Chapter 9

I watched as Nadia stormed off from my office without even throwing a glance at me. It left me in a foul
mood. I also didn‘t appreciate my Beta flirting with her, so I had to remind him to back off. I hope he got
the warning and stayed away from her because I would fucking castrate him if he made any move at
her.

My nose was still flaring with anger. I had no fucking idea if I was pissed off with Dominic or more with
myself.

What was I thinking when I blurted out that rejection? It was the last thing I wanted to do. My mark on
her was my only link to her, and I never wanted to erase that bond. I wanted her. But the thought of her
not wanting my mark pained me. What do I need to do so I can make her stay?

If I ordered her to stay, then it would be another Andrea again. And I didn‘t think I wanted to take the
risk of her hating me. And it‘s the biggest reason I was ready to reject her, so she could have what she
wanted. But did she? She stopped me.

Fuck! She kissed me I closed my eyes and rubbed my palms against my face, fucking confused with
everything in m y head right now.

“Are you done staring at the empty door?” Jacob‘s mocking voice snapped me back to the present,
and I turned my head in the direction of his voice. The fucker was taking another sip of my expensive
rum.

“What the fuck are you still doing here? And who told you you‘re welcome to drink that?” I walked over
to him and grabbed the bottle on the desk in front of him, sealing its cork tightly before placing it back in
my liquor cabinet.

“Relax. I know we just cockblocked you, but don‘t you think you were going too fast? Is everything okay
between you now?”



“We even hardly talked, when you bolted in unannounced.” I sighed in desperation as I slumped my
body into my chair.

“I felt your fucking aura seeping through the office door, so I rushed in. What riled you up?”

“I almost rejected her.”

“What? The fuck, Riley. Don‘t tell me you don‘t like her. Because you looked like a smitten dog, mind
you, not a wolf, but a fucking dog while looking at her. What‘s with the rejection drama?”

“That‘s why she was here, right? She wanted that mark gone.”

“Idiot! Are you a fucking Alpha? Her uncle wanted that mark gone. But I didn‘t even think for a second
that she wanted it away. You told me you marked her three full moons ago, so why did she show up
just now? Beaten and dragged by her uncle?”

Fuck! He just called me an idiot, but I would have to agree with this fucker. She didn‘t want my mark
gone from her, and that‘s why she kissed me. Are females really this fucking hard to read?

“Instead of rejecting her, why didn‘t you ask where she had been for the last three months and why did
she run away from you? There‘s more to that female than what meets the eye. Get to know her. If she‘s
not worth your time and the Luna title, then reject her. Let her go.”

My heart constricted at the last part.

I didn‘t even think for a second that she wasn‘t worth my time or that she wouldn‘t fit as my Luna. The
question was, would she give me her time so I could prove my worth as a mate, as her Alpha?

“I don‘t want to do to her what I did to Andrea,” I told him my truth. My voice was low, but I was hoping
he couldn‘t sense the insecurities in it.



“What do you mean?” His brows furrowed.

“I confined Andrea here. I took her by force by blackmailing her. In the process, she hated me. If Nadia
turns out to hate me, I don‘t think I can live with that...”

“You like her...” I snorted a fake laugh.

“The last three months were fucking hell without her. I don‘t think you will understand.”

“I do. I lost Clair for a fucking two weeks and my only motivation to get up every morning was that she
was alive and I have the chance to find her. I didn‘t know where she was or who had her, but I didn‘t
stop until I took her back. But you have Nadia here, so forget about the last three months. Ask her to
stay, nicely. Offer her protection from her uncle. If she doesn‘t want t o stay here in your packhouse,
give her a house nearby. And fucking control your mood swings. Let your mate bond help you get the
female you want.”

“Did someone tell you you’re fucking too smart for an asshole? But I‘m not sure if that will work on her.
But I will try.”

He chuckled, sipping his rum before pointing a finger at me.

“You need to clean your act and step up as an Alpha again. Try to impress her.”

“I don‘t think a beautiful female like you fits in a...” I didn’t get to finish what I wanted to say when Alpha
Riley dug into my head, swearing at me and telling me to back off from flirting with Nadia.

He was fucking angry, and as much as I wanted to taunt him because of all the stress he had given me
for the last three months, I knew when to keep my mouth shut. I could do it some other day, I feel this
female was important to him because I saw them kissing.



Yes, I never saw my Alpha kiss anyone or hold anyone in his arms. Occasionally, I would see him hug
Andrea, but that was it. He was never careless enough to be seen kissing her, or maybe he hadn‘t
kissed her at all.

