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.

the Alpha’s true mate. I wanted to say it but

and don’t you ever speak to her

rose to my feet in an attempt to help my mother clean up the broken pieces of glass. I noticed the few eyes on

me to listen to him, pleading with me not to get in trouble, and I hated it. I hated the fact that she thought this was okay. Slowly, I took my seat;

must have slipped off

to stand up and leave, but I knew Ryker wanted me here, he wanted to torment me

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

me for this dance, my love?”

hands, and he led her

now, Riley, but I doubt there would be a partner available for you,” he says

mother was gone; she was somewhere in the crowd working with

.

was once again jostled to the side, and I started to believe they

dance stopped, even

there puzzled, and that’s when I

had just

in and come without anyone noticing, but there was something about these two, something that made them…

anything I had ever seen, or the aura they carried with them—it seemed to settle over them like an extra layer

man before, not

Thane of the Nightshade

couldn’t I have noticed that?.

over almost every single person here, even Ryker, who had an amazing

the red sea, staying very far away from them,