He wants her: Contract with Alpha Miller

MALIAN'S POV

The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension as I walked in and spotted Ryder standing by my best friend Emily. His expression shifted from one of indifference to surprise, and I couldn’t help but feel the anger boiling inside me like a volcano ready to erupt. "Oh, you're back," Ryder said. He stood up, creating a small distance between him and Emily, who wore an expression that could only be described as furious. “What do you want?” he asked, almost as if he was irked by my presence.I flicked my gaze back and forth between them, a wave of disbelief washing over me. The nightmare I had stepped into felt all too real, yet part of me wished it was just a figment of my imagination. “What’s going on? Ryder, why were you on top of Emily?” My heart raced as the images replayed in my mind, solidifying the treacherous scene I had just interrupted. “Please tell me I'm dreaming. Tell me I did not just witness my husband with my best friend!”Ryder attempted to respond. “Look, Malian, we can—”I cut him off with a wave of laughter that betrayed the storm of emotions raging inside me. “Can what? What exactly are you trying to say, Ryder?” It suddenly struck me that my cheeks were damp with tears, the realization hitting like a slap in the face as I trailed my fingers across the streaks they left behind on the floor.Silence enveloped us, thick and suffocating. Ryder seemed completely unfazed by my anguish, while Emily bore a scowl that was nothing short of hostile. “Emily, how could you do this to me? After everything we’ve shared—the laughter, the secrets—how could you betray me like this?” The pain coursing through me was palpable, each word a stab in my heart. Her response was unfathomable. “Can you just quit whining? Seriously, Malian, just shut up.” The venom in her words stung, rendering me speechless for a moment as the betrayal sank in deeper. My disappointment swelled, directed at her furious demeanor. “Emily? Why? Why me? You have everything—family, wealth, happiness! I’ve struggled through my life with barely anything. I fought so hard for the little joy I have—why would you take that away from me? What on Earth did I ever do to deserve this?” I felt my voice breaking, a flood of raw emotion pouring from my lips.Emily had it all, and with her status as the Beta's daughter, she was a force to be reckoned with within our Pack. My feelings of inadequacy only heightened my distress. “Oh, Malian,” she said with a sickening sweetness that turned my stomach. Clasping her hands together, she wrapped her blanket tight around herself and advanced toward me. With an insufferably condescending motion, she lifted my chin and forced me to meet her eyes. She was four inches taller, exuding an arrogant confidence. “The great, strong, and powerful Malian, always so cheerful. Do you even realize how irritating you can be? Just how frustrating can you be? Seriously, why are you being even more bothersome right now? Can’t you appreciate that you have a roof over your head and nice clothes to wear? Do you always have to talk?” Each word she uttered felt like daggers stabbing right into the very core of my being, casting a shadow over my thoughts and emotions. “Did you really just speak to me like that?” I asked, utterly flabbergasted by her callousness.“And what are you going to do about it? You’re just a worthless orphan anyway, and even your adoptive parents don’t care about you. So what’s all the fuss about?” Her laughter was harsh, laced with disdain, as she raised an eyebrow, attacking my most vulnerable point. Despair washed over me, and I turned to Ryder, who sat apathetically on the edge of the bed, as if he were an uninterested spectator. Remorse was absent from his expression, replaced instead by a detached curiosity, making my heart shatter into even smaller pieces. Tears blurred my vision, cascading down my cheeks and marring my once-bright spirit. I felt the desperate urge to defend myself, to lash out, to scream. But nothing came out; I stood there, frozen and helpless, feeling as though the world had crumbled around me. The weight of it all pressed down upon me, and the raw pain spilled over in uncontrolled sobs. “Ryder,” I managed to whisper weakly, and he turned to meet my eyes, showcasing his disinterest in my heartbreak. Instinctively, I smiled through the tears. “It’s over between us.”“It was already over before we even started.”The finality in his statement hit me harder than anything else had so far. I sought to escape the turmoil flooding my mind. I needed to drown my sorrow, to forget, at least for a moment. I downed four shots in quick succession at the bar, leaning my head heavily on the table. My eyes were red and swollen, my cheeks stained with the remnants of tears, my voice hoarse from the cries that had escaped me. I was an absolute wreck.After the confrontation with Emily and Ryder, I had stumbled back home in tears. Minutes later, I caught a glimpse of their car pulling away from my house through the curtains. It triggered an avalanche of emotions within me. I wanted to scream, to confront them both, but I could only drown in the darkness of betrayal. The two people I cherished most had shattered my heart and ruined my life, seemingly without a thought.As I looked around my room—a chaotic wreck of scattered mirrors and clothes strewn everywhere—the anger simmering beneath the surface began surging. “I can't do this,” I muttered to myself. “I need a drink to cool off before I do something terrible.” With resolve, I grabbed my phone, threw on an outfit, and made my way to the bar nearby.His voice echoed in my mind, “It was already over before we even started.” It was a mantra I couldn’t shake. The words clung to me like a leech. “You're nothing but just a lowlife orphan,” Emily’s words reverberated, striking at my core. My biggest weakness had become ammunition used against me by the one friend I had trusted implicitly.“Really, how unfair can life be?” I questioned bitterly, feeling the weight of my existence. “Haven't you done enough already? Why me? Why can't you just let me be? Why can't I be happy? Why does nothing great in my life ever seem to last, no matter how hard I fight for it?”Emily and I had been inseparable since I was fourteen. Growing up in an orphanage was a nightmare—until I was adopted. I thought my situation would improve, yet looking back, I debated whether life as an orphan was truly worse than living with my so-called new family. Why did they even choose to adopt me? The questions haunted me daily. During my darkest days, while I languished in sorrow, Emily appeared like a ray of sunshine, a beacon of hope, as the daughter of the powerful Cape Pack. She seemed to embody everything I wished to be—wealthy, respected, and adored. I often wondered why she chose me as a friend. I had nothing to offer, and yet, she embraced me, filling a void I had long since accepted as part of my reality.Soon after, Ryder entered my life. At sixteen, I was mesmerized by him. He was everything any girl could want—strong, handsome, and kind. His family was just as affluent as Emily's, while I was left with nothing but the bitter aftertaste of my past. Eventually, Ryder and I fell for each other deeply, culminating in a wedding filled with the hope and love I had always yearned for. His mother, despite my humble background, welcomed me with open arms, making me feel like I belonged.But not long ago, I had begun to notice subtle shifts in Ryder’s demeanor—hints of secrecy that I was foolish enough to ignore. I turned a blind eye to the signs, unwilling to let the truth taint the fragile happiness I had managed to secure. Now, the truth had cut deeper than I could have ever imagined, splintering my heart and shattered my illusions of love.