Chapter 8
RILEY.
Iwatched as Nadia stormed off from my office without glancing at me. It left me in a foul mood.
I didn’t appreciate my Beta flirting with her, so I had to remind him to back off. I hope he got the warning because I would fucking castrate him if he ever made a move at her.
My nose still flared with anger. I had no idea if I was more angry with Dominic or myself.
What was I thinking when I blurted out that rejection? It was the last thing I wanted to do. My mark on her was my only link to her, and I never wanted to erase that bond. I wanted her. But the thought of her not wanting my mark pained me.
What do I need to do so I can make her stay? If I ordered her to stay, then it would be another Andrea. I didn’t want to risk her hating me, so I was ready to reject her so she could have what she wanted.
But did she just stop me?
Fuck! She kissed me. I closed my eyes and rubbed my palms against my face, confused with everything in my head.
“Are you done staring at the empty door?” Jacob’s mocking voice snapped me back to the present, and I turned my head toward his voice. The fucker was taking another sip of my expensive rum.
“What the fuck are you still doing here? Who said you could drink that?” I walked toward him and grabbed the bottle in front of him, sealing its cork tightly before placing it back in my liquor cabinet.
“Relax. I know we just cockblocked you, but don’t you think you were going too fast? Is everything okay between the two of you?”
“We hardly talked when you bolted in unannounced.” I sighed in desperation as I slumped my body into my chair.
“I felt your aura seeping through the office door, so I rushed in. What riled you up?”
“I almost rejected her.”
“What? The fuck, Riley. Don’t tell me you don’t like her. Because you looked like a smitten dog, mind you, not a wolf, but a fucking dog while looking at her. What’s with the rejection drama?”
“That’s why she is here, right? She wants that mark gone.”
“Idiot! Are you a fucking Alpha? Her uncle wanted that mark gone. But I didn’t even think for a second that she wanted it away. You told me you marked her three full moons ago, so why did she show up just now? Beaten and dragged by her uncle?”
He just called me an idiot, but I would have to agree with this fucker. She didn’t want my mark gone from her, and that was why she kissed me. Are females really this fucking hard to read?
“Instead of rejecting her, why didn’t you ask where she had been for the last three months, and why did she run away from you? There’s more to that female than what meets the eye. Get to know her. If she’s not worth your time and the Luna title, then reject her. Let her go.”
My heart constricted at the last part. I didn’t even think for a second that she wasn’t worth my time or that she wouldn’t fit as my Luna. The question is, would she give me her time so I could prove my worth as a mate, as her Alpha?
“I don’t want to do to her what I did to Andrea,” I told him my truth.
“What do you mean?” His brows furrowed.
“I confined Andrea here. I took her by force by blackmailing her. In the process, she hated me. If Nadia turns out to hate me, I don’t think I can live with that…”
“You like her…”
I snorted a fake laugh. “The last three months were fucking hell without her. I don’t think you will understand.”
“I do. I lost Clair for two weeks, and my only motivation to get up every morning was that she was alive and I had the chance to find her. I didn’t know where she was or who had her, but I didn’t stop until I took her back.
But you have Nadia here, so forget about the last three months.
Ask her to stay. Offer her protection from her uncle.
If she doesn’t want to stay in your packhouse, give her a house nearby.
And control your mood swings. Let your mate bond help you get the female you want. ”
He was already done talking, and I was just staring at him.
“So?” His forehead creased as he looked back at me.
“Did someone tell you you’re fucking too smart for an asshole? But I’m not sure if that will work for her. But I’ll try.”
He chuckled, sipping his rum before pointing a finger at me. “You must clean up your act and step up as an Alpha again. Try to impress her.”
BETA DOMINIC.
“I don’t think a beautiful female like you fits in a…
” I didn’t get to finish what I wanted to say when Alpha Riley dug into my head, swearing at me and telling me to back off from flirting with Nadia.
He was angry, and as much as I wanted to taunt him because of all the stress he had given me for the last three months, I knew when to keep my mouth shut. I could do it some other day.
I feel this female was important to him because I saw them kissing.
I never saw my Alpha kiss or hold anyone in his arms. Occasionally, I would see him hug Andrea, but that was it. He was never careless enough to be seen kissing her, or maybe he hadn’t kissed her at all. But Andrea was part of the past.
