Chapter 35

NADIA,

I was still confused about why Riley left after Elliot went away. I thought he would at least talk to me
about what happened, but he just asked Jenny to take me without saying where he was going or what
he was thinking.

Was he mad at me about Elliot?I didn’t know that Elliot was still looking for me. I thought my uncle must
have told him about Riley.

And it wasn’t my fault, or was it?,

And why did he pay Elliot money?

All I could think was that he paid him to stop bothering us and that might be the reason he was upset. I
had no idea how much it was, but it must be a lot for him to act this way.

I waited for him for almost an hour in our room, but he didn’t show up, so I decided to put on new
training clothes and head for the archery range where he was supposed to meet me so we could
practice together.

But I’ve been sitting here for more than thirty minutes and he hasn’t shown up. His mind was also shut
off and none of his Beta and Gamma knew where he was, so I was already starting to get worried.

I was lost in my thoughts when I heard footsteps approaching, bringing me back to the present. I
snapped my head in the direction of the sound only to be disappointed to see Beta Dominic
approaching and not my mate.



My shoulders sagged as I turned my head back and looked at the target board ahead. I felt Beta
Dominic sitting beside me, but with enough distance before he turned to look at me.

“We found the Alpha”

I didn’t look at him as I let out a deep sigh. My eyes were still fixated on the view in front of me.

“Where is he? Is he back?”

“He’s on the terrain at the western border. He mind linked with Justin, one of the warriors, to bring him
a guitar.”

He chuckled, but i t sounded sad.

“A guitar? And why Justin? Why not you or Gamma Sebastian?”

I tilted my head to look at him this time.

He shrugged his shoulders before he leaned his palms on his backside, stretching his body as he lifted
his head to look at the sky.

”I don’t know. But if my guess was right, he didn’t want us to let you know where he is.”

“Maybe. But what is he going to do with the guitar?”

‘‘When we were younger, he would go away and find a place to play his guitar. It was his only escape
when the world was too much for him.”

“Does Riley have a bad childhood? He told me his mother left him when he was a baby, but I don’t
know anything aside from that.”

“Ask him. I’m sure he will tell you.”



I sighed in desperation. Like always, no one tells me anything here.

“Do you know how much money he paid Elliot?”

“Hundred thousand.”

“What?” My eyes widened before I let out a sigh of desperation, “Why? Maybe that’s why he was mad
and left me! Why did he pay him?”

“Are you seriously thinking he was angry at you because of the money? I guess two weeks is not
enough for you to get to know him. Come, let’s go see him so he can answer your questions.”

“What? What questions?” Now I was rattled at the thought of coming to Riley.

What if he didn’t want to see me and pushed me away? I don’t think my heart could take it.

“Ask him why he left and if he was mad at you about the money.”

“But what if he gets more angry?”

“You’re the Luna of this pack. If there’s anyone who can match the Alpha, that would be you. If he yells
at you, yell back. You’ve been good at taming the Alpha, so just continue doing it.”

“I don’t know. The last two weeks were almost perfect, and now seeing him like this, I don’t know how
to handle it.”

“Alpha Riley is an insecure man, Luna. You just…”

“Wait! Where did that come from? How can you say that about him? Insecure? He’s too perfect to be
insecure!”



“There are clearly many things you don’t know about him. But he is. He’s just too good at hiding it.
That’s why he excelled in everything he did. Being an Alpha, combat fighting, archery, basketball,
guitar, too many things to mention. He put his whole heart into anything he did, to prove he was good
enough.”

“You’re talking in puzzles. Aren’t we all like that, giving our best shots in everything?”

“Yes, maybe, but he clearly has his own reason. You just need to be patient with him. Two weeks,
months, or years is not enough time to know him, but he’s not a bad man.”

I shook my head.

“Never. I never even thought of him as a bad man, Beta. But I still don’t get what you were trying to tell
me. And why am I getting this lecture when it should be the Alpha you’re talking with and saying that
stuff so he won’t get mad at me?”

He stood up and shook his head, chuckling as he walked towards his car.

“Come, Luna, I’ll drive you to where he is. And you don’t need to worry. I don’t think he’s mad at you.”

I followed after him, still thinking of what I should tell Riley if I saw him.

“Are you sure we’re not invading his privacy if we go there?”

“You will go there, not me. I’ll just drive you there. And no. He’s your mate. I don’t think it’s an invasion
of privacy.”

I wanted to ask Beta Dominic more about Riley, about his mother, about his insecurities, but I knew he
would just direct me again to my mate, so I just kept my mouth shut and let my eyes feast on the
scenery we were passing through as we drove to the western border.



I had never been to this part of the territory before, and it was beyond amazing.

We had entered the forest line and trod the forest road before we exited, and were now driving through
a terrain road. It felt like I was in another part of the world. I didn’t know their territory was so huge and
hidden within it was this majestic place.

