Chapter 18: RYKER

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN | RYKER

ASPEN

I never thought I'd see another day in the land of the living after the attack from Ronan. At one point, I thought I was going to die, but the moon goddess spared my life.

I was lying on the bed of the hospital room, groaning due to the unnecessarily bright light in the room. I could hear voices, but I had no idea where or from whom they were coming. I was simply grateful to be alive.

I opened my eyes, feeling every part of my body ache. My head pounded so loudly that I could hear the sound. Adjusting my eyes to cope with the brightness of the room, I looked around, thinking I was going to find doctors, but all I found was Ryker sitting at the edge of my bed.

I became stiff instantly, my mind running miles as I thought about what he could have seen while I was asleep.

“You're awake?” he asked softly.

I could only nod my head, fear gripping me like a vice.

I looked down, praying to the moon goddess that I wasn't naked. Luckily, I wasn't, but unluckily, I was also not wearing the same clothes I had been wearing when I passed out.

I was now in a blue patient gown, and I had a theory that Ryker was the one who changed my clothes. I didn't know which one was scarier — getting changed by a man as dangerous as him, or the fact that my secret was out in the open now.

“I wasn't the one who changed you, if that's what's bothering you,” he said suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I breathed out a sigh of relief, grateful that I still had my dignity intact.

“But I know you ain't one of us, Alex.” I froze the moment the words dropped from his mouth, looking anywhere but at him.

I didn't want to look at him because I knew he might find out the truth, and I planned to tell a blatant lie. “I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just like everyone else here,” I lied.

He scoffed, scooting closer to me until he was close enough to reach out and turn my face. He held me steadily by the jaw, making sure I didn't turn away from him. “You have no reason to lie. I know you're a female, Alex. Or is it Alexa?”

I pushed his hands off me, irritated but afraid. It suddenly felt like I was in court, being persecuted, and I didn't want to speak until my lawyer got here.

“Where is Rachel?” I panicked, wanting to leave and also be around someone familiar.

“She went to get some food for me. She'll be back here soon. She hasn't left your side since the incident. She cried so much that I felt bad for her. I haven't seen Rachel cry in a while. In fact, I haven't ever seen her cry. Not even when her father almost killed Ronan. She didn't shed a tear then, and I know she loves Ronan a lot. She must love you a whole lot. You should be grateful that you have a friend like her.” He smiled.

I gasped, taken aback by his smile. Since I met him, he had never smiled — not even mistakenly. Usually, his face was always cold and gloomy, giving the aura of someone unapproachable.

This was the first time I had seen him do something remotely normal, and I wasn't sure if I should be scared or not.

“What?” he questioned when he noticed the strange look I was giving him.

I raised my brows in response, and he shocked me again when redness crawled up his cheeks. He was blushing.

“Oh my goodness, this is the height of it. You're either an imposter, or you're on drugs. Because there's no way in hell that the same man who almost killed me the first day I came here could actually be this nice and humane. I liked you better when you were mean. This is just strange and awkward,” I deadpanned.

He let out an amused chuckle, scratching the back of his neck. “About the strangling thing, I'm sorry about it. That was the protocol,” he dragged.

I couldn't even blame him for doing something so drastic, even if I wanted to. After all, I read the rules before I came into the school. I knew what happened to an imposter, and yet, I took the risk. He was merely doing his job.

“Why are you not turning me in? Why haven't you harmed me?” I asked after a few minutes of silence.

The fact about my identity couldn't be denied anymore. There was no point in pretending that I was one of them.

“Rachel explained everything to me.”

My eyes widened as I understood that he had every reason to want to turn me in, and yet, he kept me here. Why? Why would he miss the chance to not just be a hero but also get the ransom?

“Why are you letting me leave? You wouldn't turn me in?”

He seemed genuinely shocked that I would think he'd want to turn me in, which only made my confusion worse. “Of course not. I might act mean, but I'm not heartless. After she told me your story, I was so moved that I swore to protect you with everything I have.”

From the look on his face, one would immediately know that he meant everything he said. Which made me wonder what exactly Rachel told him to get this kind of reaction from him.

“What exactly did she tell you?”

He looked around, making sure we were the only ones in the room before whispering. “You're an Omega, and your Alpha killed your parents for a crime they didn't commit. You were the only one who escaped, but he's still searching for you everywhere. He has men everywhere, so it'll be easy to find you, even if you turn rogue and live with the other vagabonds. The only place you'll have a chance at survival is here, because he'll never check here. So you disguised yourself as a male and joined the school.”