Alpha Ryder, You Have Lost Me Forever

Nine

Chapter Nine

Seraphina’s POV

“Get your hands off me! Who the hell are you guys, and where are you taking me?” I yell as strong hands pull me, dragging me out, and one of them gags my mouth as I proceed to scream. I try to kick and fight, but it’s useless. They are too strong.

I’m pulled into a dark room with sparse lighting on the roof, and there are stacks of books there. It’s almost like a library. One of the men forces me to kneel, and I feel my hands being pulled tight behind me like a bound prisoner.

“f**k you!” I groan.

“Well, well, well, look who we have here. I knew it would be a little bit of a hassle to have you here, but not impossible, dear Seraphina.” Blake, whose back was initially turned to me, rolls his swivel chair so that he’s facing me, and I sneer at him.

“What the f**k do you want from me, old hag?” I spit, my nose flaring as he approaches me.

“Language, woman. Watch your tongue.” He crouches till he’s on the same level as me, and another yelp escapes from me when I feel a tight grip on the hairs on my head, forcing me to watch him.

“You’re such a f*****g loser, Blake. And whatever this is, I have no interest in it.”

“Never say never, Seraphina. I’m here to help you and put you out of your misery if you act like a good girl.” He removes the loose strands of hair on my face, tucking them behind my ear, and the corner of his lips lifts slightly in a smirk.

He straightens. “Look, I know we started off on a wrong path, but we can still be good friends. I’m aware that you’re in big trouble with the Beta of your pack, and you’re being hunted as collateral damage for your late father’s death.” Blake waves a hand lazily in the air.

“f**k off, Blake! You can kiss my ass and shove your help down your throat.”

Before I can get the words completely out of my mouth, the back of his hand hits my face, which instantly burns.

He grabs my jaw roughly, digging his nails into my cheeks. “Don’t be such a pain in the ass! You shouldn’t make things more difficult than they already are. All you have to do is follow my orders. I’ll pay up every penny your wretched father owes those loan sharks if you completely disappear from our lives and this pack. Don’t make me force you.”

I grit my teeth, pressing my lips together, trying to quell the ache from the pressure of his hand, and when he doesn’t let me go, I do what comes to mind first.

My forehead lands against his, and I immediately spit right on his face. He backs away that second, holding his forehead and freezing from the shock of what I did, his eyes almost bulging out of his sockets.

“I will not watch you insult me in this manner. If all that your warped brain could come up with is how to buy me to disappear, then you know absolutely nothing about me, old f**k! Go to hell!”

His face reddens in rage. “You wench! How dare you? Hold her!” He orders, and a second later, a slap knocks me off.

His men’s grip on me tightens further, and Blake becomes physical with me, hitting my belly with the heel of his shoe. Pain excruciates from me, and as I shield my stomach, he hits my back, then orders that I be thrown out.

Blake’s men throw me out of the room on his order. As I’m being dragged back, I can make out some faces of some people in the corridor, but no one says a thing. It’s almost as if they’re immune to humanity or have been taught to be. No one even flinched. They minded their businesses as if I did not exist.

I stay in a fetal position for a while once I’m pushed into my room, tears streaming down my cheeks.

I cannot move. I have no idea how long I remain on the floor, but when I finally regain my strength, I push myself into the bathroom and take a shower. My body is bruised, but the wounds are not serious, as most of them have closed up.

By the time I’m done in the bathroom, it’s eight-thirty. I grab my clothes: a skirt and stockings with a sleeveless top and a hoodie, which I match with a pair of boots. My body still aches, and there are some marks on my face, which I conceal with makeup.

By the time I’m done, I head out of the room, but I’m immediately stopped by the guards on patrol.

“Get out of my way now!”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you can’t go out,” one of them, a six-foot man with a weird accent, interjects, and I blink.

“Excuse me! Under whose orders are you infringing on my right to freedom of movement?”

He doesn’t even look at me as he speaks again. “It’s past eight, ma’am.” That’s all he says, as if that explains everything.

“And?”

He sighs and scratches a brow. “Are you new to the laws of the pack, ma’am? It’s curfew time. Please go back in.”

His tone has a finality to it, as if he’s done with the subject, and that only infuriates me further.

“Is this a joke or something? What am I? Some teenager who is past her bedtime? You’ve got to be f*****g kidding me.” I clutch my purse tighter, rolling my eyes in disbelief.

“Look, you have to let me out now, or else I’ll call the authorities on you for false imprisonment.”

The other guy, who has been quiet since, turns to me. “You’re going to have to do better than that, ma’am.”

I can feel anger suffusing through me, but I suppress it and grab my phone. “How about I call Alpha Ryder right away and inform him about how the new guards on patrol prevented me from carrying out his orders? Since you’re well acquainted with the laws of the pack, I guess you know what that means for you.”

Then, I notice the second one mumbling something to the first guard.

“Wait,” the second guard says as I begin punching in numbers. “It doesn’t have to come to that.”

Then, he moves out of the way, and I pass through, giving them the middle finger right after.

