Page 58 of Ruled By The Alpha

“I lived in Rodni before.” She finally volunteered, sounding more than a little reluctant. “I’ve always been out here.”

“Mmm.” Riden nodded. Rodni was a small town about thirty miles to the south. It was considered a rural area before the war. So many people had fled to the safety of the bigger, protected cities during the fighting. He hadn’t given much thought to those left behind. “What about your family?”

“Killed in a shelling while they were trying to gather supplies.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Syra.”

“It happened to many people. I’m not special.”

Riden’s heart sank at the bitterness he heard in her voice. It was still a raw subject, and it made him wonder how recently it had happened. “How long ago did you lose them?”

“Three years in October.”

“Three years.” Riden whistled disbelief and shook his head. “You are a tough woman. Don’t know too many people who would have made it so long out here.”

“You don’t know many Omegas who would, you mean.”

He shrugged. “Don’t know too many people in general who could have, but you being Omega, well… That just makes it even more impressive a feat.”

“What about you? Why are you out here?” She redirected, the dull crack and thud of walnut hulls on the stone floor sounding behind him.

“Didn’t like how citizens who were equal before the war are being treated now. The officials decided I was a wave maker. Figured they didn’t need me causing an uprising, I guess.”

“That’s odd.”

He angled his head, glancing back at her over his shoulder. “What is?”

“The way you said it, I assume you mean Beta and Omega. It’s just odd an Alpha would get himself banished over not treating them fairly. There aren’t too many Alphas that cared even before the war.”

“Well, I’m not most Alphas.” He returned his attention to the beaver, tossing the inedible pieces he’d cleaned over the cliff to the mountain below. “Not that I can say that’s done me any good.”

“I’m glad you aren’t like most Alphas. Most Alphas are cruel and selfish. You aren’t.” Then, after a brief pause; “I’m glad we met.”

Riden smiled to himself at how certain she sounded in her declaration. He wondered what she thought about him. Now he knew. Tonight was definitely going to be a good night.

Chapter 4

Syra stared across the fire at Riden as he shredded the steaming beaver leg with those dangerous-looking canines of his. He was a predator, through and through. She wasn’t foolish enough to forget that, but she couldn’t help admiring him for what he was.

Her father had been an Alphaanda good man. She knew it was possible for Alphas to be both, but it had been a very long time since she’d met one she could trust. Riden seemed so genuine, though. Syra found it hard to believe he could fake being kind so convincingly, which only left one possibility.

Riden was one of the few good men.

She knew he was attracted to her. The natural chemistry they shared was hard to deny. But in the few weeks they’d spent together, not once had he tried to make an advance. Even when she could smell orseethe evidence of his appreciation for her Omega nature, the man hadn’t said a word about it or so much as touched her.

He made Syra feel like she was a person, not something to be objectified.

He made her feel safe.

Riden ripped off another chunk of meat, and a low rumble of pleasure ebbed up from his throat as he closed his eyes and chewed almost reverently. An answering trill of sensation skittered down Syra’s spine and hardened her nipples. She bit her lip and pinched her knees together more tightly, wrapping her arms around them and propping her chin on top.

That noise wasn’t for her, but as she neared her cycle, her body was hyperaware of everything Riden did, and ached forhis attention. She knew it was a risk to keep coming for dinner when she couldn’t be more than a week away now, but months of loneliness had eaten up her self-control. She enjoyed his company, and she was afraid she wouldn’t have it much longer. No Alpha, even a good one, could resist answering the call of an Omega’s body once they entered heat. Syra wouldn’t put him in that position. She didn’t want something neither of them could help to change his kindness toward her. Especially since the better she got to know him, the more she thought he’d feel ashamed if he took her during her cycle, when she’d beg for something she wasn’t sure she wanted.

That aside, the risk of a bonding was always a real and present danger. Syra could think of worse things than being bound to a man like Riden. But even if she wanted him, it might not stop him from regretting a life-altering decision made in the heat of the moment.

Living bonded to a man that regretted the tie was one of those worse things. Discovering he wasn’t as kind as he acted after the fact was another.

Either way, a bond could mean strength or weakness. If he were killed, she’d suffer his death whether she chose to or not. But feeling protected, being close to someone again, was a tempting prospect.

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