Chapter 32 Riley
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Riley
We stepped into the warzone and it was madness.
My wolf senses were overwhelmed. The clash of bodies, the snarls and howls, wolves everywhere fighting on both sides. Some were in their beast forms, some had shifted back to human with swords. It was chaos, and I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do.
Great. My first real battle and I was basically a fluffy white liability.
I caught a familiar scent first. Patt. I spotted him a second later, in wolf form, huge and dark-furred, but he was limping. He was still fighting, still holding his own, but he was hurt. My chest tightened. He was Caelan’s brother, and he was here because of us.
Then I saw Soren.
He was on the floor, pinned beneath the King’s massive paws. The King had Soren’s throat in his jaws, not biting down but holding, keeping the traitor immobile. Elspeth was behind him, covering her mate’s back, lunging at any enemy who dared approach.
They were winning. The good guys were actually winning.
Caelan moved forward, and I followed. He made a path through the mayhem, his golden fur a beacon in the darkness. Wolves tried to intercept us, but Caelan was relentless, clearing the way for me and Thessa.
A wolf lunged at Caelan from the side. He dodged, but not fast enough. The attacker’s claws caught his flank before Caelan spun and took him down.
My wolf whimpered. He was injured. My mate was bleeding.
But there was no time to stop. We had to keep moving. We were almost to the other side of the room when Thessa got pulled away.
A brown wolf slammed into her from the left, separating her from the group. I watched in horror as Thessa tumbled across the floor, the brown wolf on top of her.
I tried to call out to Caelan. But I was in wolf form and I couldn’t speak, could only whimper and yip. Very helpful. Ten out of ten communication skills.
Caelan was still pushing forward, not realizing his sister was no longer behind us.
I made a decision.
I broke away from Caelan, racing toward Thessa. She was fighting back, but she was pinned. And I could see another wolf circling behind her, going for her exposed back while she was focused on the one in front.
Thessa didn’t see it.
I did.
I slammed my body into the gray wolf before it could strike. Heroic? Yes. Smart? Debatable. We went down in a tangle of fur and claws.
I tried to find my footing, tried to orient myself, but I wasn’t good on my paws. I’d barely learned to walk in this form, let alone fight. Fantastic. Really great timing to discover I had zero combat skills.
The gray wolf recovered faster than I did, spinning to face me with bared fangs.
He was bigger, stronger, more experienced. In seconds he had me pinned, his weight crushing the air from my lungs.
Fuck. This was not how I pictured my heroic rescue going. I was supposed to save Thessa and look badass doing it, not get immediately flattened by the first enemy I encountered.
I lifted my paw, claws extended, trying to buy myself even a second of breathing room. But he saw it coming, dodged, and I thought this is it, this is how it ends, taken out by a random henchman wolf...
The wolf was ripped off me. Caelan. The dramatic bastard always had impeccable timing.
He was there in a blur of golden fury, tackling my attacker and taking him down before I could blink. The enemy wolf didn’t get back up.
Caelan turned to me, his amber eyes panicked, scanning my body for damage. He nudged me with his snout, whimpering, then started fussing over my scratches. Which, okay, was actually kind of adorable. My terrifying warrior prince, reduced to anxious whimpering because I got a few scrapes.
I would have found it sweet if I wasn’t still trying to catch my breath.
I whimpered back, tried to stand. My legs were shaky, but Caelan pressed his body against mine, steadying me until I found my balance. Even in wolf form, he was taking care of me. Overprotective idiot.
Thessa appeared beside us, a little roughed up but standing and alive. The brown wolf who attacked her was nowhere to be seen. Apparently the Goldridge siblings were much better at this fighting thing than I was.
We didn’t have time for a reunion.
Caelan jerked his head toward a side entrance, a doorway leading away from the main battle, into a corridor beyond. Our wolves seemed to have the better odds now; the fighting was shifting in our favor. But we needed to get out.
Together, we ran.
The hallway was darker and quieter. The sounds of battle faded behind us. My wounds ached with every step, but I pushed through it. We were so close to being free.
We rounded a corner…The hallway wasn’t empty.
Vix was there.
Because of course she was. Couldn’t have a dramatic escape without the psychotic ex-whatever showing up to monologue at us.
She stood in the center of the corridor, blocking our path, dressed in dark clothes with her brown hair wild around her face. And in her hand was a knife. Apparently she’d decided to go full villain aesthetic.
My wolf snarled. Bitch.
I wanted round two. I wanted to tear Vix apart for everything she’d done, the poison, the lies, the manipulation. But more than that, I wanted answers. I wanted to look this woman in the eye and watch her realize she’d lost.
I shifted, the transformation faster now, easier. A heartbeat later I was standing on two legs, staring down the woman who nearly destroyed everything.
“You thought you were being so clever, didn’t you?” My voice was steady. “Making up lies about my mate? Staging that scene in his office? Poisoning me?”
Vix’s expression flickered. “What lies? Everything I said was true.” Her smile was cruel. “I was his first, bitch. That wasn’t a lie.”
My heart clenched. But before I could respond, Caelan shifted behind me.
“It was one night and a fucking mistake, Vix. Stop weaponizing a foolish moment when I was a teenager.”
I turned to look at Caelan. He was standing behind me, bloodied, his expression hard, his eyes fixed on Vix with undisguised contempt.
“Let me ask this clearly,” I said, my voice steady despite everything. “Do you have any type of relationship with Vix, Caelan?”
Caelan grimaced. “No. We’re acquaintances at best. I can barely stand her.”
“But you slept with her.”
