Taken For The Alpha ✔️ - 35 - Wattpad

Taken For The Alpha ✔️

by Midika

YOU ARE READING

Taken For The Alpha ✔️

Werewolf

*18+ read at your discretion!* My hands tremble by my sides. "Don't sleep with her..." He steps toward me, his eyes dark. "Why not?" "Whatever you were planning to do to her tonight, do it to me instead," I whisper.

Ayah has always been unremarkable in every way other than in the power she wields. Since she was little she has been able to heal even the most fatal of wounds. Because of this, her father has locked her away, keeping her powers safe from the outside world. That is, until a man appears below her balcony, giving her a glimpse into the freedom she could finally have. However, the moment she starts to trust him, he takes her captive, revealing his identity to be a powerful Alpha who needs her to heal his younger sister. But when the girl's illness becomes impossible for Ayah to heal, she is dragged on a journey beside the Alpha to find an amplifier. On the way, she learns their connection goes deeper than their heated attraction, to a soul bond neither can deny.

Main Content

A knock on my bedroom door thumps in tandem with the pounding in my head.

I groan, rolling onto my side. A thick, hazy feeling is wrapped around my entire body, but especially my head. A dull, aching thwack persists against my temples, worsening as I force my eyes open.

The knock returns, more insistent this time.

"Mmm...who is it?" I question blearily.

I look down at the floor. Golden smudges of sunlight creep across the rug, pressing into my sensitive eyes.

"It's me, Ayah." The voice sounds muffled beyond the door, but it's unmistakable.

He opens the door, peering inside. I force myself to sit up, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands as I attempt to regain functionality.

"Oh Riley, hey." I stifle my yawn against my palm. "What time is it?"

He's wearing his usual guard uniform, his brown hair slicked back. He wears his concern on his face, like I walked on the precipice of death.

"Late afternoon. You've slept all day." He sets down a tray of tea on my bedside table. "Our Alpha had a maid bring this to you, but I intercepted her. I wanted to see you."

I scowl. "Who's our Alpha?" People need to stop saying that to me.

He blinks. "Huh?"

I sigh, leaning over to grab my tea. It's dark green, like the pain-relieving tea my father would give me whenever I got a headache. This must be the same.

"How did I get home last night?" I ask. The night is a little blurry after I began dancing with Zaon.

He shakes off his confusion, seating himself down on the bed.

"I escorted you. Well, I half carried you after you threw up outside the palace and nearly fainted." He shudders at the memory.

"Oh no. I'm so sorry." I cringe, taking a sip of the tea. It tastes bland and earthy.

I appreciate Riley's commitment to getting me in bed, but I'm mortified. It's hard enough thinking about what I did last night while I was drunk...although from what I can remember, there isn't much that happened that I didn't want to.

Even if the prospect of Zaon knowing how attracted I am to him makes me feel ill.

Riley smiles softly. "Don't be. You were probably the least messy person attending that celebration."

"I was drugged. By Raven." I shoot him a look over the rim of the teacup. "Don't ask."

How she pulled that off, I'm not sure. I'm beginning to wonder if she's paying off one of Zaon's guards. It would allow her to make moves against me without risk of being caught.

"At least you seemed to be having fun." Riley's smile dims a little. How much was he watching?

After setting my tea down, I begin massaging my temples. "My memories are foggy, I'm not going to lie. I wasn't myself."

His eyes drift from my face, focusing on the side of my neck.

"Seems you got quite close to Zaon." He reaches out to brush my hair off my shoulder, his gaze hardening.

I instinctively raise my hand to touch where he is looking. "What is it?"

"There's a mark on your neck." His expression twists, and he leans back. He's disgusted.

My eyes widen. "A mark?"

"Not like a mark mark," he assures me hastily. "It's more like a graze of teeth, maybe."

I blow out a breath, almost sick from relief. I wouldn't think Zaon would mark me while I was drunk, but the confirmation is nice.

"How embarrassing," I exclaim sheepishly, wondering if I should just shove my head under the covers.

I remember being so caught up in him. I wanted him so badly it physically hurt when he denied me. Now, I know some of the feelings came from the drug that likely lowered my inhibitions.

But another part of me knows how much my own, true feelings came into play last night.

"You're allowed to have fun, you know. I know that you don't see this as your pack, but it doesn't mean you have to run away from any experiences associated with it," Riley assures me, trying to force his usual warmth back into his smile, but his attempt falls flat.

Is he upset at me? Is he...jealous?

I like Riley. I think he's a good person and a great friend. But that is all. I don't look at him and feel an overwhelming, passionate urge to claim him as I do with...

No, I can't think about him like that. Nothing can ever transpire between Zaon and me.

"The problem is, these experiences get me into trouble." I rub the back of my neck, which is damp from a fitful sleep.

Riley winks. "I'll keep an eye on you next time, don't worry."

"Thanks Riley. You and Blake seem to be the only ones who look out for me here." I wish I had listened to Blake, Slate, and even Zaon's warning about the night, and what would occur after midnight.

Then I could have saved myself the embarrassment.

"Of course. I just hope you know it's not because I owe you or anything." He leans over to pick up the tea from the bedside table, putting it back into my hands. I take another sip, already feeling the ache in my temples begin to subside.

