a threat if I actually threw you into the dungeon for hurting my wife. But did I?” He paused, letting the silence stretch. “No. I’m being lenient.”

The weight of his presence pressed down on me, suffocating—like the very air had thickened around us.

And judging by the way Joanne’s face tightened, she felt it too.

—the crushing weight of his presence. I saw it in the 8way her face drained of color, her composure cracking for the briefest moment.

“Whatever,” she snapped, though the sharpness in her voice felt forced now. She shot me one last look, thick with disdain, before turning on her heel and striding out.

“One more thing,” Kyle called after her.

She halted at the doorway, her back stiff.

“Don’t barge into our room without Luana or my permission,” he said, his tone low but edged with steel. “Next time, I won’t be so lenient.”

His words lingered in the air long after they were spoken—cold, precise, like the tip of a blade held just close enough to warn. Joanne didn’t reply. She simply walked away, her silence louder than any protest.

When the door finally settled shut, Kyle turned to me.

Instinctively, I lowered my head. “Thank you, Alpha.”

A soft chuckle escaped him. “You don’t have to bow to me, love. You’re my wife.”

The shift in his voice caught me off guard. The harsh authority from moments ago melted into something warm—gentle, even. It wrapped around me in a way that made my chest feel lighter.

I managed a small smile, though the habit remained. Bowing had been drilled into me for as long as I could remember—something I had to do when addressing my father and Michelle. Disobedience had never come without consequences.

Turning away, I dropped to my knees and stared at the mess scattered across the floor. Joanne hadn’t held back—clothes tossed everywhere, everything I owned reduced to chaos.

I reached out for the nearest piece of fabric, my fingers brushing against it—

Only to pause when another hand reached for it at the same time.

Larger. Gloved.

Kyle.

For a brief second, our hands hovered over the same cloth, close enough to touch, close enough to feel the tension shift into something quieter… something unfamiliar.

The instant his hand brushed against mine, a sharp spark shot through me, racing down my spine and stealing the air from my lungs.

“luana.”

My name rolled off his tongue, deep and smooth—rich, like melted chocolate—and my heart betrayed me, pounding wildly in my chest. Somehow, it sounded different when he said it. As if it carried a meaning only he could give it.

“Y-yes, Alpha?” I kept my gaze lowered, afraid that if I looked at him, even for a second, my heart might burst. Not painfully—but in a way that felt… overwhelming.

His hand lifted, warm and steady, until it cradled my face. I had no choice but to meet his eyes then—those stormy, mesmerizing eyes that seemed to pull me in. Heat flooded my cheeks beneath his touch, and my breath hitched. If I didn’t steady myself, I might actually faint.

“If anyone troubles you, tell me immediately,” he said softly. “I’ll handle it, alright?”

His voice wrapped around me like a quiet promise, and something inside my chest eased. Was it the way he spoke, or the sincerity shining in his gaze? I couldn’t tell. All I knew was that, for the first time in a long while, I felt… safe.

Carter used to say things like that too. But his words had always felt hollow—cold, like they were meant to sound right rather than be true. Deep down, I’d known it. I just chose not to see it. Living in the lie had been easier than facing the truth.

“Also…” Kyle leaned closer, and my breath caught as the distance between us vanished. “Look at me when you speak. I want to see your beautiful face more often.”

His gloved thumb brushed gently along my cheek, sending another wave of warmth through me. Somewhere deep inside, a small, giddy part of me stirred with excitement.

If Laura were here, she would’ve laughed and told me exactly what to do next—

to close the distance… and kiss him.

But why was he wearing a glove here? It was very warm indoors.