MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA
Chapter 107: From Fry Pan To Fire

Chapter 107: From Fry Pan To Fire

Mirian’s eyes widened in horror as she felt the floor slipping from beneath her. Her knees buckled, and she crashed to the ground with a sickening thud. "Please, Luna!" she begged, her voice cracking with desperation. "Don’t discard me!"

Reana’s expression transformed, her eyes narrowing slightly as she leaned back in her chair, her arms folding across her chest. A subtle, enigmatic smile played on the edges of her lips. "Oh?"

"Of what use are you to me, Mirian? You disobeyed my direct orders, and your lover’s actions put my Gamma in harm’s way. How do you plan to atone for that?"

Mirian’s teeth sank into her bottom lip, her eyes blazing with a mix of fear and desperation as she struggled to hold back tears. "I’ll do anything, Luna. Just please, don’t cast me aside."

"Hm," Reana murmured, her calm demeanor a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing inside Mirian. She let out a deep sigh, and an oppressive silence fell over the room, stretching out like a taut thread that threatened to snap at any moment. Mirian’s anxiety grew with each passing heartbeat.

Reana’s voice cut through the silence, her words measured and deliberate. "Our journey was a perilous one, one we may not have survived if Ryder hadn’t put his life on the line to save us all, am I correct?"

Mirian nodded, her eyes locked on Reana’s, but her mind raced with confusion. Why was the Luna bringing this up? Shouldn’t Ryder be rewarded for his bravery, rather than...?

Reana’s gaze seemed to bore into Mirian’s soul as she continued, "And such a great deed shouldn’t be hidden from everyone, don’t you think?" The Luna’s words hung in the air, heavy with implication, and Mirian’s heart sank as she realized where this was headed.

"Y–you want me to spread the word?" Mirian’s eyes widened in alarm as the implications sank in.

The Luna was attempting to elevate Ryder’s status within the pack, and by doing so, would effectively prepare him for the Alpha position. By spreading the word, Ryder’s image would be polished, and he would officially join the ongoing competition without anyone raising an eyebrow.

However, Reana’s lips curled ever so slightly, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes. "Whatever you choose to do with the information is up to you, Mirian," she said, her voice dripping with nonchalance, as if she had not just ordered Mirian, a gossip monger to help Ryder with favorable PR.

"Yes, Luna," Mirian replied, her voice laced with reluctance. She could already envision the writing on the wall: the Luna had made up her mind to choose Ryder as her mate.

The thought left a bitter taste in Mirian’s mouth. She bit her lip, unreconciled to the fate that seemed to be unfolding. How could she possibly address Ryder as Alpha in the future?

Their strained relationship made it all too likely that Ryder, once he ascended to the alpha position, would undoubtedly pick on her.

...

As Mirian emerged from Reana’s chambers, she bumped into Ryder, who was leaning against the wall, one leg bent and arms crossed over his chest. A smug smile spread across his face as he taunted, "It seems the moon goddess doesn’t answer prayers, after all."

His eyes sparkled with amusement as he continued, "You were so energetic the other day, praying that my Luna shouldn’t look my way anymore." Ryder chuckled, pushing off the wall with a fluid motion, his smile never wavering.

"’I pray to the moon goddess that she doesn’t look your way ever again’," Ryder repeated, his voice dripping with mockery, recalling the words Mirian had spoken in the woods on their way to the human city. "That was your prayer, wasn’t it? It wasn’t answered, or was it?" he arched a brow.

Mirian glared at him, her face contorted into a scowl, her eyes blazing with indignation and anger as she snapped, "Shut up, Ryder!"

However, Ryder didn’t seem offended, instead he laughed harder, totally enjoying the disappointment she must be feeling for her moon goddess.

Ryder had always thought the moon goddess favored Mirian, but after witnessing the depth of affection she shared with Detroit, an unbeliever in the goddess, Ryder was overcome with amusement.

The absurdity of it all was too rich to ignore. How could the moon goddess pair her devoted follower with someone who didn’t even believe in her benevolence? And to think that there were two unbelievers - Detroit and Marcus - who had fallen for the same woman.

He pointed at the feather and bone adorning her hair, a sly smile spreading across his lips. "Do you know what that means?" he asked, his tone dripping with amusement.

Mirian’s hands instinctively reached for the lock of hair with the adornment Detroit had tied, her heart racing with a mix of fear and anxiety. "What is it to you?" she shot back, trying to sound defiant despite the growing unease.

Ryder, however, was not one to be deterred. He leaned in, his voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. "It means you’ve been claimed," he said, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Every Dark Snow Pack member or those who knows the pack’s tradition, who sees that would know you belong to one of them..."

Mirian’s eyes widened as the implications of Ryder’s words sank in. Her mind racing. There was no way that no one in their Black Moon Pack wouldn’t know the Dark Snow Pack’s tradition. If they saw it, they’d know at once that she’d taken a liking to an unbeliever.

Her hands shook as she fumbled with the feather, trying to tear it off her hair, but Ryder’s next words stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Taking it off would mean you’ve rejected him. And he’d feel it wherever he is. A rejection to the members of the Dark Snow Pack means something different from what you think it means."

Ryder continued, his voice low and menacing. "It’s a challenge, Mirian. A declaration of war. And I’m sure Detroit wouldn’t appreciate having a target on his back because of your rejection." Ryder’s eyes seemed to bore into Mirian’s soul, his gaze piercing and unyielding. "So, I’ll ask you again: are you sure you want to take it off?"