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d in a deep rumbling voice only a man of that build would have. Seeing him sucked my breath away. I was transported back to the night of the mating ceremony. I felt an inexplicable pull towards him as though my life had been leading to all this moment. My wolf stirred within me, claiming him as her mate. I gasped at the realization that this man, whoever he was, was my second chance mate. "I was beginning to think that my people hit you a little too hard," he continued. "You may have guessed who I am, or maybe not," he amended as he took in my still-wondering expression. "I am Alpha Ryder." I gasped again. I didn't think I was capable of normal speech just yet. Ryder? This was Alpha Ryder? I had heard of him. Everyone in my pack had heard of him. Everyone said he was a savage, cruel man. How could a man everyone thought of as a beast be so devastatingly handsome? And why was he acting as though he couldn't sense our mate bond? I was curling my hands into fists to keep from launching myself into his arms. So far I was succeeding, but my wolf was by far harder to control. "Alpha," I said breathlessly. Then I paused as I tried to marshal my thoughts into words. He merely raised a brow, watching me struggle. Apart from the fact that he was completely disregarding our mate bond, he was also more than a little intimidating. "Alpha, don't you... feel it? The- the bond? The mate bond?" He was quiet for a long moment and I thought he wouldn't answer. "I suppose I need to make some things very clear," he said. "Firstly, you are not here to relax, to be at ease." He looked meaningfully at the sofa I was still sitting on. "Secondly, you will be working in my pack as a slave to pay back the money your father owes me. Yes, a slave," he acted, react