Alpha Ryder's Revenge

Chapter four

Sadie gazed longingly out of the window. She had tried several times to talk to the owner of the self-defense academy, even if for just a split second. For two years now, she had been watching and waiting, right here at the window of this house she lived in. She still stayed with her parents, and for reasons she couldn't quite comprehend, they kept her movement restricted. The chrome-colored Tesla pulled up in front of the cafeteria again. Sadie raced down the stairs with the brown lunch bag. This could be her chance.

“Mr Wulfgar!"

Alpha Ryder turned sharply in response to his name. A chubby young woman carrying a small brown paper bag bounded towards him. He wasn't surprised so much. He halted in his tracks and she came up to him, panting.

“Finally, Mr Wulfgar. Here. I decided to serve you your favorite but homemade. I know your order."

Alpha Ryder searched her face intently, trying to place the face. Yes. He had seen her once at the cafeteria but he wasn't sure if she worked there or not.

“Oh, wow! You are?"

“I'm Sadie Robertson. I have tried several times to get admitted to a self-defense academy, but my parents haven't been particularly supportive of that."

Alpha Ryder c****d his head.

“Oh. Sorry about that." He noticed that she still held out the lunch bag to him. He reached out and took it, to avoid making her embarrassed.

“I hope you have a nice day. I have to get back home before my parents wake up."

“This is so thoughtful of you. Thank you, Sadie.”

Alpha Ryder watched as she bounded back off into the distance. He had never been approached by a human, let alone a woman in such a bold manner. If his mate hadn't been revealed to him last night, he would have thought that this was his mate. He smiled lightly and returned to the car.

As he took the back seat, he caught Caden's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"That the mate?”

Alpha Ryder shook his head.

"Definitely not. Just a human admirer. She said she made me lunch but I'd rather you have it.”

"Yes, because I'm starving”, Caden remarked sarcastically. They laughed and he reached backwards and collected the lunch bag. "I hope it's steaks.”

"Should be. She said she knew my order.”

"Seems this one has been on your tail for long.”

"Supposedly.”

"Let's head to the academy then. We can't be late.”

Alpha Ryder caught up immediately.

"And speaking of the academy, she said she had always wanted to join but her parents have constantly disapproved of the idea. I guess it makes her wistful at times.”

"Possibly. Humans can be unnecessarily apprehensive, and that is why they are weak.”

"That isn't particularly my concern now. The thing is: will she be able to come to terms with being trained with werewolves? Can she keep our little big secret?”

Caden shrugged.

“Depends on the human."

He sped off in the direction of the academy. They've had quite a chat for the morning. But his racing skills were thrown into the mud when he hit someone. Alpha Ryder almost jumped out of the car. He ran around to the front and turned the girl over. Her face looked familiar but he needed to see her eyes to confirm his suspicions. But they were shut at the moment. He scooped her up into his arms and laid her in the back seat, belting her to keep her safe. He got into the front seat beside Caden.

“Let's get her to the hospital, quick!" He yelled into his beta's ear. Caden sped off, taking the intersection to the hospital.

Alpha Ryder looked into the back seat again, suddenly feeling the urge to air his thoughts.

“She strangely looks familiar."

“Familiar? You sure?"

“Yes. Just that her eyes are closed. I would have recognized her quite easily. But next time, be careful, Caden! We're quite lucky there weren't onlookers.”

Caden went quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry. It just happened too fast. I didn't see her when she got off the curb.”

"We have to stay with her at the hospital till she regains consciousness.”

"It's alright. I'll stay with her.”

"No. I'll stay. You can head back to the academy. I'll call you to come pick me up once she has regained consciousness.”

Caden drove off to the academy. Alpha Ryder took a seat beside the bed where the girl lay. He sat, watching her intently. Soon, her eyes flickered open.

"What am I doing here?”

She was about getting up but he made her lie back down.

"You're in the hospital. I hit you when you were trying to cross the road.”

"Oh.”

"I'm sorry for whatever delay I might have caused you. I've paid the bills, so you don't have to worry about that.”

He gazed into her eyes and began to feel that surge again. Could this be his mate? She looked so much more beautiful and different in the daytime.

“Have we met before?"

Aria shook her head.

“I'm not sure." Just after she gave the reply, she remembered his face. Her target. But she couldn't understand why he was looking at her so intently. Was something wrong with her hair? “What are you staring at?"

Alpha Ryder called himself to order after realizing that she wasn't sensing the mate bond. He began to wonder if there was something he wasn't doing right.

“Where were you last night?"

Aria looked at him. She knew what would come next if she gave a positive reply.

"I can't remember.”

Alpha Ryder's heart shuddered. Could she have amnesia? Is that why she wasn't sensing their mate bond?

"Oh, okay. Maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself. You look like someone I met last night at the park.”

Aria just stared at him blankly. She knew she was almost achieving her goal. She couldn't wait to dig into his chest and tear open his heart. This meant she was one step closer to meeting her mother. She smiled furtively.

"Where do we go from here?”

Alpha Ryder suddenly felt burdened. A female wolf with amnesia! How was he supposed to handle that?

"Let me make a call.” He stepped out of the ward and headed to the corridor. "She's awake, Caden.”

"I'll be there in thirty minutes.”

Alpha Ryder headed back to the ward and found her sound asleep. He shook his head and smiled. He hoped she could regain her memory of the previous night much sooner.

~~~~~~~~~~

Stormbringer paced the living room impatiently. He had sent Aria to get some things from the old Witcher. He needed them to perform a spell to renew his strength on the next full moon. It was way past eight pm, and he knew she didn't have any emotional entanglements. He had dialed her number severally but she didn't pick up. He soon gave up and returned to his study. He really was very furious.

Aria jerked awake when she remembered what she had to do before the car hit. She jolted out of the bed and grabbed her phone. Fifteen missed calls?! She picked up her jacket and headed out of the hospital. Some nurses tried to stop her but she got passed them. Once on the road, she raced at full speed to the Witcher's store. The closed sign was very visible from the glass door. She huffed in disappointment. She didn't like the consequences of not completing a task.

With cold feet, she trudged back home. She walked into the living room, on the lookout for her father like a prey on the lookout for a predator.

“Where have you been, Aria?" Her father's voice thundered behind her, causing her to fall back down the foyer. She held her twisted ankle in pain.

“I can explain, father. I was in an accident. I was given sedatives at the hospital, so I drifted off to sleep.”

"Flimsy excuse.”

Stormbringer walked over to her and grabbed her by the arm, his nails digging in. She screamed loudly in pain as her blood flew down her arm.

"Do you know what this singular careless act of yours has cost me?” His claws retracted and he let go of her arm. "That is the tip of the iceberg of what will happen to you the next time you fail to deliver a task properly.”

Stormbringer returned to his study while she continued to bleed. Aria wondered if he ever cared anything about what others felt. She ran her fingers over the four deep holes that lined her arm. They began to close up rapidly, healing as if nothing had happened. She got back up the foyer and headed for her room.

She buried her face into her pillow and screamed into it. She would soon be saturated with all of her father's shenanigans. She couldn't wait for the c***k of dawn. She silently hoped she wouldn't cross paths with the other wolf again. It had cost her enough already. She shut her eyes as the tears flowed freely down the sides of her head. She sorely wished her mother could be there to protect her always.