Filed to story: Wolf Crying Mate of the Alpha by Jazz Ford
‘Vanessa, we will discuss this another time. First, I need to see if Astrid is okay, he says as he walks over to me. My vision is blurry. My head hurts. I realise I must have bumped my head on the tree trunk. Ryker grabs my arms to pull me up. He asks, ‘Are you okay?”
‘I think I hit my head. Everything is spinning,’ I say, rubbing my head with one hand and leaning onto Ryker. Vanessa marches toward us.
‘Don’t you walk away from me, Ryker!’ She yells.
‘Go home, Vanessa! We will discuss this tomorrow! He yells back.
‘I lave you, Ryker! I know you love me too. We have already made the arrangements. I’m your mate and Luna! She yells.
Gasping at her words, I look up at Ryker:
‘Is this true, Ryker?’ I ask, praying that it isn’t. Ryker lets out a sigh.
‘Yes, it’s true, but-‘l slap Ryker across the face before he can finish his sentence.
‘You made me come here. You convinced me to give you a chance, and all along, you already had a mate and Luna?’ I yell.
Ryker has his hand on his cheek where I had slapped him.
‘Astrid, you don’t understand. I can explain all this. You are my true mate, my fated mate. Vanessa was just a chosen mate, it’s not the same! I didn’t want
‘Enough!’I say sternly. I look at Vanessa standing behind Ryker, smirking.
‘You can have him!’! yell, making her grin.
‘Astrid, please hear me out. You don’t understand!’ Ryker says as he tries to take my hand. I back away from him.
‘You know, I thought we had something special and magical until your whore arrived! I yell. Vanessa glares at my words.
Turning, I run toward the house. Ryker wants to chase after me, but Vanessa grabs his arm. I see Vanessa trying to hug
Ryker, but Ryker is yelling at her and pushing her off him.
I love you, Ryker!
‘The feeling isn’t mutual, he growls.
I shove the front door to the packhouse open. Everyone inside the packhouse rushes towards me and asks if I’m okay.
‘Why don’t you all ask Vanessa?’ I snap at them as I run upstairs and slam the door to my room closed. I curl up on the same couch I slept on the night before.
I finally receive some happiness only for someone else to come along and ruin everything. Why can’t I have some consistent happiness in my life for a change? Will lever know what it’s like to be loved, to feel special and wanted?
The following day, there is a knock on my locked door, and I ignore it.
‘Astrid, I know you’re there. Please unlock the door, Ryker pleads. I don’t want to hear his voice, so I lock myself in the bathroom, run a bath, and stay there for as long as possible.
I put on a pair of jeans and the most oversized hoodie I can find. It almost touches my knees. I pull the hood over my head. It makes me feel invisible like I’m able to hide from the world. It’s an enormous sense of comfort.
On the twelfth knock on my door, Ryker is livid and enlists Mia’s help.
‘It’s Mia, Astrid,’ she says through the door. As sweet and bubbly as she is, I still want to be left alone.
‘I brought you some lunch. I’ll leave it at the door, she explains.
The last thing I want to do is eat food. I feel sick to the stomach thinking about how close I have become with Ryker. He wants me, but I don’t understand why. I get that I’m his mate, but he had already arranged to be mates with Vanessa. Have I ever meant anything to him? Or has he been playing me and lying to me this whole time?
Exiting the bathroom via two gorgeous French doors, I sit on the balcony next to a large pot plant, hoping no one can see me. I keep hearing the odd door-knock for the rest of the day and continue to ignore it. Sometimes it’s Ryker knocking. Sometimes it’s other people. It hurts me every time to hear the pain and the regret in his voice when he speaks. Hayley knocks on the door when it’s dinnertime.
‘I brought you some dinner, Luna. I see your lunch is still here. Look, I know you’re upset, Astrid, and I understand why, but Ryker is so distressed we’re struggling to keep him calm. We could use your help to calm him down before he destroys the entire house.
Feeling a little guilty hearing that Ryker is tearing the place apart, I let out a heavy sigh, walked to the door, and unlocked it.
Hayley is holding a plate of food smiles at me.
‘Luna. Thank you.”
‘Thank you, Hayley. I’m not hungry. Can you show me where he is?’ Hayley nods.
I follow her downstairs, where Ryker is growling and throwing a chair across the living room. The room is a complete mess. I stand there with my arms crossed, unimpressed with the absolute mess he has made. Ryker sniffs the air and spins around to see me. He races over to me, relieved. I look away, not wanting to look at him.
‘Astrid! You’ve come out,’ he says, kneeling before me, clutching my hands. Everyone is watching us. Ryker has been crying. He looks up at me with big puppy dog eyes, it’s endearing, and I’m struggling to stay mad at him.
‘Astrid, I never wanted Vanessa to be my mate or Luna. I’m twenty-two. The elders told me they would have to choose a mate for me because I hadn’t found my fated mate yet,’ he explains.
‘Why didn’t you tell me that before?’ I ask.
I tried to, but you were upset and locked yourself in your room.’ He is looking down at the ground. I kneel on the floor, facing him.
I’m sorry. Had I known, I wouldn’t have locked myself in my room. I’m feeling guilty.
‘It’s okay. You’re out now. That’s all that matters.’ He smiles, holding my face and patting my cheeks with his thumbs.
‘I spoke to Vanessa and told her the agreement was off. I never agreed to any of it. The elders put it all in place, even though I was against it. I know she has always had a crush on me, but I felt nothing for her, he explains.
‘Vanessa will adjust to it in time,’ Hayley reassures me. I nod at Hayley
‘How’s your head?’ He asks, both of us standing up.
‘My head feels fine now, I say.
Join us for dinner, Ryker says.
I’m exhausted. I’d rather sleep for the night, I say.
“You haven’t eaten all day, though. Eat, and then you can go to bed,’ he says. I nod, and we sit at the table where Alice has placed assorted platters of food from which we can serve ourselves.
Sitting down at the table, Vanessa walks in, smiling. She sits down at the table and scoops food onto an empty plate. My fork hasn’t even reached my mouth yet. I freeze with her presence, and everyone feels awkward.
‘What is she doing here, eating dinner with us?’ I ask Ryker.
‘Don’t you know? I live in this packhouse too, Vanessa says, with a sour look. My fork drops from my hand at her words and clutters noisily down onto my plate.
‘You have got to be kidding me,’ I say.
‘When the elders arranged for her to be Luna, they expected her to live here, Ryker explains.