"It's not?"

Riley shifts closer, a vulnerable tilt to his mouth as he catches my gaze. His openness immediately makes me balk.

"I actually just like being around you—"

"Oh yeah?"

Riley and I simultaneously startle, looking toward the doorway where Zaon stands, watching us.

My heart stumbles into my throat. He looks wondrously refreshed and rejuvenated in his light green shirt and hair damp from bathing, despite the late hour he would have slept. He clearly wasn't intoxicated like I was.

"Zaon...why are you here?" I ask warily, glancing between him and Riley, who has stiffened next to me.

"I've been checking on you all day." His voice softens a touch. "I'm glad you're finally awake."

I stifle a yawn. "I'm not dead, don't worry."

Now that he's established I'm awake and well, Zaon's attention shifts to Riley. The guard can't help but look guilty, staring down at his hands on his lap. He's done nothing wrong but tend to me, but the look on Zaon's face suggests otherwise.

"Guard. Why are you in Ayah's room?"

He rises to his feet to address his Alpha. "Just...talking."

I wince for him. He's making this seem so much worse than it is. It's almost like he wants to be punished.

"He's my friend, Zaon. He's allowed to talk to me," I cut in, giving him a sharp look.

As far as I'm aware, the only threat to my safety is coming from my father, who would never have access to any part of this estate. There is no risk to having Riley in my room as often as I may like.

"Perhaps you should return to your post." Zaon gestures to the door.

"Yes sir."

Riley doesn't so much as glance at me again, making a dash for the door. He weaves around Zaon before disappearing.

I sigh. "That was a dick move."

"He has a job to do, and it's not seducing you." He ventures further into the room, briefly examining how much of the tea I've drunk with a quick glance before focusing on me again.

"Seducing me? He's my friend." I'm not physically attracted to Riley in the slightest. He's one of my only friends, and I'm not going to let Zaon ruin that.

He pauses, dragging his gaze over me, still bundled up beneath blankets. I suddenly feel self-conscious being in such a vulnerable state, being seen so hungover and miserable by him.

"You precious, naïve female," he murmurs. There's something in the way that he angles his head that he's amused by me.

"I'm not precious," I grumble, yanking the blankets up higher. "What do you even want?"

He rubs his forehead, easing down to sit on the edge of the bed. I sidle away from him, not wanting any part of us to touch. It makes concentrating so much more difficult.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. Raven confirmed she drugged you." His attention drifts down to the dark shadows clinging to the bottom of my eyes.

I eye him warily. "Why?"

"She wanted you to sleep with someone at the party. She wants to piss me off." His entire body is tense as he speaks. Even his hands look prepared to ring his wife's neck if necessary.

"And why might she believe me sleeping with someone would piss you off?"

His eyes grow dark, wary. We hold each other's stares for a long moment, so much passing between us without much being said.

"You know why," he murmurs.

Is he implying he cares about me, or just that he is attracted to me? He's always so careful about how he expresses his feelings about me, making them impossible to decipher.

"Do I? I am naïve, after all," I challenge.

"She sees there is attraction between us. She wants to confirm it, so she can torment you even more than she currently is." His eyes simmer with anger as he watches me take another sip of my tea.

"Just divorce her already."

He exhales, shaking his head. "Trust me, I'm working on it."

I study him. His issues with Raven aren't my problem. I won't be used as a way to hurt him. Not when I'm essentially a prisoner here, being kept until I can prove my worth.

"Whatever. I feel fine, so you can go now." I wave my hand at him, feeling my headache gathering force between my temples from his presence.

"Actually, you need to pack. We are going on a trip."

I sit up. "What? Are you serious?"

"We're going further this time. It's a few days' journey to the very edges of another Alpha's pack," he explains, his expression stuck between a smile and a grimace.

A trip alone with him again? Last time we were alone together on a trip, it devolved into...I can't even think about it. It's dangerous when I do. All I can be certain about is that whatever is about to happen, it's going to be complicated and impossible to undo.

"I'm assuming this is amplifier related?"

"We're looking for a rare plant that grows in a very specific place. Supposedly it contains magical properties and may work as an amplifier," he says uneasily. I don't think he's allowing himself to believe that it will work, that it could be what we need to finally heal Iris.

And to ensure my freedom.

"We're going off a maybe?" I pull my legs up to my chest.

"Got any better ideas?" He raises his brows. "Or are you interested in staying around here for longer?"

I paint on a faux smile. "I'll pack right away."

If Zaon is right about this amplifier, and I can heal Iris, then I'll have the freedom I've always wanted. That is, if Zaon is willing to let me go.

Am I ready to go into this world alone? Do I even know what I want out there?

I shake away the feeling twisting at my stomach. I've gotten attached to this place, to this room. I've even come to like Blake and Riley a lot. Leaving here feels so permanent, like a massive change.

I'll never see Zaon again...

He rises to his feet. "I hope you're ready for a lot of alone time together."

I scowl at him, although something dark and anticipatory squeezes in my stomach.

"Great...lucky me," I mumble, watching him leave the room.

🤍••🤍 Thank you everyone for continuing to read this story, your support means everything to me (:
If you want to read ahead, this story is 15 chapters ahead on INKITT (@midika) and is 5 chapters ahead on RADISH.