Ryan’s POV
“Principal Bradford, what a lovely surprise.’’
“Ryan, what are you doing standing there?’’ The words of the principal do not shock me. I am quick with my movements, shaking his hand as I pull him away from his office door.
“My father told me something quite alarming, and I thought it best to run it by you.’’
I watch the expression of Fear in his eyes. The principal didn't know who I was. None of the teachers or students did. But my father had given him a corresponding explanation that would play the perfect role. I am the son of a rich and wealthy man. And my father had made a significant donation towards the school's funding. The last thing that the principal wants is having a problem with the man that can aid this school financially.
“Oh.. ofcourse Ryan, why don't we go to my office and talk about it. I believe…’’
“No.. no.. no… it's not that big of a deal and we can finish the conversation in the cafeteria. I want to show you something.’’
I do not let him respond as my fingers creep up his shoulders and I urge him forward. Glancing back at the principal's office, I can only hope that Philip was going to be done quickly. The cafeteria really didn't have anything to complain about. While this was nothing but a public school, I had taught myself to be satisfied by the surroundings and the menus offered. Father and I had agreed that coming to a public school was the best way to keep myself off our enemies' radar. No one would have known that an Alpha’s son was attending a low-level High School in the suburbs.
“I was really hoping that the arrangement of seats in the cafeteria could be changed. It is really very crowded and my father is willing to create a new space. Maybe a second cafeteria. That way students don't have to be crowded while sharing a meal.’’
My father was going to kill me. Breeding search ideas in the principal said would only mean that funds would be required from my father's pocket. While he's wealthy and money wasn't a problem to us, soon enough, someone would start asking questions. Especially because the government never really allocates a lot of money to the school.
“Wow, Your father would do that?’
We enter the empty cafeteria. I glanced around it and I certainly noticed the problem I was addressing. This place was always crowded. It has been the main reason why I choose not to have my meals here.
“I see what you mean, son. I tried running that proposal to the government but I never got a response for it.’’ he says with sincerity and honesty in his eyes. I can tell by the beating of his heart.
One of the perks about being an alpha son, also meant that I got to hijack the abilities that only a royal alpha can have.
Most of those revolve around knowing someone's emotion. Or at least, the aftermath of their emotion. I can tell whether someone is being deceitful with me according to how their heart beats. How the beat drops or rises. And how they conduct themselves. My father taught me this trick when I was a child. It has proven effective. The only difference is that it cannot work on other royals. only the humans or other normal wolves.
“I will be honored if you and Mr. Anderson wants to do this for our school.’’
Hearing him say that name, sounds almost ridiculous. I don't understand why they chose that name as a disguise. Anderson was a funny name. mainly because I've never heard of it really, but also because there were 1000 names in our lineage that he could have picked instead. But I guess it's all about disguise.
Glancing back, I notice Philip signaling for me. My heart is at ease when I realize he has gotten what I asked for.
“Well principal, that's all I needed to tell you. I'm going to make the extra effort of discussing it with my dad and giving him your feedback.’’
This promise that I had made wasn't going to be broken. If father wasn't going to do it, then I would. As soon as I become the Alpha, donating to the school's cafeteria will be the first thing I do in my reigning era.
“I'm going to class now.’’ I leave the man staring at the cafeteria as though one of his dreams has just been fulfilled. He looks so sincerely happy. His heart is at ease. The beats are balanced. I can't help but smile.
“Hey Ryan.’’ he called back to me.
I turned around looking at him with nothing but curiosity.There was a pleasant smile on his face as he approached me.
“I may seem like a fool,’’ he placed a hand on my shoulder, “ but I know that there is something you were doing inside my office. Whatever it is, please do not let it damage the reputation of the school.’’
I let out a breathless laugh. The principal was always a clueless human. and he took financial favors and exchanged hidden records.
I know that he treated me with favor because he knows that my father is powerful. But he does not know how powerful he is. He did not know that my father is an alpha and so am I.
“I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.’’
“Come on… I've been a principal since the last 13 years now, and I know mischief when I see one.’’ There was a smile plastered on his face when he said those words.
I would almost mistake him for being pleased and not angry. His hand on my shoulder however continued to make me more irritated. I am an alpha for crying out loud, but principal Bradford seems to think that he can intimidate me.
“I only happened to bump into you. Anything other than that is not true.’’ I stepped back letting his hand fall away from my shoulder.
