MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA
Chapter 204: Embarrassing Situation

Chapter 204: Embarrassing Situation

"I don’t like you," she said, even as her hands betrayed her—resting lightly on his chest.

"You keep saying that." His breath brushed her cheek, maddeningly soft. "Yet here you are... always reaching for me."

Reana made the mistake of glancing at his mouth.

And Ryder, wicked as sin, saw it.

With a slow, smug smile, he dipped his head lower, voice rough velvet. "Want me to kiss you?"

She didn’t answer.

So he kissed her.

Gently, at first—a whisper of contact. Then firmer. Deeper. Like he’d been starving for the rebellion on her lips, and now he was feasting.

And stars damn her, she kissed him back.

When they broke apart, her palm covered his mouth—trembling slightly.

"Stop your seduction," she whispered. "I need to know what kind of enemy we’re facing."

How the hell did they end up like this? The conversation had been about—

Ryder laughed lowly, the sound muffled against her hand.

"He’s dangerous. More than I guessed. Not just strength—but patience. Precision." He moved to the nearby tree, the one with the knife embedded in its trunk. With a sharp tug, he yanked it free.

The tree withered instantly, bark crumbling into rot and ash.

Reana flinched. "What...?"

"This," Ryder said softly, examining the blade, the blackened steel where it had pierced the wood, "is what nearly touched your body, Reana."

She stepped closer, eyes fixed on the weapon. "Could you have died from this?"

"No," he said. "He didn’t come to win. He came to test me. And to see if you... could be tempted."

Her eyes narrowed. "Tempted?"

"The bond," Ryder murmured, "is a chain. One tug... and some wolves break."

"But I didn’t."

"You didn’t," he agreed, searching her gaze as though anchoring himself to her truth. Then he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers. "Good," he whispered. "Because if he touches you, I won’t just kill him—I’ll burn his soul."

A shiver danced down her spine.

"Is that even possible?" she asked, voice low.

Ryder pulled back, and for a flicker of a moment—something ancient sparked in his eyes. Something not entirely... mortal.

"I’ve done worse."

Her lips curved, slow and dangerous. "Well... now I really want to hear your story."

"I’d be honored to share, Luna."

...

Three days later...

Reana and her warriors arrived at their destination just as the sun dipped beneath the horizon.

Before them stretched a vast land of untamed beauty—lush greenery blanketed the earth, and ancient woods stood tall and proud, their leaves whispering secrets to the cold evening breeze. It was breathtaking, serene... yet unmistakably solemn.

It was a place unclaimed, untouched by any one pack, yet sacred to them all. The air here was heavy—not with fog, but with history. Every breath seemed to carry the weight of ancient oaths and blood once spilled in the name of peace. No birds sang. No beasts dared roam. The land knew what it was: neutral... and deadly if disrespected.

In the center of this ghost-silent expanse rose the Alpha Council grounds, encircled by towering ironwood trees that had stood since the first wolves howled at the moon; black bark and blood-red leaves.

The buildings were just as formidable.

A massive circular hall stood at the heart of it all, built of dark stone and dragonsteel, forged in eras now lost. Each wall bore scars from past conflicts—claw marks, scorch burns, left unrepaired as reminders.

Around the hall were smaller structures: old barracks for guards, temporary shelters for entourages, and black obelisks with names etched in ancient writing, of those who died here, either in battle or in judgment.

Torches burned green-blue fire, an eternal flame kept by neutral keepers, who didn’t belong to any pack, but were bound to the Council by oath.

It was not a place for comfort.

It was a place for decisions. And consequences.

Reana jumped down from her horse, boots crunching on frostbitten grass. Her eyes lifted to the main council hall—ancient, imposing, and cold in every sense. A tremor passed through her, but she wasn’t sure if it was the chill in the air, the weight of where they stood, or the heat coursing through her.

She looked angry, and most importantly, her face was flush. Not from the cold, but from heat.

"Looks like a graveyard," she murmured. This place never ceased to amaze her. Her first time here, she actually got scared.

Ryder, beside her, didn’t look at the hall. His eyes fixed on her.

"It is, in many ways." His voice was low, unreadable. "Every Alpha who steps in there leaves something behind. Honor. Secrets. Sometimes, lives."

Reana glanced up at him and their eyes locked. "And you? Have you ever left something behind?"

He didn’t answer that. He was worried about her. "Your heat..."

Reana clenched her fist. She was fine until last night. She’d had sex thrice, yet, she was still craving more of it.

The surge of her heat was too strange and intense. Riding the horse had only made it worse. Every jolt, every shift of her hips in the saddle had fanned the ache instead of dulling it.

"I can manage," she said, her voice tight with restraint.

He arched a brow. "That’s not what your pheromones says."

Reana turned away, jaw tight. Her heat was supposed to taper off sex, but this... this felt unnatural. Too consuming. Her skin was overly sensitive, and the air itself felt like fire brushing against her.

She tightened her grip on the reins of her horse, wishing the tension would vanish as easily from her body as it did from the leather. But Ryder’s gaze lingered on her—sharp, curious, and far too knowing.

"Come with me," he snatched her wrist. But before he could take her away, a guard approached, wrapped in a thick wolfskin cloak.

"Luna Reana..." he froze mid-step, nostrils flaring as if catching her scent made his brain short-circuit. His throat bobbed but the fierce growl from Marcus and the other warriors baring their teeth at him from the side made him swallow in fear. "...Lodgings are ready. Your warriors will be lodged in the warriors shelter."

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