Chapter 14: A Dicey Choice

Alpha Ryan stood ramrod straight at the entrance door of the Fall Ridge pack house. He hated everything about the house, especially it's alpha. It went beyond Zain snatching his fated luna from him years back. Ryan hated everything and everyone that reminded him of what a weakling he had been growing up.

When Alyssa appeared at the top of the spiral staircase, she was a vision in white and gold. She descended gracefully and took feline steps towards him with a handful of aides in tow.

As much as Ryan wanted to blame Zain for breaking betraying Nyla, he completely understood, from a man's standpoint, why the later fell for his current luna. Beauty. Prestige. Charm. Three things, in Ryan's books, that were enough to make an alpha deem a woman worthy to be his luna.

Alyssa's beauty preceded her the way Nyla's powers did. Alyssa was also from a reputable family who had their fingers on the pulse of the werewolf community politics. Zain, being a fucking half-blood with a cursed wolf would have been stupid to not keep such a gem by his side. Here was the woman who singlehanded fended off riots and impeachment attacks against her alpha just by being.

"Alpha Ryan." She spoke ever so softly, extending a well-manicured hand. She smelt of flowers, wild ones. Ryan didn't break eye contact as he kissed her knuckles sensually. Alyssa stifled a gasp.

"Luna Alyssa, always a pleasure."

"I can't say the same for obvious reasons. Your visits aren't just rare but also fraught with tension. Please tell me you aren't here to shoot up my alpha's blood pressure."

Ryan shot her a knee weakening Wesley smile and shrugged. "This isn't exactly my favorite pastime, Alyssa. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't urgent and important."

His eyebrows arched when Zain appeared atop the stairs. Seeing the alpha work the tension in his jaw at the sight of Ryan talking with Alyssa gave Ryan sterling pleasure.

To burst a vein in Zain's head, Ryan grabbed Alyssa's hand again and gave it another lingering kiss. "I don't know what you saw in him but I definitely know what he saw in you. If you'd excuse me luna, business calls."

Alyssa turned to find Zain coming up behind her. Both alphas shot each other burning looks without bothering to be subtle about it.

"What brings you here, Ryan?"

Ryan smirked. "Definitely not the décor but certainly a woman obviously." Intentionally, his eyes drifted towards Alyssa who blushed hard in the few seconds it stayed on her. Then Ryan turned back to Zain's annoyed face. "Nyla Stark!"

***

They were finally in Zain's private living room where he entertained guests and had closeted conversations he didn't want leaking out. The room had been fortified with spells to prevent other members of the pack from eavesdropping on the discussions that went on inside.

"Why would you come here looking for a dead woman?" Zain queried as he shuffled to an antique bar and poured himself a shot of bourbon without offering any to his guest. He lifted the crystal glass and cheered at Ryan who scoffed.

"A dead woman? Come on, Zain. If she were truly dead, you would have sent me back on my way." He scanned the room with his hands buried in his pocket. "You wouldn't have brought me in here to show off yet another terrible décor from last season."

"What would an alpha whose home has never been touched by the warmth of a luna know about aesthetics or interior décor? Alyssa's tastes are unmatched."

If Ryan was affected by the jibe, his only reaction was a half-smile. "Enough stalling. Nyla. Where is she?"

Zain gave up the pretense too. If he had sensed Nyla's heartbeat, it wasn't far-fetched that her fated mate would come to know too. Still, he had all the time in the world to poke fun at his least favorite alpha. He sipped his drink and sank down on his sofa.

"It amazes me how you're still stuck up on Nyla even after that crushing disappointment years back, Ryan. Do you think she'd accept you now that I am with Alyssa? Don't kid yourself. Nyla couldn't care less about your wealth. She'll never love you."

"You know, for an alpha whose death wall is running out of space, you seem pretty confident to throw jibes." Zain's pained look made him chuckle. "I don't give a fuck about Nyla's love. Look where it got her after all. I can have any woman I want. The luna academy throws their best candidates in my face every week. Even your luna goes goggle-eyed around me." Now Zain was up on his feet, his deep breathing a warning to his guest.

Ryan frisked a hand in his hair and sighed. "Unlike you, I am too focused on my business and finding ways to better our community than on anything else. I am in the middle of a groundbreaking discovery, as usual, and I need Nyla to finish things up. That's the only reason I am here." He tilted his head. "I'm guessing you're hiding her location because you want her to undo the curse on your wolf, right?"

