Novels by Ryder Alegria

He was gentle with his hands. Too gentle. And maybe it was because of his wounds, but Harvey moved like he was afraid of something. She felt it in the way he held her hip. It was firm enough to show he wanted this, yet loose enough to let go. Her lips were warm, a sharp contrast to the metallic taste on the side of his. She dug her hands into his hair and pulled him close, relentless as he pressed back into her. “Harvey,” she whispered in his mouth, but he kissed her quiet. His right hand stayed on her hips. The other slipped underneath the hem of her dress and brushed against the aroused peak of her breasts. A breathless moan escaped her lips. She tried to get closer, but Harvey flinched, his right hand going briefly to his ribs. He drew back from the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed. “Do you trust me?” He asked. Chloe nodded. He got up slowly, favoring his right side, and lifted her onto the table. The surface was cold through her dress. He parted he

As Chloe followed Harvey down the hallway to his office, her heart refused to settle.She had never been called in like this before. Not by him. Harvey barely ever raised his voice at anyone. Yet the closer they got to his office, the more she feared he would. He didn't say it often, but she knew Harvey trusted her more than his own daughter. And that knowledge made it only worse.She could have stopped the party, but she didn't. Because somewhere along the line, she'd told herself it would be harmless. “Close the door behind you.”Harvey's voice was low and strained.Chloe obeyed, pushing the door shut with a soft click. When she turned, she froze at the sight of him.Harvey had his back to her, shrugging out of his shirt. Her breath caught. But then he turned, and her heart dropped to her stomach.There was a thick bandage wrapped around his side. It was stained through with blood that Chloe wondered how his shirt had remained clean.“You’re hurt,” she whispered, rushing forward

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

Daciana’s P.O.V I stood there, staring at Historia.She had my mother's face. Every line of it. The shape of her nose, the sharpness of her jaw, and the way her eyes held steady even when they were soft.Her words were still ringing in my ears, but only one question made it to the tip of my tongue.“How?”She smiled. “Same parents.”“I know how siblings work.” I crossed my arms. “I mean, how is it even possible? Her parents died in the war, yet you're standing here, the same age as me.”Disappointment moved across her face. It was brief and quiet. But I saw it. “I see she never told you,” she said.“Told me what?”“Your mother's people,” she held my gaze. “They're alive, Daciana.”I looked at her for a long moment. Then I laughed. It came out wrong, too sharp and too hollow, but I couldn't stop it.I shook my head. “I don't know where you've been, but the Frost demons are long gone.”She frowned. “We're not demons. And neither are you.”“You know nothing about me.” I turned for the

Daciana’s P.O.V The second howl shattered whatever hope I had left. I heard it from Milton's office. That long agonizing howl of mourning. The room suddenly felt too small, too quiet, and too difficult to breathe in. My hands trembled as I walked back and forth the room's length. Amelia. The image of her frosting covered face flashed through my face. Her smile while we celebrated her birthday not so long ago. A sob climbed up my throat. But I crushed it before it could escape. Amelia isn't dead. She couldn't be. I was still lost in my thoughts when the office door opened and Milton walked in with Adam and Davies by his side. I rushed up to him and threw my arms around his neck in an embrace. He was warm, but the rapid beat of his heart worried me. I pulled away, barely locking eyes with Adam before turning back to Milton. “I heard the howl,” I said softly. “Is she…” “No.” His voice was firm. “It wasn't Amelia.” The breath left my lungs so quickly my knees nearly gave

Milton’s P.O.VFor a second, I couldn't breathe. Adam’s words echoed in my head in the room's silence.“We couldn’t find her.”That sentence made no sense. I didn’t ask him to find her. Amelia was waiting for him in my office. She wasn’t the kind of child reckless enough to wander into trouble. Especially when advised against it.I turned to Daciana. She looked calm, but I could feel the chaos in her heart. My wolf growled deep inside me, unsettled by her stillness.“What do you mean, you can't find my sister?” Daciana finally spoke.Adam glanced between the both of us before responding to her. “Milton asked me to meet her in his office. She was waiting for me there.”“And?” She stepped forward.“His office was empty. I've searched the entire floor, but there's no sign of her.”I moved toward the door, thinking of a solution to a matter this delicate. Daciana followed closely behind me, but I stopped her.“I can't have you disappearing too,” I said. She frowned and moved past me.“My

Milton's P.O.VAbout an hour after Daciana left the office, Adam knocked on the door and walked in before I could say a word.He wore a deep frown on his face. The kind a father gives his son after making a terrible decision.“What were you thinking?” he asked, planting both palms on the desk. “You're letting her go back to her pack?”I leaned back in my chair. “Would you have me stop her?”“Yes!” The word came out harsher than he intended.I raised a brow.Adam exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down before taking the seat across from me.“She can't go back there.”“Yes, she can,” I replied evenly. “They're her people and they need her.”Adam gave a bitter laugh. “Her people are dead.” A short silence followed, then he continued. “You're so focused on getting in between her pants that you can't even tell her the truth.”I shot to my feet and slammed both hands on the desk. “Not another word,” I growled. “I could have your throat ripped out for that attitude.”Adam stood as well

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