Novels by Ryder Alegria

Chloe dashed up the stairs as fast as her little feet could carry her. Her heart raced as she swerved through the crowd of people.Down in the living room, the music continued to play, loud and careless, with no one controlling it.The hallway was quiet. They had restricted the party to just the swimming pool and the four corners of the rooms downstairs.Regardless, there were a few couples lurking around the hallways with their tongues buried in each other's mouths.“Rachel!” Chloe called, her voice sharp and loud.She didn't get a response. But on getting close to her room, Chloe found its door slightly open. “Must run in the family,” she whispered and pushed it open.Rachel stood at the edge of the bed. She was alive, but shaken. A guy stood in front of her; it was her boyfriend. But something about how close he was standing to her felt different. His hand was on her wrist, his grip visibly tightening as Rachel tried to wriggle herself free.“Let go of me,” Rachel snapped again.“

Chloe spent the rest of the day getting to know Harvey’s staff and attending meetings by his side. It was exhausting, a life moving faster than anything she was familiar with. The constant pleasantries, the polite smiles, the kind words and the constant lustful stare she got from a member of the company board. By the time they got home, she was exhausted and only wanted to fall onto her bed and surrender to the sweet embrace of sleep. She stepped into the house first, slipping off her heels at the door. Her body ached in places she had never thought possible, and this was only her first day. Harvey walked in shortly after her, his phone pressed to his ear. He had been on the call since they left the office, but only now dropped it when Rachel's voice came from the living room. “No business calls, Dad!” He let out a breath and tucked his phone back in his pocket. Rachel appeared a second later, beaming with contagious brightness, as always. She wrapped her arms around Harvey,

Chloe stood in front of the door to Harvey's office. Her palms were sweating, and her toes curled inside her shoes.For the fourth time since she got there, she raised a hard to knock on the door, and this time she did. The knock was soft, but loud enough to announce her presence.The secretary's desk outside his office was empty. Misfiled documents were littered across the surface of the table, and an untouched cup of coffee sat there, forgotten beside them.“Come in,” she heard his voice from inside the office.She stepped in, took a few steps forward until she stood across from him, the table being the only barrier between them.Harvey didn't look up to her. He was head buried in work, his table in more mess than that which belonged to his secretary. He lifted papers carefully from the table, eyes scanning for something surely important, and when he couldn't find it, he tossed the documents back on his table and slumped into his chair.Chloe watched as he took a moment to gather hi

It was eight in the morning, and Harvey and the girls sat at the dining table for breakfast in an uncomfortable silence.Chloe kept her eyes on her plate, spreading jam over a slice of bread she wouldn't eat. Harvey had the morning paper spread open before him, and had barely touched his food.Rachel, on the other hand, had been scrolling through her phone but could no longer bear the weight of the silence.She slowly looked up, her eyes moving from her father to Chloe. She set her phone done and folded her arms. “What's going on with the two of you?”Chloe nearly choked on her coffee. “Nothing,” she responded quickly, then added, “What are you talking about?”Rachel picked up her fork and gestured between the both of them. “This tension. You haven't said a word to each other since Tuesday.”Chloe swallowed. “There's no tension,” she responded. “We've just had nothing to talk about.”Harvey turned a page of the paper without looking up. “Rachel, eat your breakfast.”She glared at her

Harvey stood by the door, and for a split second, neither of them moved. He should have knocked, but instinct had overridden his etiquette. His instinct to protect her, and make sure she was in no form of danger. Chloe scrambled up, yanking the sheets tangled at her feet up to her chest. “Harvey,” she muttered, breathless. His jaw clenched. He turned his head slightly to the side. “I didn't mean to barge in.” he said, his voice low and controlled. “I heard you scream and thought something was wrong.” Chloe’s stomach dropped. She clutched the blanket tighter. “I'm… I'm fine,” she managed, though her voice trembled. He kept his gaze fixed on anything that wasn't her. His shoulders were tense, and the heat inside his body could not deny what he'd just witnessed. He tried to pretend like he wasn't affected by it, but the bulge in his pajamas was impossible for even Chloe to ignore. Her breath caught as she stared, her hands itching desperately to return to the wetness betwee

Rachel stepped fully into the dining room, excitement radiating off her like something contagious.“Dad, you're home early.”Chloe had already retaken her seat by the time she came in. Her hands rested too neatly in her laps.Rachel didn't notice the stiffness. She crossed the room and leaned down to hug her father, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.“I thought you had an important meeting today.”“It got rescheduled,” he replied, offering a measured half-smile as Rachel dropped into the seat beside him.She turned to Chloe. “You didn't tell me he was back.”“It didn't cross my mind,” Chloe said lightly. “He came back an hour after you left.”Rachel nodded.She lifted the lid of one of the serving dishes, and steam curled into the air, filled with the rich aroma of spice “This is definitely not your cooking, Dad.”Harvey gave a quick chuckle. “She's not bad.”His eyes flickered to Chloe for just a second before returning to his plateChloe lowered her gaze, a quiet warmth spreading

