The Rogue Alpha’s Claim

“I can’t fault you for your feelings; as long as you do not try to demand anything from me, I guess it is okay.” Ariel shrugged, and the man smiled.

His mouth opened to say his reply, but the ringing from his phone interrupted them, and he glanced at the screen and grimaced. “I would have loved to continue this, but I will have to be on my way now. Let me know if you have any other issues that need solving, and I will send someone to you.”

And he was out of the room, his loud voice echoing throughout the hallway.

Ariel released a little sigh as he left the room. His cologne still filled the air, and a part of her brain had already flagged it as wrong.

It was the wrong scent.

Ariel looked around her living area, the room a visual pollution, but she was ignoring the various bags on the floor, hopping on any available space, and she made her way back to the bedroom, flipping on the bed.

She clutched her stomach as she felt the first onset of hunger, reminding her that she hadn’t had a proper meal since she left home.

No, that place couldn’t be called home.

But right now, her stomach worms were threatening to burrow their way out of her stomach if she didn’t feed them now.

Cooking was already out of the question; it would have to be fast food.

Luckily, UberEats works fine here, and in a few minutes she was tearing into her wings and fries, licking off the sauce in her hand.

She drank her water and laid on the bed, her hands reaching for the phone. She knew it was useless, but she still typed Alpha John in the search bar.

We hadn’t learned anything new about the case, and it was frustrating her to no end.

Expect the sketchy link that barely holds any information; there was nothing.

She scrolled back to her contact; Maddie was the only one on it, and her fingers hovered on the screen, wondering whether to call or not.

If there was anyone who knew about any Alpha John, there was a chance Maddie would know about him; after all, she had been in the lineup for alphas.

Surely, pack history was a compulsory course.

Without thinking, she tapped the screen, and her name popped up, but she was canceling it almost immediately, thankful it didn’t go through.

Ariel had remembered what Kane said about being wary of Maddie. She hated to listen to him, especially after what had happened, but he had thought so, he may have a reason.

Instead, she tried to set up her Apple ID; for some reason, she had forgotten her password, had no way to access her mail, and there was absolutely no way she could restore her account.

Or she couldn’t begin to think of a way.

Ariel held her phone in her hands, her hands tightening around it, and she imagined it was Kane. Would it be murder if she wrapped her hands around his neck and squeezed it hard until he was choking on his breath?

Gosh! She hated him.

He had used her, claiming he loved her, all the while he was touching her with blood-stained hands.

“I hate you! Fuck you, Kane, fuck you! I hate you so much!” Ariel screamed at no one in particular, but she needed something to direct her anger.

Her fingers balled into fists, and she squeezed them hard, cussing Kane from the depths of her heart.

“I hate you.” Her voice broke down, and a single tear trailed down her eyes.

Ariel sniffed, sniffing her runny nose, and she pulled herself up, walking towards the bathroom. She stood in front of the sink, her eyes colliding with the mirror, and she was almost recoiling as she saw her reflection.

She looked horrible.

And that was even painting it lightly.

Her eyes were red and puffy, and the skin around them was swollen from crying too much. Her skin was rather pale and clammy, and her cheeks were reddened, and it wasn’t because she was shy.

Gone was the natural glow she had once emitted, and her sharp and defined features were a thing of the past. In fact, she was a shadow of herself.

And it was all his fault.

She managed to drag herself into the shower, and she stood there as the cold water poured on her until she was satisfied that she was clean, and she stepped out of the bathroom, leaving little puddles of water in her wake.

She padded to the living room naked; the shopping bags were still lying on the floor, and she picked up one of them, rummaging through the items until she saw what she needed.

She got dressed in a white mini skirt and a brown sweater. She ran her hands through her hair several times, brushing it, and she ran a little lipstick on her lips, loving the instant pop of color.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, nodding at herself appreciatively.

She had managed not to look homeless, and maybe this could help her secure a job. There was no way she could get a high-paying job, seeing as her certificate wasn’t with her, and honestly, she didn’t want to use anything that Kane was involved with.

She could settle for a waitress or even a barista. She had been told several times that she makes a mean coffee, and the time had finally come for her to prove her worth.

She ran the lipstick on her lips again, the color a vibrant red that would no doubt draw attention, and she was marching out the door.

Thanks to science and technology, it wasn’t hard to locate the first bakery shop, and the owner was only too happy to hire her, but Ariel had heard the cost of her wages, and she was taking off.

“Thank you so much, ma’am. I wasn’t prepared to start today, but I will come by tomorrow if that is what I want.” She had said in a polite voice before she bolted out of the door.

She went further down the street, and this time it was a small-scale restaurant that was in need of a waiter, and while the job seemed like the perfect one, the pay wasn’t just that.

And on and on it continued, all of them eager to hire her for her beauty, but the pay wasn’t enough to sustain her.

Hell, what she earned per hour couldn’t even get her brand of body lotion.

She was too frustrated to think, and the only thing that would help her was shopping; only this time she had to get groceries and some other beauty supplies.

For the first time in her life, Ariel had to look at the prices of the things she was getting, even opting to go for a cheaper brand as she shopped.

She hadn’t realized how spoiled and sheltered she had been all her life up until this point, and the thought bothered her as she rolled her cart to the checkpoint.

“Your total is 367. 89. Card please.”

“I am sorry, I only have cash.” Ariel whispered to the woman, but she had already dismissed her from her mind; her gaze focused on the person next to her.

“We have a strict no-cash policy here; didn’t you read the sign?” She glared pointedly behind Ariel, and Ariel whipped her head in the direction she had pointed, and sure enough, no cash was written on it.

“I had no idea. I am actually new to this place, and I just wanted to get some supplies. Please just this time.” She would cry if she had to cry, but there was no way she was leaving without her groceries.

“I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do. Next person, please.”

“Please, I only have cash on me; I beg of you.” She was already blinking her lashes for her, willing the pity tears to come.

“I suggest you move away from the line, ma’am, so I can attend to other customers; otherwise, I would have the security drag you out.”

“Please, you have to help me, please.”Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

“Security!”

“Please.”

“Security!”

Ariel was ready to drop to her if that was what it took, but strong hands held her before she could attempt it.

“It is fine; you can add her bill to mine.”