Chapter 20

NADIA.

Riley welcomed me into his pack with a bang, and I couldn‘t get enough of it. I had no plans to mark
him, but when he said I could bite him anywhere, I guessed my inner desire surfaced, and I was happy
that he didn‘t stop me from doing it.

I didn‘t know if he noticed, but I wanted to stake my claim and mark my territory.

But if anything, he looked happy about it. I couldn‘t forget the way his eyes were twinkling as he
brushed the hair off my face after I marked him and after we shared a kiss. If I based it on his
expression, I would assume that my mate liked me too.

And I wish I was right.

We just finished buying clothes for me, and although I was insisting on buying a few pieces of each, my
mate was adamant about buying more. I couldn‘t keep track of all the costs, but I was hoping if the
contract continued, he would not deduct them from the money I was asking from him because he
bought a lot today. It was probably more than what I have bought new in my whole life.

I was even exaggerating. My uncle was not poor, in fact, they had money, but I never got a taste of it.
They would always give me hand–me–downs and a little money when I was still in school. So the
moment I was allowed to work, I found a job and started earning for myself. But then my earnings went
to my savings and I had to share expenses at home, so I still didn‘t have enough to buy new clothes.

Katarina would be the one handing me new clothes. It‘s usually new ones that she just doesn‘t like
anymore, but I don‘t believe her. I knew she was buying those for me and she knew I would not accept



it if she said it that way. So she made me feel guilty that the clothes would go to waste if I didn‘t take
them because she would never use them. But either way, I was thankful to her.

Which reminded me that I had to call her and tell her that the big, bad, grumpy Alpha turned out to be
my fated mate.

“Anything you want more?” Riley’s mouth was on my ear and his breath was fanning over my skin,
sending shivers of pleasure down my spine.

You. I only want you. All of you.

I smiled as I tilted my head to look at him. Our faces were just inches away, and it was taking too much
of my restraint not to smother his face and kiss him.

Lately, I‘ve been getting too aggressive with my actions, and although he would stop me from going
further most of the time, I was happy that he was returning the intensity of my kisses.

I snapped away from my thoughts and scanned the area, checking for other fruits that I could buy. Riley
had just paid for the oranges that I asked him to buy, and I thought I would love to have some apples
and pears, so I took his hand, which he tightly gripped in his, and we walked towards the other side.

We passed by a vendor that was selling little trinkets and fridge magnets, and he called the Alpha‘s
attention.

“Maybe you want to buy some Alpha? These are handmade.”

“How much are five pieces of this?” I asked while Riley was bent down, checking the items.

“Two dollars and fifty cents for five pieces.”

“Then we will take ten.” I nudged Riley‘s stomach with my elbow.



He looked and winked at me before turning his attention to the vendor.

“We‘ll take twenty.” He told him, and I couldn‘t wipe the smile on my face.

The vendor jumped to his feet and began showing us the majority of the nicest ones, and when we had
twenty pieces of fridge magnet, he placed them inside a plastic bag before handing them to Riley.

“No discount for us?”

“I will take just nine dollars, Alpha. The one dollar is a discount for you and your lovely female.”

But I cut him off before he could say anything.

“Thank you, that’s a nice gesture, but the Alpha was just kidding. We will pay for the full amount ” I
smiled at him while my heart was thudding loudly.

Will Riley get mad that I overpowered him? I just didn‘t like the idea of taking some of the man‘s money
when I knew Riley could afford the one dollar.

“If your Luna said that, then I‘m not allowed to complain, right?” He snaked an arm around my shoulder
before pulling me into his side as he handed him a ten–dollar bill.

The man in front of us blushed as he scratched his head while looking at me.

“Thank you, Luna...” And he bowed his head in

respect to me. More than his actions, my heart fluttered at Riley‘s words. He didn‘t even make a big
fuss about my decision not to take the discount.

After we left the man. I coiled an arm around his waist as we walked in the middle of the open market
to the area where I wanted to buy the apples and pears.



“Do you know that those vendors selling outside who just have a little space have less capital for their
businesses than those who are inside the malls and boutiques? That‘s why I never asked for a discount
or bargain on their products. I hope you didn‘t mind that I did that. And I didn‘t even consult you before
doing it.”

“No, not at all. I am happy to learn things from you.” He squeezed my arm and gave a soft peck at the
top of my crown.

It didn‘t slip my eyes the way the crowd around us was looking at us.

Riley was not scared of showing affection, and I didn‘t know if I should feel giddy or scared.

This was all too good to be true, and I was scared that at any moment, my bubbles would pop and
every happiness I felt right now would be taken away from me.

And I wasn‘t wrong.

When we reached the vendor selling apples and pears, I started choosing fruits when someone called
for him behind us.

We both turned around and saw a female, probably in her late twenties, holding a girl who was around
six years old. They were standing ten feet away from us. She smiled and nodded at us before looking
again at Riley.

“Alpha, my daughter wanted to meet you if you don‘t mind.” She said this as her little girl tried to hide
her face on her mother‘s back, clutching a doll in her arms.

“Go. I can finish this and I‘ll go thereafter.” I told him, and he nodded his head at me before handing me
his wallet.



I watched him for a while as he crouched down in front of the little girl and talked with them before I
returned my attention to the vendor and paid for the fruits.

After I was done, I took the paper bag of fruits in my arms and walked to where Riley was. He stood up
from crouching when he saw me approaching them.

