Dear Alpha, You Are Not My Type!

CHAPTER 4 - DETERMINED TO WIN

Ariana

Ryder’s words echoed in my head like a relentless drumbeat, even though days had passed since our last encounter. His smug declaration, his possessive tone—it clung to me like a shadow I couldn’t shake. “I’ll be the first man to taste you.” Just thinking about it made my stomach twist in knots. He was so sure of himself, so confident that I would eventually submit. But I wasn’t going to let him win. No, I had a plan.

The first semester had just started at Silverbrook College, and I was ready for a fresh start—ready to focus on something other than the mess Ryder had dragged me into. I’d packed up my things and was moving into the student dorms with my best friend, Mia. It was one of the few things I had to look forward to. Mia and I had been inseparable since freshman year, and now that we were rooming together, I knew it was going to be amazing.

Mia was already waiting outside the dorms when I pulled up. She waved excitedly, her long brown hair bouncing as she practically skipped toward me. “Ari!” she shouted, her voice full of energy as always. “I’ve missed you, girl!”

“I missed you too!” I grinned, stepping out of the car to hug her tightly. She smelled like peppermint and vanilla—her signature scent—and for the first time in days, I felt like things were back to normal.

As we unpacked my stuff and settled into the room, Mia caught me up on everything I’d missed over the summer, her stories a whirlwind of flirty encounters and wild parties. But I knew what she really wanted to hear. She wasn’t going to let me off the hook without hearing about Ryder. She’d been badgering me for updates ever since the birthday party.

“So,” Mia started with a sly grin as she sat cross-legged on her bed, “what’s the latest on the whole ‘fated mate’ drama? You promised me juicy details.”

I groaned, throwing myself onto my bed. “Where do I even start?” I told her everything. From Ryder showing up at my house with his father, to Ethan agreeing to pretend to be my boyfriend to get Ryder to back off. Mia listened intently, her eyes widening as I described Ryder’s audacious behavior, especially what happened on the balcony.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Mia interrupted, holding up her hand. “Ryder said that? That he’s going to be the first man to taste you? What the hell?” She shook her head in disbelief. “This guy is seriously obsessed.”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered, rolling onto my side and propping my head up on my hand. “But that’s why I need him to reject me. The mate bond is strong, but if he gets pissed off enough, he’ll have no choice but to let me go.”

Mia’s face lit up. “Oh my god. Can I write about this?”

I blinked. “What?”

“I mean, think about it,” she said, bouncing on the bed excitedly. “This is like the perfect story! Fated mates, forbidden love, fake dating—it’s gold, Ari. I could totally turn this into a book.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Are you serious?”

“Completely! Come on, it’s not like you’re ending up with Ryder, right? It’ll just be a fun side project. Your story could inspire my next bestseller!”

I thought about it for a moment. Mia was an avid reader and an even more passionate writer, constantly working on short stories and novels in her spare time. And she wasn’t wrong—my situation did sound like the plot of one of those dramatic romance books she loved. “Fine,” I said, smirking. “Go ahead. But make sure you change the names. I don’t want people thinking I’m actually dating a possessive Alpha.”

Mia squealed, clapping her hands. “Yes! Okay, now we just need to make sure your plan works. You’ve got to make Ryder jealous, Ari. It’s not just enough to say you’re with Ethan—you’ve got to show it.”

I groaned again. “I know, I know. PDA and all that.”

Mia grinned. “Exactly. Hold hands, get a little touchy-feely in public. Maybe even kiss him if you have to. Ryder needs to see that you’re serious.”

The thought of kissing Ethan didn’t bother me as much as it should have. After all, Ethan and I were super close. He was practically my other half, my best friend since middle school. If anyone could help me pull this off, it was him. And if a few intimate moments were all it took to make Ryder jealous, then so be it.

After we finished unpacking and arranging our things, Mia and I decided to head to the cafeteria to grab some lunch. I hadn’t realized how much I missed being at Silverbrook until I walked through the campus again. The familiar sights and sounds of students chatting, rushing to class, or lounging on the grass made me feel like I was finally where I belonged.

Mia looped her arm through mine as we walked. “So, what’s the first order of business?” she asked, glancing over at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Finding Ethan and staging your first big PDA moment?”

I laughed. “Let’s just get through lunch first. One step at a time.”

We grabbed trays and made our way through the line, piling our plates with burgers, fries, and salads. As we found a table near the window, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different. It wasn’t the school—it was me. There was a nagging sensation deep in my gut, a sense that things weren’t going to be as simple as I wanted them to be.

Mia must have noticed the change in my expression because she raised an eyebrow at me as she bit into her burger. “What’s up? You look like you’re thinking too hard.”

I hesitated, pushing my fries around my plate. “I don’t know. It’s just… this whole thing with Ryder. I feel like it’s going to get more complicated.”

Mia shrugged, wiping her hands on a napkin. “Maybe. But you’re strong, Ari. You can handle it. And besides, you’ve got me and Ethan to back you up.”

I nodded, trying to shake off the feeling of unease. Mia was right. I wasn’t in this alone. As long as I played my cards right, Ryder would eventually get fed up and reject me, and I could go back to living my life without the weight of a fated mate hanging over me.

But as we finished our lunch and headed back to our dorm, that nagging feeling persisted. I couldn’t shake the sense that this semester was going to be different—that Ryder wasn’t going to make this easy for me. And deep down, I couldn’t ignore the growing fear that maybe, just maybe, I was in way over my head.

By the time we reached our room, the anxiety had settled into a dull throb in the back of my mind. Mia, ever the optimist, was already sprawled on her bed with her laptop, typing away at the start of what I could only assume was the first chapter of her new book. I chuckled softly to myself, grateful for her lightheartedness.

But as I sat down at my desk, pulling out my class schedule for the semester, I knew that I couldn’t let my guard down. Not with Ryder lurking around, ready to pounce the moment I slipped up. This semester wasn’t just about school anymore. It was about staying one step ahead of Ryder, of making sure he didn’t have the chance to claim me.

And I was determined to win.