Daciana’s P.O.VI didn’t know much about my mother's pendant. To me, it had always been nothing more than an accessory. A part of her I could hold on to when everything else fell apart.Now, I wasn’t sure what it was anymore.Adam didn’t say a single word. The silence between us was louder than the empty hallway we stood in.I pressed forward, hoping to catch a hint of anything in his eyes, but there was nothing. His expression was unreadable, a wall I couldn’t see through, and impossible to tell what he was thinking.Finally, he laughed. That deep, shallow laugh I loved about him. Only this time, it sounded like it was dragged out of him.“Daciana,” he murmured as he leaned into me..I took a step back before I could think and watched as he took control of the situation.“What are you talking about?” He asked. He had this edge to his voice that sent a chill down my nerves.My breath hitched, and then came fear, clawing its way up my throat. I breathed and forced my voice to be steady

Daciana's P.O.VMilton had a little party organised to celebrate Amelia’s birthday. It turned out she'd been pestering him about since we returned from the fight.“You didn't have to,” I said, but he scoffed.“Are we going to let our problems come in the way of her happiness?” He asked, watching her giggle and run circles around Cersei.I sighed. “You're right. Today is about her. Not me, not you. Just her.”I walked up to her and joined in Cersei's pursuit to give her a bath.She saw the opening, and scrambled to Milton, hiding behind him.“You're not going to catch me,” she giggled heartily.To her surprise, Milton swooped her off her feet and handed her over to me.“That's cheating,” she bickered, feeling betrayed by the man she'd grown so awfully close to.“I beg to differ,” I smiled as I took off her clothes and carried her to the shower.She insisted she'd shower on her own, and asked that Cersei and I gave her privacy. I smiled at her request, and obliged.Milton wasn't in the

Daciana's P.O.V What was he thinking? Waltzing right into the room and asking me to marry him? Why was he always thinking of his happiness and never mine.“Daciana,” he took a step forward, his hands landing on my shoulders. “What do you mean?”I breathed, and looked away. “Milton, you know I don't belong here.”“You belong wherever I am,” he said, squeezing my shoulders gently. “No one gets to decide that except me, and you.”But that was a lie. He knew it, but just wouldn't be honest with himself.“I could never be your Luna,” I said again. “I have so much more to do.”“Then we'll do it together.”“No!”The room fell silent. The humming birds outside his window, dispersing at the sound of my voice.I brought myself to look at him, and his eyes, always full of life, were dim and cold. Yet he smiled at me, that warm smile that always kept my raging spirit safe.“Daciana,” he whispered my name.My breath hitched.“What are you so afraid of?” He asked.I sighed within me. Is that real

Milton's P.O.V“How are you feeling?”Daciana lay on the bed, cuddled up to herself since the incident with Adam.She hadn't said a word to me, or to Amelia who was lying with her.I reached for her hair, stroking my hands through it and planted a kiss on her forehead.Grief has a way of hunting you. You might not have noticed it the first few days, but the nightmares that follow are harder to ignore.There was a knock on the door, followed by Robert stepping into the room.“Milton, the elders want to see you.”I looked up at him, a frown settling on my lips. “Why?” I asked.“It's best they tell you themselves,” he answered, and left.I turned to Daciana. She was now looking at me, her face a little warm to look up on. “Go,” she urged me. “Amelia and I will be fine.”I hesitated, but left. Davies and the elders didn't like being kept waiting. I knew they'd send more people to call me if I delayed longer.Robert was waiting for me outside the room.“The guards told me you had a fight

Milton's P.O.V“Alpha Derek,” I called Lyra's father, seated in my office with a frown on his face. “The wedding is off,” I said for the umpteenth time.He wasn't satisfied with the reasons I'd already given him. But it was a decision Lyra and I had already made. We weren't getting married.“Milton -”I raised a brow at him and he corrected himself. If I gave him the respect of being an Alpha in my home, the least he could do was the same.“Alpha Milton,” he tried again. “This marriage was long decided years ago. You and Lyra have been engaged for half of your life. I don't understand why you'd make such a decision now.”He paused. “Does she know? Is this about the other woman?”I slammed my hands on the desk. “You will not refer to Daciana as the other woman.”Derek hummed thoughtfully and rose from his seat. “Any other day, this would have been viewed as betrayal to my people. But you saved our home, and we can't thank you enough,” he said firmly.“Don't go telling me about betraya

Daciana's P.O.VWe were friends. Nothing more, nothing less.Then why was I standing in front of him naked? Why was I staring at his hardened dick?Adam submerged himself into the water again and the loud splash snapped me out of my very bad idea of a fantasy.I cleared my throat roughly and walked back to where I'd taken off my clothes. I quickly got dressed and turned to leave.“Daciana?” His voice broke through the silence.I stood, but didn't turn. “Can you help me?” I gasped. “Are you crazy?” I spun around quickly, but he was pointing at his clothes.That's not what I heard in that voice he'd spoken with. It was raw, vulnerable, and seeking something else. But maybe it was just in my head.I took a deep breath, picked up his clothes and took them down to him. He swam towards the edge, but as I leaned forward to hand him the clothes, my foot slipped.“Wow!” I shrieked as I landed with a splash, right into his arms.His grip was firm. One hand around my waist, and another at my b