THE ALPHA’S FORBIDDEN MATE

CHAPTER 2: THE UNEXPECTED VISIT

Three weeks passed. Same routine.

Until that night. 2am. Rain.

_BANG BANG BANG_

"Please... open the door."

A man. Bleeding. Holding his side.

I pulled him in. Cleaned him. He told me his name was Drake.

He left before morning. A 20 dollar bill under the mug. `Thank you.`

I thought that was it.

*Two weeks passed.*

Life kept moving whether I liked it or not.

Friday night at the hotel was madness. A man in a suit kept calling me over. When I got to him he grabbed my hand. "You’re new. You look sad. Let me make you smile."

I pulled my hand back. "Please don’t touch me, sir."

He laughed. "I’m just being friendly."

The senior waitress walked past and saw. She didn’t say anything.

I went to the bathroom and washed my hands 3 times.

Sunday was my only day off. I swept my small hut, boiled water for tea, and sat on the floor with bread.

I put on music from my old phone. I sang off-key. I danced barefoot.

For one hour I wasn’t a waitress. I wasn’t unwanted. I was just Ravendon.

It felt good.

Tuesday, another shift. A group of guys came in. One of them kept waving money at me.

"Come sit with us. 50 dollars for 10 minutes."

"I’m working," I said and walked away.

He complained to the manager that I was "proud".

Manager called me later. "Customers pay our salary. Don’t give them attitude."

"Yes sir."

That weekend, a drunk man followed me to the store room.

"Just one kiss. No one will know."

I pushed him away and ran out.

Told the manager.

"Are you sure you didn’t lead him on?" he asked.

I didn’t answer. I just went back to work.

After those two weeks I was tired. Bone tired.

And that was when there was another knock on my door.

11pm.

It was him.

Clean shirt. No blood. Holding a grocery bag.

"Paying rent," he said. "You saved my life. Least I can do is buy you food."

He walked in like he owned the place. Rice. Ramen. Eggs.

"What’s your name?"

"...Ravendon."

"Ravendon. I’m Drake."

That’s how it started.

He started coming by. After my shifts.

We’d cook ramen together. He was terrible at it.

"Too much spice," he’d cough, eyes watering.

"You’re just weak," I’d laugh, stealing his noodles.

One night the light went off.

"Great," I groaned. "Now I can’t see to cook."

I heard him moving in the dark. Then a click. My small lamp came on.

"How did you—"

"I’m good with hands," he said, shrugging. "Fixed your roof too. It won’t leak next rain."

"You touched my roof?"

"It was leaking on you."

*Soon he started walking me home when it rained. He waited for me outside the door till I closed. He never touched me, never pushed. Slowly he became the only person I actually liked talking to. The only person who asked "how was your day" and actually waited for the answer.