“Hi!” I greeted the woman.

She smiled warmly at me and her eyes fell on my marked neck. Her eyes rounded as a gasp escaped
her throat. “Luna Andrea?”

I felt my whole body tum cold as Riley stiffened beside me. I didn‘t know if the female was really
clueless or if she did it on purpose, but either way, it shattered my heart to pieces.

My guts were telling me to turn my back on her and walk away, but I didn‘t. I had a role to play, and
even if this was too much for m e, I still managed to smile and extend my hand at her.

“My name is Nadia. I am not Andrea.” Her eyes widened in utter shock as a rose tint crept on her
cheeks before she took my hand in her hands, clasping them all together before bowing in front of me.

“I‘m so sorry, Luna Nadia. I… Oh, Goddess.”

I shook my head and clasped both my hands together with hers before I replied, “No ham done. And
you, what is your name?”

“Stella. My name is Stella, Luna. I‘m really sorry.” She then turned her head to Riley, who had a dark
expression on his face, and bowed at him.

“Alpha, my apologies.”



Riley didn‘t answer, and I had no idea what was going on in his mind, but I saw his hands on his sides
coiled into fists, and Stella‘s face turned pale.

I diverted attention by crouching in front of the little girl and engaging her in conversation.

“Hi! You‘re so beautiful. What is your name?”

“Thank you. My name is Rebecca.”

“That‘s a lovely name. And you also have a lovely doll. Do you have a name for her?”

“Uhmm...” Her mother tried to interrupt us, but Rebecca answered immediately.

“Andrea. Mommy said it‘s the Luna‘s name. Is she beautiful too?”

I smiled warmly at her, but my heart was dying at this point. What did I do to deserve this pain?
Everything around this palace screamed Andrea.

“I haven‘t met her. But I‘m sure she‘s beautiful.”

“Rebecca.” Her mother bent down and brushed her hair. “Mommy was wrong. I got the Luna‘s name
mixed up with someone else. Our Luna is Nadia.”

Rebecca looked back at me as her eyes rounded in awe, “Are you Luna Nadia?”

I nodded and did my best to smile at her. I was getting good at this.

“You‘re so pretty, Luna.” She said it in almost a whisper, and then her eyes watered before she looked
at her mother and spoke with her. “I want a Luna Nadia doll, Mommy...”

“Mommy doesn‘t have extra money to buy you a new one, sweetheart, but we can change her
name...”



No way, no fucking way. I am already a replacement for a Luna, and I would never be a replacement
doll too.

“How about…” I cut her off and all eyes turned to me.

“You and your mommy, visit me one of these days at the pack house? I will make sure I have a lovely
doll ready for you, and you can name her whatever you want. Then you don‘t need to change her
name.”

Her eyes rounded as she beamed happily at me.

“I will give her your name, Luna Nadia. Then she can be friends with Andrea.”

Goddess!

I ruffled her hair before I stood up.

“Yes, she and Andrea can be friends.”

I turned my head to Riley and I finally felt his Alpha aura rolling off. He was pissed off. Was it for them,
by mentioning Andrea or at me? But I didn‘t care. I would deal with him later.

I took his hand and clasped it with mine before I faced Stella and Rebecca again.

“Visit us at the pack house one of these days so w e can chat more, but for now, the Alpha and I need
to go ahead and call it a day.”

Stella nodded her head at us, the red tints on her face creeping back again.

“Yes, Luna, Alpha. Thank you and I‘m sorry again.”



I smiled at her and waved goodbye to Rebecca before turning on my heels and tugging Riley‘s hand,
who was still not saying anything.

When we were away from them, he reached for the paper bag in my arm and I let him take it, but I
didn‘t stop walking, heading for a shop I saw earlier where I could buy a doll for Rebecca.

“Nadia,” he said, but he didn‘t say anything more, so I didn‘t answer back and let go of his hand. I went
into the shop and bought the doll I wanted, something that resembled my hair.

He just stayed outside, looking at the crowd with a solemn expression on his face, one hand holding
the paper and plastic bags of fruit and the other hand in his pocket.

“Let‘s go home,” I told him, slipping his wallet into the sling bag that he bought for me earlier when he
told me to keep it for now.

“Are you angry?” He asked as we walked back to where he parked his car.

“Hold your thoughts. We can talk in the car.”

He let out a deep sigh and didn‘t say anything more.

Once we reached his car. he placed everything in his hand on the back seat and went to his seat. I was
already seated beside him and was just waiting for him.

We had already been driving for probably five minutes when he still wasn‘t saying anything, and my
blood was already starting to boil up.

“Are you not going to say anything?” I opened the conversation, trying to sound calm.

“What do you want me to say?” His voice sounded cold.

Was he upset because he remembered Andrea? That it was me with him and not her?



“I want to talk about Andrea,” I told him point–blank, crossing my arms over my chest as I looked at the
road ahead.

“No. There‘s nothing to talk about her. She‘s just part of the past.”

“That‘s the point. She‘s part of the past, but did you hear it out there? She‘s like a ghost who comes
back to haunt me when I had no idea who she was and what she is to you.”

“She means nothing to me now.”

“And then? What was she to you then? Why do I have a feeling you‘re hiding something?”

“Let‘s cut this conversation short. It‘s going nowhere.” He snapped at me, and I was really pissed off
now.


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