Bye, My Ruthless Alpha-Chapter 16: He Claimed Me

When I came to and glanced at the clock, it was three in the morning.

Noticing I was still up, Mrs. Harper walked over to me. "Miss Tori, how about I help you get cleaned up?"

"Thanks, but I’ll handle it myself," I mumbled, still kinda out of it. The dried-up tear tracks on my face made my skin feel all taut. There was no way I was gonna let the housekeeper see me in such a sorry state.

With that, Mrs. Harper left the room.

I hauled myself out of bed and made my way to the bathroom, all groggy-like.

What happened to me last night? Yes... I took the pills, then Cayden came, and then...

We had sex. My first time.

Memories started to flow back to me. It was like a dream beyond my wildest imagination. It was like watching a movie through a blurry window, except for the extreme pain and pleasure that was so vivid that I knew it wasn’t a dream.

The sunshine was too bright. I lifted my hand to cover my eyes when I realized every inch of my whole body ached. There were some light bruises over my skin, and they reminded me that I was no longer a virgin.

He claimed me...

I covered my face with my hands. Tears streamed down my face, yet I wasn’t sure why I was crying. Maybe for the loss of my virginity, maybe for the pain all over my body, or maybe... I was ashamed of the pleasure he brought me.

His touch... his lips on my skin... perhaps, even if just a very slight bit, he also enjoyed it?

Then I shook my head. I was just his breeder, and to him, this was only a task. What I saw and felt last night was under the influence of the drug.

How could that emotionless Alpha feel anything different about me?

“Tori, you have a job here, and that’s it!” I told myself.

I wrapped my arms around my chest and tried to sort out my thoughts. I had fulfilled a small part of our deal, and now I was left to wait to see what happened.

“Tori?” Kas’s voice filtered through the air, and as soon as my eyes locked with hers, I couldn’t hold back the smile.

She rushed towards my bedside, and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me in close. “It’s okay. Let it out.”

Her calming voice made me feel more relaxed, and eventually, the tears dried up.

“I did it,” I whispered, looking up at her.

“I know you did, and I’m proud of you. It’s one step closer to completing your task.”

I knew she was trying to be comforting, and didn’t mean it in a wrong way. But still, hearing that taking my virginity was a task hurt. I was supposed to give that to my mate. My true, goddess-given mate! Instead, I gave that part of myself to Alpha Cayden as part of a deal.

“It’s okay, you can cry. No need to hold it back.” She stroked my back.

I shook my head and wiped my tears away. “I didn’t know why I was crying. Silly me.”

What was I supposed to say? That I wasn’t crying because he took my virginity, but because, in the end, I enjoyed it—I wanted it?

“Tori, it really is okay. You don’t need to put on a tough face...”

I had to be honest. “I’m okay, really. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be. Alpha Cayden... he... he treated me well last night...” My voice was so low at the end that I wasn’t sure whether she heard what I said. Oh goddess, my face started burning again.

“That’s good to hear, I guess.” She sat with a puzzled and shocked look on her face, which confused me.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, worried that I had offended her.

“No, no, no,” she laughed with a smile. “He is like a brother to me... So it’s just weird to hear about him having sex.”

I couldn’t stop the light laughter that slipped past my lips.

Kas’s face brightened seeing me cheer up. “How about we go do something nice today?” She stood to her feet. “We could go to the music room? Or maybe we could watch a movie...”

“Can’t we just go shopping as we always do?” Seeing the people I had befriended would help to take my mind off things.

Glancing at Kas, I saw that she seemed hesitant. “Um...”

“What’s wrong? Can I not go?”

Kas sighed before shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Tori. Cayden wants you to stay here so he knows where you are at all times.”

My smile froze for a second.

Kas quickly explained, “He doesn’t mean anything bad by it. It’s out of concern for your safety...”

“It’s okay.” I tried to make my expression agreeable. “I understand.”

“It doesn’t mean we can’t find other things to do,” she said hopefully, and I knew she was just trying to cheer me up. It wasn’t her fault, and part of me was even a little happy.

Cayden wanted me close. He wanted to protect me.

Even though I knew very well that he did it to protect his unborn child, I still felt a bit of joy at him acting like he cared about me—even just a little.

