MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA

Lillian's eyes widened in shock, and she quickly retreated from the cell, her face burning with embarrassment. The guard grabbed her arm and pulled her away, whispering urgently, "Come on, we have to get you out of here, now!"

Lillian nodded, still in shock, and allowed the guard to lead her away from the scene, heartbroken.

Few cells away from Ryan's cell, the guard glared at the weeping Lillian, "Look here, the money I'm being paid is not enough to endure Luna's ire. Better leave now, because if we're caught, I won't hesitate to confess everything, including your little secret with Beta Ryan."

…

Reana's gaze remained fixed on the path ahead, her expression unreadable, as she walked beside Ryder. The evening air was filled with the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers. "Tell me, Ryder, what disease are you suffering from?" she asked, a hint of concern creeping into her tone.

Ryder, clad in a new servant uniform, cast a sideways glance at her, "Wolf rot."

"What?" Reana's brows furrowed in concern. "What's that?" she pressed, her tone laced with curiosity. She'd never heard of such an illness before, and her ignorance only added to her growing unease.

"It's a wolf sickness," Ryder explained, his gaze bore into Reana's side profile. "We don't know much about it, except that as we age, our power to shift slowly weakens. And when we do transform, it's... excruciatingly painful." He paused, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "And lastly, our senses - smell, hearing, vision - they all dull, making it harder to survive in our wolf form."

Reana turned her head, her eyes locking onto Ryder's, filled with concern. "How long have you been experiencing these symptoms?" she asked, her voice soft and gentle, as if trying not to startle him.

"Not long ago," he uttered, "It started a few years ago. At first, I thought it was just fatigue or stress, but... it's not."

Reana's heart swelled with compassion as she gazed at Ryder. His vulnerability tugged at her emotions, stirring an overwhelming urge to offer comfort. For a fleeting moment, a reckless thought crossed her mind: perhaps she should sacrifice another five years of her life to glimpse his fate, to know if he'd succumb to his mysterious –

As soon as the thought occurred to her, Reana dismissed it. She'd already spent thirty years of her life foreseeing futures in just three years. Despite the werewolves' exceptionally long lifespan, she couldn't afford to squander what was left. Moreover, her mental powers were still recovering.

Yet, Reana couldn't help herself. Despite knowing the dangers of performing a reading without sufficient mental powers, Reana's hand instinctively reached for Ryder's, her fingers brushing against his as she prepared to read his future.

She was all too aware of the perils that lay ahead. With her mental powers still depleted and not enough to walk her through his future, navigating Ryder's destiny would invite a severe backlash, threatening to strip her of even more years - perhaps decades - of her life. The risk was severe, yet her fingers intertwined his, as if bound by an unseen force. Reana steeled herself, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, surrendering to the unknown.

Ryder watched her quietly, his eyes never leaving her face. He knew what she was about to do. He knew she was pushing her luck, tempting fate, and risking her own well-being. Yet, he didn't stop her, and that was because–

Reana's eyes suddenly snapped open, her gaze locking onto Ryder's face with an unnerving intensity. Strange. She couldn't read his future. The visions that usually flooded her mind were absent, replaced by an eerie silence. It was as if Ryder's destiny was shrouded in an impenetrable mist, hiding the truth from her probing senses.

This had never happened before. The unsettling void where visions should have been left her reeling. Her master's last words, long buried in her memory, suddenly resurfaced; 'There is only one seer in every hundred years. You, Reana, can foresee every living being's future, unless they are either gifted or... a walking dead. But such people don't exist.'

Reana's gaze locked onto Ryder's, her heart pounding in her chest. Which one was he?

'Such people don't exist,' she was told, yet, she was staring at the face of an enigma, of a person her master claimed didn't exist. What was she to do? Stay away from him or hold him close? Reana's mind was a jumble of conflicting emotions, her instincts at war with her logic. She didn't know what to do.

"Reana?" Ryder's low, husky voice cut through her turmoil, his eyes searching hers.

"Huh?" She snapped out of her chaotic thoughts when he spoke her name again, his voice soft and gentle. Reana's gaze refocused on Ryder's face, her cheeks flushing slightly as she realized she'd been staring at him, lost in thought. "You were saying?"

"Are you alright?" He reached out to wipe the bead of sweat from her forehead, but Reana thought he was going to touch her face and jerked back, her heart racing.

Ryder's brows furrowed slightly, hand hovering in mid-air, "You seem tired. Perhaps you need some rest."

"I'm fine," she breathed, her voice taking an even colder tone. Reana hated uncertainties, hated swimming in dark waters. And Ryder's condition was the embodiment of uncertainty. She couldn't read his future, couldn't discern what lay ahead for him, for them.

It was as if he was a blank slate, a puzzle she couldn't solve. And that lack of control, that inability to predict what would happen next, was suffocating her.

Reana's eyes narrowed, her gaze flashing with a mixture of frustration and fear. She didn't know what to make of Ryder, didn't know how to react to him. And that uncertainty was eating away at her, threatening to consume her.

"Luna!" A warrior rushed over and bowed, fist cupped, "There's rogue attack!"

Reana's gaze snapped back into focus, her expression shifting from one of introspective turmoil to alertness. "Where?" she demanded, her voice crisp and authoritative.

The warrior straightened, his eyes locked onto hers. "The eastern border, Luna. Reports are coming in of rogues trying to breach the eastern border. And our warriors won't be able to hold on for long."

"Go get my horse," she commanded.

"Yes!" the warrior bowed and rushed off.

As she was about to leave, she halted and turned to Ryder, her eyes flashing with a fierce inner light. "It seems our conversation will have to wait," she said, her voice dripping with a quiet intensity. "I have the pack to protect." With that, she shifted and dashed off towards the eastern border, her sleek white wolf blurring as she vanished into the distance.

Ryder watched her go, his eyes narrowing. No one knew what was on his mind.

"Alpha–"

"Get the horses," Ryder cut Marcus off, not having the time to deal with him for making another blunder.