But Andrea is part of the past now. Fuck me! Why the fuck did I mention Andrea earlier? It‘s no wonder
Nadia wanted away from her room and would rather sleep in the dungeon. Dungeons? Seriously?

“Where are you going?” I was at the foot of the stairs, about to head up to the room Alpha Riley wanted
me to give her when I noticed Nadia had passed through me and was heading for the corridor.

“Alpha Riley at the other building said I could stay...“She was biting her bottom lips and her eyes were
watering. She looked like a lost cat, different from her demeanor when she was inside the office,
snarling at the Alpha.

“No way. He instructed me to take you to the room upstairs. Come...” I gestured with my hand, urging
her to follow me.

She let out a sigh before she walked toward the stairs and followed me.

“So, you and the Alpha. Have you met before?”

“Yes. Three months ago.” My head snapped back in her direction. Three months ago, was it before the
Alpha went into sulking and stopped functioning as an Alpha?

“What happened after you met?”

“He didn‘t tell you? Maybe because it was nothing to him.”

“Or I worth nothing to him as a Beta, so he didn‘t trust me with anything.” My jaw clenched. I respected
and cared for Riley, and the thought that he had blocked me off from his life was painful. I am his Beta.



“Either way, one of us will still get hurt, right? So better not dwell on it.” She smiled weakly, her eyes
focusing on where we were heading.

“Will you tell me about you and him?“

“He marked me.”

“Fuck! Did he force you? Shit! Did he go mad...” I felt my body starting to shake in anger. I have never
voiced all my disapproval for all that he did to Andrea because I knew he would never lay a finger on
her, but if he did this, I didn‘t think I could stay silent anymore.

“No, It was mutual. But I didn‘t know he would leave me after...”

“You let him mark you? Is he your mate?” My eyes darted to her neck, covered by her hair. I wanted to
see if a fated mark was on her neck or if Riley had really gone mad and just picked up a female to
replace Andrea.

Her hand flew to her neck as she gently rubbed it with her palms.

“Yes. Fated mate. But I don‘t think he wants me.”

“Excuse me for saying this, but what I saw there when we came into his office, he has never done that
with anyone, so I don‘t think he doesn‘t want you.”

She stopped walking as she scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, facing my direction, making
me halt in my steps as well.

“Even with Andrea?” I nodded my head.

“Even with Andrea.” I moved forward and pointed to the door ahead of us.



“That‘s the Alpha‘s room. Now, he said, you can select the room you want. Even the biggest room, but
he wanted to have it renovated first, so if you want that big room, you have to wait for a couple of days
before you can use it.”

“Couple of days?”

My brow furrowed. Was she going to complain that it would take a couple of days for a room to be
renovated? That was fucking fast

“You mean, I can stay more than one day?” Her eyes started to water again, and I was fucking
confused now.

My hand flew to my hair and started scratching my head before I chuckled as I answered her.” Looks
like it. Otherwise, he would just let you use the guest room on the second floor. You check the rooms?”
want to check the rooms?”

“No need. I‘ll take the one farthest from the Alpha.” I nodded my head and started walking towards the
end of the corridor. This floor has seven rooms, but the whole floor belongs entirely to Alpha Riley. No
one has occupied this place except the Alpha‘s family in the past.

And Andrea. When she was here. I opened the door and let her in while I stayed outside. I saw her
eyes wandering around the room, but she kept her emotions in check.

“Rest, I will have someone bring lunch for you.”

“Thank you.” She turned around and faced me, uncertainty written on her face.

“Should I be scared of Alpha Riley?“.

“No. He‘s a good man, he‘s just...” I stopped with my words when Alpha Riley‘s words rang in my head.



‘‘What the fuck is taking you so long to come back? Did I just tell you to show her the room and leave
her alone?’‘

I let out a sigh before I smiled at Nadia. I was fucking tired already, and the Alpha‘s mood wasn‘t
helping.

“Well, talk some other time. The Alpha is looking for me.”

She smiled and bobbed her head, her hand holding on to the doorknob. “Okay, thank you.”

I watched as she moved to close the door.

“Nadia, just be patient with your mate. He can be an asshole, but he just needs a woman to tame him
down.”

I didn‘t wait for her to reply before I turned on my heels and walked away. If my intuition was right, this
female liked the Alpha. Alpha Riley just needed to figure out if he wanted her.

And I hope he does because I know she would do good for him. I was already losing hope that he
would get back on his feet and be the same Alpha that he was.


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