Ch.5: Living Sacrifice

Ryder

Her brows knit together, I can see the rage in her brown eyes…so sharp they can pierce through me.

Rejecting the matebond shouldn’t be such a big deal to me, shouldn’t be. But the fact that she looks me dead in the eye and says she loves someone else… yeah, that fucks with me. More than I care to admit. I stand there, watching her tense against the sheets, her chest rising unevenly with every shallow breath, and I feel my own pulse tighten.

She’s stubborn, more stubborn than anyone I’ve ever seen. And for some twisted reason, that pisses me off and… intrigues me at the same time.

I saved her because she’s good. No, not just good—she’s dangerous. On a bike, she’s a fucking force of nature. Her brother too, but her… she moves like she owns the damn air around her when she rides. Rogue siblings, the best riders in the area, untamed and raw. I needed that skill in my crew. But the scent, her scent—solidified everything. The matebond isn’t optional. It doesn’t care about her feelings. It doesn’t negotiate. And yet she dares to reject it. She dares to reject me. Nobody has ever refused me. Nobody.

Mate.

My mate.

I didn’t ask for that, never even wanted it, but once the bond scent hit, I wasn’t exactly surprised. Things like that have a way of crawling into your life when you least expect it. Honestly, if she had just accepted it right away, I wouldn’t have cared that much.

I wouldn’t have made a big thing out of it. She accepts, I deal with it, we move on. Simple. But her saying no like it's nothing? Her saying she loves someone else? Yeah, that sets something off in me. It’s not even jealousy, it’s the insult of it all. The idea that someone out there thinks they can take what’s mine, even before I decide whether I give a damn or not.

I don’t lose.

In anything.

And I sure as hell am not about to start losing over a matebond I didn’t even want in the first place. It’s messed up, but now that it’s here, I can’t shake the thought that whoever she claims to love is already a problem. A real problem. I don’t even know who the guy is, and the fact that he exists makes me want to break something. She says she loves him, but she’s here, in my bed, breathing because I pulled her out of a death sentence. She can swear loyalty to whoever she wants, doesn’t change the fact that she’s under my protection now, whether she likes it or not.

“Better recover on time,” I growl, my voice vibrating at the back of my throat, letting the words sink in. “You’ve got a lot to settle. I spent a lot, risked a lot. And Jackal… he’s after my men for saving you. So, practically… you’re a living sacrifice, Alice.”

Jackal isn’t the kind of asshole that lets things go. He’s the type who tallies every drop of sweat, every bullet fired, and then demands repayment with blood.

“So practically,” I add, watching her expression shift as she processes my words, “you’re a living sacrifice right now.” The way she tenses makes me want to laugh. She’s stubborn, I’ll give her that. Even half‑broken, she stares at me like she wants to bite my head off. There’s fire in her, I saw it the moment I threw her over my bike and hauled her here. She isn’t the type to cry or beg. She’s the type that curses under her breath and tries to get back up even when her body can’t hold her weight. That part… that part I respect, even if she’s being a pain in my ass.

I push away from the bed, watching her struggle to shift her weight. “Someone will come help you clean up,” I say, reaching for the door. Her glare follows me the whole way, sharp enough to cut.

I don’t turn around, because I know if I do, I’ll say something that makes this whole thing worse. She’s unpredictable like that. She pulls reactions out of me without trying. It’s annoying.

I step out, pulling the door shut behind me.

The second the latch clicks, I hear her swear at me, loud and pissed. Something small thuds against the wood, probably whatever she grabbed first. I smirk without meaning to.

Yeah.

She’s definitely going to be trouble.

And I’m not sure if that pisses me off more… or if I like it.

“I don't like how comfortable you are with this damn situation, Reign.” Jerome's voice cuts through my thought, my smirk fading immediately.

“What do you mean?” I say, my hand clenching in my pocket.

“You can't possibly be keeping two people that are Jackal's possession—" I shoot him a murderous glare.

“She’s my mate, and someone like that can never be Jackal's shit, I'll cut off his limbs before he dares to claim what is mine. Don't forget that.” I bite out, walking past him, he sighs but doesn't dare to argue with me and I'm sure this won't be brought up again.