Alecia sat on the bed as Ryder searched for a song on her laptop. His black long-sleeve Yankee t-shirt stretched across his skin, showing off the muscles underneath. Someday she would have to run her fingers over his powerful chest, touching his skin. Just the thought made her tingle all over. They had just returned from dinner and here he was alone in her room. She kicked her feet out in front of her. Ryder was a nice guy. He never did anything he shouldn’t. He clicked on one. ‘Justin Bieber's melodious voice filled the air, singing you are the only one I'll ever love. ''How romantic,” Ryder said as she stood and held out her hands for him. Ryder sang the words as his sensuous smile stretched across his face. His voice was smooth and held the pitch so well, and even though Alecia knew it was just a song, she still wondered how awesome it would be if Ryder meant the words he sang, if she was indeed the only one he'd ever love. “Dance with me.” He said. ''Okay.” She took his right hand as he placed the other on her back, sending strange little shocks through her. She stared deep into his eyes, connecting with him. Man, she was falling hard. He guided her hips with his as he moved about with a bounce in his step. The music ended and Katie stepped back, taking both of his hands. “You dance well.” "It’s not hard to dance with such a beautiful girl.” Her cheeks warmed. “Really.” “Yeah,” he said, biting on the side of his bottom lip. A new song began to play. ‘Ed Sheeran's perfect.’ “I love this song,” he said, bending to kiss her head. "I like it too.” A giggle rose in her as his lips moved to her cheek, his warm breath making her feel alive and wanted. This was intense. And dangerous. She took a step back, but he followed her, catching her lips with his. She kissed him back, letting it deepen while the music floated through her. This was her man. There was nothing wrong with giving him a little attention. Just not too much. She placed her hands on his chest, sliding her fingers to his shoulders as he pulled her close in a tight hold. Something changed. She couldn’t place a finger on it, but his kiss was more fierce, seeking her lips as if he wanted to devour them. “Ryder.” With one quick step he pushed her back against the wall of her room. His firm chest pressed against her. Her eyes pop open wide. His hand sought her hip, caressing it as it slipped under her shirt, touching the skin as every part of her stiffened, but pleased at the same time. His tongue slipped in between her lips. Her blood raced through her, making her tremble as she rushed to meet his kiss. Her mother never told how a kiss could make one feel so powerful, and cherished as two connected. His fingers trailed up her body. No. She grabbed his hand and pulled it back to her hip, holding it still. His lips crashed back onto hers, grasping. His hand broke free. He rushed it to where he wanted, squeezing. Something cold swept through her. He hadn’t listened to her. He’d promised he would. She moved her head, but his lips raced down her neck. “Stop, Ryder.” She shoved on his chest. He stumbled back, his eyes dark, with a slight glare. She fell back against the wall. Her breasts rose and fell with each deep breath as her arms flew to cover her breasts. What was he thinking? He knew her rules, but yet, she had responded to his kisses, his passion. Had she led him on? Dear heavens, she had. But every part of her wanted those kisses, and the sweet pleasure they produced. “I’m sorry,” she said. He waved her off and sat on the bed as he pushed his lips into a thin line. Helen had said he would dump her if she didn’t sleep with him. Was he thinking that now? But Helen was a liar. However, he might if he thought she’d led him on. Never again, would she let him get this far, if she wasn’t going to let him have her. "Want to look at some pictures?” “No.” His voice sounded cold and harsh. Ryder stared out into the distance, taking slow deep breaths. Alecia shut off the music and sat by him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He was as stiff as she felt. Ryder wrapped an arm around her shoulders and leaned back on the bed. She laid her head on his chest. Curfew was approaching, but she wouldn’t ask him to leave. * * * * Ryder walked in the door, and stopped. Lucas lay on the couch with the blonde on top of him. They were dressed, but they were definitely on their way to something else. Man, he wanted the physical relief Lucas was about to receive. But not with just anyone. Only with Alecia. Her eyes were so shaky tonight. He had crossed the line touching her chest. He should have stopped when she’d first grabbed his hand, but he had felt such a fierce passion for her that it pained him. He wanted to pull that girl inside of him and make love to her waif of a body all night. At least she didn’t force him to leave. “You okay, Ryder?” Lucas said. Ryder nodded and walked to his room with Lucas following behind him. Ryder went to his bathroom and grabbed the syringe