Zain drained his glass. "You're very cheeky for an alpha who depends on the human government for protection. You oil the very system that seeks to eliminate our kind from history." Zain walked up to him. "You want to make fun of my death wall? Every fucking alpha of the south has one and none of it is pretty. It's not peculiar to my pack, Ryan. If you didn't sell your soul to those despicable humans and tried to protect your pack purely with your guts and abilities as given by the moon goddess, maybe then you'd realize we're at war."

He stabbed a finger towards the door. "That wall is NOT a death wall; it's a hall of fame for true werewolves who died defending their own and fulfilling their duties. They didn't delegate their protection to enemies by dangling a wad of cash. They fought the good fight to the end so don't you dare make snide remarks about my people!"

Ryan was unfazed. "You think I've been sitting on my hands and watching our kind die like flies? Have you forgotten who makes the potions and herbs that speedily cure ninety-percent of the diseases and injuries in our community? The cures for supernatural bites, wolfsbane, immunity enhancers. Who the fuck runs that shit around here? Don't you dare try to gaslight me into thinking I am not doing my part in saving the lives of our people simply because I pay for protection of my pack in the city."

Both men engaged in a minute long murderous stare contest, their chests heaving with breath.

"If we are both playing our parts the only way we know how," Zain resumed without blinking, "how about you shed the immature jibes and let's get down to business."

"WHERE IS NYLA!" Ryan pressed. "I know she isn't dead so cut the crap."

"I only just came to know that she's alive. Her sister sensed her. We are still looking for her. All I can tell you is that I don't think she's around these parts because we've looked across the community."

"You think she's in the human world?"

"Possible."

"Nyla could definitely pull that off." Ryan agreed and added in his head that she was smart to run as far as possible from the unfortunate alpha Zain. "Can I talk to Isla?"

"No. I've given you as much as I can. Use your spies in the city to get the job done. You're not interrogating any of my people." Zain got up. "Now it's your turn to do a favor. Why exactly do you need Nyla for your experiments? It's the first I've heard."

"That's classified, Zain. You'll need to ask another favor."

Zain didn't argue. "If you find her first, you let me know. Like you said, I need her too. Let's be mature about this, for the benefit of our people." He extended a hand in handshake. Ryan stared at it, contemplated, before shaking it.

On his way out, he found Zain's Gamma and beta just outside the door. They nodded to him before going in to attend to their alpha. Ryan took his sweet time going down the stairs, assessing the house. Alyssa was nowhere to be seen. The omegas were busy cleaning. Ryan singled out a man who was built for battles wiping off dust from a table.

"Rodney, right?" He asked, recognizing the best hunter of the pack. Rodney nodded. Ryan questioned Zain's leadership even more at the sight before him. Did Zain punish Rodney out of intimidation? Sensing the alpha watching from the first floor, an idea struck him.

"You have the markings of a true alpha, Rodney." He didn't mean it but it felt great to throw the hall, and especially Zain, into confusion before his glorious exit.

Zain's fingers tightened around the railing following Ryan's outburst which everyone heard.

"Cool it, Zain. He's only trying to mess with you." Ark said.

"How does he always know the right buttons to push? Argh, I hate him."

Their conversation was cut short when Alyssa appeared next to him.

"What did he want with Nyla?"

"Why? Didn't you ask him the whole time he was flirting with you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Can you blame me for blushing when I finally get the appreciation and regard I deserve from a man?" She ignored the searing look Zain shot her. "He asked after Nyla. He knows she's alive too? Does he want her back? Is that why he came here?"

Zain almost laughed at her desperate tone. "No one is taking Nyla away from this pack, Alyssa. The sooner you make peace with that fact, the better for you."

Alyssa's eyes stung at his harsh words. She was sick of being treated like a second fiddle. While Zain tried to leave, she folded her arms across her chest.

"I agree. You deserve to be with the love of your life. I in turn deserve to be with an alpha who appreciates my worth and doesn't constantly put me down."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Zain barked.

"That depends. You deem Nyla your savior and for that reason, you put me down every chance you get. You don't appreciate my place by your side but don't think for a moment that I have to stick by you. We can always go after who we want. Now, it's up to you, alpha Zain Priestley. You can either have me or Nyla but not both. Who is it going to be?"