I take the first available ride to the nearest pub I can find. The buzzing energy calms my nerves as I enter, and I head over to the counter to place my order. I don’t intend to do anything but have a few drinks and watch the dancers tonight.

“Hi,” I say with a wave of a hand to the young bartender.

“What may I offer you?” He asks just as he finishes with his last order.

“A glass of piña colada, served with grilled pineapple.”

“Are you sure one glass will do?” He asks with a smile at the corner of his lips, and I keep a straight face. Thankfully, he read the room, acting accordingly, and it’s only then that I manage a smile.

Less than five minutes later, someone joins me.

“Hey,” he whispers as he settles himself beside me. “I’d hate to think a woman like you is all alone here. Want to have a dance?”

Without giving him a glance, I shake my head and wave a hand, dismissing his offer.

“You recently moved to town?” He asks, straining his voice, which the activity in the air is almost swallowing. “Your face isn’t one to miss. I’m a regular.”

“Good for you,” I answer with a shrug, still uninterested in the conversation.

“You’re cold?” He asks after I shiver slightly, and it’s only when I feel a coat around me that I finally look up. He’s wearing his white woolly jacket around me, and I get a whiff of his scent.

Musk. Sensual. When he leans back, I quirk my brows. He’s one hell of a fine-ass man, and I bet he’s the women’s pick. Wonder why he’s here with me instead, despite my lack of interest.

“I know some quieter place we can go.” He fixes his gaze on me, and for some reason, I don’t follow my mind, despite knowing that I’m following a stranger. I let him lead the way.

Twenty minutes in, I’m having a hearty laugh at the secluded outdoor area of the pub over some mozzarella sticks and chicken nuggets.

“I really need to meet… what’s her name again?” I say with a broken laugh, covering my lips as I grin even harder.

“Well, if you come home with me, Laura just might entertain you better than I’m doing now,” the stranger says with a grin that shows his dimples, and I shake my head in fascination. All my thoughts have been relegated to the background or even evaporated, if I’m being honest.

“I’ll pass, only because I think that’s your little way of wanting to flirt with me,” I say, twirling the straw in my view cocktail with my head tilted.

“Now that you mentioned it, we could actually kill two birds with one stone.” He’s staring down at my lips now, and I just know that he’s thinking of kissing me.

He begins to close the distance between our faces, leaning closer, but just when I think our lips are about to brush, I feel his breath in my ear. “You’re so f*****g beautiful, and you’re right about one thing. I’d been thinking of ways to take you home with me.”

Before I can react to that, I hear a familiar, livid voice, and the next thing I know, the stranger is on the floor, with punches thrown right in his face.

“f*****g hell, Ryder! What the f**k are you doing? Stop!” I shriek as I use all the strength in me to stop Ryder from causing further havoc.

“f*****g bastard!” Ryder yells.

The stranger is bleeding through his nose, and I crouch in front of him. “Oh my goodness, are you okay?” I don’t even know where to touch, as I observe his face, my hands coveting my lips.

I immediately rise, my eyes widening in anger, and I throw punches at Ryder, right on his chest. “What the f**k did you even do? Are you insane?”

He holds my hands in place, stopping me, and I feel the maddening urge to butt his head with mine. “What the hell are you even doing here?”

He doesn’t answer me; he faces the stranger instead. “You’re lucky you have just a broken nose. The next time you touch this woman, you’d be sure to leave here with more than that.”

“Ryder!”

He turns to me now. “One more word from you, Seraphina, and your little man here is going to have to pay.”

Now, I’ve lost the last modicum of patience in me.

“Are you f*****g kidding me, Ryder? Who the hell are you to interfere with who I talk to?”

“Stop talking, Seraphina,” Ryder says with gritted teeth, his tone commanding, as he looks around the crowd, and my body temperature rises. I don’t give two f***s about who’s watching.

“No, you stop talking because you shouldn’t even be here.” I don’t get my words out completely because Ryder throws me over his arm, his grip tight around my thighs, and I gasp in shock.

“Let me down!” I struggle to get free from his grasp by kicking in the air, but it’s all futile.

He carries me into his car and slams the door. I feel like I’m going to burst when he enters the car, and as he attempts to start the car, I scream.

“What the f**k is wrong with you, Ryder? Do you have an idea of what you’ve just done? How could you?”

He is silent, and his silence only infuriates me further. “I’m talking to you, mister.”

“You!” He yells, punching on the steering wheel. “You are what is f*****g wrong with me! Who gave you the orders to sneak out of the pack dressed like this to a f*****g pub? I gave an order, and you flaunted it! Then, I find you in the company of a sleazy f**k in the pub?”

I blink, trying hard to keep up with the emotion surging through him. “Are you being serious right now? All of a sudden you care about me?” I almost laugh out loud.

“You can cut the act already. It doesn’t suit you. And for the record, you don’t have to bother about me anymore because I’m leaving for good tomorrow. You will never see me again. Good luck with finding your perfect alpha pair.”

I reach for the car knob, and I’m about to open it when I feel his strong hand pulling me, and the next minute, his lips are on me. Ryder is kissing me.