Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 279: The Snake That Refused to Hide

When she was alive, I had never spoken to her for even a single day.

And yet, somehow, I’m the one who understands her the most. I can feel the shape of her pain without her even saying it. Maybe it’s because I stepped into the life she left behind. Maybe it’s because I’ve been trapped in the same kind of darkness before.

So when I realized she was still here still breathing, still standing in front of me joy hit me so hard my chest ached.

I hugged her tight, like if I let go, she’d disappear again.

"Thank God," I whispered, the words spilling out messy. "Thank God you’re still here."

A voice cut through the moment from behind us sweet, sugary, too polished to be real. "Janice... who is this?"

Other people’s family drama usually isn’t my business.

But Riley? Riley is not "other people" to me.

In the few seconds between the three of them speaking, I pieced it together. The man in the suit was Harlan. The woman hanging off his arm was trouble dressed in lace. And Riley Riley was the one being cornered in a story that wasn’t fair.

I lifted my chin and stepped forward without thinking.

"I’m Elena Morrigan," I said, steady. "I’m twenty-eight. And she’s Riley Ashbourne. She’s twenty. She’s like a sister to me."

Instinct took over. I pulled Riley behind my shoulder, shielding her the way a pack would shield its own. My eyes stayed on the woman beside Harlan, taking her in from head to toe.

To be fair, Harlan looked like the kind of man people trust on sight. Clean lines. Expensive suit. A face carved sharp and calm. The kind of charm that makes you forget to ask what he’s hiding.

But if he’d broken Riley down once

I’d be the first person to make him regret it.

Harlan’s gaze moved from me to Lewis, and his mouth tightened. "Lewis. This is your wife, isn’t it?"

I glanced at the woman in white clinging to his arm like she’d paid for the privilege. "Mr. Pearson, hello. And this must be Mrs. Pearson, correct?"

Her face lit up instantly. Triumph flashed in her eyes, like she’d just won something.

Harlan frowned, clearly annoyed. "She’s not."

I smiled like I was sweet. "Oh. My mistake."

I tilted my head, letting the sarcasm drip without raising my voice. "The way she’s glued to your arm, I assumed she was your wife. My apologies, Mr. Pearson."

I said "apologies," but everyone could hear the blade underneath.

Lewis cleared his throat, awkward. "That’s on me. Let me introduce everyone properly. This is Harlan my friend. And this is his wife, Janice."

His words slowed when he gestured toward Riley, like even saying it out loud carried weight. The woman in white froze, her smug smile slipping.

Since Lewis wasn’t going to save her pride, she forced a bright expression and stepped in. "I’m Nina White. My family and Harlan’s are old friends."

I nodded like I understood everything.

"Ah. I see."

Then I looked at Lewis, casual as can be. "Lewis, I guess customs are different here. Where I’m from, even childhood friends know boundaries. They don’t cling to married men like they’re marking territory."

I paused, then added with a fake-thoughtful tone, "You don’t have any old flames hovering around like that, do you? Because I’m petty, and I wouldn’t tolerate a mate who doesn’t respect what he vowed."

Lewis knew exactly what I was doing. His jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. He couldn’t.

I didn’t care if it was rude. I couldn’t stand seeing Riley treated like she was small.

Not again.

Harlan’s expression darkened. He caught every jab. But because Lewis was there, he didn’t explode. He simply pulled his arm free from Nina and turned toward Riley.

"Come here."

Riley didn’t even blink. She leaned back like she was bored. "Are you my dad or something? Just because you call me doesn’t mean I’ll come. That’s embarrassing."

The air shifted. The room felt tighter. Even the lights seemed too bright.

Harlan’s face went colder, like he wasn’t used to being refused.

Lewis smoothly slid into the silence. "Let’s sit."

Harlan pulled out the seat beside him and looked at Riley again, waiting. Riley walked right past him and dropped into the seat beside me like it was the only place that made sense.

I didn’t even have to ask. She stayed close, and my body relaxed a little, like my instincts had finally stopped pacing.

"Harlan," Nina said quickly, forcing sweetness, "if Janice won’t sit, I’ll join you."

I turned my head and asked, innocent, "Ms. White, weren’t you just about to leave? Why are you sitting down again?"

Nina’s smile twitched. "I just remembered I don’t have anything urgent."

Harlan’s gaze cut toward me and Riley, sharp with irritation. "You two know each other?"

I shook my head, calm. "No. But the moment I saw her, I felt like she was my soulmate."

Riley snorted. "What does it matter to you? Shut up already."

Harlan went completely silent.

During the meal, Harlan and Lewis talked business. It was all numbers and projects and calm voices. But underneath it, I could feel tension moving around the table like invisible smoke.

Nina kept trying to poke Riley with little gestures. At one point, she peeled shrimp and placed it on Harlan’s plate, then looked at Riley like she’d just claimed a prize.

I put on my sweetest face. "Ms. White, is it common here for women to peel shrimp for men?"

I blinked slowly. "Where I’m from, the man peels it. Especially for his wife."

Lewis, without missing a beat, peeled a few shrimp and placed them neatly onto my plate.

The contrast was so loud it almost felt like a slap.

I casually slid a few shrimp onto Riley’s plate too. "Eat."

She smiled, softer than I expected, and took a bite. "It’s delicious."

Lewis looked at Harlan like he was offering advice. "Why don’t you peel some for your wife too?"

Harlan’s eyes went icy. For a second, his fist tightened, veins rising, and my mind flashed to ugly possibilities. I’ve met too many men who smile in public and break things in private.

The scent of control. The hunger to dominate. The kind that doesn’t ask it takes.

But Harlan didn’t move toward Riley.

He tore the head off a shrimp instead, hard and messy.

I actually let out a quiet breath. Thank God.

Still, it was clear he’d never done this in his life. The way he peeled it wasn’t clumsy. It was chaos. If you didn’t know he was peeling shrimp, you’d think he was doing surgery.

When he dropped it into Riley’s bowl, he barked, "Eat."

His chin lifted slightly, like he expected obedience. Like he expected praise.

Riley picked it up, stared at it, then tossed it right back toward him.

"It’s hideous."

Nina snatched it fast and shoved it into her mouth, trying to save the moment. That’s when Riley added, calm as a knife:

"Even a dog wouldn’t eat it."

The table went dead.

Nina sat there looking stupid, her cheeks puffed, not knowing if she should chew or spit it out. Harlan’s face turned darker, like he was swallowing rage.

I watched, amused despite myself.

This love triangle was ridiculous. And honestly? It was more entertaining than any drama I’d seen in Snowville.

Poor Lewis looked like he wanted to sink into the floor.

Dinner ended early. The tension was too thick for anyone to pretend anymore.

Lewis stood. "Let’s meet another day. We’re exhausted."

"Agreed," I said brightly, smiling at Harlan. "Thank you for the hospitality, Mr. Pearson."

Then I added, before I could stop myself, "This meal was very... entertaining."

Oops.

Harlan’s stare sharpened like he wanted to bite back, but he held it.

Riley linked her arm with mine as we stood to leave. She clung to me like we’d been sisters forever, and something warm tightened in my chest.

Harlan’s voice followed us, rough with control. "Janice. This is far enough. You’re my wife. Where do you think you’re going?"

Riley didn’t even slow down. "Wife? Didn’t I already hand you the divorce papers? Isn’t the new Mrs. Pearson right beside you, waiting to step in?"

Harlan’s tone dropped, dangerous and low. "Janice. I’m warning you. Playing hard to get won’t work on me."

Riley rolled her eyes "Call me when you’re at City Hall. I’ll be there."