My Fake Mate, Hockey Captain, Is My Real Mate

POV: Riley Megg "This can’t be," I whispered, clutching the device in my trembling hand. "Pending balance. Please settle the monthly bill before the end of the month, or patient Arthur Megg will be evicted immediately." An icy chill ran down my spine as I read the message over and over again. My father wouldn't survive twenty-four hours without the lunar injections at the clinic. The rogue attack six months ago had left him in a critical vegetative state. My stepmother, Helena, had washed her hands of us after draining the pack accounts that belonged to us. Now, at twenty years old, I was carrying the sole burden of a scholarship at the Purebloods Academy and two exhausting jobs. I rushed across the Academy campus, dodging students who were walking toward the training grounds. My destination was the warrior dorm building, specifically the room of the only person I trusted. Brian. My boyfriend of two years. A Gamma wolf who promised to stand by my side when my world fell apart. I took the stairs three at a time, my heart hammering against my ribs. I didn't bother to knock. I pushed the doorknob open in desperation, looking for his arms. The scene that greeted me froze the blood in my veins. On the messy bed, two bodies were moving frantically. "What the hell is going on here?" I screamed. The movement on the bed stopped dead. Brian turned around abruptly, his eyes wide in shock and his breath ragged. Beside him, a blonde mane shook. Anastasia, my stepsister, smirked from under the sheets. "Riley!" Brian gasped, turning pale instantly. "It’s not what you think, I swear." "How is it not what I think?" I took a step forward, my fists clenched tight. "You’re f*****g my sister, you piece of trash." Brian stumbled out of the bed, clumsily trying to pull up his pants. "Let me explain, please," he pleaded, reaching his hands out. "Let's talk for five minutes." "I don't want to talk to you, you're disgusting," I spat. To my right was a wooden nightstand with a ceramic vase on top. Without thinking, I grabbed it and threw it with all my strength straight at Brian’s head. He ducked, dodging the object by a hair. The vase shattered against the back wall, exploding into a thousand pieces that rained down onto the floor. "What the f**k is wrong with you?" Anastasia shrieked, covering her chest with the blanket. "You are completely crazy!" I pointed my index finger at her, holding her gaze with pure fire in my eyes. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong is that you're a slut who slept with my boyfriend. Or well, my damn ex-boyfriend." Anastasia let out a loud, mocking laugh, leaning back against the pillows. "Oh, please, Riley. Look at yourself," she said with disdain. "You're a pathetic wolf-less Omega, a penniless beggar. Brian needed a real wolf, not a beggar who only knows how to cry over her sick father." "Shut your mouth, Anastasia!" I yelled at her, my jaw tight. "Your mother stole my father's money!" "And we spent it well," she sneered. "My mom bought me a designer purse yesterday with those funds. Your father is already a vegetable, sweetie. Why waste pack money on a dead wolf? Brian deserves someone who can give him bloodline pups, not a wolf-less outcast." "Shut up, Anastasia!" Brian ordered, turning toward her. "Why should I shut up?" she snapped back. "It's the truth and she knows it." Brian took another step toward me, trying to touch my arm. "Riley, listen to me. Anastasia is… she’s my mate… I couldn't help it." "Don't touch me," I shoved his chest so hard he stumbled two steps back. "Get away from me." Brian’s face turned drastically red, his fangs breaking the surface and a Gamma aura flaring out that made my shoulders cringe for just a second. "You know what? Go to hell," Brian yelled at me. "You're just a proud b***h. I already have my mate. I don't need a f*****g outcast like you. Nobody in this pack is ever going to look at someone as insignificant as you. You have nothing to offer, not even a wolf." I didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I swallowed the lump in my throat, turned around, and walked out of the room. I slammed the door behind me so hard the whole wall seemed to vibrate. I ran down the hallway of the building, ignoring the stares of the few students hanging around. My mind was a chaotic mess. I wanted to disappear. But I stopped under the building's archway and checked my wristwatch: exactly nine in the morning. "s**t," I whispered, furiously wiping away rogue tears. I didn't have time to fall apart. My shift at the campus cafe started in exactly five minutes. If I was late, my boss wouldn't hesitate to fire me, and losing that job meant certain death for my father. I sprinted down the stone pathways, entered through the back door of the shop, quickly threw on the mandatory green apron, and pulled my hair back into a high ponytail. I walked out to the main counter, trying to steady my breathing. But as I reached the cash register, a thick, damnably powerful scent flooded my chest. I looked up, and a prickle formed in my throat. Conrad. One of the Alpha heirs of the North, captain of the hockey team, and the most egocentric asshole on campus. He wore the team jacket, which accentuated his imposing and powerful dominant Alpha physique. Conrad looked me up and down with relentless arrogance as I took my place behind the register. "A black Americano, extra strong, to go," Conrad ordered in a deep voice, tossing a bill onto the counter without bothering to look me in the eye. "And make it fast." I took the bill, feeling his arrogance, and turned toward the espresso machine, giving him my back. My hands were shaking so badly that the metal portafilter clinked against the drip tray. The steam rose in a hot burst, clouding my vision, but nothing could erase the image of Anastasia and Brian in that bed. "f*****g asshole," I muttered under my breath, tamping the ground coffee with way too much force. "I hope you’re not talking about me, Omega," a deep, drawling voice echoed right behind me. I gasped. