Chapter 36
A Week After.
NADIA.
Riley told me to stop asking him about his mother. So I did. I stopped questioning him, but since I was naturally born stubborn, that didn’t mean I would stop seeking answers.
If he didn’t want to help me, that was fine. I could get help somewhere else.
I found out that Beta Dominic’s father was the previous Beta, so his mother was the previous Beta Female. This means she might have actually lived with the previous Luna of this pack.
And I was right, she was indeed a good friend of hers.
So I didn’t waste any more time on getting the details that I needed. I knew Riley would be pissed off, but I was willing to take a risk if this meant letting him move on from his bad childhood.
Because even after we kept saying how much we loved each other, I felt there was still something in between us, a wall that I couldn’t see.
And I wanted that invisible wall down.
I wanted Riley, all of him—body and soul.
‘Where are you now?’ Riley’s words dug into my head.
‘I’m here with Katya.’ I answered his mindlink.
I didn’t have any training sessions with Jenny today, and Riley was helping Gamma Sebastian with his Elites so I decided to spend my mornings with Beta Dominic’s mother.
So Katya and I were baking pastries while her mate went with Beta Dominic to the other side of the territory, so they could have a father and son moment even if the Beta was actually there for work.
‘You’re spending too much time there. Do I need to get jealous now?’ I could imagine him pouting his lips, as he would usually do when he was trying to get my attention.
‘I don’t do girls. And I don’t do anyone except my Alpha… So stop being whiny and clingy. Aren’t you supposed to be working?.’
‘I miss you.’ I couldn’t help the smile from gracing my lips and the tingles spreading across my thighs. His words alone could make me feel giddy. And I was thankful Katya was standing by the sink, her back on me.
‘We just saw each other three hours ago.’
‘That’s been fucking too long now. Can I pick you up already?’
‘No. I’m busy… Are you done with the Elites?’
I waited for a response, but I didn’t hear anything.
I shrugged it off and thought that maybe he was talking with someone, but it was now a few minutes after that and still, there was nothing.
‘Riley?’ I tried to link to him.
‘Nadia…’ His voice sounded like he was panting.
‘You just disappeared. Is everything okay?’
‘Yes.’
‘You can come here if you want. You can watch or join us in baking some pastries. Then we can head home together.’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay, are you coming?’
‘No.’
My forehead creased in confusion. Riley seemed to be out of his head with his answers.
‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes. Just stay there and I will pick you up. Don’t go anywhere.’
‘Okay…So you’re coming over? Now?’
‘No. Later, I’ll let you know when I’m coming.’
‘Okay.’ He didn’t say anything more.
I counted to twenty and tried one more time. ‘Riley?’
‘Yes?’
‘I love you.’
‘Me too.’
That was it.
Something was off.
Riley never replied with “me too” every time I told him I loved him. It would always be ‘I love you too’ and more words after that, or he would ask if I was sure that I loved him.
Something was going on where he was.
I didn’t want to bother myself with it because it might just be about the Elites, but I couldn’t stop my mind from overthinking it.
“Katya…” I finally made up my mind.
“Yes, Luna.”
“Can you drive me back to the packhouse? I know we’re not done here yet but I just remembered something I needed to do before Riley comes home later.” I bit my lower lip, hoping she will believe me.
“Of course. Let’s just cover all of this so it won’t get too hard when I come back.” If she didn’t believe me I could never tell.
I helped her cover all the dough, and we both washed our hands before we headed for the door.
If Riley was hiding something, I wanted to find out what it was.