Chapter 9

**Nerissa POV**


A few days have passed since I stormed out of the office, away from Alex. I don't know what hurt or infuriated me more. The fact that he listened to my request and now was avoiding me on every possible occasion, or that I couldn't get that kiss we shared off my mind, even if it was short-lasting?
Walking along the back trail, I carried the wood for the fireplace in the living room inside the pack house. I noticed warriors actively training further in the distance.
I could see warriors, males and females, training together. Both genders were equally impressive, but my eyes didn't stay in one place long as I searched for the one I didn't wish to see, or so I believed.
I watched as their trainer shouted at one pair of warriors, correcting what they were doing, but the movement of a familiar figure caught my attention. I watched Alex walk further ahead, heading towards the middle circle of the training field. Slowing down my movements, without even noticing that I was now standing on the path and looking at him, I saw when he approached the training circle. He set aside the towel and the water bottle he was carrying before approaching the trainer in the middle of the ring.
The trainer said something to Alex and he nodded his head. It was so interesting that in all the time I have been here, I’ve never once seen him express any emotion other than his usual anger and annoyance.
I found myself standing there trying to imagine how he would look if he smiled, with a truly honest smile on his face. My heartbeat quickened as the image of that smile played in my head. I let my imagination carry that image further and created the look I wished to see. The wrinkles softened his eyes as those full, kissable lips stretched wider, revealing his pearly-white teeth that contrasted perfectly with his sun-kissed tan.
Frowning, I shook my head to clear it of the image of that smiling dragon. The Alpha then noticed Vanessa walking faster towards the middle of the training circle with a huge smile plastered on her face. Once there, she stopped next to the trainer who spoke to both of them.
The two nodded their heads at whatever the trainer said as they walked, stopping outside the circle where two benches sat. They sat down and started to prepare for their training.
Alex took off his T-shirt, placing it down on the bench where his towel was with his water bottle. My eyes widened in surprise. This was the first time that I’d seen him shirtless, making my heart race in my chest as I took him in. He was fit and bulky in all the right places, with abs to die for. His tribal tattoo covered his left side, going from his chest, up over his shoulder, and then back down his left arm creating a sleeve.
As he moved, his muscles contracted, and I felt my mouth water and my breathing grew more irregular. Alex got up and went to stand inside the ring before crouching down, giving Vanessa the signal to start their training.
Vanessa was, for lack of a better term to describe it, half-naked. She had more skin showing than was covered. I felt a pang of jealousy when I saw her in tight shorts that showed off her long, tan legs and the outline of her ass. I couldn't help but wonder how her top was even holding her breasts as it looked two sizes too small on her.
Vanessa obliged Alexander's request and soon enough, I watched them start training together. My eyes followed their every movement, I could see where their hands, legs, and eyes were.
It was obvious that Vanessa was enjoying it but Alex was, as usual, too damn hard to read anything from. That was so irritating!
“If he sees you slacking on doing your chores, he will be mad and maybe even punish you,” I heard a male voice say right by my ear, startling me. I jumped at the sound of his voice and turned my head towards the sound only to find Ryder chuckling next to me making me glare at him.
“I am not scared of him, or you for that matter,” I told him, collecting the wood that fell from my hands when he scared me. It made a loud noise which brought everyone's attention to Ryder and I.
I could feel Alexander's eyes on me, but choose to ignore his glare as I slowly collected all of the firewood and was surprised to see Ryder holding a few pieces of his own.
Rearranging the wood in my arms, I tried to hold it all in place in one hand as I extended the other to take the pieces Ryder had grabbed, but surprisingly he started to walk towards the pack house. Realizing that I wasn’t following after him, he looked over his shoulder at me. “Aren’t you coming?”
Surprised, as I had never expected such help to come from him, I hurried after him. We continued to walk towards the house in silence. He opened the door for me, letting me pass him, and cautiously, I did as he silently instructed before walking towards the fireplace to place the wood next to it. I watched as he did the same before he stood upright to face me.
