レイはいつだって自分の気持ちに素直に生きる　～愛する人は一人だけって誰が決めたの？～

[ Calantha]

I exhaled deeply and adjusted my cheap dress for what felt like the hundredth time. My nerves were getting the best of me and making my hands fidgety as I stepped inside the mansion.

The place was buzzing with the sound of laughter, loud music, and the heavy scent of alcohol and cigarettes hung in the air.

At every corner of the mansion were young adults shamelessly making out. Some were half dressed and some were worse.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to focus as my eyes searched around the room carefully, mentally aware that I had limited time to be here. Mrs. Grant, my owner, had sent me on an errand and I had taken advantage of the opportunity to trace and find him.

Ryker. The guy I had dated for three years but never met in person. And then, all of a sudden, he went ghost on me for the past two weeks.

At first, I had been worried and feared that something bad had happened to him. But now that I was standing in this chaotic scene, surrounded by wild party vibes, I wasn’t sure what to think anymore.

But I would not jump into conclusions.

"Move it already!" A girl yelled, her drunken shoulder slamming into mine so hard I nearly lost my footing. If I hadn’t grabbed the edge of the table beside me, I would have hit the floor.

“Sorry.” I murmured, forcing a smile as I steadied myself. That was just who I was. Always smiling, no matter how much it hurt. Somehow, I believed smiling would make the pain go away, even if it never really did.

This was my first time at a party too. Due to my low rank in the pack, I was never invited to events like these. And to be fair, I wasn’t invited to this one either.

Parties like this were for the elites. The alpha bloodlines. Not for slaves like me.

My thoughts came to a sudden halt when I finally spotted the tall, unmistakable frame of Ryker leaning against a counter with another girl in his arm, literally shoving their tongue down each other’s throats.

I froze, my heart shattering in an instant. All the color drained from my face as I glanced down at the picture of him on my phone, hoping and praying that it wasn’t really him.

But it was.

“Ryker?” I took a step closer and his name slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

He turned, his eyes locking on mine. For a brief moment, his expression faltered but it turned stoic a second later, a coy smirk playing on his lips.

“So, we finally meet.” He said, letting his gaze rake over me. “You look…”

“Cheap?” The girl in his arms cut in, her tone mocking as she chuckled. “Ryker, who the hell is this and why is she at your party? Since when do you hang out with pathetic people?”

My throat tightened, but before I could say a word, another familiar voice chimed in.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Calantha, the ambitious little slave.”

My heart sank as I turned to face Isadora, the spoiled daughter of the family that owned me. Her expression was a mixture of disgust and amusement as she stood before me.

“What are you even doing here?” She sneered, her gaze dragging down my thrifted dress. “…and dressed like that.”

I tried to speak, but no words came out. Ryker’s smirk deepened, like he was thoroughly enjoying the show.

My heart cracked, realizing that all the promises he had made were all lies. All the sweet words, the lies about loving me, about saving me from this hell. All lies.

How stupid had I been to believe that someone of his rank, would ever want anything to do with someone like me?

For the millionth time, I blamed my adoptive parents for my nightmare of a life. If only they had never sold me into this pack in the first place, none of this would be happening.

I watched as Ryker moved closer to me, his smirk still plastered on his face as he reached out and curled a strand of my hair around his finger.

My breath hitched, and I blinked back the tears threatening to spill.

“Silly of you to think I’d ever want you, Calantha.” He gestured around the lavish party with a sweep of his hand. “Look around. With all this beauty and wealth, why would I ever settle for a slave like you?”

My lips quivered, but I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing myself not to cry.

“The only thing I regret,” he continued, his smirk wideneing, “is not taking you to bed when I had the chance. I can’t even remember what a virgin tastes like—”

The sudden sound of my palm smacking across his face silenced the room, earning shocked gasps from everyone.

Ryker’s head whipped to the side and his hand flew to his reddened cheek. His stunned expression quickly twisted into rage.

“How dare you…”

But I didn’t wait for him to finish. I turned on my heel and bolted out of the mansion, tears burning my eyes and my heart aching at the humiliation.

But at the same time, it was all amusing to me.

I had slapped an Alpha rank wolf. A slave hitting someone of his rank.

How interesting!

As I ran outside with my vision blurred with tears, my heels suddenly caught on the uneven cobblestones and I tripped, falling hard onto my knees.

“Shit.” I cursed, feeling the sting in my palms and knees as the tears I had been holding back finally spilled over.

“Smooth.” A deep, cold voice drawled above me and I looked up, blinking through my tears, to find a tall figure leaning casually against a black expensive looking jeep.

His sharp, aristocratic features were illuminated by the soft glow of the mansion lights and his turquoise eyes regarding me with mild amusement as if I was some kind of entertainment for the evening.