There was always something about a human principal wanting to befriend the son of the person secretly funding the school.
“But alpha Ryan… you should know that….’’
There it is. The principal knows my secret. The silence between us told me everything I needed to know. He looks into my eyes like a man who has just planted his bomb. He isn't afraid. He was not intimidated. Contrary to that, he somehow met the challenge.
“You can always talk to me about anything, Ryan. You are not only a valuable student but an important member of society and this town in general. Your secret is safe with me.’’
The smile on his face as he patted my back did not settle the doubts and alarms that ran in my head. My security was far more important than anything. because my survival also depended on the survival of my pack.
I could not trust anyone. I could never trust anyone. Principal Bradford was playing a dangerous game. A game he would never win. A game that might consume him.
“I would really like you to offer me a job. Something that pays me better. something that has a promising future. I'm sure you know the kind of job I'm talking about.’’
At this point, my spidey senses are ringing. My anger rages inside me. I want to bash his head against the wall. I want him to feel his car crashing against the pressure of my fingers. He was threatening me. He was playing a game and games were not my specialty.
There was only one person who could handle this perfectly.
“I am going to pass your request to my father. There is nothing you need to worry about.’’
With that I left his presence. I could feel his eyes stabbing my back. I know that this man has got a thousand questions but yet, he's not the kind of man I will trust with anything.
He is swayed away by money and nothing else.
While I was taught to be a ruthless and heartless man, sometimes a little bit of kindness goes a long way. This land will soon fall under the jurisdiction of the territories that I would command. Father was making extra efforts to expand our boundaries. We had raided some of the other packs and managed to conquer them. So far, black Knight Pack was the biggest in all of the East, but my father's ambitions will not end there. We plan to conquer the packs in the West as well, to expand our boundaries and acquire more land for ourselves. For the agricultural schemes that we have developed and the water bodies we need to build for our people, father taught me that strategy is the most important thing. As an alpha I need to be well prepared. I need to gather information and I also need to learn how to blend in with everyone. Whether royals or non-royal citizens.
That is the reason why 2 months from now, I will set out on a journey to be accepted as a rogue. And while among them, I would slowly learn their secrets and tear them apart from the inside.
That is my final assignment before I become an Alpha.
Ryan’s POV “Taylor Brooke, daughter of David Brooke, lives on the east side of the riverbank, an Old settlement between the forest, where a cabin was built during human revolution. Street 1247.’’ Brooke. That's not a name I have heard. Yet I know all the families of wolves that live across this area. And the name Brooke does not ring any bell. I pick up the documents from Philip and I decide to glance at them myself. The information is perfectly stated. The land that she lives in is owned by her father. I fail to understand why she and her father will choose to live on their own in the middle of a forest. It's unsafe. Something about it just doesn't sound right. Not even a mad man would be willing to live in the middle of nowhere, unless they had something to hide. Something wasn't adding up and I was going to figure out what it was. “Any other family?’’ “That's the only thing that was stated in the other documents. All she has is her father. But we never truly know the truth.
Ryan’s Pov We Stand on the forest floor woven with ancient tree roots. I can hear the distant river and breaking tree branches from a distance. The car cannot go any further. Philip and I decided to walk. The drive from school appeared to be longer than I expected. All I can wonder is how she managed to get to school every single day without a car. Did buses really come all the way here? The forest is silent yet again. There is a direct pathway that leads inside. All I can ask myself is why I had not taken the opportunity to visit nature once again. Everything looked breathtakingly beautiful. Nature has always been part of the Moon goddess. And it ought to be the responsibility of every werewolf to take care of it. Perhaps that's why my mate lives here to begin with. I can only assume that she is a lover of nature. “Do you think she's home right now?’’ “She has nowhere else to go; you saw her class records. She hardly ever misses any day. She has perfect attendance at school. She i
Taylor’s Pov “What the fuck did I do?’’ I hear the sound of my father's voice as soon as I enter the room. He seems to be conversing with himself. Something he hardly ever does unless he is having a nightmare about the day my sister died. Today however, he's standing in front of the mirror in our living room, reprimanding himself or something. “What did I fucking do? I should have told them that…’’ Suddenly, his head flips in my direction and the color of his eyes direct to darker ones. His wolf is almost emerging and I haven't seen my father in this state of anger before. “You little bitch, I told you countless times to mask your scent. I told you to be careful and no one should know who you are or where you live.’’ he clenches his fists as he approaches me. I can see the hatred in his eyes. His emotions are much different from his normal ones. He is looking at me like he could tear me apart any moment now. It scares me. My father is capable of doing anything cruel and inhuman. “
