Chapter 70
RILEY.
After my conversation with Andrea, I requested to speak with Caspian alone. And although I was doubtful that he had forgiven me, he told me he had. But we were not forcing it, and we decided it was best to let time heal all wounds.
I left their territory with a lighter load on my chest than I had this morning. And I was thankful that I had talked to Andrea. She made me realize that I was not ready to see Nadia with someone else.
She’s mine. And I would do everything to win her back, even if it meant swallowing my own pride.
I dialed my Beta’s number as I drove back to my territory, but his phone was off.
Maybe he has no signal. I waited for five minutes before trying again, but nothing.
My heart was thudding loudly and Hunter was giving me fucking bad ideas, but I tried my best not to entertain those thoughts and pushed him to the back of my mind.
I sent a message to my Beta to call me. I was just ten minutes away from my own border when my phone pinged.
Beta Dominic: Not now, Alpha. Give me 20 minutes.
I growled as I slammed my palm on the steering wheel and dialed his number again. This time it rang, but he wasn’t picking it up.
What the fuck was happening? What was he doing that was so fucking important he couldn’t pick up and answer the fucking phone? My mind was going haywire as Hunter’s words kept ringing in my head.
No. Nadia and my Beta were not those kinds of people.
I dialed again and this time he canceled it. I threw my phone in the passenger seat and sped up my driving. He better have a fucking good explanation or he will never see the fucking sun again.
I was so fucking ready to drive over the border gate when, one by one, the warriors manning the line started standing in front of it with big smiles on their fucking annoying faces.
I hit the brakes hard, stopping just in time before I hit Tristan because he was the one in the front.
I rolled my window down and leaned out of it. “What the fuck are you doing there? I almost fucking hit all of you!” I bellowed at them, but the fuckers still had big smiles on their fucking faces, and it was annoying me more.
“Move!” I motioned with my hand, and some of them scratched their heads, while Tristan walked beside my window, still smiling.
“Alpha, Luna Nadia is home.”
I swallowed hard. Did I hear him right?
“What?” I asked, but I didn’t even hear my own voice because my fucking heart was thumping too loudly.
“Luna Nadia arrived with Beta Dominic an hour ago.”
I revved up the engine and let go of the brake pedal as I spoke. “And no one dared to fucking call me?”
If he replied, I didn’t hear it, as I was already speeding off, driving like someone was chasing me. I had already been driving for five minutes when everything sank in.
Nadia’s here.
A smile crept on my face as I slowed down a bit from my high speed and leaned my elbows against the window, just letting the wind blow on my face and my hair.
Nadia’s here. I can’t fuck up this time around.
As soon as I reached the packhouse grounds, I slammed on the brakes and rushed toward the house, letting Hunter in my head again.
He growled at me before pointing to my office. Nadia was there.
I took a deep breath before pushing my door open, expecting the worst but hoping for the best.
And then I saw her, standing by the window. She must have seen me arrive through it.
I missed her, so I let my eyes feast on my beautiful mate.
She has a floral white dress that ends at mid-thigh, with her hair in a tight bun, emphasizing her prominent cheeks and her luscious lips.
My heart was beating erratically, and I was stuck in my spot just staring at her. I was fucking scared that if I blinked, she’d be gone.
“Alpha,” Gamma Sebastian’s voice brought me back to the reality that my office was fucking too crowded at the moment. My Beta and Gamma were here, together with Jenny.
“Everyone out,” I ordered everyone without taking my gaze off of Nadia.
She was staring back at me, biting her bottom lip as she moved from her place to follow Jenny.
“Not you,” I extended my hand in her direction, motioning for her to stop. “Stay.”
She stopped in her tracks and turned to face me, not saying anything until the door closed.
“You came back.” I broke the silence between us.
She just nodded her head. She was biting her bottom lip so hard that I was sure she would end up cutting her lip soon.
