THE ALPHA’S FORBIDDEN MATE

Chapter 6: THE OFFER

It was 9pm.

My new room was quiet. The fan was on. My laptop was warm on my knees.

I had $312 in my account.

$312.

Three weeks ago I had five cents.

I kept checking the number like it would disappear if I blinked.

Then there was a knock.

Soft. Three times.

I froze.

Drake never knocked anymore. He left bags. He left notes. He didn’t show his face.

My heart did something stupid. It jumped.

I stood up slowly. Checked the lock. Checked myself in the mirror. Hair tied up. Old t-shirt.

I looked like someone who didn’t care. That was the point.

I opened the door anyway.

He was standing there.

Clean black shirt. Jeans. Hands in his pockets. Like he practiced looking harmless for an hour before coming.

Behind him, the hallway light made a halo around his hair. He looked taller than I remembered. Or maybe I just felt smaller.

"Ravendon," he said. My name sounded different in his mouth now. Softer. Careful.

"What do you want?" I asked. I didn’t step aside. My arms were crossed. My voice was flat.

"I want to talk. Five minutes."

"No."

"Then I’ll talk to the door," he said, and he looked so tired I almost believed him. There were shadows under his eyes. Like he hadn’t slept.

"Four minutes," I said, and opened it wider. I still didn’t invite him in.

He didn’t come in. He stayed in the hall. Good.

"I’m not here to beg," he said. "And I’m not here about us."

"Then what?"

"I have an offer. A business offer."

I almost laughed. "The Alpha of the North Pack wants to do business with a waitress?"

"You’re not a waitress anymore," he said. "You’re RavenWrites. I checked."

My stomach dropped. Cold.

"You stalked me?"

"I’m an Alpha," he said quietly. "It’s what we do. We protect what’s ours. Even when... even when they tell us to stay away."

"Don’t," I cut him off. "Don’t make this about that."

He nodded. Looked at the floor. Then back at me.

"I’m proud of you," he said. "Five cents to $300 in 3 weeks. From a hut with a broken door. That’s... that’s not easy."

I didn’t answer. Because if I did, my voice would shake.

He pulled an envelope from his jacket. It was thick. White. Clean. He didn’t hand it to me. Just held it between us.

"$5,000," he said. "To build your freelancing. Proper laptop. Better Wi-Fi. A website. Ads. A real business license. Whatever you need."

I stared at it.

$5,000.

That was more money than I’d ever seen in one place. That was rent for a year. That was safety.

And it was coming from him.

I laughed. It came out sharp, ugly. "And what do you get?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Not your body. Not your time. Not a mate bond. Not even a thank you if you don’t want to give it."

"Then why?" I asked. "Why me? Why now? Lila will lose her mind if she finds out."

"Because someone should have given me $5,000 when I was 17 and alone," he said. His voice went low. "I was sleeping in cars. Eating from dumpsters. And one person gave me a job and didn’t ask for anything back. It saved me."

"So this is charity?"

"No," he said. "This is a debt. To the universe. And you’re the one standing in front of me."

The hallway was silent.

Somewhere downstairs, a baby was crying. Someone was cooking something that smelled like onions.

"$5,000 is pack money," I said. "Lila’s dad’s money."

"No," he said. "It’s mine. From jobs I did before I was Alpha. From investments. Clean. No pack strings. I had my lawyer check."

"Why me?" I asked again. Because I needed to hear it.

"Because you didn’t run when I was bleeding," he said. "And because you’re the only human who ever told me no and meant it. And because..." he stopped. Jaw clenched. "Because I owe you."

For what, he didn’t say.

For the night we spent together? For lying? For leaving?

"What’s the catch?" I asked. "There’s always a catch with you people."

"The catch is you let me pay you back," he said. "And you don’t have to see me again after this. Unless you want to. The money is a gift. Not a leash."

My pride was screaming _say no_. _Don’t take anything from him_.

My bank account was screaming _say yes_. _Take it and run_.

My brain was somewhere in the middle, calculating. Laptop $800. Website $200. Ads $500. That still left over $3,000 for rent and food and never being hungry again.

I took the envelope.

It was heavier than I thought.

"I’m not saying thank you," I said.

"You don’t have to," he said.

"And we’re not friends."

"Okay."

"And we’re definitely not anything else."

"I know," he said. And for the first time he actually looked sad about it. Not angry. Not desperate. Just sad.

He nodded once. Then turned to leave.

"Drake," I said before I could stop myself.

He stopped. Didn’t turn around. His shoulders tensed.

"Don’t leave groceries anymore," I said. "I can buy my own food now."

He let out a breath. Almost a laugh.

"Okay," he said. "I’ll stop."

"And don’t text me."

"Okay."

"And stay away from my business."

"I will," he said. Then he did turn, just his head. "Unless you ask me to come."

I didn’t answer.

He walked away.

I closed the door. Locked it. Double-locked it.

Sat on the floor with $5,000 in my lap.

My hands were shaking.

For the first time, someone offered me help and didn’t ask for anything in return.

It felt dangerous.

It felt like freedom.

It felt like I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life.

I opened my laptop.

New tab.

`RavenWrites.com - Coming Soon`

I bought the domain name that night. $12.

I bought a new laptop the next day. $850.

I hired a designer to make me a logo. $100.

Every dollar I spent, I told myself: _This is mine. He doesn’t own it. He doesn’t own me._

But at 2am, when the new laptop glowed in my dark room, I thought about his face in the hallway.

Tired.

Honest.

Gone.

I was going to take his money.

And build an empire he couldn’t touch.

And maybe, just maybe, that would be the last time I ever needed him.