Fuck me! Why the fuck did I mention Andrea earlier? It’s no wonder Nadia would rather sleep in the dungeon.
“Where are you going?” I was at the foot of the stairs, about to head up to the room Alpha Riley wanted me to give her, when I noticed Nadia had passed me and was heading for the corridor.
“Alpha Riley said I could stay in the other building...” She was biting her bottom lip, and her eyes were watering. She looked like a lost cat, different from her demeanor when she was inside the office and snarling at the Alpha.
“No. He instructed me to take you to the room upstairs. Come.” I gestured with my hand, urging her to follow me.
She didn’t reply but proceeded to follow me.
“So, you and the Alpha. Have you met before today?” I asked.
“We met three months ago.”
My head snapped back in her direction. Three months ago? Was it before the Alpha went into sulking and stopped functioning as an Alpha? “What happened after you met?”
“Didn’t he tell you?”
I shook my head in response.
“Maybe because it was nothing to him.”
“Or I was worth nothing to him as a Beta, so he didn’t trust me with anything.”
“Either way, one of us will still get hurt, right? So better not dwell on it.” She smiled weakly, her eyes focusing on where we were heading.
“Will you tell me about you and him?”
“He marked me.”
“Did he force you? Shit! Did he go mad…” My breathing hitched as I spoke. I couldn’t believe he would do that, but what if?
“No. It was mutual. But I didn’t know he would leave me after…”
“You let him mark you? Is he your mate?” My eyes darted to her neck, which was covered by her hair. I wanted to see if a fated mark was there or if Riley had gone mad and just picked up a female to replace Andrea.
Her hand flew to her neck as she gently rubbed it with her palm. “Yes. Fated mate. But I don’t think he wants me.”
“Maybe he does. What I saw there when we entered his office was something he had never done with anyone.”
She stopped walking as she scoffed and crossed her arms across her chest, facing my direction and making me halt. “Even with Andrea?”
I nodded my head. “Even with Andrea.” I moved forward and pointed to the door ahead of us.
“That’s the Alpha’s room. Now, he said, you can select the room you want.
Even the biggest room, but he wanted to have it renovated first, so if you want that big room, you have to wait for a couple of days before you can use it. ”
“A couple of days?”
My forehead creased. Was that a complaint because it would take a couple of days for a room to be renovated? That was quick already.
“You mean I can stay more than one day?” Her eyes started to water again, and she was confusing me.
I scratched my head before I chuckled as I answered her. “It seems that way. Otherwise, he would just let you use the guest room on the second floor. You want to check the rooms?”
“No need. I’ll take the one farthest from the Alpha.”
I nodded my head and started walking towards the end of the corridor. This floor has seven rooms, but the whole floor belongs entirely to Alpha Riley. No one has occupied this place except the Alpha’s family in the past.
And Andrea. When she was here.
I opened the door and let her in while I stayed outside. I saw her eyes wandering around the room, but she kept her emotions in check.
“Rest. I’ll have someone bring lunch for you.”
“Thank you.” She turned around and faced me, uncertainty written on her face. “Is he always like that? Growly and always pissed off? Should I be scared of him?”
“No. He’s a good man. He’s just…” I stopped with my words when Alpha Riley’s words rang in my head. ‘What the fuck is taking you so long to come back? Didn’t I tell you to show her the room and leave her alone?’
I let out a sigh before I smiled at Nadia. I was worn out, and the Alpha’s mood wasn’t helping. “We’ll talk some other time. The Alpha is looking for me.”
She smiled and bobbed her head, her hand holding onto the doorknob. “Okay, thank you.”
I watched as she moved to close the door.
“Nadia, just be patient with your mate. He can be an asshole, but he just needs a female to tame him down.” I didn’t wait for her to reply before I turned on my heels and walked away.
“Tame him down?” I could hear the bitterness in her voice, and that made me stop walking, but I didn’t look back at her. “He’s not a pet. I don’t want to tame him. But if you mean to calm his storm, maybe I can. Maybe I will… If he lets me.”
A smile cracked on my face at her words. She liked him. That was good enough to start with. Alpha Riley only needed to realize he wanted and needed her.
I was already losing hope that he would get back on his feet and be the same Alpha that he was before, but with Nadia’s arrival, I saw a silver lining.