Chapter 2

The next morning, Jack arrived at the door of my villa, his face sullen.

"Aria, I'll be your mate."

I wasn't sure if Ryder had asked him to or if Jack had lost in a fight with Eric and Benjamin, but Jack said he wanted to be my mate with a sulky look.

Staring at his awful expression, I struggled to hold back my laughter.

Olivia stepped forward from behind Jack.

"Aria, I'm glad to see you again."

"Olivia?"

I flashed a surprised look as I took a few steps forward. I deliberately stumbled on the steps, and the notebook in my hand fell onto the floor.

Olivia panicked when she saw the draft of my novel in the wide-open notebook.

"Oops! My notebook! That's the draft of a novel I wrote back then. I heard that werewolf novels have been getting popular recently. This time, I plan to compile the draft and publish it."

I bent over to pick up the notebook.

Olivia grew anxious.

"Aria, you'd better not embarrass yourself with your limited literary knowledge. People are gonna laugh at you. Do you think you can be like Olivia?"

Jack shot me a disdainful look and purposefully kicked the notebook to the side.

"Jack, are you degrading me? Didn't you want to become my mate?"

"If not because of Alpha Ryder, none of us would volunteer to be your mate!" Jack crossed his arms and stared at me contemptuously.

"Are you so sure that nobody wants me?" Clenching my fists, I glared at him.

"You're just an unwanted loser, yet you're still so arrogant and full of yourself! I'm the only one who's willing to lower myself and be your mate. Ughh! How unlucky!"

Jack couldn't be bothered to look at me. He merely turned around and grumbled.

"Jack! Aria is still recovering. Don't say those things to provoke her."

Suddenly, Olivia raised her voice at Jack.

"What was he saying?" I pretended that I didn't hear him.

"It's fine, Aria. I know the latest trend pretty well. Your writing style is too old-school, so people won't like it. Why don't you choose another genre?"

Olivia wanted to distract me.

"Oh? Okay, then. It's such a shame. I put my heart and soul into writing that novel back then."

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief and quickly helped me into the house.

"Just focus on your recovery and get ready for the mate bonding ceremony with Jack."

"But I want to keep writing. Becoming an author has always been my dream."

Seeing how uncertain I was, Olivia became nervous again.

"Hmm… I can help you. I know many publishers, so I can help you compile the draft," she said, pretending to be supportive.

"Aria, you're so lucky. Olivia is the most popular young author right now. Many people are dying to be her students. You'd better stop giving attitude, or you'd be too ungrateful!"

Before I could say anything, Jack warned me not to disrespect Olivia.

I felt a strong urge to slap these two shameless people in their faces. But since I had to keep pretending that I hadn't recovered, I would just let them say anything they wished for a few more days.

I couldn't wait to see Jack's reaction when he found out that the best-selling book wasn't written by Olivia.

"Sign here." Jack handed over a document.

I glanced at it and saw "Mate Bonding Agreement" written on it.

Jack only agreed to be my mate because he wanted Ryder's support.

Meanwhile, Ryder only wanted someone to be my bodyguard and help me take over the pack. Nonetheless, all the terms in the agreement put me at a disadvantage.

After he became my mate, Jack even wanted to be the Argent Flame pack's Alpha. If I were the one who terminated the agreement, he would hold the rights to kick me out of the pack and choose a new mate.

His shamelessness was beyond what I could comprehend.

"Opps! I'm sorry. It slipped from my hand."

I took the document and pretended to look for a pen. But I tripped over the couch when I stood up.

The document was tossed into the chimney at the side, and the smell of burnt paper wafted through the air.

"Aria, you—" Jack was so furious that his face turned livid.

"I didn't do that on purpose. I simply lost my balance," I explained aggrievedly.

"You… Forget it. I'll bring another copy here next time." Jack was at a loss for words as he held back his anger.

Seeing that his plan had failed, Jack slammed the door and left in a huff. Olivia immediately followed to comfort him.

As soon as they left, the innocent look on my face vanished instantly.

I picked up my phone. "Alpha Ryder, I guess you've made up your mind, right?"