Lahat ng Kabanata ng NOT YOUR MATE, ALPHA: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

ArleyGetting to the maid quarters as instructed, the other maids are all lining up in the hallway with their hands clenched tight…some of them trembling.“What’s the matter now?” I whisper to one of them standing beside the wall. She looks up at me immediately, her expression filled with both fear and confusion.“There’s a maid inspection,” she breathes out quietly. “They’re searching everyone’s bags.”My stomach tightens instantly.“What?”She nods quickly before glancing nervously toward the end of the hallway. “Lady Risa said a valuable ring is missing. The chief maid is helping her search every room.”Another maid behind her scoffs softly under her breath. “This kind of thing has never happened before. She’s not even Luna yet but look at the drama she’s already bringing.”“Shh!” somebody hisses immediately.My fist clenches tightly at my side.My fist clenches hard at my side, is Risa suspecting anything? If they search my bag—I grind my teeth at the tension suddenly rushing thro

ArleyRisa lets out a cold, shrill sound. Her laughter echoing in the balcony. "I knew it. I knew it was you, Arley. You’re pathetic."“Oh, you're so stupid Arley.” She drags as she leans closer, her hands dramatically hooked on her waists, smiling with her upper teeth.Shit! It's all over…it's really over.I squeeze my hand so tight until I feel the sting from my nails. I can't let her see how much she is getting under my skin.“I have no connection with you, Risa Sherwood… I am Kydra, a rogue maid and personal servant to Alpha Janus Beyhos.” I manage to grit out, shooting her a challenging glare.If she thinks I will cower, or kneel, crawl and beg her, she's getting the wrong idea in her head.I turn to leave without waiting for any more of her nonsense. But her words bury my feet in the ground.“What do you think will happen if Janus finds out his PERSONAL MAID is in fact a liar and a betrayal?”I hear my heart slam against the back of my chest. I understand exactly where she is ge

ArleyI could have sworn I saw Risa stomping out of Janus' study last night as I was walking in after the guards summoned me.And since the heart-wrenching kiss with Janus… I feel my face heat up again at the thought of it and immediately cover my face with the book I am reading on my bunk.Damn, Arley... how can you be feeling this way for a man you know very well will never be yours? There are major reasons.One, Risa and Father will kill me. Two... I have a mate and I need to find him. Maybe I have to search through every rogue camp the moment I leave the Beyhos pack.Just then, Jane's voice cuts through my wild imagination."Ar... ughh Kydra?" she groans as soon as she steps into the maids' room.I jump up immediately before realizing it is her. "Jane? What is it?""Oh, Lady Risa requested you. Goddess, she's really such a bitch... how can such a person be related to an angel like you?" she murmurs.Lately, Risa's moods and temper have been all over the place, so her maids have be

ArleyThe white ceiling of the pack clinic is the only thing looking down at me when my eyes open. My body is wrapped in three thick blankets, but the cold sweating won't stop. Every time I close my eyes, I see those yellow fangs snapping inches away from my neck.I know it was Risa. I know it down to my very bones. She didn’t just send me for herbs; she sent me to a graveyard."Drink this, Kydra," the head healer murmurs, placing a cup of warm willow bark tea on the small wooden table beside my cot.I just nod, keeping the blanket pulled all the way up to my chin. My hands are still shaking under the sheets. The urge to storm into Janus’s office and scream the truth is burning a hole in my chest. I want to tell him that his perfect fiancé is a murderer. I want to tell him that my father is a criminal who took him away from me even though we've been betrothed since we were little.But I can't. The moment I open my mouth, my real identity drops. If Janus finds out I am Arley Sherwood,

ArleyThe entire pack house smells like roasted boar, pine needles, and sweet honey wine. The Festival of the First Hunt is officially here, and the quiet corridors I usually hide in are now packed with loud, heavy-set wolves from three different territories. For a whole week, Janus has to lead the pack through rituals, running the borders at dawn and hosting contests until midnight before the final night of the Moon festival.Right now, the massive open courtyard is chaos. Large wooden banners flap in the wind, and long tables stretch from one end of the stone floor to the other."Move it, rogue!" a heavy cook snaps, shoving a massive crate of red apples into my arms.I stumble back, the wood digging into my palms, but I quickly balance myself and carry it toward the outdoor fire pits.This is my only chance. The elders announced that the food contest winner gets a good bar and a three-day travel pass to the border trading post—no questions asked. If I win this, I don't have to sneak