Alpha's Rivalry: Biker Next Door

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

**TWO YEARS LATER**

I could still hear the haunting echoes of wolves pursuing us through the shadowy forest. Their powerful paws pounding against the ground sent chills down my spine. Just as they were closing in, I lurched awake, gasping for breath, terror clutching at my chest. My hands trembled as I blinked rapidly, trying to orient myself in the dim light of my small, shabby bedroom—familiar yet uncomfortable.

I heard it—a piercing scream from Bella’s room across the hall. Adrenaline surged through me as I jumped out of bed and rushed to her side. I perched on the edge of her bed, gently holding her flailing arms as she thrashed in her sleep.

With a startled gasp, she awoke, confusion in her wide eyes.

“It’s alright, Bella. Calm down,” I whispered, trying to soothe her. But she suddenly burst into tears, leaning heavily onto my shoulder.

“They caught me. They always catch me,” she sobbed, trembling with fear.

“Bella, no one is going to catch us. They think we’re dead, remember?” I wrapped my arms around her, feeling her warmth as the shadows of our past faded.

“I know, but I can’t shake that night,” she whispered.

“We survived that pack. I promise we’ll be okay,” I said, trying to reassure her. She nodded slowly, her gaze distant, and a heavy silence settled between us.

When she finally calmed down, I went to the kitchen and saw that it was 4 a.m. There wasn’t much point in going back to sleep.

I made a coffee and bundled up to go outside to the back stairs, where a fresh layer of snow blanketed the ground. I lit a cigarette as I took in the crisp air.

I noticed the light turn on in my neighbor's house,

I faced the house while leaning against the railing of my stairs and I saw a lot of packages and furniture in the yard that was getting wet from the snow, but it was obvious that someone was moving in.

Just then the door opened and a guy walked outside. A guy with shoulder length blonde hair and unshaven. But still, not unattractive. He was wearing a leather jacket that had a gang symbol on it.

It wasn’t long before he saw me standing there watching him.

“Oh hi. You must be my new neighbor. I’m Tristan.” he said, walking over to the fence.

I looked him up and down. He looked way too friendly for anyone that lived around here. He was too…happy. Or something like that.

“Lainey.” I said.

“Well, it’s really nice to meet you. How long have you lived in the neighborhood?” He asked.

“A while.” I said, looking away towards the back of the yard.

“Do you like it around here?” He asked.

“Keep to yourself and mind your own business. Living here is fine.” I said, still not looking at him.

“Right. Well, do you live there alone?” He asked.

But I turned to look at him like I was trying to figure out why the hell he would ask me something like that. But he quickly figured that out and he put his hands up in defense.

“I just want to meet my neighbors. That’s all.” He said, showing me that he’s not trying to pose a threat.

“If you need anything you can deal with me.” I said. So he started nodding his head.

“Sure.” He said.

I then threw my cigarette in the back yard and I walked back inside.

I had a shower and I got dressed into a waitress uniform and rugged up as warm as I could.

I left the house while Bella was still asleep and walked through the dark, snowy streets, trying to avoid slipping on the ice on the footpath until I reached the train station.

The train ride took only ten minutes to get to my destination, and then I walked to the diner where I worked.

I stored my things in the back and grabbed my notebook and pen before heading into the dining room. I looked around at my section, which was quickly filling up with customers.

Many people came in for breakfast before heading off to work or school. The school kids were always getting into trouble with the manager, but the college students could be just as unruly after a night of drinking.

That was the part of the morning shift that I hated the most.

I paid close attention to all the customers I served. Most of them were fine, but there were always a few who acted like jerks—those who thought they were better than waitresses and treated us poorly.

I couldn’t stand those kinds of people, and they were the ones I always kept my eye on.

As I approached one table, I noticed two men in suits sitting there.

“Well, it’s about time. We’ve been waiting here long enough,” one of them said.

“I apologize, sir. It’s been a pretty hectic morning,” I replied.

“I don’t want your excuses. We both want coffee and the big breakfast plate,” he said, practically tossing the menus back at me while I scribbled down their orders.

“Yes, sir. Coming right up,” I responded.

I took their order to the kitchen, made their coffees, and returned to their table.

“Excuse me, Chloe,” the same man said, glancing at my name tag.

“Yes, sir?” I turned to face him.

“How long have you worked here?” he asked.

