Chapter 60
One Month Later.
RILEY.
She was still nowhere. I couldn’t find her.
My hair had grown longer, and so had my misery.
I didn’t know how many nights I had skipped sleeping. And if I slept, it was only because my body gave up. I spent my awake time looking for her, making calls, and visiting places I would never even imagine going to.
But there was still nothing.
I was slowly losing my stance, but I tried to put on a brave facade. Behind closed doors, I was slowly crumbling. Everything in this packhouse reminded me of her.
And my wolf wasn’t making it easy for me either. Hunter refused to come out, and we hadn’t had a full run for the full month. And although he was with me, I felt terribly alone.
The only thing that was keeping me sane was the thought that she was still alive. That I hadn’t felt any massive pain through our bond, and that she hadn’t been intimate with another man.
Despite losing her, she was still my driving force.
A week ago, I finally had the courage to face my people and informed them that their Luna had left and that there was a misunderstanding between us. That it was my fault and that I would do everything in my power to take her back.
But it had been a week after that, and there was still nothing. I didn’t know what to tell them anymore. They wanted her back, and for the first time, I couldn’t give what my pack wanted out of me.
A knock on my office door snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Enter.” I rested my elbows on my desk and palmed my forehead. I didn’t want to stay in my office, but I had documents that needed attention.
The door opened, and Beta Dominic came in, closing the door behind him.
“I was trying to link you. You turned off your mindlink again.”
“I just needed a few moments of silence.”
“Are you okay?”
“You asked me that every day, and I’m sure you know the answer.”
“You can’t give up, Riley.”
“I’m not. It’s the last thing I would do,” I answered him, as I let out a deep sigh.
“You need to tell your wolf out. He can’t sulk like that. He can go feral.”
“He’s more fucking stubborn than me.”
It was his turn to let out a deep sigh before he spoke again. “Benedict Solange is here.”
“What? Who?” My brows furrowed. Even if he had nothing to do with Nadia’s disappearance, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see him. But maybe it was for the best for my own peace of mind.
“He wanted to speak with you about Nadia.”
“Does he have information?”
“No. He said he’s here because he wants to know where she is.”
“Let him in.”
“Are you sure?”
I just nodded my head. I leaned my back on my chair and watched as my Beta left the office. I stood up from my seat the moment the door closed and went to my liquor cabinet.
Bourbon has been a constant companion for me over the last few days, if not weeks. But even if I kept drinking, it didn’t numb anything. I could still feel the pain in every nerve of my body, and I had no fucking idea why I kept drinking.
I took out two whisky glasses and poured bourbon into them at the exact moment the door opened again.
“You can leave us,” I told my Beta and he acknowledged me before he left.
“Find a seat or just stand, whatever you’re comfortable with,” I told him as I handed him a glass of bourbon.
“Should I trust you?” He asked me after taking the glass from my hand.
“I’m your Alpha. I will always protect my people unless they don’t deserve it. I should be asking you, should I trust you?”
“I can’t remember anything I did, particularly to you, for you to doubt me.”
“Fair enough. Why are you here?”
“Where is Nadia?”
“Luna Nadia.”
“Where is the Luna?”
“If I knew, then you wouldn’t be asking that question.”
“What have you done to her? If I come across as disrespectful, please pardon me. But Nadia is very important to me. And the fact that she’s not here means only one thing. It’s either she didn’t want to be here or you threw her away.”
“And your point is?”
“I like Nadia. Maybe more than you do.” My brow hiked up with his words because he was fucking wrong. “I waited for her to make up her mind to choose me over my uncle.”
“And all the while you waited, you floundered with different females. Am I right?”
“I have my needs.”
“Point taken. I still don’t understand what you want to get from this visit.”
“I will go straight to the point, Alpha. I want Nadia. If you’re tired of her, just give her to me. We will leave the territory, and you will never see us again.”
“And you think Nadia wants that?”
“A man can try.”
“And you think I would let you?”
“Tell me, Alpha, why is she not here?”
I didn’t answer him.
Instead, I rounded my table and opened the drawer, pulling out the envelope with their pictures. I took it out and showed him the one where he was holding Nadia’s jaw.
“Is this photo real?”
“Yes.”
“Do you own this picture?”
“No. But I know who did. It was shown to me months ago.”
I nodded my head before I took out the last one that broke my heart. The picture that I didn’t show to anyone.
“And this?” I laid the photo on the table, and I saw his eyes squint.
Nadia was straddling him in what looked like a picture taken in an alfresco dining place. Her arms were wrapped around his body while her head rested in the crook of his neck, and Benedict’s hand was resting on her upper thigh.
Nadia’s marked neck was visible.
It only means it was taken after I marked her.
I would have wanted someone to scrutinize the photo if it had been tampered with, but a part of me didn’t want to show this intimate photo to anyone because I was terrified it would tarnish her reputation.
“No. This one is a fake.” He pointed his finger at it, and I was glad that I didn’t need to ask him.
“It’s not you and her?”
“It’s me. But it’s not her. It’s a different female. I didn’t see Nadia after she was marked. The first time I saw her again was at the conference with you.”
I felt a big burden had been lifted off my chest. Although I was willing to find and take Nadia back, regardless of whether the photo was real or not, a part of me mourned at the thought of her being with someone after we met.
Even if they didn’t do any intimate acts, this scene was still too intimate for me.
“Don’t tell me you fought with her about this?”
“I don’t owe you any explanation.”
“With due respect, Alpha. What exactly is your plan with her?”
“Again, I don’t owe you anything. But because you clarified things about these pictures, I will tell you something. Nadia is mine. Forget any illusions or desires you might have for her. There are other females who deserve your time and attention. Leave my mate alone. She’s mine.”