The Alpha’s other woman

The figure stepped into the room, it was a female. I could tell because she was tall and had curves in all the right places and long dark hair that fell past her shoulders. She was beautiful in a dangerous way, it was the kind of beautiful that knew it and used it.

She closed the door behind her but she didn't lock it.

She just stood there, looking at me with cold green eyes.

"So you're the one," she said. Her voice was so smooth.

I sat up slowly. "Who are you?"

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Lila; Lila Frost. I'm sure Ryder didn't mention me."

He hadn't.

Lila walked further into the room, looking around like she owned it. "This used to be a storage room. Guess he cleared it out for you. How sweet."

I didn't say anything because I didn't know what she wanted.

She turned to face me. "Let me guess. You're confused, scared and wondering what the hell you did to deserve this." She tilted her head. "Nothing, probably. You're just unlucky."

"What do you want?"

"To see what all the fuss is about." She moved closer, studying me like I was an animal in a cage. "Ryder's fated mate. The girl he spent sixty thousand on. The reason everyone's talking."

My stomach tightened. "I didn't ask for this."

"No one asks for anything." Lila crossed her arms. "But here we are. You with a bond you don't want. Me watching the man I've been waiting for claim someone else."

Oh so she was Ryder's ex.

"I don't want him," I said quickly. "The bond doesn't mean anything. He made that clear."

Lila laughed. It wasn't a nice sound. "You think that matters? You think the bond cares what he wants? What you want?" She leaned against the dresser. "It's going to pull you together whether you like it or not. That's how it works. And when it does, where does that leave me?"

I didn't answer.

"I've been with Ryder for two years," Lila continued. "Not officially, not bonded but closer than anyone else has gotten since Selene died. I was patient, I waited, I proved myself and then you show up."

"I didn't choose this."

"It doesn't matter." Her eyes hardened. "You're here now and the bond exists. It means everything I worked for is at risk."

She pushed off the dresser and walked toward the door. Stopped with her hand on the handle.

"Let me make something very clear, Vada. I don't care that you're his mate. I don't care about the bond. Ryder is mine. He's always been mine. And if you think some cosmic connection is going to change that, you're stupider than you look."

I stood up. "I don't want him."

"Good. Keep it that way." She opened the door. "Because if you try to claim what's mine, mate bond or not, I'll make you regret it."

Then she left.

The door closed behind her. But this time, no lock clicked.

She'd left it open.

I stood there, my heart racing. That was a threat. A clear, direct threat.

Lila saw me as competition. As something to be eliminated.

I went to the door slowly. Pushed it open just a crack. The hallway was empty. Torches flickered along the walls.

No one was there.

I could walk out. Could try to explore and run.

But where would I go? This was a fortress full of rogues. I wouldn't make it past the courtyard.

And even if I did, the bond would pull me back. Ryder would hunt me down.

I closed the door but I idn't lock it. I couldn't lock it from the inside anyway.

I went back to the bed and sat down.

So Ryder had an ex. Someone who thought she had a claim on him. Someone who saw me as a threat even though I wasn't trying to be.

This was getting more complicated.

I lay back down, staring at the ceiling.

The bond hummed in my chest. Quiet but constant. A reminder that no matter what I wanted, no matter what Ryder said, we were connected.

And people like Lila weren't going to accept that easily.

I closed my eyes and Sleep came slowly.

---

Morning came too fast.

Someone was banging on the door.

"Get up. Alpha wants you downstairs."

I jerked awake, my heart pounding. The room was bright now. Sunlight streaming through the barred window.

I scrambled out of bed, still wearing the clothes I'd put on last night.

The door opened. A rogue stood there. Not the young one from yesterday. This one was older, bigger and scarred across his jaw.

"Move," he growled.

I followed him out of the room. Down the corridor. Down a set of stone stairs. Through another hallway.

We ended up in what looked like a dining hall. Long tables. Benches. At least fifty rogues eating breakfast. All of them stopped and stared when I walked in.

Ryder sat at the head of the main table. Kade beside him. A few other rogues I didn't recognize.

The rogue who'd brought me pushed me forward. "She's here."

Ryder looked up. His eyes met mine. The bond flared immediately.

He stood. "Everyone out."

The rogues didn't hesitate. They grabbed their food and left quickly. Within seconds, the hall was empty except for Ryder, Kade, and me.

Ryder walked toward me. Stopped a few feet away.

"You slept well?"

I nodded.

"Good. Because today you start earning your place." He gestured to the tables. "You'll work in the kitchens. Cleaning. Cooking. Whatever they need. You'll do it without complaint. Understand?"

"Yes, Alpha."

Kade stood and walked over. He was tall, almost as tall as Ryder. Sandy brown hair with sharp blue eyes that studied me carefully.

"She doesn't look like much," Kade said.

"She's not," Ryder replied flatly. "But she's here. So she works."

Kade looked at me. "You ever cooked for fifty people before?"

I shook my head.

"You're about to learn." He turned to Ryder. "I'll take her to the kitchens. Make sure she doesn't cause problems."

Ryder nodded. "Make sure she understands the rules."

Kade gestured for me to follow him. We left the dining hall and headed down another corridor.

"Ryder's not usually this generous," Kade said as we walked. "Most people he brings here end up dead or running within a week."

"I can't run."

"Because of the bond." It wasn't a question.

I looked at him. "You know about it?"

"Everyone knows. It's hard to miss when your Alpha's wolf goes feral during a transaction." Kade glanced at me. "You didn't know you were mates before the sale?"

"No."

"That's unfortunate."

We reached the kitchens. The smell of food hit me immediately. Bread baking and meat cooking.

A woman stood at the stove. She looked Older and she already had gray hair pulled back. She turned when we entered.

"This her?" she asked.

"This is Vada," Kade said. "Ryder wants her working here."

The woman looked me over. "She looks weak."

"She is," Kade agreed. "But she's what we've got."

The woman sighed. "Fine. I'm Mara. You do what I say, when I say it. No questions. No complaints. Clear?"

"Yes."

"Good. Start with the dishes."

She pointed to a massive pile of dirty plates and bowls stacked near the sink.

Kade left without another word.

I walked over to the sink and started washing.

My hands were already sore by the time I finished the first stack.

This was going to be a long day.