Contractually Yours Alpha (Riley)

Chapter Two Hundred and Thirteen

KAIDA'S POV

I walked into Alexander's office.

"On a scale of one to ten, how busy are you?" I asked.

"I'll always have time for you, Kaida," he said, shutting the file and setting it aside, giving me his full attention. I couldn't help but smile at that.

"I wanted to ask about Austin."

"Seriously, Kaida? Here I was thinking this was your way of inviting me to sex."

I stared at him. "We just did that a few minutes ago!"

He shrugged. "That was in the bedroom. Heard office sex hits different."

I stared at his table. It would be sexy to watch him clear off that table and place me right...

Austin. I was here to talk about Austin.

"So. What about Austin?"

"I want to know more about him."

Alexander cocked his brow at me, surprise-flickering in his gaze.

"You want to know more about him?" he repeated.

I realized I hadn't exactly phrased that the best way.

"I just feel like I don't knownoveldrama

enough about the people around me. Like I never knew Phil didn't have a mate until he told me he found his mate at the ball." I paused, unsure if Phil would want me sharing that, but Alexander was my mate-and his Alpha.

If Alexander hadn't heard the news about Phil, he didn't let on.

"Well, Austin is mated. His mate, Ruth, is a healer in the Winter Pack."

"Why didn't she come to stay with him here, in the Nightshade Pack?"

"She loves her job, but more than that, she also loves her pack. She wasn't willing to let go of that yet."

"Not even for her mate?" I asked.

"She wanted him there, by her side, but he couldn't leave either. So, it's only fair.”

I nodded in agreement.

"You see, I'm supposed to know things like that. What kind of Luna does that make me if I don't even know anything about the people close to me?"

"If it helps, many don't know about this either.

But why are you worrying about all of these now?" he asked-of course, Alexander hardly missed anything.

"Because I keep wondering if Cynthia's right. Maybe I'm just a self-centered bitch."

"Cynthia's words aren't something you should be worried about, don't you think?"

Chapter Two hundred and ThirlSen

"I know. But it just feels like she is right. I mean, most of the time-"

My sentence was cut off by the sharp rap on the door. I walked over, pulling it

open, and there stood a soldier. "Luna. Alpha. I think there's something you need to see."

The soldier led us to the pack's square, where many members had already gathered.

They parted like the Red Sea for Alexander to walk through and then...

I saw it. Keith's body hung from one of the poles.

"How did this happen?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"He did this to himself, Luna. Took his own life." The soldier's words hit me like a

blow, and I couldn't breathe. My throat felt like it was closing in.

"Kaida, are you alright?"

I couldn't say a word. Without thinking, I turned and ran. Alexander was right behind me.

"Kaida..."

"It's my fault."

"What do you mean it's your fault?"

"He came to speak to me; he wanted to apologize. I sent him away. He had been

feeling guilty, and he came to

away." plead for mercy, and I sent him

"Kaida, this is not your fault."

"Stop defending me. I am the reason he's dead. If I had forgiven him, if I had at least spoken to him, none of this would have happened."

"You didn't owe him anything, not after what he did. If he chose to end his life, that was his decision, and it's in no way your fault." Alexander tucked a rogue strand of hair behind my ear.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, unable to keep the slight trembling away from my voice.

"First, we take him down from there, then we give him a befitting burial.” He said, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. "You don't have to go back with me, you know."

"I know. But I want to be there."