chapter 3

Before anyone could react, Lina flashed everyone a smile and plopped herself down right next to Ryan.

An Alpha's side was reserved for their mate. Even close Betas kept their distance. Lina was publicly stomping all over Bella's position.

"Ryan, I was starting to think you forgot about me." Lina's voice was sweet as honey, but her eyes were locked on Bella with pure challenge. "My brother asked you to look after me, remember? You promised you'd show me the new vehicles. So why'd you bring Bella instead of waiting for me?"

Everyone around them gasped and immediately dropped their voices to whisper among themselves.

"Who the hell is that? She's actually sitting next to Alpha Ryan."

"I think that's the Arctic Pack Alpha's sister. They've been doing some deals with the Shadow Pack lately. How does she have the guts?"

Ryan just shifted a little further away from Lina and mumbled, "The pack made last-minute arrangements. What are you doing here?"

Bella watched Lina with an unreadable expression. Then out of the corner of her eye, she caught it—Lina was holding Ryan's hand and slowly sliding it under her shirt.

Ryan's whole body went rigid. His first instinct was to yank his hand back.

But Lina smiled and pressed his hand deeper inside. His fingers must have found something, because his eyebrows shot up and he stopped trying to pull away. His breathing turned rough and ragged.

Bella's hands clenched so hard they started shaking.

For the rest of the presentation, Bella seemed distracted, and her expression stayed dark.

That was, until the rep introduced the latest model. The entire room collectively gasped.

The body was crafted from a thousand-year-old skull and embedded with hard gemstones that could withstand a Rogue's claws without sacrificing style. The seats were lined with premium animal fur. There was only one in the entire pack.

Ryan must have noticed Bella's interest in the vehicle, because he raised his hand and called for them to stop.

"This car..." Ryan started to say something, but Lina cut him off.

"Ryan, didn't you say my brother helped you out with that business last time? And you wanted to give me a reward for it? How about this car? Bella's human, so she probably won't be comfortable driving a wolf pack vehicle anyway. Why don't you just give it to me instead?"

Ryan turned his head and spotted Lina standing nearby with that leisurely expression on her face.

When Lina caught his dissatisfied look, her lips twitched into a smile, and she winked at him.

The people around them started whispering, their gazes bouncing between the three of them. Someone lowered their voice. "Lina's been hanging around the Alpha a lot lately. I heard when he went to handle pack affairs last time, he even brought her along..."

"Knock it off. You know how many Omegas Alpha Ryan's turned down for Ms. Frost? Everyone in the pack knows how much the Alpha loves Ms. Frost. He's just looking out for Lina, that's all..."

Bella's fingers went cold. She looked at Ryan without thinking, hoping he'd say something, anything. But Ryan only frowned, and when he looked at her, there was actually a hint of pleading in his eyes. "Bella, Lina, she..."

"I don't care," Bella suddenly spoke up, her voice calm. She didn't want to watch Ryan's fake act anymore, and she definitely didn't want to hear Lina's provocations. She turned to head toward the lounge area.

But she'd barely taken two steps when Ryan grabbed her wrist. "Don't be mad. I'll pick out something better for you. I'll have someone build you a one-of-a-kind custom car..."

Lina let out a mocking laugh beside them, gave Bella a meaningful look, and clicked away in her heels.

The next second, Ryan's communicator buzzed. After reading the message, he said apologetically to Bella, "I need to go sign a contract. Wait for me in the lounge, okay?"

It was like this again. Bella was so tired of it all.

She watched Ryan's retreating figure and stayed behind in the lounge by herself.

A few minutes later, her communicator dinged with a new message.

It was that familiar number again. "Come to the underground garage."

Bella turned on her heel and headed out. It didn't take long before she spotted the car they'd just bought.

Ryan had already pulled it out.

Bella walked closer quietly, and when she was about 15 feet away, she could hear the heavy breathing and moaning coming from inside.

All the color drained from her face. Her eyes locked onto the open car window.

Lina had her leg thrown over Ryan's shoulder like nobody else existed, her face flushed and glowing with satisfaction.

Lina laughed softly and leaned in close to Ryan's ear. Her eyes lifted and locked directly onto Bella's, full of challenge.

"Does that human make you feel this good? Ryan, tell me. How do you feel?"

"Feels fucking incredible." Ryan's voice came out rough and satisfied, and he didn't even try to hide it.