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, looked up, and met Conrad’s eyes. He was still leaning against the counter, watching me with an eyebrow raised and that cynical smirk that oozed pure Alpha arrogance. "Is that what Alphas do? Eavesdrop on other people's thoughts?" I snapped at him, holding his gaze as I wiped down the counter with a cloth. "Thoughts?" Conrad let out a dry laugh, crossing his arms. "You were growling to yourself. Unless you have an invisible wolf trapped in the blender, you were insulting me." I stayed silent. I didn't have the energy to deal with his cockiness. I turned around, poured the thick dark liquid into the thermal cup, and snapped the lid shut. "Here you go, young Alpha," I said, putting strength into my voice. Conrad stretched out his arm to take it, but as soon as his fingers brushed against mine, I felt a shock of heat spread through my entire body. "Ouch!" I quickly snatched my hand back from his. Just at that moment, the bell at the entrance chimed, and an uncomfortable murmur swept through the place. Two figures were walking hand-in-hand toward the seating area. Brian and Anastasia. My boss poked her head out from the back kitchen, glaring daggers at me before pointing to the dining area. "Riley, clean table four and take the order for the young wolves," she ordered harshly. "And move it." I clenched my teeth. Conrad stood still by the counter, twirling the coffee cup between his large hands while his eyes narrowed, fixed on me. I walked with a firm step toward table number four, clutching the cleaning rag tight. Anastasia leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs smugly, while Brian fiddled with the edge of his jacket. "My, my, look who's serving us," Anastasia purred, raising her voice so the neighboring tables could hear. "Wipe that surface down real good, little b***h. I don't want you leaving any trace of your disgusting scent near my mate." "Don't worry, Anastasia," I replied, keeping my voice ice-cold. "I'll make sure it's spotless. Though I doubt dirt bothers you, considering you're used to picking up my leftovers." Anastasia's smile froze instantly. Several students at the tables behind us muffled a laugh. "What did you say, you f*****g beggar?" Anastasia hissed, standing up. "Are you deaf in addition to f*****g my ex?" I attacked, not lowering my gaze a single millimeter. "Keep him. A Gamma wolf who doesn't know how to take responsibility is the perfect prize for someone who only knows how to envy what belongs to others." "Riley, that's enough!" Brian interjected, his pupils flashing yellow. "You're just bitter because I was the one who rejected you. A wolf-less female is nothing more than a useless burden to the bloodline. Accept your reality and drop the jealousy." "Don't talk to me about bloodline, Brian. You're f*****g a b***h," I spat with disgust. Anastasia, trembling with rage from being publicly humiliated, raised her hand and delivered a brutal slap across my face. The impact of her Beta strength made me stagger two steps back, slamming my spine against the adjacent table. The blow had split my bottom lip, sending a trail of blood running down my chin. The cold liquid soaked my apron and my hair, dripping down my neck. The silence in the cafe was deafening. Anastasia smirked maliciously, expecting to see me break down in tears or beg. I didn't scream. I didn't cry. I let out a low growl born from the deepest part of my gut and, using the momentum of my body weight, threw a punch straight back into her face. The crack of bone against her nose echoed loudly through the shop. Anastasia let out a genuine wail of pain and fell backward over the chairs, knocking the table down in the process as she clutched her bloody face. "You daughter of a b***h!" Brian’s roar thundered. I saw him raise his hand, ready to use his Gamma strength to defend Anastasia. But before his fingers could touch a single strand of my hair, the air in the cafe turned lethal. A crushing pressure descended over the room, making the glass windows vibrate. Brian’s hand froze mid-air as the scent of sheer panic oozed from his pores. I didn't understand what was happening until I saw Conrad walk over from the counter, stepping commandingly between Brian and me. Conrad looked down at Brian from his towering height, and with a deep, deadly voice that vibrated the very walls of the building, he delivered his ultimatum: "Don't even think about it, Gamma. Touch my female one more time... and I'll rip your fangs out right here.”