Ryan's POV All my life I have learnt to keep my emotions in check. To understand them and to balance them resourcefully. But with her, I find myself losing control, letting my emotions run wild, and it is the most beautiful feeling in the world. Each day with her feels like a blessing, and I am grateful for every moment I spend with her by my side. I cannot help but feel that the universe has brought us together for a reason. I will be honored to be her partner, her protector, and her lover. I will spend the rest of my days cherishing her, loving her and making her happy. That was why, when I stared at her in that broken and painful situation, it crushed my heart. It took everything in me not to tear her father apart. “Son.’’ the voice of my father resonates over the room as he enters. There is a curious expression plastered on his face as he moves towards me and embraces me. “Father.’’ “I heard what happened, is the girl okay?’’ he asked the question with a hint of worry lac
Taylor's POV When I open my eyes, the first thing that intrudes is the sharp light that almost blinds me. I have a splitting headache but yet there is a feeling that this is the least of my worries. I'm laying on a warm surface, my wolf is suddenly awake inside me and I feel that I'm in danger. Using what little strength I feel I have left, I kick and fight against the person holding the hands down. “Easy there, little one.’’ the masculine voice says with almost a hint of mockery and laughter. My struggles and attempts to save myself are in vain. I am weak and feeble, unable to move and unable to do anything for myself. It only reminds me of who I am. How pathetic am I? Is this one of my father's main games? Is this his idea of getting rid of me now? “The alpha assigned me to take good care of you because he trusts me the most. I think that should be enough to get you to understand that I'm not here to hurt you, Taylor.’’ The man holding me down is a wolf just like myself. I ca
Ryan's POV I knew that it was going to be difficult. I expected a challenge from her. I understood why she didn't trust me. Yet at the same time, I had expected that she would feel the bond between us and she wouldn't have this much doubt. When she asked me that question however, nothing broke my heart as much as that. The very idea that my mate would think of me as a person that would harm her. As werewolves we are taught that the only people who we can rely on and depend on are the mates whom the moon goddess has blessed us with. I have lived my life thinking about how I'm going to love and protect my mate and want to meet her. I would burn down the whole world if she was in danger. But she thinks so low of me. The idea of even poisoning her or lacing her food would never cross my mind. Not in a thousand light-years. “I am hurt that you think so low of me.’’ her beautiful blue eyes as she looks into mine makes me feel like I'm connecting to her in ways that are not possible. Ho
Taylor We had a civilized conversation. Or at least I would think so. I haven't really been able to sit down and talk to another person in a long time. “You still managed to be the invisible girl despite being extremely intelligent.’’ Ryan spoke, setting aside his plate. Before any of these, I hadn't even realized where the conversation began. All I know is that one moment, we were sitting in silence having our meal, and then the next, we were engrossed in a conversation so deeply that I felt like I had known him for a thousand years. “ It's not really about intelligence. If I answered all the questions correctly, then I'll get an unwanted attention.’’ I said, with my head lowered. “You made yourself average on purpose?’’ he asked me, looking all serious like he was expecting more from me. And of course he was. I remain silent for a moment. There is an unfamiliar feeling of Joy inside of my heart, something I haven't felt in a long time, but talking about my grades will only
Taylor's Pov Raul had come in to check on me almost three times today. The doctor didn't appear to be as hostile as I expected. Yet I couldn't just trust anyone in this Pack. “Do you have any idea where my father is being held?’’ I asked, and he looked up at me with shock. He draws out the syringe from my arm and proceeds to place a cotton ball soaked in spirit over the incision. “I have no idea my queen.’’ “I told you not to call me that. I am not..’’ “The alpha has made it clear that you will be the Queen of this Pack.’’ “Ryan shouldn't..’’ “Not alpha Ryan.’’ It is dense. The doctor is hesitant. “Alpha Joseph is also quite happy about your arrival.’’ I could tell that he was incredibly afraid just by mentioning his Alpha's name, as the expression on his face was not the same one when he had mentioned Ryan. He was a little bit more calm, and his shoulders were dropped. I had learnt to study a person's behavior from years of being beaten up by my father. It will become a ne