Screw My Childhood Sweetheart His Alpha Brother Marked Me First novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ryder Thornwolfe? Yeah, he’s the guy who could make a room go dead silent just by breathing.

The kind of man where even the cockiest rich boys suddenly remember their manners. One glance from him and people straighten up like their lives depend on it.

It’s not about money. Not about power.

It’s something deeper. Raw. The kind of vibe that makes your survival instincts scream run before your brain even catches up.

So yeah, I’ve made it my mission to stay as far away from him as humanly possible.

Saw him on campus? I’d take the scenic route. Same party? Time to become wallpaper.

But right now?

That same terrifying man was sprawled facedown on a hospital bed, trembling like he’d been struck by lightning. His fists were buried in the sheets, knuckles ghost–white. Every muscle in his body looked coiled tight–like a wire about to snap. Even his toes were curling against the mattress. Waves of heat poured off him so thick I could feel them from where I stood.

Each breath sounded like it was tearing him apart from the inside.

And Moon Goddess, he looked devastating. Like some dark angel who’d crashed to earth–beautiful, untouchable, and completely wrecked.

My throat went tight. My chest felt like someone had reached in and squeezed.

How many full moons has he survived alone like this?

“Hold on,” I whispered, barely able to get the words out. “Are you telling me he got hurt… saving me? Again?”

Knox started to answer, but Ryder’s voice sliced through the air like a blade:

“Say another word and you’re fired.”

A beat passed. Then his tone shifted–still cold, but softer. Like he was trying to be gentle even though it clearly cost him:

“Freya. Go home. I don’t need you here.”

Knox, apparently immune to fear, didn’t even flinch.

“Sir, respectfully? Stop with the tough guy act. It’s not gonna magically get you a mate.”

“You talk like you’re made of stone, but we all know better. The second Miss Wolfhart’s in trouble, you’d dive into hell barefoot to pull her out. You think we’re blind?”

Carter–the other guard–jumped in without missing a beat:

“Last full moon? You sat there staring at her photo for hours. Like some heartbroken teenager. Started mumbling her name in your sleep too. Pretty sure you were dreaming about her.”

“And the month before that? You parked outside her dorm building and stayed there all night. We watched you reach for the door handle about fifty times–only to stop yourself every single time. Even a saint would’ve cracked by now.”

“If we don’t speak up, she’ll never know the truth. You really gonna suffer alone forever?”

Marked Me First!

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Chapter 3

Something cracked open inside my chest.

He’s been… watching over me this whole time?

Ryder’s jaw clenched hard enough to shatter teeth. His voice dropped into a low, dangerous growl.

“I said I can handle it.”

Dr. Wilder threw his clipboard onto the counter.

“Handle it?! You won’t live long enough to handle a damn thing if this keeps up! You’ll be dead by sunrise!”

He whipped around to face me, eyes wild:

“Miss Wolfhart, why are you just standing there?! Move! Help him!”

Knox and Carter both turned toward me in perfect sync and dropped into deep, formal bows–like I was royalty and this was life or death.

Which, I guess, it was.

I stood frozen, hands shaking so bad I had to curl them into fists. My brain was screaming at me to do something, but my legs felt like they’d been nailed to the floor.

“I–I don’t know how,” I choked out, voice cracking. “I’ve never-”

Dr. Wilder didn’t let me finish. He was already cutting away the soaked bandages with surgical scissors.

“Kiss him.”

Heat exploded across my face. My cheeks burned so hot I thought I might pass out.

I stared down at Ryder–the man who’d kept his distance for years–and had zero clue how to kiss him with three guys watching like it was some kind of medical procedure.

Then Knox spoke again, his voice steady but urgent:

“Miss Wolfhart, do you know how Alpha Ryder got injured?”

I shook my head. Couldn’t speak. Throat too tight.

“Two days ago, there was a fire at your university’s main auditorium. You were trapped inside. Passed out from smoke inhalation. Nearly died.”

My stomach dropped straight through the floor.

Oh Moon Goddess.

“Alpha Ryder saved you,” Knox continued, locking eyes with me. “And it wasn’t random. It wasn’t luck.”

“When a werewolf marks someone through the blood ritual, they form a bond. It’s instinctive. Primal. If their mate’s in danger, they feel it–like a hook in their chest, like someone screaming inside their skull that something’s wrong.”

Carter picked up where he left off:

“Alpha Ryder was downtown in a business meeting when it hit him. Said it felt like someone punched straight through his ribs and grabbed his heart. Didn’t ask questions. Didn’t wait. Just ran.”

“Got to the auditorium before the fire trucks did. Didn’t hesitate. Ran straight into that inferno because every cell in his body was screaming you

Chapter 3

were dying.”

Tears stung my eyes so hard I had to blink them back.

He felt me dying.

Knox’s voice softened, but the intensity stayed:

“When he found you, you weren’t breathing. He carried you out through flames that would’ve killed anyone else–but right before he reached the exit, a support beam collapsed. Crushed his shoulder. Set his entire back on fire.”

“But he didn’t drop you. Didn’t stop. Used every last bit of strength he had to get you outside. Made sure you were safe.”

Carter’s face darkened like a storm rolling in.

“Then Mr. Grayson showed up. Pulled you out of Alpha Ryder’s arms and played hero. Acted like he was the one who saved you!”

Rage and guilt and grief slammed into me all at once.

Grayson let me thank him. Let me believe he was the one who risked everything.

While Ryder nearly burned alive.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” My voice came out raw, barely holding together. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

Knox glanced at Ryder, then back at me.

“Because he didn’t want you stuck with him out of guilt. Didn’t want you to feel like you owed him.”

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