The Bridge To The Alpha’s Human Mate

Blake’s PovIf there was a gold medal for barely surviving life, I would have at least three of them hanging on my cracked apartment wall right now.My life? Yeah, it was a dumpster fire.I worked myself half to death at this crappy little diner on the edge of nowhere, sweating, scrubbing, hustling, all for a paycheck that probably wouldn’t even cover a box of cheap wine. I wasn’t even paid the minimum wage, please.These people acted like giving me a job was some kind of charity case, a favor, and maybe it was. But that didn’t mean I had to like it.I wiped a line of sweat off my forehead with the back of my arm and scowled at the sticky mess of ketchup and crumpled napkins frat boys had left behind. They came in loud, left louder, and tipped like they were allergic to money“Hurry up, Blake. It's almost closing hour.” Kenny, my colleague and roommate said. She was the only semblance of kindness in my life, the only person that ever treated me like I was human, and she was my best fr

Ridge’s PovAfter showering and changing into my sweats, I grabbed my laptop, pulled up in my king sized bed, then I powered it up. I needed to check my emails and see if I had something important pending, but that wasn’t what I did when it loaded up.I typed out Blake’s name and it brought up her father’s story. I started to read it page after page, and when I was done, I could only shake my head with a disbelieving groan.The man had acted like an animal, like a werewolf who had gone rogue would, with no remorse at all, not towards his daughter or the people he had ended.I had scrolled down to see more articles on Blake herself and how a mugger had almost killed her in an alley because he wanted to “wipe out” the monster’s family.“Oh goodness, she’s been through a lot.” I muttered to myself.Claiming her to be mine, marking her and pulling her into my world would do even more to her, because she was human. Alpha’s rarely get human mates, and even when they do, they almost never ge

Blake’s PovI must have closed my eyes for a bit, because when I opened them again, Ridge’s car was stopped in front of an unfamiliar house. It was a modern two-story house with a sleek, clean-lined façade.This sure wasn’t my house, so I turned to Ridge to see him staring at me. “Huh, where is this place?” I asked.He didn’t answer right away and just kept watching me with that unreadable expression, like he was trying to solve me. Not in a creepy way, but the way someone might study the sky before a storm, trying to gauge if it’s going to break or hold.“You fell asleep,” Ridge said finally, voice low. “And I didn’t want to wake you.”Okay, that was… unexpectedly considerate. My insides curled a little at that.“But this isn’t my place,” I said again, quieter this time, because his tone didn’t invite the sharp edges in me.“No,” he agreed. “It’s mine.”I blinked. “Yours?”“Yeah.”A pause hung between us, like the breath one takes before a decision. “You didn’t say anything about bri

Ridge’s PovI knew that voice, but it was the tone in it that caught me. Blake stood there in the doorway, soaking up every broken piece of that conversation like a goddamn sponge.And I hated myself in a way I hadn’t felt since I was a stupid kid trying to carry the problems of a pack on my back too soon before I was the alpha.“What are you talking about?” she repeated, and even though her voice sounded strong, her hands were shaking at her sides. They were small tremors that were almost invisible, but I saw them.Mom shot me a panicked glance, but it was too late for anything now because the words were out, and the damage was done.“I…” I started, but my throat locked up, the words crumbling like ash.Blake’s eyes narrowed, and she stepped closer. It wasn't much, just a few feet, but it felt like she had crossed a damn canyon to stand there and stare me down.“Huh, you're my mate, Blake.” I started, hoping to make this make a lot of sense by the time I was done. “A mate is…”“I kno

Blake’s Pov“If this is up to you, Blake, then you seriously have to take it.” Kenny said, walking behind me like she was my conscience.I sighed and turned back to her. “Break’s over, Kenny. Let’s just get back to work and talk at home later, okay.” It was my fault for explaining everything to her during the second break, but I didn’t have any choice seeing as she kept staring at me through our shift and asking me why I didn’t come home last night.“Oh please, it’s almost the end of your shift anyway.” Kenny said, rolling her eyes. “And I’m serious, Blake. If you’re with that man, then no one is going to mess with you anymore.” She said.Didn’t she think that I know that? But what was the use of running if it was just temporary? I wasn’t really sure how the mate thing worked, but if he could reject me now, what happened when he was tired of me, and rejected me then?I pulled my apron tighter around my waist like it could somehow hold me together, even as I felt myself fraying at the