and the small bottle of hard drugs. He needed something – his body was getting jittery. He tied the rope around his arm. Lucas stopped at the entrance of the bathroom door. His cheeks were flushed. Lucky him. He didn’t have an Alecia in his life. He should dump her, and be done with this. “Alecia upset you?” Ryder held up the bottle and inserted the needle into it. “She won’t even let me touch her.” A smile crossed Lucas' face. “Force her. She will.” Ryder shook his head. “She’d dump me.” "And you shouldn’t care. She’s just a girl.” His pulse quickened. “Leave!” "Ryder!” “Leave!” Ryder jumped to his feet and threw the bottle at the wall. It broke into pieces. “Man, chill out,” Lucas said, walking out of the room. Ryder sat back down and injected the drug into his arm. Lucas was right. He should force it. She might just give in. But if she didn’t, could he walk away? He shook his head. He wouldn’t be able to. Alecia opened her eyes and pulled the sheets down from her face. She looked around her small dorm room, noticing the wooden desk and her roommate’s bed covered in black camouflage. He had left, although she had clenched his hand all night. She got up and ran to her phone. There she found a note. Picking it up, she read, “Sweet Dreams.” Alecia crumpled the note, sat at her desk, and bit onto her nails. Was he angry with her? What if he was? In the month that they had been dating, her every thought had become focused on him. Every second, she longed to be with him, and he seemed to really want to be with her. But last night, his eyes had contained such an anger. Anger that she had forbidden the smallest access to her body after letting him kiss her so deeply. On her laptop, she typed: should I let Ryder touch me? She stared at the screen, analyzing the words. He was so good to her. She typed in the word yes, although as she did something in her churned. She couldn’t do it. It would be going against everything she had been taught, everything she held dear. She closed her eyes as a few tears slipped from them. But Ryder was so dear to her. It would be devastating if he walked away. Beside how much more different could a little touching be than kissing. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She had never felt for someone the way she did for the Alpha. Just a little couldn’t hurt. Nothing more. She picked up her phone to call Ryder. But he was studying all day with Lucas. She had forgotten about that. She would call him later. Alecia opened her history book and tried to concentrate. She rubbed her temples. World war II was not that interesting. She leaned back in her chair, pushing a stray curl from her face. Her essay on the crumble of the league of nations was written, and she had finished studying the agreement between Churchill and Roosevelt. But Ryder hadn’t called. She looked at the clock, reading it was five. Why hadn’t he called? He’d said he would. She picked up her phone, clenching it in her hands. She needed to call him - just to reconnect. But she needed to have a good reason, or she would sound desperate. Her sister had sold an art painting recently to a tea shop. Yes, it happened two weeks ago, and she hadn’t mentioned it, but Ryder wouldn’t know. Ryder put in the key to his apartment. Was Alecia still angry? He had half expected her to call during the study session, but he hadn’t heard one peep from the girl. He needed to control his drive. All day he had thought about the fear in her innocent blue eyes, not being able to shake it. The Alpha walked into his apartment and flipped on the lights, taking a step back. Standing in the middle of the living room was a tall woman with dyed curly blonde hair that fell to the middle of her back. She wore a black sleek dress that clung to her body and stopped in the middle of her tan thighs. In her hand she held a set of keys. “Lucas said you’ve been lonely.” "Yeah,” he said as a slight smile crossed his face. He took his jacket off and walked up to the woman. Every part of him responded to the sultry smile on her face. “And who are you?” “Sally.” "Ah.” Ryder nodded. He touched the silver necklace that rested on her chest, gently stroking it, touching her skin at the same time. Her skin wasn’t as smooth as Alecia's. He shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking about her right now. “You want to touch more?” she asked. Ryder lowered his hand to her side and kissed her neck as she unbuttoned his shirt and rubbed the hair on his chest, making every part of him come alive. He turned her around and walked backwards, laying on the couch and dragging her on top of him. The woman kissed his chest as he explored her. His phone vibrated. He pulled it out and flipped it open. He smiled. She had finally called. He placed the phone to his ear. “Hey, pretty thing.” "Guess what?” He chuckled. This was a good sign, she was happy. “What?” “One of my sister’s drawings got bought by a restaurant.” "Cool.” He looked down. Sally ran her fingers over his torso as she