“Once. When I was seventeen and stupid.” His jaw tightened. “Everyone knows about it. It’s not a secret I was keeping from you. I just didn’t want to upset you over an incident that meant nothing. Because it did mean nothing, Riley. Vix means nothing to me. She never has.”
“You said ‘everyone knows about us,’” I pressed. “In your office. That’s what I heard.”
Understanding dawned on Caelan’s face. “I was talking about the old history. The one-night mistake when we were teenagers. Everyone at court knows about it because Vix has been trying to leverage it for years.” His voice dropped, pained.
“I should have told you myself. I’m sorry.
But I swear on my life, there is nothing between us.
There never was, beyond that one stupid night. ”
A noise came from where Vix was standing, and I turned back to her.
Vix’s face was twisted with rage. Gone was the cold, calculating mask, replaced by pure unhinged fury. Her grip on the knife tightened until her knuckles went white.
“You ruined everything,” Vix hissed at me.
“He was supposed to be mine. The plan was perfect. Soren would take care of the Goldridges, and I would save Caelan. Run away with him. Start fresh somewhere new, just the two of us.” Her voice cracked, deranged.
“But you were supposed to die. You just wouldn’t stay dead, would you? ”
Wow. She had really convinced herself that Caelan was going to run away with her. The delusion was almost impressive.
“Sorry to disappoint.”
Vix screamed and launched herself at me.
The knife arced through the air. I dodged, barely, and shifted my hands, just my hands, claws extending from my fingertips. Look at me, learning new tricks in the middle of a fight. Personal growth.
We fought, and it was brutal.
Vix was trained, I’d give her that. She moved with precision, striking and retreating. And she was raging, years of obsession fueling every move.
But my rage was bigger.
Every lie. Every manipulation. Every moment of pain Vix caused. This woman had poisoned me. Had tried to destroy my relationship. Had been part of a conspiracy that killed my parents. And now she was trying to kill me herself.
Spoiler alert: I wasn’t going to let her.
The knife caught my arm once, my shoulder once. Annoying, but my wolf was already healing the scratches. Meanwhile, Vix was getting sloppier, more desperate. Turns out unhinged rage wasn’t a great fighting strategy.
I saw an opening.
I lunged. My claws caught Vix’s wrist, forcing her to drop the knife. Before she could recover, I tackled her, pinning her to the ground with all my weight.
Not bad for someone who’d been a wolf for approximately five minutes.
Vix struggled. Screamed. Cursed. But I didn’t let go.
“It’s over,” I panted. “You lost.”
“I’ll kill you,” Vix spat. “The moment I get free, I’ll...”
“Yeah, yeah. You’ll kill me, poison me, steal my mate, blah blah blah. I’ve heard it all before. Get some new material.”
A shadow fell over us.
Caelan crouched beside Vix, and before she could say another word, he knocked her out cold.
“Guards!” he roared. Within moments, two wolves in human form appeared. “Take her. Chain her. If she moves, kill her.”
They obeyed, dragging Vix’s unconscious body away.
I stayed on the ground for a moment, breathing hard. My body ached. I was exhausted, bloody, and probably looked like I’d lost a fight with a blender.
But I was alive. And Vix was in chains. And it was finally, finally over. Caelan’s hand appeared in my vision. I took it, let him pull me to my feet.
“You did good,” he said softly, his eyes warm. “You fought well. I’m proud of you.”
“You’re one to talk,” I managed. “You’re a mess.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re literally injured.”
“It’s barely a scratch.”
“Caelan, I can see...” I trailed off, looking at him properly. At the way he was looking at me. At the relief in his eyes, the tenderness, the love. “Okay, fine. You’re fine. We’re both fine. Everything is fine.”
He smiled, really smiled, and cupped my face in his hands. “I thought I lost you,” he murmured. “When you ran from the cabin, when Soren took you, I thought...” He swallowed. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”
“Get kidnapped by a supervillain? I’ll try to avoid it.”
“I’m serious, Riley.”
“I know.” I covered his hands with mine. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me now.”
“Good.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
We stood there for a moment, just breathing each other in. And despite everything, despite the chaos and the danger and the absolute insanity of the past few days, I felt... happy. Safe. Home.
Then Thessa cleared her throat loudly.
“Not to interrupt this touching moment, but we’re still standing in an enemy compound and I’d really like to leave now.”
Right. That. Still in enemy territory. Probably should prioritize escape over romance. My survival instincts really needed recalibration.
Caelan wrapped an arm around my waist and guided me toward the exit. Thessa fell into step beside us. She caught my eye and gave me a look that said we are absolutely going to talk about everything later, but for now she just smiled.
We stepped outside.
The cold air hit my skin and I nearly sobbed with relief. The sky was dark, stars scattered across it, and I had no idea what time it was. But it didn’t matter. We were out. We were safe.
Healers rushed toward us, wrapping blankets around our shoulders, checking us over. I let them work, too tired to do anything except lean into Caelan’s side.
“It’s over,” he said, his hand finding mine. “We got them. Soren, Vix, all of them. It’s over.”
I looked up at him. My mate. My ridiculous, overprotective, dramatic prince who had literally crashed through a ceiling to save me.
“It’s not over,” I said. “It’s just the beginning.”
He raised an eyebrow. “That’s very philosophical of you.”
“I have my moments.”
He laughed, soft and surprised, and pulled me closer. And standing there in the cold night air, surrounded by healers and guards and the aftermath of battle, I thought maybe this was what happily ever after looked like.
Messy, imperfect, and absolutely worth it.