“It’s okay, Kas. I’m actually really tired,” I replied softly, forcing a small smile. “I think I should just stay in bed.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, as if checking to make sure I was okay.

I nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. I just need some rest, and then food later, and I’ll be okay.” I was still worn out and very sore from last night.

She nodded, seemingly happy with my answer, then turned toward the door. “I’ll have something brought up shortly. You get some rest, Tori.” And with the last of her words, she disappeared.

***

Jace’s POV

“It’s done,” I said plainly to Ava, who was working on paperwork in her office.

She looked up at me for a moment with a confused glance, and then recognition set in.

“Oh, you mean he slept with Tori.” Her reply was soft, and concern laced her eyes.

“Yes, so we need to set an appointment in a week to make sure that she is carrying.”

Ava chuckled, shaking her head, and smiled. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“What do you mean?” I didn’t understand what she was talking about. It shouldn’t take that long for her to come back pregnant.

“Beta Jace, just because they slept together last night doesn’t mean we will know next week that she is pregnant. I will mark down to test her in a month, and at that point we can see if she is. However, there may be a chance she isn’t.”

Ava’s words had me concerned. “She has to be pregnant. This is what Cayden wants.”

Ava, however, set her pen down and sighed before leaning back in her chair. There was a lot about this woman that made me consider my sanity. I had known Ava since we were kids, and she didn’t take shit from anyone but Cayden.

“Jace,” she began, and I knew we were talking more on a friendly level now than professionally. “It could take a few times for her to get pregnant. Alpha Cayden is just going to have to deal with that, unfortunately. There is nothing I can do about it.”

If she didn’t turn out to be pregnant, both Ava and I were going to tell Cayden. I wasn’t going to be doing that alone.

“Very well. Set the appointment, and we will check within the month.”

Ava nodded at me with a smile before writing something down on a piece of paper and holding it out me. “This is the date she needs to be brought to me.”

She didn’t wait for me to respond again before she went back to her paperwork. She was busy, with new tasks set about for Cayden. The warriors were going through training and testing right now to make sure they were in tip-top shape.

Cayden was hounding everyone. Not just me.

The Alpha King, Cayden’s cousin, was dealing with a lot at the capital. He had people who would be coming in from allied countries soon, and he wanted Cayden present when it happened. However, Cayden didn’t want to leave without his warriors ready and an heir to his own throne.

He was cutting it short if you asked me, but what did I know? I was just the Beta.

Making my way from the hospital, I was curious to know how Tori was doing. I was planning on checking on her this morning, but Kas told me at breakfast that she would go see her—that the idea of another man coming to check on her after an event like that wouldn’t be proper. I wasn’t one to understand why, but if my sister said no, then so be it.

Tori’s voice filtered through the air as I walked downstairs, and I found myself looking to see where she was. As I moved through the kitchen, her voice became louder, and when I turned the corner, I saw the screen door to the kitchen close.

“Where are they going?” I mumbled to myself as I silently followed them.

Looking through the screen, I saw the smiling faces of Tori and my sister. They seemed to be caught up in conversation and heading towards the village.

It was refreshing to see from where I was standing that Tori looked well. The last thing I wanted was for Tori to slip back further into her trauma and all the progress that had been made over the past few weeks to disappear.

“Jace...” a voice said behind me.

I turned and saw the face of Cayden. He was looking as sharp and tough as always. I’ll betcha even the stylist couldn’t peel their eyes away. But he was one of the top dogs in our crew.

"Heard through the grapevine that Caroline’s headed back from overseas. She’ll hang around the city for a bit and roll into town next month,” I informed him.

"She’s finally decided to come home, huh? Tried to keep it on the down-low from me, but I got wind of it already." A smirk that was full of sarcasm crept across his face.

Caroline was Cayden’s kid sister. Last winter, she got shipped off to a boarding school to keep her from getting into hot water. Now that she’s eighteen, she got the green light to come back.

"I figure she’s still got a bee in her bonnet about me sending her away?" he said with a shrug.

"So... should we try to head her off at the pass?" I blurted out.

"No, let her come on back," Cayden said after he smoothed out his clothes.

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