MATE: The Alpha's Forbidden Claim

EPISODE 19: THE RIVAL’S VOICE

By midweek, the strangers near the school gates grew bolder. One afternoon as Lila walked toward the student pickup area, a man leaning against a tree stepped directly into her path. He was broad-shouldered, with scarred knuckles and eyes like flint — hard and unyielding.

“You’re the one they’re all so protective of,” he said, his voice rough and mocking. “Funny. You don’t look like much of a prize to me. Just a little lost lamb wandering into the wrong wolf den.”

Lila’s heart raced, but she remembered what Kaelen had told her — don’t show fear. She stood tall, her hand closing around the pendant beneath her shirt. “I don’t know what you want, but you’re trespassing on school property. Leave before I call someone.”

The man laughed — a harsh, barking sound. “Spunky. I can see why he likes you. But tell your precious Alpha that hiding behind women and children isn’t strength. Blackwood doesn’t negotiate with cowards. If he wants to keep what’s his… he needs to come and take it. Before we come and take everything — including you.”

Before Lila could respond, a familiar car pulled up sharply beside them. The window rolled down, and Kaelen’s voice cut through the air like ice. “Get away from her. Now. Before I make you regret ever showing your face here.”

The man smirked, stepping back but not leaving. “We’ll be seeing you soon, future Alpha. Real soon.”

Kaelen waited until the man was gone from sight before opening the passenger door for Lila. She climbed in, her hands shaking violently now that they were safely away.

“He said you’re hiding behind me,” Lila whispered, her voice trembling. “That you’re scared to face them directly.”

Kaelen gripped the wheel, his knuckles white. “That’s exactly what he wants you to think. He wants to provoke me into rushing in without a plan. If I fight on his terms, I lose. Patience isn’t cowardice, Lila. It’s strategy. And protecting you isn’t hiding — it’s my responsibility. My greatest duty. He can mock it all he wants. But he will never understand what it truly means to lead. Or what it truly means to love someone enough to keep them safe, even at the cost of your own pride.”