Chapter 2

The past few weeks have been very great. Although I'm often exchaused from working a lot, I've spent almost everyday with Ryder, except on days when he's away on pack business and immediately he's back, he calls me to him.

Every since the first day that we had a proper conversation, we've been taking a whole lot. A lot of people are not happy about our closeness, especially the girls I work with and most especially Aurora. Ever since she finds out that I spend most of my free time and evenings with Ryder, she and her minions have found every possible way of making life a living hell for me. I try to say out of their way as much as possible, but there are times when they get to me. Because of them, I've been tagged as that weak and powerless orphan who got to work here because I sold a sob story to the boss. Everyone here hates me, except Ryder and my now good friend, James.

As expected, since we've been talking for a while, Ryder and I have begun to develop feelings for each other. Although, mine started as a crush, it's now a full blown near love and judging from the things he tells me, it's the same for him too. I can't believe I got this lucky.

Two months into living with his pack, Ryder came with news. He is going to have to pick a mate to become the Luna of the pack. It's very important for him to do that and he's been told that's it's finally time.

"OMG, that's great news for you and this pack, Ryder" I said giving him a hug. This could mean two things. He either leaves me now or he asks me to be his mate and I get married to him and become the Luna of this pack. Since he and I are in love then it's obvious what the option is. I'm going to be the Luna of this pack.

"I can't imagine a better person to spend the rest of my life with, Adria. I love you so much and in three weeks, I'm going to make this official by choosing you when I'm asked in front of the entire pack who my mate is" He said and gives me kisses. This sends thrills down my back. I kiss him on the lips. Ever since we've been together, even if it's unofficially, we haven't been intimate with each other. It's actually forbidden for an omega to sleep with an alpha she's not sure of getting married to or if she's not sure he'll claim her as his mate. People still do it though, a lot of people don't have the moral decadence to uphold rules and regulations anymore.

I spend the two days so happy that I'm sure everyone has noticed. It's almost like I was in the clouds. I did my jobs fast and without complains and was always smiling even when Aurora and her minions try their pranks or insult me. It didn't get to me anymore because I know in less than a month, I'll be the Luna and they're going to regret all what they're doing to me now. That's what has kept me going for the past two days. After the second day, things started going south. It started when I couldn't find Ryder.

THIRD PERSON'S POV

When the reason why Adria has been extremely happy for the past couple days was finally revealed to the omegas working in Ryder's pack, there was unrest. Everyone knows that Adria and Ryder have been extremely close, close to the point where it's obvious they're in a relationship with each other even if no one wants to admit it.

Hearing that Ryder needs to pick a mate in a couple weeks and the obvious option being Adria made a lot of people mad. Aurora especially. She's been in love with Ryder for as long as she can remember and ever since Adria came, Ryder hasn't had her time anymore, and it was close to the time when she felt like she was making a headway with him. She can't forget the way he shouted at her the first day Adria came. He's never raised his voice at her like that before.

She's been trying everything in her means to frustrate Adria to the point where she leaves to no avail and look what happened now. Not on her watch was Adria going to become the Luna of this pack.

"She's cheated you out of your right, Rora. There's no way we are going to stand for it. You can't accept this" one of Aurora's minions said. She's not really friends with them. She's just close to them so she can benefit from them and use them for whenever it is she wants to do.

This statement is met with a lot of agreements from the rest of the girls.

"Everyone here knows how much you're in love with the alpha. If anyone is to become the Luna of this pack, it should be you and not that good for nothing, lazy, powerless, ugly wench" another girl said, patting the back of a fuming Aurora. Ever since she's been told of the news by one of the guards around Ryder who tells her everything that's going on, she's been thinking and brainstorming about what she could do to regain her position in Ryder's heart and by every means, become the Luna.

She has an idea, but not one that is ideal. However, it's the only one that's been coming to mind repeatedly and the only one she can easily do. The next best option being killing off Adria, but that will take so much time and can be traced back to her. She resolved to go with the first one : getting pregnant for Ryder. He'll obviously have to become mates with the one he's impregnated, right?

After getting a few sleeping pills, she made food for Ryder, laced with the pills. She colluded with the woman in charge of the girls to give more jobs to Adria so that she's not free in the evening until she's done with her plans. The woman, not especially fond of Adria, agrees to it, giving Aurora enough time to go through with what she had planned. She loaded Adria with a lot of work, giving her the excuse that two of the workers are sick and there's no one else around to take on their jobs even though there were several girls around that can just as easily do it, but Adria couldn't complain. She's used to the unfair treatment already.

Aurora took the food to one of the numerous rooms and went in search of Ryder. She found him in his meeting room where he usually is.

"Alpha Ryder, hi. How have you been?" She asks. She tries to proceed with caution lest he turns her away before she can even set her plans in motion.

"Oh, hey, Aurora. It's been quite a while since we talked. I've been busy and haven't had time to see you these days" Aurora knows the busyness was mainly due to Adria but faked a smile instead of showing how annoyed she is.

