ALPHA RYDER'S LUNA

Episode 4

Ryder's POV

“Mate…”

I knew I had made the biggest blunder of all time in front of the people. The deafening silence had me troubled, as I couldn't even afford to glance in the direction of my people. They stared at me with a gaze worth a million words.

“What the…” Kylian, my aide, said to me through a mind link. “What happened, alpha? Are you alright? She could be a witch that puts you under a spell…”

“No… maybe…” I stuttered, and I replied to him, as she had seemed to have cast a spell on me indeed. Her looks were enchanting, almost seeming ethereal. “I'm alright…”

I stood there, transfixed by all that had happened, and by her irresistible scent. Even though with a few wounds on her body, she still looked like she had been sent straight from the moon goddess herself.

She didn't fail to dazzle me with her mid-length, honey-blond hair, and bright-green eyes that seemed to pierce deep into my soul. Her height was just perfect, along with the shape of her body that couldn't stay hidden in the dress she had on.

My palms were becoming sweaty, as her honeysuckle scent with a touch of vanilla had me teetering. I could barely keep myself away from her, but I had to show some restraint, as my people all had their eyes on me.

“Take her to one of the rooms in the maids' quarters,” I ordered the men, as I hurried off the stage. Mixed feelings had me disturbed, as I made my way to my mansion. I feared that I would do even worse if I stayed around her much longer.

As soon as I was alone in my room, I let out a loud, angry, frustrated grunt. It all felt like a set-up by the Dark Moon Pack to humiliate me. I felt angry that my fated mate had to pop up right when I had chosen Tara to be my mate.

I was beyond overwhelmed as I sat on my bed and buried my face in my hands. The feelings of guilt, regret, shame, and wonder took turns in stinging my conscience ceaselessly.

‘She scented irresistibly…,’ Rex, my devious wolf, was titillated by the encounter. His excitement was just infectious. ‘There just wasn't any way of keeping away from her—’

‘Shut it, Rex,’ I growled at him, as I tried to get my impulses under control. For some reason, I just couldn't get her wonderful scent off my nostrils, which were thirsty for more of it. ‘Look at the mess we have made…’

The list of repercussions went on and on; from what the people would say of me to what Tara— my chosen mate, would think of it. I was a mess emotionally at that point.

“Come in…” I said, as I sensed Tara at the door. She probably had a thousand and one questions to ask, and I wasn't even half-prepared to answer any of them.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down as Tara came through the door. Her coronation as my Luna was to come up in a week, and that made the appearance of my mate an even more unwanted event.

There she stood, staring at me, as I stared back at her. She probably didn't even know where to begin asking her questions. If only she knew that I was almost as confused as she was.

“The people are still reeling from the shock, Ryder,” she said, finally breaking the awkward silence that hovered over our conversation. “Please tell me you have an explanation for what just happened.”

I was quiet, as I thought through my words carefully. That conversation was more like a minefield, as one wrong word would set off an explosion that would leave untold effects.

“Tara, I just lost it,” those words didn't make much sense to me, but I had to say them anyway. “I just lost control.”

If there was anything I lacked, it had to be the ability to put emotion behind my words. Almost everything I said sounded cold and remorseless, and Tara wasn't buying any of it.

“You just lost control?” Tara asked with her brows furrowed impatiently at me. “You lost control with that filth that was covered with bruises almost from head to toe? Come on…”

“You won't understand,” there was no way I would tell her that I had felt the mate pull. I spoke each word assertively. “It was a mistake, it really didn't mean much, it was just a kiss—”

“Just a kiss between the alpha and a prisoner meant to be executed in front of the whole pack. That doesn't sound like ‘just a kiss’, Ryder.”

She was beginning to get on my nerves. Why does she exaggerates the entire thing? Her words made me more tricked than I wanted to be at the moment.

“Tara, there was nothing to kiss. I don't have any other words to communicate that fact to you.” I said, sounding more assertive than I had in the beginning. “She was just a prisoner, and it was all a mistake. Not like she's some secret mistress who's about to replace you.”

“Oh… wow,” the shocked look on her face dissolved into a sarcastic smile. “Replaced…”

I knew that had come out wrong, but then I wasn't in the mood to stop her from apologizing. She made for the door, got out, and slammed it so hard that I was surprised that the knob hadn't fallen off.

Soon enough, I was left all alone with my thoughts. For some reason, I wanted to stare into those piercing green eyes one more time, even as I was angry at her for ruining everything for me. My life had been perfect up until that moment when she came on that podium with me.

Tara was hurt, but I intended to deal with her later. I had to know who my mate was, and why in the blue moon she had to come to me at that time.

‘Going to see her again, aren't you?’ Rex asked mischievously, as I stood up from where I had been seated.

‘Shut it!’

***

Amelia's POV

I had passed out from exhaustion. All that had happened to me throughout the night and the early morning was just too much for one individual to take, in such a short amount of time.

Slowly, my eyelids cracked open to see a cozy room brightly lit up by the late morning sun's rays. The last thing I remember was the kiss.

“Goodness…!” I suddenly exclaimed in shock, as it dawned on me that, indeed, that moment had happened to me in front of all those people.

I still couldn't believe how young and good-looking Alpha Ryder was, in person. From the tales of his ruthless doings, he sounded pretty dangerous and barbaric. But he was nothing like that.

Instantly, the door of the room was kicked open. I had thought it was yet another episode with Alpha Ryder's men until I saw Alpha Ryder himself standing at the door. He was dressed in his all-black dress, a tight, long-sleeved top that didn't fail to show his flawlessly sculpted muscles.

His thrilling shape made me almost miss the angered look on his face. My heart was skipping with the almost irresistible attraction to him, and the fear of what he was going to do to me.

He shut the door and walked towards me. “Who are you?” His question was mean and straightforward.

“I'm… Amelia Gaines of the—”

Before I could finish, he snuffed out my response with a hungry kiss. It felt like he had been waiting all his life for that moment. Time felt like it stopped as well as witnessing that moment, as it felt nothing short of magical.

“Ryder, how are you…”

My heart sank, frightfully, as I withdrew from the kiss. Someone had walked in on our magical moment, forcefully dragging us down from the ninth cloud back to reality.

I was instantly cold in fright, as the man who stood at the door looked exactly like Alpha Ryder. What was going on?

“Oh my…” he muttered in surprise.