“I’m not exactly sure; it’s been a while. Why do you ask?” I responded.

“I expected someone who has been here for a while to at least know how to do their job. Should I go to your manager and file a complaint about you?” he queried.

“And why would you do that? I’ve put your order in, and I’m sure you can see how busy we are this morning,” I said.

“I don’t give a damn how busy you are. You saw us sitting here waiting,” he snapped at me.

“Yes, sir. You and several other tables got here before you,” I replied.

“Are you going to keep arguing with me, or are you going to force me to get your manager?” he demanded.

I was trying very hard to control my temper, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

“Of course not, sir. Your order is in the kitchen, and it won’t be long,” I said as I attempted to walk away.

“I don’t think that’s good enough,” he retorted, so I turned back to look at him.

“Sir, if you wanted a free meal, you should have stayed home and made something to eat. Here, you need to wait your turn, and you will be served when we get to you. I’m not sitting around and letting you all starve. I’m working, going from table to table. If you want to complain to my manager, then go ahead. But if you’re just trying to get a free meal, there’s a word for people like you,” I said, turning around and walking away, leaving him sitting there in shock.

My manager was standing behind the counter, observing the entire encounter.

“If you’re going to confront me about that, go ahead. But I’m not going to apologize,” I said.

“I’m not going to ask you to apologize. They deserve it. This isn’t the first time they’ve come in here and complained about everything just to get a free meal,” he replied.

“Why do you still let them in?” I asked.

“Because I can’t stop them from coming just because they’re difficult,” he answered.

“They’re scamming you. I think that warrants a ban from this place,” I said.

“I know that,” he admitted.

I waited for the couple to finish eating before I brought them the bill. They paid in cash, but they didn’t leave a tip.

As I collected the money, the man who had been giving me a hard time stood right next to me, staring at me.

“Is there something else?” I asked, glancing over at him.

“If you had done your job properly, I wouldn’t have had to talk to you the way I did earlier,” he replied. I turned to face him.

I patted him on the chest a couple of times, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry about it. It’s completely forgotten.” With that, I walked out to the back of the kitchen.

As I approached, the cook was watching me. I reached into my apron pocket and pulled out the man’s wallet that I had managed to take when I patted him on the chest. I removed a few hundred dollars and then tossed the wallet into the dumpster behind the diner.

The cook smiled at me when he saw what I had done. But I knew he wouldn't tell anyone. He's seen me do it before.

I stayed at the diner until after dark, then left and walked to a nearby pub.

As soon as I arrived, I changed my clothes and put on a different name tag that read "Fiona."

Different names helped make me harder to track. I walked behind the bar and found the owner, Darren, sitting there alone.

“Where’s the other bartender?” I asked.

“He called in sick,” Darren replied.

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” I said.

“How’s it going, Fiona?” Darren’s brother, Craig, asked from the other side of the bar.

“Good, thanks,” I replied. And he straightened up on his chair while smiling at me.

I just shook my head and got to work.

As more people began to fill the pub that night, I started serving drinks while also keeping an eye on the really drunk ones—those who would be easy targets and wouldn’t notice if their wallets went missing.

The pub closed at 2 a.m., and I stayed behind to help clean up before I could finally leave. I bundled up tightly as I walked down the freezing street. Just as I rounded the corner, I saw a massive, exclusive hotel.

A car pulled up in front of me, where I saw the driver get out and he opened the back door for his boss to get out of the car.

I didn’t pay too much attention to them at first, except that I had to walk around them so I didn’t run into them, but just as I did that I stood on a patch of ice that was on the footpath and my feet slid on the ground. I was waiting for the impact of myself hitting the ground, but it never came.

When I looked up I realized the man that got out of the back of that sleek black Mercedes had actually caught me before I fell and I was looking up at him as his hand was under my back, while I was leaning backwards in his grasp.

He was staring at me a little strange but I stood up properly and got out of his arms, but he was still staring at me funny.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Thank you.” I said.

“What’s your name?” He asked.

Just then a breeze whizzed past us and I got a whiff of the man’s scent. My heart started to thunder in my chest as I realized he was an Alpha.

My breathing started to become a little labored as I was trying to control my heart because I knew that he could hear me. He could tell that I was panicking.

“Thank you for helping me. I appreciate it.” I said, turning on my heels and quickly walking away.