kissed his shoulder. He placed his hand on her chin and raised it to his face. When the woman’s eyes met his, he shook his head. She sat up, knitting her brows. “Hey, sorry I haven’t called yet. I’m still studying with Lucas and the guys.” “I understand,” Alecia said. “Well, I’ll let you go.” “Okay.” He blew a kiss into the phone and hung up. Ryder set the phone down and placed his hand on his hip as the woman pulled his belt off. He looked at the ceiling. Alecia's smile must have been wide as they talked. He could picture her full ripe lips pulled tight. He should send her a dozen roses tomorrow. He looked back at the woman, cringing. He didn’t want her touching him. How could Alecia have ruined his enjoyment of women, when he didn’t even know what she looked like without clothes on? It was something that was bred into him. Because he knew she would cry if she saw him now. He just couldn’t hurt her no matter how crazy she drove him. “I’m not into this tonight,” he said. Sally looked back at him. “You were five minutes ago.” “I know.” He reached to her shoulder and nudged, signaling to her to get up. Once the woman was off his legs, he stood and walked to the kitchen. “Want a beer for your troubles?” he said as he grabbed two beers from the fridge. Sally sat on a metal chair at the bar, leaning her cheek on her hand. “Who’s the girl?” “Huh?” he said, handing her a beer. “You were all into it before she called.” Ryder took a sip of his beer and put one hand on his hip, looking to his side. “She’s a nice girl.” "She must have a pretty body to distract you. I’ve heard so many stories about you.” Ryder laughed. “I haven’t seen it. She won’t let me touch her no matter how hard I try.” He took another sip of the beer and lowered it to his waist. “And I spend every day with her.” ''Is she under your protection?" Ryder stared at the girl. She was half werewolf, half human. It always mattered to them. He shook his head. ''She hates to be protected, says it's silly to willingly sign a document that would make her a slave -- anyway, you know I hate that system anyway.'' Sally nodded. ''You love her.” He looked back at the woman; her eyes were full of a daze. Women loved romance, even whores. “You think so?” "Yeah.” The woman laughed. “Do you have a picture of her?” “Yeah, hold on.” He walked into his room and came back with a picture of Alecia in a white dress. The dress was very modest, yet it hugged her form in a way that displayed her womanly curves, as well as her innocence. Her blue eyes shone radiantly, and her dark hair was long and even from the picture, it appeared soft to touch. He handed it to Sally. She looked it over for a couple seconds and said, “she’s pretty. I bet she’d make a good luna.” "She would. She . . . she's just perfect.'' "Hmm. Well, I guess I should go.” Ryder showed her out the door and sat on his couch, resting his chin on the beer. Did he love Alecia? It made sense. Then why hadn’t he realized it? He turned on the TV. The Yankees were on, and losing badly in the fourth inning. He loved her. That was what happened. She would be all his. Not one other man had ever claimed her. That’s why he couldn’t sleep with other girls. He wanted that purity. It made every other girl ugly, and become unsatisfying. He slumped back into the couch making the tight leather creak with his movements. He did love her. He loved her innocence, her pretty smile and how she would just listen to whatever he had to say. He tapped the beer on his knee. The front door opened and Lucas walked in. He sat across from Ryder and stared straight into his eyes, shaking his head. “What’s going on with you?” Lucas asked. "What are you talking about?” “I was a good friend, sent you a nice girl to lighten you, and you don’t even touch her.” “Just wasn’t into it.” “I have never seen someone be such a fool for a girl.” "I love her.” Ryder brought his beer to his lips and took a sip. He loved her. It felt soothing saying it out loud. Who wouldn’t love that girl? "And Taylor?” his friend asked, breaking into his thoughts. “I guess I need to break up with her.” "Taylor has connections and she is a beta.” Ryder chuckled. “You think I need more connections or power than I already have? Lucas laughed and left him. When Ryder heard the door to Lucas' room close, he picked up his phone, and slid it awake. He brought up Tayloysi number, and stared at it for a few seconds. Taylor, his long-term friend. It was just a mere agreement, nothing really solid. Nothing like Alecia. His father used to think Taylor was a good idea, but over the years, he had said some harsh remarks about the girl. Would he like Alecia? Alecia was a naive hometown girl, a human! from a middle-class family. Wouldn’t that make the humans trust him more and support the new system of government he wanted to create? He placed the phone to his lips and gently banged it against them. Taylor didn’t love him and never would, but Alecia might and he wanted that badly. He pressed the call button. It