(Six years earlier )
He was breathing very hard. I turned around so fast that I almost lost my balance.
"What?"
"I said" he took a deeper breath "I'm in love with you"
I was frozen but only for a moment. I got over it quickly. "You are?"
"Yes" He nodded.
"Ryder" I simply couldn't believe it. My mouth hung open, I didn't even know I was shivering until he picked up the shirt on the bed and walked over to cover me with it. But in-between reaching me and placing the shirt on me, he kinda didn't move away instead he wrapped his arms around me. I realized he was shivering too.
"I have been in love with you since I was six years old…even before I knew what love meant"
I pulled away from him. "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.
"Because what I feel…what Greg wants…what every goddamn person on this planet wants is inconsequential. It doesn't matter. All that matters is you, Kai!" He was close to tears.
"Ryder…"
"I love you but you are not anyone's property…you are not an object….you are not…" he let out a breath. "So, screw me and screw Greg…you are going to lose your virginity to someone you love and I swear on my life that as soon as I am able to, I will find a way to set you free, okay? Sorry, I'm so helpless right now"
I smiled. I felt my heart do a little dance. I came closer and I hugged him.
"I'm not your property but I do want to be yours, Ryder. Because I love you too"
"You do?" He sounded surprised.
"I do" I nodded vigorously. "I really-"
He took the words out of my mouth with a kiss. It was the happiest day of my life.
***
(Now)
I slept like a baby on my little lumpy pillows and servant size bed dreaming about six years ago. It was the first time in days I have had a good night's rest. I could say it was because I had no fight left in me or maybe because my plan to be something other than the childless Mrs Steele was off to a bumpy start.
Then I felt someone's touch on my forearm, gentle and soft like it was caressing me more than it was shaking me. I recognized the touch.
Of course, I did. I can tell the feel of his hand with my eyes closed.
"Ryder" I murmured and opened my eyes.
"I am sorry, Alpha Michael has requested for you, ma'am. Malia was supposed to fetch you but I had to see you for myself. You are like a real life celebrity right now"
"You are not Ryder" I murmured bluntly to the voice without turning.
For a second there, I thought yesterday was just a bad dream and the man I loved didn't just reject me in front of his pack and my parents didn't turn out to be backstabbing assholes.
"I am sorry, Mrs Steele, I didn't mean to startle you…"
I sat upright immediately.
"Who told you to call me that?" I asked turning around to look at her.
The girl wasn't Malia and unlike her, she was better dressed and her smile was genuine.
"I'm sorry but you are all over the news, madam…and the papers. Your father in law, Alpha Greg just gave an exclusive interview to the Lunar time network. His first exclusive interview ever and…. It's about you. It's fair to say you are the talk of all packs right now, Mrs Steele"
I looked at her as she talked. She was a pretty blonde haired girl with a slender figure and shoulders that looked like it hadn't experienced a day of difficulty in her life.
I could bet my life that no one had ever raised a hand on her or rejected her. I was the real Alpha's daughter but she was living the dream.
I knew who she was even before we were introduced.
She's the fake daughter everyone chose over me. She was the perfect Kaidaira Michael and Akira loved.
"I'm Kaidaira Knight. We have the same name but I go by Diara, so there won't be any confusion, Mrs Steele…"
I fought every urge not to grab her and yelled 'you are living my life you bloody fake!'
But then we started hearing voices from outside.
It was her parents talking about me and I moved closer and pressed my ear to the door.
"What are you doing?" Diara asked but I raised my finger and silenced her as I listened in on their conversation.
"Who will take a deviant like her if she's incapable of doing the bare minimum. She's sterile! You heard Alpha Greg on national TV!"
"So what are you saying Michael?" It was Akira's voice.
"I'm saying it just became extremely harder to pawn her off to some poor unsuspecting beta. I'm saying she's extremely useless to us. I'm saying who could love and accept a miscreant like her. I'm saying, let her be the pack whore, that way she's not entirely useless to me and my warriors will be in a good mood"
I felt a shudder run through me.
Pack whore?
My father said that.