“Nadia… I’m sorry.” I walked in front of her, as my eyes watered. I wanted to hug her, but I didn’t have the right.
Instead, I dropped to my knees in front of her, something I had never done to anyone in my whole life, but it felt like it was the right thing to do. And if she needed me to bow down to her, I would wholeheartedly do it.
“Riley, what are you doing?” She finally spoke, and my heart did a somersault in my chest. She was really here and not just a figment of my imagination.
“I’m sorry for…” I didn’t finish my words when my ears caught another sound.
It was fucking too loud and coming out of her stomach, which was directly in front of my face. “Nadia…”
I had no idea if she already knew, but I couldn’t contain the happiness I was feeling at the moment. I let the tears fall from my eyes as I grabbed her waist gently and let my forehead rest on her stomach as I closed my eyes.
A heartbeat.
I stayed still on my knees, holding her hips for a while longer, basking in the most beautiful sound I’ve heard in my entire life—the beating of two hearts, Nadia’s and our pup’s.
Nadia wasn’t saying anything. She wasn’t holding me either. She was just standing with her hands on her sides. But I understand, and I wasn’t complaining.
I slowly tilted my head and looked at her, and found her looking at me. “You’re pregnant.”
“We’re pregnant...” She corrected me before biting her lower lip.
A smile tugged on my mouth, loving the way she emphasized the word ‘we’.
“Is that the reason why you came back?” I asked in a low voice.
She nodded her head before she spoke, “Can you stand up? It’s so awkward looking at you kneeling there.” Her hands held my arms as she urged me to move, and the sparks became more explosive.
Her touch made everything in my body come back to life.
I rose to my feet and just stared at her. I wanted to touch her, but I didn’t want to be aggressive or cause her to move away from me.
I know I should be sad that the only reason she came back was that she was pregnant, but I didn’t give a fuck this time. The important thing was that she was back. I could start from here and make up for fucking up everything we had.
“Uhmm...” I smiled at her. I wanted her to speak because I didn’t want to say anything that would make her leave.
“I was wondering if the room I used before, at the far end of the hallway, is still available for me to use while I’m pregnant. And then after I give birth,...”
“Are you leaving after you give birth? Are you leaving the baby alone with me?” My voice broke as my jaw tightened and my chest heaved. I wasn’t sure if I could take it if she said yes.
“No, no...” She shook her head. “I would never do that. I will never abandon our baby or take the baby away from you.”
I let out the breath I was holding, and I couldn’t stop myself anymore this time. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into my arms. “Nadia... Thank you.”
“I was thinking, even if it doesn’t work between us, we can still both be there for our baby. So after I give birth, maybe you can help me find a house nearby where I can live.”
It will work. It has to work.
“No... please, stay here with me. I will take care of you and our baby. I promise I’ll be better. Just one more chance.”
“You hurt me, Riley. I don’t even know what I did wrong.”
“I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you. I will never do that again. Jealousy just ate me and I thought, maybe...maybe...”
“Maybe what?” She placed her hands on my chest and pushed her body away from me.
“Maybe you didn’t really love me and were just using me, because... because I’m nothing special.” Now, this reason sounded so fucking stupid to me.
“Nothing special?” Her eyes narrowed at me as she placed her hands on her hips.
“You’re too big and powerful, and you’ve scared almost everyone, and you still think you’re nothing special?
Stop with your self-pity, Riley. We’re having a baby soon and I want our baby to grow up idolizing his father, so you better step up your game.
If I don’t love you, I won’t give myself and my all to you.
You’re all I have. If you keep throwing me away, I might snap and just jump off the bridge. ..”
I shook my head and held her arms in my hands. “I will not make the same mistake again. I’ll be better this time around. You will not regret giving me another chance. I will be the best mate and father our baby will be proud of me. I promise you that.”
She sighed and turned away, walking towards the door. “I’ll think about it.”
“What do you mean?” My brows frowned as I watched her before I followed her out of my office.
