All Chapters of The Biker Alpha's Lost Mate : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

RyderThe name hits me like a round I never hear coming.“Ryder Conner.”Everything locks up at once, breath, legs, brain, like my body does not know which system to shut down first. The river keeps rushing behind us, the night keeps breathing, the clearing still smells like blood and gunpowder, but I am stuck on that name rolling off her tongue like it never stopped belonging there.Only one person ever used my full name like that. Only Alice. The real Alice. The girl who used to shorten it to Ryd when she was angry or scared or laughing too hard to finish the word.The Alice Nova dragged back into my life never did that. She called me Ryder every single time, like it was written on a file somewhere and handed to her with instructions. At the time I told myself it meant nothing. Told myself grief rewires people. Told myself a lot of shit because the alternative was admitting something had been wrong from the start.Now Alice stands in front of me trembling, tears tracking down her ch

AliceI pull back just enough to really look at him, not the version my head has been clinging to for years, not the ghost I buried over and over again, but the man standing in front of me now, breathing, bleeding, very real, he’s my mate but at this point…all I can see is Ryder. My hands are still curled in his shirt, knuckles white, like if I let go even a little he might disappear again, and I am not strong enough for that a second time.“I am sorry I didn’t recognize you,” I murmur, the words coming out rougher than I expect, scraped raw from my throat. My chest feels too tight, my lungs working overtime just to keep up. “I swear I tried. I looked at you so many times and something always felt familiar, but everything was wrong then. My head was a mess. I was a mess.” I swallow hard and force myself to keep going because if I stop now, I might not start again. “The Moon Goddess brought us back and made us fated mates. I guess that’s supposed to be the best compensation for everyth

AliceGunfire cracks through the trees again, closer this time, sharp and loud enough that my ears ring. Bark explodes off the trunk in front of us as a bullet slams into it, and Reign moves instantly, arm wrapping around my shoulders as he drags me behind the tree with him. My back hits the rough bark, breath punching out of my lungs.“Stay low,” he orders, already scanning the clearing, eyes glowing faintly. “I’m getting us through.”I grab his arm before he can pull away, my fingers digging into his skin like that alone might anchor him here. “We do it together,” I insist, my voice low but firm, heart hammering so hard I feel it in my throat.He looks down at me like I just suggested something insane. “Never,” he snaps, jaw tight. “I’m not risking you. You’re not strong enough yet, Alice. You were dragged out of a fucking coma.”I open my mouth to argue, anger flaring hot in my chest, but another burst of gunfire cuts through the air and forces me to duck again. My head swims, legs

AliceI wake up to the scent of leather and cedarwood.For a second I don’t open my eyes. I just breathe it in, slow and deep, letting it settle in my chest. The sheets beneath my fingers feel familiar, softer than the ones in the safe bunker, heavier too. There’s warmth pressed against my back, solid and steady, and an arm draped across my waist like it belongs there.I blink my eyes open.Dark ceiling. Black beams. The faint hum of the air vent above.This isn’t the safe house.I tilt my head slightly and take in the room properly, the oversized dresser against the wall, the framed photos near the corner, the scar on the wooden floor I once teased him about. My lips curve faintly.Ryder’s room.He must have moved me while I was asleep.I turn my head and find him beside me, still asleep, one arm under my neck, the other stretched over my waist. His face looks softer like this, jaw unclenched, brows relaxed. There’s a faint bruise forming near his temple, and a thin cut on his knuckl

AliceThe pack house is finally quiet after the chaos of the last few days. The last of the wounded have been moved to the clinic. The yard is cleared of bodies and broken bikes. The fires are out. Ryder closes the bedroom door behind us. The click of the lock is loud in the silence. He turns to face me, and for a second we just stand there, staring at each other across the small space between us. My heart is beating so hard I can feel it in my throat. His eyes are dark, tired, but burning with something that makes my stomach flip.He takes one step toward me. Then another. I don’t move. I can’t. My legs feel like they might give out if I try.“Alice,” he says, voice low and rough. “We don’t have to do anything tonight. If you’re not ready—”“I am,” I cut him off. The words come out fast, almost angry. “I’ve been ready since the first time I woke up and saw you sitting there. Since I remembered who you really are. I just didn’t know how to say it.”He exhales hard, like he’s been hol