Looking at him, I quickly said my thanks before I started to move away from him, not giving him a chance to answer me so I could continue on with my duties. I was shocked when his hand stopped me, a strong hold on my arm, making me turn around to look at him with both brows raised.
Exhaling deeply, he did the one thing I did not expect of him to ever do. “I am sorry.”
Blinking at him a few times, not really sure I heard him correctly, I looked at him in confusion, an unspoken question plain as day on my face, I was sure.
Still holding my arm, he looked me in the eyes as he continued, “I know you don’t trust me and I don’t blame you, but if I didn’t bring you here, you would have been dead by now.”
I narrowed my eyes at his words as I snatched my arm from his hold. “Is this living? How is this any better than being dead? You don’t know me nor do you know what I am capable of, Ryder, so no, I don’t think I will accept your apology, or forget what you did."
Standing back up to my full height, I was about to pull my arm out of his grasp and move away when the front door opened and Reynard appeared on the doorstep. His eyes went immediately towards Ryder and me before falling to his arm on mine. I pulled out of Ryder’s hold immediately as I watched Reynard slowly moving towards us, not stopping until he was standing in between Ryder and I.
“Is everything okay here?” Reynard asked. He didn’t look at Ryder, his eyes were fixed on me.
Ryder looked at him, confused for a second, then rolled his eyes and looked at me as well, all the while staying silent.
Looking at each of them, I continued to stand tall. “Yes, everything is just fine. Ryder was kind enough to help me carry some wood for the fireplace, that is all. Now, if you will both excuse me,” I said, starting to make my way to the kitchen to help Emily prepare for lunch.
Entering the kitchen, I saw Emily take out a pot from the cabinet and place it on the stove. I made my way towards her to help her so that, together, we could start preparing food for the pack.
”You don't seem like you are in a good mood,” Emily commented, likely noticing I was unusually quieter than normal.
”I am not,” I answered, trying not to think back to my last conversation with Ryder.
“What happened?” she asked me. I took a deep breath, knowing she wouldn’t stop asking me until I finally told her what happened.
“Ryder apologized,” I said shortly.
Upon hearing my words, Emily gasped, and the spoon she was holding fell to the floor. She picked it up and placed it in the sink before turning around to look at me, her eyes wide. “Apologized for what?”
“He thinks if he says he says sorry for bringing us here it will make up for all that happened, but he is wrong,” I stated as I continued on with my chores.
“He is sorry that he brought us here?” Emily’s voice sounded bewildered as she kept staring at me.
“That's what he said,” I replied, moving to the stove to start cooking.
Footsteps sounded from the doorway as Ryder walked inside, stopping to look at Emily and I for a moment until he came closer to the kitchen island.
“Yes, I apologized for how the situation happened, but as I tried to explain to Nerissa, if it was different, you two might not be alive today,” Ryder said, making me snort while I refused to look at him.
He exhaled before speaking, “Look, Nerissa, I know I am not in your good books, and well, since you both are living here now, how about we all start fresh? Maybe in time, we will even grow to become friends?"
Emily and I both looked at each other as he silently waited for us to say something.
”We are being held here against our will… as mere servants. Why would you wish to have any connection with us?” I asked him, observing him with skepticism.
“I am not a bad guy, and I admire you both as you’ve shown how strong you are. I know it’s not easy living here with so many people looking at you with menace in their eyes, and treating you as if you are worthless, but enough is enough. All I ever did was follow what my Alpha ordered, but I never looked at you two as servants. I might have come across as crude, yet, I am well aware that not many would have been strong or brave enough to go through as much as you two have. Also, about the way my pack treats you, I want to put an end to it, so what better way than having a Beta by your side to start?” As he finished the last part, he gave us a small, friendly smile and I could tell he was being sincere, only I didn’t understand why the change all of a sudden.
“We will see,” I replied as Emily smirked, making Ryder look at her, and her cheeks flushed red.