“Next time, try watching where you’re going.” He added, his tone as chilly as his gaze.

I scoffed in disbelief as I scrambled to my feet, brushing dirt off my knees. These, wealthy alphas! Laughing instead of offering a hand? How mannerless and inhumane!

“Wow, thanks for the heartfelt concern.” I replied sarcastically, feeling anger burn in my heart. “That’s really touching.”

Mr. Mesmerizing turquoise eyes and god-like beauty raised an eyebrow, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Not my problem you can’t walk straight. Maybe stick to crying quietly where no one can trip over you.”

I scoffed bitterly again, feeling rage clouding me. How mean!

“What a charming personality.” I shot back at him. “Do you practice being this insufferable, or does it come naturally?”

His smirk deepened. “Naturally.”

I opened my mouth again to retort but stopped myself . What was the point? I had bigger things to worry about than this arrogant jerk. Like, the fact that Isadora would probably snitch on me to her parents.

Turning sharply on my heel, I tried to ignore him and storm away but I stopped again.

A reckless idea formed in my mind at that moment and I did not even think it twice.

“You know what?” I said, marching back toward him again. “Forget Ryker. I don’t need him. If I’m going to ruin this night, I’m not going to do it alone.”

Before he could respond, I grabbed his collar, yanked him down to my level, and kissed him.

My first kiss.

For a moment, he froze as expected while I kissed him softly and cautiously, fully aware that I had no clue what I was doing. I was probably a bad kisser, but I didn’t care. I might never see him again anyway.

After a a few seconds, I started to pull away and his lips curved into a smirk against mine.

“This,” He murmured when I released him, “is your grand plan? Revenge through bad kissing?”

My cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

Arrogant jerk! He didn’t have to say that!

“If you’re trying to make someone jealous, you’ll have to do better than that. And I can help you with that.”

“What?” I frowned, confused.

“Come with me.” He said, entering his jeep while I stood frozen and confused. Until he turned back and gave me a questioning look. “You want revenge on Ryker or not?”

I nodded timidly.

“Then, hop in.” He said, starting his car as if he didn’t care whether I followed or not.

With a sigh, I dragged my feet toward the jeep and climbed into the passenger seat. A tiny voice in my head screamed that this was a terrible idea.

But if this was my shot at getting back at Ryker for breaking my heart and humiliating me, I was all in.

“Are you always this reckless?” I asked as he drove away from the mansion, his eyes fixed to the road ahead.

“You’re the one who kissed a stranger to make someone jealous. Who’s reckless now?”

My face flushed. “Touché.”

I stayed silent the rest of the ride, trying to make sense of my impulsiveness. A couple of minutes later, we pulled up to a luxurious penthouse and as I stepped out of the car, my eyes widened at the grandeur of the place.

The Alpha ranks always had all the luck.

“Come with me.” He said, leading me inside. I followed cautiously until we reached his room. It was sleek and modern with dark walls, soft lighting, and a bed that dominated the space with effortless luxury.

As we stepped in, the door clicked shut behind me and I spun around, my pulse quickening.

Suddenly, it dawned to me that I might have just walked straight into the devil’s den.

“Wh…what do you think you’re doing?” I stuttered, backing off from him. But he kept coming close.

“Helping you get revenge.” He said casually, unbuttoning his shirt. The fabric slipped to the floor, revealing a body sculpted like it had been carved by the gods.

I’m talking defined biceps, a chiseled torso, and muscles that could make anyone weak in the knees.

I swallowed hard, my gaze betraying me as it lingered for a moment too long.

He noticed, of course and smirked as he stopped just an inch away. His fingers gently cupped my chin, tilting my face up to meet his piercing eyes.

“We’ve both had a bad night.” He said in low tone. “And we both have people to pay back. Don’t tell me you’re still worried about that jerk boyfriend of yours.”

“I…I…” I stuttered but couldn’t form a word. I understood his point and a small part of me wondered what his own story could be.

But I didn’t want to meddle, so I didn’t ask. Instead, I whispered a confession, my eyes now locked to his lips.

“I haven’t done it before.”

“Don’t worry.” He murmured, his voice dropping to a seductive whisper. His fingers grazed my shoulder, pushing my sleeve aside to expose my bare skin.

He pressed his lips there, and my heart skipped a beat. The touch was electrifying, both thrilling and terrifying.

“Just follow my lead and be a good girl.” He said, scooping me into his arms effortlessly and carrying me toward the bed like I weighed nothing.

I nodded obediently. Fuck, I was about to give my virginity to a total stranger just to avenge my boyfriend.

But it shouldn’t matter. This would only be a one time thing and I would never see him again.

Right?

WRONG.