MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA
Chapter 208

Chapter 208: Chapter 208

He paused, his body stilled as if the words had struck him, somehow deeper than he’d expected. For a moment, the room was thick with tension.

Astra stood there, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths, waiting for a response that might never come. His mask, still clutched in his hand, glinted in the dim light like a weapon ready to strike.

He turned his head slowly, his sharp gaze cutting through the shadows. The air grew colder, heavier. His voice was low, dangerously calm when he spoke.

"I don’t need a name."

Astra froze, her heart skipping a beat at the finality in his words. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice fragile, uncertain. "Everyone has a name."

He let out a soft, hollow laugh, his eyes gleaming with something dark and unreadable. "Not everyone is meant to be defined by one." His grip tightened on the mask, the golden edges creaking under the pressure. "Names are for those who still cling to the illusion of identity. I have no use for one."

Astra took a step back, a mixture of confusion and fear churning inside her. She had heard of beings who lived beyond the usual laws of the world—ones who refused to be shackled by something as trivial as a name. But this? This felt different. This man or whatever he truly was, wasn’t like anyone she had encountered.

"No name," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "What are you, then?"

His lips curled into a faint sadistic smile, but there was no warmth in it. "I am... what I am. A force, an idea, a shadow." He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming her. "Call me whatever you wish. It will not change what I am."

Her pulse quickened, and her instincts screamed at her to leave, to run, but her body remained frozen, held captive by the sheer intensity of his words and the weight of his unspoken truth.

"You... are a monster," she whispered, her voice barely audible, but it didn’t sound like an accusation. It felt like an acknowledgment.

His smile widened, more feral this time. "Perhaps," he said, his voice low and predatory. "But I’m the only monster who can offer you what you crave. What you need."

She swallowed hard, the words stirring something deep inside her, something she had been running from for far too long.

"No name," she repeated, almost in disbelief. "Why did you break up with me? I could still be of use to you." She quickly continued, "It doesn’t matter if you have a mate. I– I can be your mistress."

He tilted his head slightly, considering her for a moment. "You misunderstand," he said softly, as if explaining a simple truth. "I don’t need anything from you, Astra. I already have what I need. You are... simply for my amusement. A test subject I presume."

The finality in his words struck her like a blow, and the unease that had been gnawing at her intensified. A test subject? She didn’t know if he was talking about the wars between packs, or something far darker, far more personal.

Before she could say anything more, his eyes narrowed, and he stepped toward her again, his gaze burning with intensity.

"But you’re wrong about one thing, Astra. I do have a name."

Astra blinked, confusion flooding her thoughts. "Then... what is it?" she asked before she could stop herself, her voice tight with uncertainty.

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he gripped her shoulders, and leaned forward, his breath just a whisper against her ear. "If I tell you, you’ll die." He pulled back slightly.

Her face was pale now, lips trembling.

"Do you still want to know?"

Her head moved since her mouth couldn’t. She shook her head slightly. She didn’t want to know his name. She didn’t want to die.

And with that, he walked away.

Astra stood there, breathless and trembling, caught between fear and an emotion she couldn’t quite name.

...

Late into the night...

The couple just returned from taking a night walk, thinking it would calm Reana’s heat.

The heat had returned.

She even took a bath in a cold pond in the woods, still, here they were...

The fire crackled low, casting golden shadows across the stone walls. Wind howled faintly through the slit windows, whispering warnings through the ironwood trees. But inside the Stonefang Quarters, it was warm... and dangerous in a different way.

Reana lay half-reclined on the mound of furs, her back pressed to Ryder’s chest. His arms encircled her waist, one palm resting lazily just under the swell of her breast, the other tracing idle, teasing circles along her inner thigh—never quite touching where she wanted, always just close enough to make her ache.

"You know this place well," she murmured, her voice breathy as his fingers skimmed the inside seam of her pants.

"I should," Ryder said against the shell of her ear, his lips brushing her cold skin. "It used to be mine."

Reana shifted slightly, enough for her hand to slip back between them, her fingers finding his peckers through the fabric of his trousers. She stroked him gently, savoring the low growl he let out.

"This whole place?" she asked. Reana was sure that none of the Alphas or guards knew where that pond was –it was hidden in a cave, deep in the woods, yet, Ryder knew.

He kissed the crook of her neck, then smiled against it. "Centuries ago, yes. This was my stronghold whenever I visited the Mainland. Every Alpha came here to beg for my judgment, cry over their territory disputes, whine about rogue wolves stealing their mates. And monsters tearing them apart." His voice dropped lower, more dangerous. "It amused me for a while."

"And then?"

His palm cupped her breast lightly, his thumb grazing over the peak, making her moan and lean into him. "I got bored. Told them all to sort their mess out themselves."