Not My Alpha (Completed)

Chapter Thirty-Six - Three Days

My breath hitched and a mangled cry threatened to emerge from the back of my throat. I plastered my hand over my mouth the minute I felt it, and thankfully, no noise was made.

Samuel's voice was pleading now, though still raised. "She won't be able to handle this. Her family is all she has."

"She's got you, too, Samuel." I suddenly heard Riley's voice much closer than before. "And I'm sure she will be just fine."

Abruptly, the door was pulled open, causing me to quickly stumble forward. I caught my footing before I could trip, however, gripping the wall beside my door. When I had my footing, I didn't move from that position in the doorway, taking the moment to gather my thoughts. Riley caught me eavesdropping on an important conversation, and I wasn't sure how he would respond. 

Silence stretched for a short minute as the two men stared at me, Samuel slightly surprised. After a moment, he rolled his eyes. "Was that necessary?"

I opened my mouth but realized he was speaking to Riley, who shrugged and moved away from me, back towards the kitchen. Samuel was standing not too far away from him, leaning all his weight against the white countertop. 

"You'll be fine, won't you, Samantha?" Riley called out. He hadn't stopped in the kitchen like I thought he would but instead continued walking towards the front door, which stood at the point where the living room and kitchen met. The door matched the color of Riley's eyes and compared to the neutral colors of the rest of the apartment, they were both extremely out of place. 

I tensed as Riley turned back to face me, his amber eyes meeting my own. Over the past few days, it had occurred to me that Riley could have easily been the one to take my mother. It would explain why they hadn't found even a trace of her, along with many other things. But, I never got the chance to confront him about it. I managed to not worry by telling myself that I hadn't broken the deal, and there was no reason for Riley to have taken my mother. Still, though, it was a worrying concept that plagued my vacant days. 

"Riley," Samuel called out, stalking towards him. "We're not through with this."

Riley shot me a wild grin before blatantly ignoring Samuel and slipping out the front door. Samuel followed him through the opening, cursing as Riley walked down the hall and further away from the confrontation. I watched as Samuel's body stopped in the doorway, his hands gripping the frame in clear annoyance. 

After another slew of curses, Samuel hung his head and sighed. He didn't go after Riley, and I watched him carefully as he retreated from the door and came back to the kitchen. He leaned against the counter again, running a hand down his face. When he refused to meet my eye or even glance my direction, I knew something was wrong. 

"What's going on?" I asked quietly.

His eyes flickered to me, but as soon as they did, he turned his back and started rummaging through the fridge. After a moment, he brought out two bottles of water, setting them on the counter. He gestured for me to take one. I slowly walked towards the barstools and sat in the one directly across from Samuel. We had an entire counter between us and I suddenly felt as if he was thousands of miles away from me and this conversation. Samuel only added to this notion when he put his hands on the edges of the counter and leaned as far back as his arms would allow. 

"What's going on?" I repeated with a little more force. 

He sighed. "You're not going to like it."

"I don't care if I'm not going to like it. Tell me."

For the first time that day, his eyes met mine. "Riley has decided to call off the search."