rang a couple times. This was going to be raising some eyebrows. How long before the investigations, questions? What approach would they take? “Hey Ryder,” She answered. “Is my sister with you?” he asked. “No, but someone else is. Want to talk to her?” He laughed. What naïve thing had she talked into her bed? This was what he loved about her. "Nah, Taylor.” He paused. She would either hate him or laugh. “Look, I want out.” "What?” She would hate him. He took a long deep breath and let it out, but every part of him still tensed. “I’ve met someone and well..., she won’t want to be just a mistress.” Taylor drew in a breath. “I’m sorry.” Taylor's chuckle filled his ear. “Sorry, you think I’m hurt? If you want out, fine. I still got your sister.” He laughed. That was his Taylor. He would laugh at him too if he was in her situation. "Besides, I know about Alecia. The human girl that won’t sleep with you.” "I guess Lucas told you.” “I’ve heard about her through the people that get information for you family.” So they were already looking into her. "We’re still cool, Taylor?.” "Yeah sure, we’re still cool. Go call your girl. I have another girl waiting for me.” Ryder bit on his lip. Taylor would be having fun tonight. His old self wanted to be there, but he would just walk out and call Alecia. Alecia jumped at the sound of her phone. She ran to where it sat on her desk, and flipped it open, reading the number. He had called. Finally. She bit on her bottom lip. What if he was calling to break up with her? It was eight o’clock and he had been so distant. She closed her eyes. Please don’t let him break up with me! She answered the phone. “Hey, Ryder.” "Hey. I’m done." Her heart sank. Did he mean that he was done with her? "I’d really like to see you.” He continued, and Alecia held her breath. "Do you need to talk to me about something?” “Yeah.” She took a deep breath. Her body was so tense now, her legs felt like someone was pulling on them. “Okay.” “I’ll be there in a couple minutes.” Alecia set her phone down and let the tears release. She needed to get all these tears out before he showed up. She didn’t want to sob if he said goodbye. She wiped her face with a wet tissue and brushed her hair. She looked in the mirror. Her eyes were red, but there was nothing she could do about that. He would know. Maybe he would find compassion for her and give her one more try. She would give more. Not too much. Just enough to keep him satisfied. A few minutes minutes later, Alecia went downstairs to get Ryder. He had just gotten out of his car when she opened the door to her dorm building. She leaned against the post and smiled at him. His hair was slightly pushed in various directions. That was odd. Usually everything about his appearance was in order. What could that mean? She fully stood up. “Hey. You want to come up. Ryder smiled. “Sure.” He took her hand, and she led him to her room, not able to look at him. If she just knew his eyes were light instead of dark. But she couldn’t look, wouldn’t look. She took slow steps, savoring the feeling of his large hand engulfing hers, making her feel protected, wanted. She stopped in front of her door, reaching for the knob. She slowly turned it. Ryder pushed the door opened and dragged her in. What was going on? He slammed it shut, spun her into his arms, and covered her mouth with his own. Alecia couldn’t move, so her arms hung loose at her side. This was what she’d wanted, but not what she’d expected. His kiss deepened, his arms pulled her closer as if he was trying to force their bodies to become one. She would do whatever he wanted. It wouldn’t hurt that much. Not as much as losing him. “Alecia,” Ryder whispered, lowering his forehead on hers and looking straight into her eyes. “I want to tell you something.” Alecia nodded. “I love you,” he whispered. Alevia grasped his arms. He loved her. That was what he’d wanted to tell her. She had read everything down to the last tint of his voice wrong. Her body filled with a strange warmth as a realization sunk into her. She loved him too. He placed his hands on her cheeks. "Alecia?” He asked, a little uncertainly. She leaned against his chest melting into his arms. His cologne was strong, filling her. She loved this scent – the feel of his dress shirt against her cheek, but especially the strong arms that now slipped around her waist in a firm embrace, claiming her. A tear slipped down her face. His thumb wiped it away. “Why are you crying?” “I’m happy,” she mumbled. “What?” He lowered his ear to her lips and she breathed into his ear, “I love you, too.” “My love.” He squeezed her. Sitting on the bed, he pulled her onto his lap, kissing her cheek. This was what she had dreamed about her whole life. His lips trailed over her cheek. She clenched his shirt tight. From this moment on, she would make sure she didn’t lose him. She looked into his dark blue eyes, losing herself in him. No, she wouldn’t lose him. Not as long as she could keep herself in his arms.