Rejected by my mate, Claimed by Alpha Ryder

CHAPTER 2

I ran blindly, not caring where my feet took me. All I knew was that I couldn't stay a second longer, and escape was the only thought in my head.

And guess what?

Nobody called after me. Nobody chased me down.

Instead, they laughed. They f*****g laughed at me.

It would’ve been better to be in hell, because what I felt in that house was no different—maybe worse. At least hell doesn’t pretend to love you before it burns you alive.

I didn’t stop until I reached the lake, just a short distance from home. It was the only place I ever ran to when the noise in my head became too loud. My hiding place.

Huddled on a flat rock by the water, I began chucking stones into the dark depths. One splash at a time.

One stone. One pain. One memory I couldn’t erase.

A presence shifted behind me.

“You’re here today,” a calm voice said, "I was starting to think this place belonged to me alone."

It was Blade Lucious.

He lowered himself onto a rock beside me, not too close, not too far…carefully like he understood silence.

Blade is Alpha Ryder’s Beta, he’s different from the others—quiet, controlled, never trying too hard. I’d met him by this very lake weeks ago, and he seemed decent enough.

But I couldn't afford a friend. Friends always left.

He watched the ripples dissolve on the water's surface. "Today was rough," he said softly. "For a lot of people."

I stiffened but kept silent. It wasn’t as if I had a choice, and walking away now would just be unnecessarily rude. Besides, unlike everyone else, he was actually trying to be kind.

“I don’t think being rejected or not finding a mate means there’s something wrong with you,” he continued, voice casual, almost detached. “Everyone knows my mate died two years ago. I’m twenty-one now, and I haven’t found another.”

He paused, a faint shrug in his voice. "But guess what? It doesn’t bother me anymore."

Liar.

Even without looking at him, I could hear the crushing weight of grief in his voice.

I could never forget the car accident that took her. I knew exactly how she died, because I was there that day. But that was a secret I could never share. After all, I was just the pack's mute girl.

We lapsed back into silence. I kept throwing stones, and he didn’t try to stop me.

Eventually, he spoke again. “It’s getting late. You should head home, your parents might be worried.”

I almost laughed. If anything, they were probably praying I’d never return. The dark irony made the corner of my mouth twitch.

“Oh,” Blade said softly. “You smiled.”

He sounded genuinely surprised. Almost pleased.

I frowned, how could something so small bring him any joy?

His father was wealthy, and he had a loving family with no siblings to compete against. Everything in his life was perfectly mapped out.

The universe must have taken offense to my bitter thoughts, because a sudden, icy downpour opened up from the heavens.

We both bolted to our feet.

Instinctively, Blade reached for my hand, as if it were the most natural gesture in the world.

I recoiled, shoving his hand away. And then, I ran.

Being close to me would only tarnish his reputation, and I wouldn’t let that happen. Besides, one of the pack's popular girls already had her sights set on him. I couldn't afford any more targets on my back; the twins were already more than enough.

I reached the house drenched and gasping for breath.

At the door, I paused and slowly counted to five. A grounding trick I always did when fear crawled up my spine.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside.

Laughter drifted from the twins’ room. Loud. Excited.

I moved closer.

Veronica was literally bouncing on her bed, while Vanessa proudly modeled a brand-new backpack. Their mother stood beside them, practically glowing with pride.

New school uniforms.

School.

It hit me then I’d forgotten school resumed in a week. The twins were entering their senior year.

I hadn’t felt a single spark of excitement for school in years. My education had stopped in the ninth grade. Since then, I had been forced to stay home, watching them leave every single morning. Always the one left behind.

“But Mom, what about Doris?” Henry’s voice cut through the room. “At least let her enroll with Vanessa and Veronica. She’s brilliant.”

“Don’t start, Henry,” Veronica snapped.

“I will start,” he countered, “You all know you haven’t treated her right. One day, karma will catch up with you all.”

Vanessa scoffed. “You still believe in karma? Grow up, Henry. Karma doesn’t exist in this generation.”

Henry had always been like this. Back when I was still allowed to go to school, he would sneak into my classes, copy down notes, and listen to the lectures just to come home and teach me everything I’d missed. He was the only one who fought back when people bullied me.

And here I was, crouching in the shadows of my own home, listening to him defend me again.

Do you know how agonizing that is? How deeply humbling?

Everyone deserves a Henry in their life.

Footsteps approached.

I panicked, scrambling back to my attic room and shutting the door just in time. Leaning against it, I slowly slid down until I was sitting on the floor, my back pressed tightly to the door.

I tried to hold the tears in, but they never listened, they flowed freely down my cheeks anyway.

I could feel Candy stirring softly inside me.

It had been so long since I'd let Candy take the reins. Maybe because I was too afraid to let her out, or maybe because I had simply forgotten how.

I sat on the hard floor for what felt like eternity.

My eyelids grew heavy, and a heavy weakness washed over my limbs. I didn’t even have the strength to crawl into bed. I just stayed there, curled against the door, until exhaustion finally pulled me under.

When I woke, pale morning light crept through the window.

A sharp knock hit the door, shaking me awake.

“You’re still sleeping?” my stepmother shouted. "Get up and start preparing the snacks for the twins’ claiming ceremony! Since you couldn’t even manage to find a mate, you might as well make yourself useful."

Right. Today was the ceremony.

The fated couples who had matched yesterday would stand before the Alpha, the elders, and the council to officially claim one another.

And I would be there, too. Not to celebrate. Just to serve as their slave.