CLAIMED BY THE ALPHA

Chapter 15

DANIELLA POV

If someone had told me before now that I would be sitting on my living room floor, laughing with Jordan like we were some chaotic sitcom cast, I would have laughed in their face.

But here I was, comfortable, warm, happy and laughing with Taylor, Lilian and also Jordan in the living room over crazy things.

I was also dangerously in love, and it’s no surprise that I’m head over heels for Rider.

Rider and I didn’t have a label. No “boyfriend.” No “girlfriend.” No public announcement, and nothing official. But the way he looked at me? The way his hand always found mine when we were alone? The way my body reacted to just the sound of his voice?. A label couldn’t name the feelings I had for him.

We had stopped fighting whatever feelings we had, and finally accepted the fact that our love was meant to be.

We were just us, living in our personal world.

That evening started extremely normal. Lilian and I were in the living room, dressed in our pajamas, arguing about what to order for dinner, when there was a knock on the door.

Taylor didn’t wait to be invited in.

He burst through like he owned the place. “My favorite girls!”

And behind him, Jordan who apparently never bothered hiding his disgust for me.

For a second, I froze and I felt anger rising from within.

The last time Jordan and I had spoken properly, there had been tension, and a lot of awkward stares. His cold attitude, and the silent hostility. So seeing him standing there, hands in his pockets, looking almost nervous just threw me off.

“Hi,” he said quietly.

Wow. So he could talk to me with a calm voice.

We all settled down, and the energy was awkward at first. Taylor kept talking obviously trying to ease the tension while Jordan sat beside him, unusually calm.

Then Jordan cleared his throat.

“I owe you an apology, Daniella.”

The room went still and I’m sure Lilian understood why I was oddly calm.

He didn’t look at anyone else. Just me.

“I wasn’t fair to you. My attitude at work, the way I treated you. That wasn’t about you. I had stuff going on, and I'm always conscious of people, I let into my world.Still not an excuse.”

His jaw tightened like it physically hurt him to say the words.

“I’m sorry.”

And for a moment, I didn’t know what to feel.

Part of me remembered the cold stares, and the dismissive tone. The way he made me feel like I didn’t belong.

Another part of me saw the honesty in his eyes.

“I appreciate that,” I said slowly. “Really.”

Did I fully believe him? Not completely.

But I wasn’t the type to hold onto bitterness.

So I let it go.

And somehow, after that, the night softened.

We talked, and we also laughed. Taylor teased Lilian about how she always has different talking stages but never had anything official with any of them. Lilian threatened to throw a pillow at him. Jordan turned out to be way different from what I expected. He was calm, observant and also funny in his own way .

There were moments I caught him watching me thoughtfully, like he was trying to understand something.

It should’ve made me uncomfortable.

But it didn’t.

There was a knock at the door, and everyone stopped what they were doing.

“Did you order food Elle?” Taylor asked.

“I’ll get it,” I said.

When I opened the door, a delivery guy stood there holding a sleek black box.

“For Daniella.”

That’s me. My heart skipped.

“I didn’t order anything,” I said.

He just shrugged and handed it over, giving me the paper to sign and left.

The moment I shut the door, my phone rang.

Rider.

My stomach did a double flip instantly.

“Hello?” I answered, trying not to sound breathless.

“Did you get it?” His voice was low and calm.

I looked at the box in my hands.

“You sent this?”

There was a pause from his end, before he spoke again.

“Open it.”

My fingers trembled slightly as I lifted the lid.

I gasped at the content of the box. Inside was a dress, Deep midnight blue. Soft silk that shimmered when the light hit it. The kind of dress that wasn’t meant for casual dinners.

Beneath it were heels. Jewelry. Even a small perfume bottle.

My throat tightened.

“Rider…” I whispered.

“Tomorrow, by Seven pm. Be ready.”

“For what occasion?”

“It’s a surprise Daniella. You’ll see.”

There was something in his tone. Something mysterious and . Intentional.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked softly.

Another pause.

“Because I want to.”

After we hung up, I just stood there staring at the box like it might disappear.

“What happened?” Lilian demanded.

Taylor was already smirking.

I slowly turned the box toward them.

The screaming that followed could’ve woken the entire building.

“He sent you THAT?” Lilian shrieked.

Taylor leaned over, inspecting the dress. “Okay boss man is moving mad.”

Jordan didn’t speak, but his eyes darkened slightly.

“He said he’s picking me up tomorrow. It’s a surprise.”

Lilian grabbed my shoulders dramatically. “This is it. This is confession behavior.”

My heart stuttered.

Confession.

The word lingered heavier than I expected.

Was it?

Taylor wiggled his eyebrows. “Finally going to put a label on this sneaky situation.”

“Shut up,” I muttered, but I was smiling.

The teasing didn’t stop for the next hour.

But underneath the laughter, there was something else blooming in my chest.

It was hope.

Later that night, after they left and the apartment went quiet, I took the dress into my room.

I held it against my body.

It fit perfectly.

Like he knew. He always knew.

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at nothing.

Rider had changed drastically in a good way.

The guarded man who pushed me away at every turn was gone.

Now he lingered constantly around me, and now looked at me like I was the only thing he cared about.

And it terrified me.

Because what if tomorrow changed everything?

What if he finally said what I had been feeling for weeks?

What if he didn’t?

My chest tightened painfully.

I lay down, staring at the ceiling.

Every memory replayed in my mind.

The elevator, the almost confession, the way his hands trembled sometimes when he held me like he was restraining something, the way his eyes darkened when he thought I wasn’t looking, the way he said my name like it meant more than just a word.

My heart wasn’t just involved anymore. It was fully gone.

And that realization scared me more than anything.

Because loving Rider felt like stepping toward a cliff and trusting that he would catch me before I fell, and I didn’t know if he would.

Sleep didn’t come easily. I kept imagining how tomorrow would end up.

His car pulling up, his expression darkening when he saw me in the dress, his hands on my waist, his voice when he spoke.

Would he finally say it? Would he finally admit that whatever this was, wasn’t just physical?

Would he finally choose me openly? Or would I wake up Monday still floating in this unlabeled space?

I pressed my hand over my chest. My heartbeat was restless.

For the first time since everything started, I realized something clearly. I wasn’t just enjoying this, I wasn’t just attracted, I wasn’t just curious, I was in love with him.

And tomorrow… Tomorrow might change everything.