Contractually Yours, Alpha by Giftemmy

Chapter Three

The Mating Ball.

(Riley’s POV)

Ryker sat with his mate, and I was to sit besides him, close enough to hear him whisper the same words he had told me to her, close enough to see him kiss her, close enough to hear her soft moans as his hands disappeared beneath her dress, but that wasn’t the worst part of this all; the worst part was having to see my mother, refilling his cup like the servant he wanted everyone to know she was.

All I felt was anger, burning fury.

I turned away from them, focusing on keeping my breath steady.

“You work slugglishly, old woman,” Ryker said to my mother, she had pretended not to hear that as she refilled his glass for what seemed as the hundredth time.

My mother glanced at me, her eyes a warning, begging me to stay still and not do anything crazy, and it took everything in me to seat still.

“You forgot to refill mine,” Zara said to my mother, and of course, my mother did refill hers, muttering a silent appology which wasn’t even due. Zara held the glass in her slender hand and then her eyes turned to me, a small smirk playing on her lips and I watched as she let it go—purposely, the content spilled down my mother’s plain blue dress.

“Ooops,” Zara says. A hand on her mouth, I had watched her, it was no mistake.

“You did that on purpose.” I sneered at her. Zara had an innocent look on her face, which was of course false.

“Sorry, who are you?” she asked, an eyebrow inclined.

I wanted to say it but held that

your Luna, and don’t you ever speak to her that

clean up the broken pieces of

listen to him, pleading with me not to get in trouble, and I hated it. I hated

off

feeling a thick lump in my throat. I wanted to stand up and leave, but I knew Ryker wanted me here,

with their mates; others waited. It was a beautiful experience to watch a werewolf

you accompany me for this dance, my love?” Ryker

she said, taking his extended hands, and

would be a partner available for you,” he

somewhere in the

.

far away. I was once again jostled to the

the dance stopped, even if the music kept

puzzled, and that’s when I

men had just

the ball; people could go in and come without anyone noticing, but there was something about these two, something

seen, or the aura they carried with them—it seemed to settle over them like

this man before, not face-to-face

Thane of

couldn’t I have noticed that?.

two men towered over almost every single person here, even Ryker, who had

the red sea, staying very far away from them, as