She was heading for the stairs.
“I’ll think about it if I should give you another chance. For now, I just want to rest.”
“You’ll stay in our room.” I nodded my head, slipping my hands into my pocket.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I want to be sure you’re okay, especially at night. Please let me be there for the baby.”
“Fine. For the baby. But I want the whole bed to myself.”
“Copied that.”
“And you can’t snore.”
“I’m not sure I can promise that one.”
“I don’t care. You’re not allowed to snore.”
“Okay.” I gave up. I wouldn’t win over her. I just had to make sure she was fast asleep before I went to sleep so she wouldn’t have to hear my snoring.
“Nadia…” My voice came out raspy.
“Yes?”
“Where are your things?” I asked her, we’re almost to the fourth floor.
“In our room,” she answered nonchalantly. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No. Of course not.” I suppressed the smile that was slipping on my face. I thought she wanted to use her old room, but then I didn’t tease her. At least I knew she wanted to be in the same room as me.
“Have you seen a doctor for a checkup?” I walked beside her, making my best not to brush against her skin.
“No. I was hoping you would come with me. I didn’t want to take that moment away from you.”
My heart constricted, not from pain but from happiness. I hurt her and yet she was still thinking of me.
I didn’t know this female could make me happier than she already did, even if she was acting a bit cold towards me. “Thank you... You can rest, but if you’re okay, I will send a pack doctor to come here and check on you today.”
“Oh, you can do that? Thank Goddess, I don’t want to travel anymore today.”
“Yes, we can. And I’m sure she will be happy to check her Luna.”
“She? Are you close to this female?” She stopped on the stairs and looked at me, one brow arched up.
I shook my head. “I have never been close to any female, I told you that.”
“Except Andrea. “ She let out a breath and smiled, but she took it back in an instant. “I forgot. Sometimes, I forget things.”
“Me too. Sometimes, jealousy clouds my senses too.”
“Who said about jealousy?” She gave me a frown before continuing on her way.
“Uhmm. Me. I’m talking about me. When I get jealous, I forget to think straight, so I say stupid things and make bad decisions.”
“Hmmm... Why didn’t you approach me when you were in Atlanta?”
“My Beta told you...”
“He did. And I told him, you’re an idiot.”
“I am.” I chuckled.
“Sometimes I wonder why I love you when there’s nothing lovable about you.” She said it like she was frustrated with me. Maybe she was.
“Ouch, I didn’t know that would hurt.” We were almost to our room when I slowed down and let her go ahead of me, but I grabbed her wrist and turned her around gently. “But I’ll take that. So you still love me?” I asked her, my brow arching up as my mouth slowly tugged into a smile.
Her eyes widened before she narrowed them on me. “I do... But it doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.”
“I know. But can you say it again? Sometimes a man needs to hear it.”
“Not today. Besides, you didn’t even say it to me. I don’t even know if you’re happy that I’m back...”
I didn’t let her finish with her words. I cupped her face and leaned my head down, staring into her hazel brown eyes.
“Nadia... I love you. I fucking love you so much that I was losing my head for the last month that you were not here. I thought you were happy without me. But I promise you, I will do everything to make you and our baby happy. Just don’t leave me again. I’m not going to fuck up this time.”
She didn’t say anything, but she licked her lips and was staring back at me.
My eyes darted to her wet lips. I wanted to kiss her, but I didn’t want to cross whatever boundary she had for us.
“I will be a better mate, a better Alpha to you...” I added, my eyes still looking for confirmation from hers.
“I think this is the part where you’re supposed to kiss me… Or would you rather just stare…”
Fuck! She knew how to make me fucking giddy with her words. I didn’t let her finish and crushed my lips against her, kissing her bruisingly hard, taking everything I could from her lips to make up for the days that she wasn’t beside me.
The sparks and tingles were euphorias. I didn’t know such a feeling existed until she came into my life. And I was getting addicted to it.