"Yeah, that's why I came. We haven't spent time together in a long time like we used to and I wanted to know if you were available now. I made your favourite dish and it wouldn't make a lot of sense for me to eat it alone. So, can you come eat it with me?" She asks. Ryder debated whether or not to go with her. He's supposed to be meeting with Adria but it wouldn't hurt to spend just this day with Aurora who has been his close friend for a while now.

"Sure" he dismisses his guards and followed her to the room she took him to. When he saw the spread on the table, he was so enamored with the food that he didn't hear her lock the door. She keeps the key where only her can access it and went to seat across from him. She serves him his food and watches him eat.

"You don't want to eat out of it?" He asks, when he noticed that she hasn't picked up a spoon to eat with him.

"I already ate before, I'm still full. I'll join you before you finish eating though" she says, nursing the cup of wine in her hand. He shrugs and continued his food. It didn't take a long while before the drugs started taking effect because he put enough there to knock him out in a few minutes. And truly, a few minutes later, the spoon dropped from his hand. He was finally asleep. She called his name out a few times though to confirm and when she didn't hear a response, she knew he was already deeply asleep.

She moved him to the bed in the room and undressed him. She slept with him in his sleeping state, making sure he ejaculated in her. After she was done, she slept off beside him.

When Ryder came to, he knew something was wrong and seeing Aurora sleeping beside him solidified that fact. He quickly tapped her and woke her up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"What happened here? What am I doing in here naked on the same bed with you?" He asks. She put on a pretend upset face.

"You don't remember? While we were having our meal, you asked me to sleep with you, out of the blue. When I refused, you grabbed me and slept with me even though I begged you not to and that's how we ended up here" He knows she's lying but since he can't remember anything from what happened, he couldn't say anything to refute the claim. He then remembers something. Adria. Shit.

He climbs out of the bed and quickly picks up and puts on his clothes that were scattered everywhere. The door was locked when he tried it and he shouted at Aurora to come and open it. She stepped out naked from the bed and came to open it, trying to tease him again. He didn't even look at her twice before going outside. He didn't see her celebratory dance after.

He looked for Adria first in her room, and then in the meeting room. She wasn't in either. He went to his room, planning on sending one of the guards to go look for her and there she was, sitting outside his room, on the floor. She looks up as she sees him approach, she looks very worried.

BACK TO ADRIA'S POV

I have been looking for Ryder everywhere. After I finished the ridiculously huge amount of workload given to me for now apparent reason, I went to the meeting room to look for him. He wasn't there. I searched everywhere I knew he could be in and he wasn't in any of them. I went to stay by his room because I know he's definitely going to come back to his room.

I had already spent about two hours outside his door when I heard his frantic footsteps. I looked up and stood immediately. He looks so out of himself. Something must have happened to him. When he saw me stand up, he looks so scared.

He opens the door and we went in his bedroom. This isn't the first time I've been here but this time feels different. When we were inside, the first words that came out of his mouth were "I'm sorry".

"I'm so sorry, Adria. It wasn't my fault, I swear" I am confused. What is he apologizing for? and what isn't his fault? I've never seen Ryder like this ever since I've known him, confused and disoriented. He's always calm and collected so this is something new and I don't know what to do about it.

"I don't understand, Ry. What happened?" I ask him and it looked like he was about to cry. What has happened to him in a space of two hours?

"She did it, I swear" she? Who?

"Calm down and explain to me, Ryder. What happened?" I ask. He gives me a blow by blow recount of what happened from the time he waited for me up to the time he found me by his door.

"Aurora raped you and you don't remember any of it and she says you raped her instead? Is that what you're trying to say, Ryder?" I can't believe my ears. This can't be true. Even Aurora can stoop this low, right?

"I'm sorry, Adria. I love you. It's you I love, I swear. I didn't know about this" The tears started dropping from my eyes now. I left Ryder the room and headed to mine, refusing to process what I've just heard, hoping it's a bad nightmare I'll wake from tomorrow.

It wasn't a nightmare. Days turned into two weeks and Ryder called me one day. I was reluctant to go because we haven't been seeing each other a lot since that night but I couldn't leave here because I don't have any other place to go to for now.

"Yes?" I ask when I get to him. I didn't even bother to go with the usual plesantries that I do when I come to him as the alpha of this pack.

He didn't beat around the bush when he dropped the news "Aurora is pregnant with my pup".

My worst fear has come though. If she wasn't pregnant, the incident could have been forgotten and we would have gone on like it never happened, but now that there's a child invoked?.

"I'm really sorry, Adria. I love you so much and it hurts me that this is happening, but I asked the elders and my advisors and I was told that I can't reject her as she might be carrying my heir. I have to marry Aurora. It's mandatory that I marry her"

His words finalized what has been in my mind. I have to leave. There's nothing here for me anymore. If I hadn't been here anyway, he would be mated to her already, there's no point in me waiting here. If I stay, Aurora and her girls will make sure this place is an even worse hell for me and now, I've lost the only reason why it's bearable.

"I wish it was you I was going to marry,Adria and you know this. You know you're the one I truly love"  I didn't even listen to his rants as he continued to say things. I know deep down, he's happy that he's going to have an heir so soon, one he can train before he becomes too old. He's happy after he's betrayed me, leaving me devastated. I didn't say anything to him, I just turned on my heels and went out to my room.

I have to leave.