Chapter 94
NADIA.
Riley spent the rest of the morning in his office before he and Beta Dominic went out to do some pack business on the other side of the territory.
I spent the rest of the day with Jenny and the pack’s females, who were part of a livelihood program.
Jenny and I went to the warehouse where most females gather to make handmade items and trinkets that they sell at the center—the same place Riley took me on my second day in the territory.
It had been part of my weekly routine to visit them twice a week, but I decided to spend more time with them today since Luna Graciella, Riley’s aunt and Caleb’s mother, canceled her visit with me today.
She was supposed to help me with the Luna ceremony program that I would be giving to the organizer, so they could start working on it even if Riley and I hadn’t decided when the ceremony would take place.
‘Where are you? Are you busy?’ Riley’s voice dug in my head and snapped me out of my thoughts. My body jolted in excitement, knowing he was already home or nearby.
‘In the library, just killing off time. My feet are tired from all the walking. Are you home?’
‘In my office. Do you think you can walk and visit me? I still have paperwork to do.’
‘Yup. I’ll be there in a few minutes.’
‘Walk carefully, no skipping. I can wait.’
I giggled but didn’t answer. He was right.
Sometimes I would forget I was pregnant and would rush from one place to another.
Old habits die hard. I was used to doing my tasks quickly so I could get away from my uncle and aunt, and that included moving from one place to another.
And probably because my pup hadn’t given me any hard time at all except when I had to go to the toilet too many times, even at nighttime.
I wasn’t even picky with food now, but I hated the scent of vanilla, which was weird because Riley said I smelled of it.
I knocked softly on his office door before pushing it open without waiting for his response.
His eyes were already waiting for me, and I threw him a smile as I walked to his table.
He moved his chair back and opened his arms, preparing a space for me on his lap.
I sat sideways and wrapped my arms around his neck before crashing my lips against his.
We kissed for a while before we let go of each other.
“I miss you…” I told him, my hand brushing over the stray hair on his face.
“I miss you, too. And I’m glad to be home.” His hand went to my belly as he caressed it softly. “Did baby Alpha give you a problem today?”
“No. I think he’s asleep right now. But he’s been behaving.”
“Like his daddy.”
“Like his daddy.” I giggled and pecked his nose before I turned my body to look at the documents on his table. “What are you doing?”
“Finalizing the draft for the treaty with Jacob.”
“Does it work? His pack is 13 hours away from here.”
“This is not just about backups in case of attacks or security issues. It includes businesses and support when raising concerns with the Council. As much as he’s a cocky bastard, Jacob is a good businessman and knows his way around the Council better than I do.
He also has strong alliances with many packs, so even if I don’t renew all alliances with others, if I have him on my back, no one will touch us.
Not that I’m scared of anything, but with you here and soon, our pup, I don’t want to be laid back anymore. ”
“I see. Did you have additional news about my uncle? I know it was only a day, but I was wondering...”
“No leads yet, but Darvin has been trying to find his mate. Maybe she can give answers if your uncle has any enemies.”
I just nodded my head because I had no idea either. “Will you let me know if they find my aunt? I want to talk to her too.”
“Yes.” He answered curtly.
“Should I leave you alone so you can finish this?” I bit my bottom lip, not really wanting to be away from him right now.
“No. Stay here. I just need a little more time so I can have everything prepared before I send the information over to Jacob.” His words made me smile. I knew I should stay quiet, but I knew that if I did, I might forget this topic again.
“So about the Beta’s request. Did you agree to it?” I asked. Jenny would be visiting her mother in the Black Shadow Pack territory while Sebastian was away assisting with Gamma and Warrior Camp training. Dominic then requested if he could join Jenny so he could visit Janna.
“Yes.”
“Will you be okay without both Sebastian and Dominic, and Jenny too?”
“We’ll be fine. Dawson will be back from Atlanta by then. He’ll be my assistant for a while, and Sebastian’s second in command will be in charge of the security and the warriors.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t worry, this is not the first time I’ve been left without my Beta and Gamma. I can function well.”
“I know that.” I rested my back on his hard torso as he picked up the paper and started reading it. My eyes were trying to read, too, but so many things were running through my mind.
“About Dominic…”
“Hmmm…”
“He’s still after Janna?”
“I think so.”
“But you told me Janna was mated to Alpha Jacob’s Gamma. Didn’t you tell Dominic?”
“No.”
“Why? You need to tell him beforehand, or he’ll be crushed.”
“Can I tell you something?” He placed the documents back on his desk.
“Of course,” I answered as his arms wrapped around my waist.
“Dominic told me he’s confused right now. He likes someone else, but he knows he wants Janna too. So he wants to see if he still feels anything for her or not before he can move on.”
“But wouldn’t it be simpler if you just told him Janna was already mated?”
“Then he would be devastated and think he liked Janna but needed to move on. So I wanted him to meet Janna because I’m sure this new female—he likes her more than Janna.”
“I’m confused.”
“I will explain. But promise me you will hear me out before you walk away and be hell mad at me again.”
I giggled and nodded my head, twisting my body around so I was sitting sideways again before I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“When Andrea got mated, I told myself that night that I would move on because I had to. Then I met you. I wanted you, Nadia. I lost my will to live when I woke up and found you gone in that cave. But it was only when I saw Andrea again when she and Caspian visited here that I realized that I really wanted you. You see, I love you, but I never knew how deep the love was until I saw Andrea again. She was nothing compared to you.”
I bit my bottom lip and nodded my head. A smile crept on my face as I stared at him.
“I wanted my Beta to have that realization before he made the biggest decision of his life.” He continued, and my forehead creased.
“What do you mean, biggest decision?”
He told me that Sofia had confided in him about Darvin’s intention to send her off to the Claiming as soon as possible.
You and I know the reason, but I didn’t tell him since I made a vow to Darvin not to tell anyone.
He wanted my opinion on whether he stood a chance of being accepted if he asked for Sofia’s hand in marriage.
However, he faced a dilemma because of his feelings for Janna.
He’s confused right now. He wanted Janna, but he didn’t want Sofia to be claimed by another Alpha. ”
“Oh, Goddess! But what about their mates?”
“We will see. If they don’t end up as fated mates, then who knows? A chosen mate is not bad as long as it goes both ways.”
“So, Sofia, do you think she will agree?”
“She will. Darvin told me his youngest sister harbors a feeling for our Beta.”
“I didn’t know that. They were like cat and mouse.” My eyes widened at this. Sofia was vocal about her irritation with the Beta whenever she hung out with Katarina and me.
“And you didn’t notice they weren’t around us during your birthday? At the bonfire? At the entertainment room?”
I smiled sheepishly at my mate and shook my head. “There were too many things happening that night. I didn’t keep track of anyone except you.”