Alpha Ryland

Chapter 2

A few days have passed since our failed marking attempt. We both agreed to meet at his house to do it so there are no interruptions. His house is a lot smaller than mine, since I am a part of the 10% of the richest people in our pack, but it is still cute. I always wondered if he only wanted to be my friend for my money, but that is ridiculous!

I'm sitting on his bed and watch him set his jacket next to the bed. He smiles a little lopsidedly and I laugh at him. He seems very nervous. Last time he was as confident as ever. I wonder why he is so jittery now? He scoots closer to me and pulls me close to him. I made sure to wear a strapless shirt with a jacket, so he had easy access to me and I could still cover up. He takes off my jacket and stares at me.

"Are you alright?" I ask him. I've never seen him like this before. I wonder if something is holding him back?

He nods, smiling at me. His hands find themselves on the back of my head and neck to pull me closer. "I'm just excited."
I push him away and watch him. Something is off with him and I need to figure it out. "Did something happen today?" I watch his movements for any sign of discomfort. He eventually sighs and looks down.

"I met up with someone today and got into an argument. Nothing too bad, so you don't have to worry." He admits and looks back at me, "But if you are worrying, you can make me feel better~" He gets closer to me again and I 'tsk' at his innuendos. I kiss him a few times and feel his left hand leave my body. I don't feel it back on me, which makes me wonder what he's doing. He moves down my neck and once more we are interrupted.

I sigh in disappointment while he looks nervous. His eyes dart around the room, looking for something. I hear footsteps come closer to us and wonder who it is. When I listen closer, it is not one pair of feet, but many. I stand up from the bed, ignoring the suspicious movements from Dylan. The door to the room slams open to reveal my father panting. He catches eyes with Dylan and yells, "Step away from my daughter!"

I take a few steps to my dad and put my hands up in defense. My birthday had passed, so I am an adult that can make my own decisions of when I mate. My father stomps forward and yells, "NO!" I turn around just in time to see Dylan fumble with some sort of small glass container and drop it. The liquid inside of it splashes onto the ground and my bare leg. Dylan gets up and panics at something but I ignore him, curious of what is on my leg.

My father rushes up to me and tries to wipe the liquid off of my leg with a cloth from his jacket pocket and his guys next to him cleans up the liquid and glass from the ground. "What's going on?" I ask to anyone who will respond. They all look so busy except for Dylan, who is very nervous.

My father stands up and places the soiled cloth in a plastic bag and seals it up, "Dylan is not your mate." He states loud and clear. Dylan quickly looks at me with a fearful face and makes me very confused. "One of my men witnessed him talking to his actual mate earlier today. I was informed about this when I was dealing with an issue of a missing vial in our facility. I put two and two together and linked him to the crime first. He is the only one who knows of our secrets in our company, so I came here right away, knowing what he could do with it."

Dylan runs out of his room and two men run after him. My father looks furious but continues to explain to me what was in the vial. "The vial he stole was our anti-mate serum. Whoever touches this will lose their mate bond with their soulmate. We created this for the initial purpose of un-mating people just before the death of their partners so the other person can stay alive and not die from the lack of their mate beside them. It is not intended for usage such as this."

I stare at him, "So Dylan isn't my mate and he lied to me all this time?" He nods his head yes and I start to feel light headed. "Why would he do this?" I ask more to myself. I can't believe I wasted months with a guy who only used me for God knows what reason. "I feel sick."

My dad supports my body from not collapsing. Everything was a lie with Dylan. He deliberately planned everything since the night of the party. "I feel sick too. Knowing that this happened to my own daughter infuriates me. Don't worry, we will find him and punish him." He tries to make me feel better with vengeance, but I shake my head. I don't even know what to think or do anymore. "Did you not know something was off about him? Your mate bond should have warned you."

I shake my head, "He told me that he felt the bond as soon as he turned eighteen. He was so sure about it too, dad. The second he was old enough, he said he felt it. I didn't and he told me that something was wrong with me. I kept it a secret thinking that I was an anomaly. He made me feel lucky that I was bonded to him and not some stranger who would judge me on this condition and wouldn't take advantage of me. I'm so stupid!" I yell.

My dad shakes his head and pulls me into a hug, "No, it is not your fault. Sure, you could have been smart about it and told us of your concerns, but it is entirely his fault for abusing his friendship with you."

I get out of the hug and remove a tear from my face. "So, I have an actual mate out there?" I ask him. He gets sadder from my question, "Had a mate. The serum in the vial had contact with you, removing your mate bond with whoever is out there looking for you. You may never find your actual mate at all."

My world starts to spin. Everything is a disaster. My body is under so much stress that I faint for the first time in my life. Luckily, my father is here to catch me just in time and take me home. I feel nothing once I'm out cold, a better feeling than what I will feel in the morning.