The Alpha’s Final Lesson: I Played Along, Then Left Him Forever Chapter 01
I had always been gullible. If someone told me ten lies. I’d probably believe nine of them.
During the worst year of my life, a senior pack member
conned me out of everything I had. Ronan Blackridge gave me
half of everything he had without hesitation.
My fated mate. The Alpha’s son at Blackridge. And the only
person in the world I believed would never lie to me.
He’d told me once, dead serious, “You’re not stupid, Zoe.
They’re just cruel. So stop giving them chances. You only need to trust me.”
Then, one hour before my Blackridge Pack Council
certification exam, he texted me: [Car accident. I’m at the pack hospital. Please hurry.]
His pain ripped through the mate bond and locked around my chest like a fist.
Isprinted to the pack hospital. Found Ronan and my best
friend Sera Whitmore sharing a bowl of stew at the convenience store across the street.
Sera laughed so hard she nearly tipped off her chair. “Told
you. One text and she ditched the exam hall.”
Ronan spooned another bite into her mouth. “Fair enough. A
bet’s a bet. I’ll take you to Starfall Kingdom today.”
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t process what I was looking at.
Ronan reached over and wiped the sweat off my forehead,
gentle as anything. His voice dropped low. “You’re about to
graduate. The world outside these borders isn’t as safe as you
think. If you keep swallowing every lie people feed you, some,
rogue’s going to take advantage of you. Consider this your first lesson.”
I stared at him, lungs burning. “That was my council
certification exam! I spent a whole year preparing for it!”
Sera rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, she’s about to start crying.
Let’s just drive her back, or she’ll blame us if she doesn’t
make the council.”
Seeing my tears, a flash of genuine panic crossed Ronan’s face.
He floored it the whole way and got me to the council hall
with one minute to spare.
The relief was short–lived. A council examiner blocked my
path. “This pass is forged. You need to leave.”
1 looked down. The paper in my hand wasn’t mine. Someone
had swapped it, and I hadn’t even noticed.
Someone had drawn a wolf with stupid floppy ears on it. Next
to it, in loopy handwriting: [Dumb Zoe. I’m holding your real
pass hostage! Surprise!]
Underneath, in different handwriting: [Don’t fall for the same
trick twice. That’s lesson number two.]
Sera’s handwriting. And Ronan’s.
Maybe I couldn’t tell truth from lies. But I knew the
difference between someone who meant well and someone who didn’t.
I stopped trusting people that day. All of them.
I drifted out of the council hall like I was sleepwalking.
Ronan’s car was still parked out front.
Ronan was behind the wheel, head tilted toward me, golden
eyes bright with something that looked a lot like fun.
“That was fast.”
You’re lucky Sera’s here. Now get in. I’ll take you to Starfall
Kingdom. Weren’t you dying to go?”
I didn’t move. My voice came out raw. “Ronan, you know what
this cost me. A whole year. I was at the training grounds by
six every morning and didn’t leave the pack library until one
a.m. I wrecked my back so badly the pack healer told me I’d
end up hospitalized if I didn’t stop.”
The entire time I was talking, Ronan was adjusting the air
conditioning to Sera’s preferred temperature.
He didn’t look up until I finished. When he did, his face said
he didn’t see the problem.
“I know. But we were trying to help you. You can’t even tell
when someone’s out to get you. The second you’re on that
council, they’ll eat you alive.”
“Besides, you can always take it again next year.”
Sera twisted around from the passenger seat. “He’s right, Zoe.
We just wanted you to see what the real world looks like, so
you don’t stay a naive little girl forever.”
While she talked, she pulled my real exam pass from her
pocket and dangled it between two fingers.
Then she ripped it apart. Right there, inches from my face.
“It’s useless now anyway. Why keep something that’s just an eyesore?”
She flicked the pieces out the window. They hit me square in the face.
Ronan’s eyes found mine. The impatience in them cracked something open in my chest.
Get in the car.”
“Unless you’d rather walk back to the academy alone.”
The council building sat on the far side of the academy,
Twenty miles from the center of the territory.
My phone was dead, and I was too exhausted to shift and run,
I swallowed every shred of pride I had left and climbed into the back seat.
The cold inside the car hit me as if I’d walked into a freezer.
The Moon Goddess knew I couldn’t stand the cold.
I couldn’t stop shaking.
Sera held out a small blanket drenched in her scent. “Zoe?
Are you cold? Here, take this.”