After some time, Beta Dominic stopped the car, and my eyes scanned the area. I didn’t see Riley
anywhere.He must have guessed my confusion, so he started explaining.

“Justin said he’s up there.”

His finger pointed at the pathway going up to the higher ground.

“The view is majestic over there, so it’s no wonder he chose this place. You need to hike a little to get to
him because if I drive the car around, he would see me and I don’t think he would like that.”

“Are you sure he won’t get mad that I came here?”

“Trust me, he won’t. But just to pacify you, I will stay here for a while. Send me a mindlink if you think
you can handle him, then I’ll drive away.”

“Wait, you’re going to leave us here? How are we coming home?”

“Did you forget you have a wolf and your mate is an Alpha? He can carry you home. But in case you’re
both too lazy to run, just send for me. I’ll pick you up.”

I smiled at him and nodded my head.

“Thank you, Beta Dominic.”

“It’s a pleasure, Luna. Anything to make you both happy.” He smiled as he watched me get off the car.



“Just promise me you won’t give up on him.”

“I won’t. I promise.” I answered him.

But he didn’t need to tell me that. Riley is mine, and I won’t be giving him up. Ever.

“Thank you, Luna. And I promise you, I will be here every step of the way to help you as much as I
can.”

I smiled at him warmly before I turned around,I didn’t waste any more time and followed the path he
pointed out earlier. Good thing I was wearing a training suit and it wasn’t hard to move in this clothing,

After a few minutes and a few sweats later, I finally reached the top of this terrain.

I saw him sitting on a big boulder with his back to me. He already has clothes on. Justin must have
brought something for him.

He was holding a guitar in his hands, and he was playing a soothing melody, and the rhythm alone was
calming my heart.I leaned my back on the first tree I saw, just wanting a moment to look at him and
how he was on his solace.

The way he strummed his guitar sent shivers down my spine. It was calming, like a lullaby wooing my
heart.I knew this song

And he started singing.

And I lost it

He was singing it so perfectly that I could feel every emotion he was putting into it.

“DJ You’re the words when I have nothing to say… You’re the fire, that warms me when I’m cold…”



My feet moved forward and I just found myself sitting next to him, my gaze falling on him until his head
tilted to my side to look at me, and our eyes locked.

RILEY,

How could I loathe someone who was the exact replica of who I was? I wanted to kill Elliot, but I
couldn’t. And I couldn’t accept the fact that I was just like him.

Or maybe worse than him.

I wanted to face him for a long time, but I didn’t know I wasn’t prepared for him.

The last two weeks were so perfect that I knew something like this would happen.

Nadia and I were living in a bubble we created just for the two of us, and I couldn’t complain about it.

Andrea’s name would surface once in a while, but she wasn’t throwing tantrums or getting pissed off
anymore. She would even sometimes joke about it, how Andrea broke my heart and how hard it was to
sew it back. She seemed to have accepted that Andrea was a part of me, but no longer is.

And I thought I could just bury that part of my life. I thought there was no need to let her know since
only a few knew about it. Maybe my secret would remain hidden and my mate would never see me as
the monster that I was.

But everything came crashing down when Elliot came.

I thought meeting him would make me feel better. I would see that he was the greater evil, and thus I
could forgive myself. But it was the exact opposite.I was the greater evil.I was the villain in this story.

And I didn’t know how to rise from that.



Hunter led me to the terrain overlooking the territory on the western border. This was already too far
from the pack house, but it was better here. They would not be able to reach me. I just needed some
time alone to clear my mind and to clear my conscience if I could

I was moping on my own, thinking of ways I would tell Nadia about Andrea without her fearing me or
loathing that side of me when I smelled her.

My mate, she always looked out for me. I knew that if I contacted my Beta or my Gamma, they would
tell her, but I guess I underestimated my warriors and my people in how much they adore their future
Luna.

Justin must have told her or my Beta where they could find me.

Even if it wasn’t official, Nadia was doing so well as a Luna. I couldn’t help but feel proud of the way my
people, especially the females in my pack, adored and looked up to her.

Females would often show up in the pack house with fruits and vegetables or hand-made things that
they would give her. Something that I didn’t get to see growing up.

Before she came, the pack house was always swarmed with males, but females were scarce unless
they were working in the pack house or visiting with their mates

But it was the exact opposite now, especially when they already knew her training schedules and
everyone would try to see and talk with her on days that she wasn’t in training

It shortened my time with her, but I was content. I had her every night and early morning, and seeing
her thriving in my pack was something I always wanted for her.

She was known as Luna Nadia. Not as Andrea. Not as a replacement for a Luna. And she was
respected as one.



I continued to strum my guitar and started singing, knowing this song would hold more meaning now
that she could hear it.

“AJ.You’re the words when I have nothing to say… You’re the fire, that warms me when I’m cold… AN”
I sang from the heart. It was exactly how I felt about her.

I heard soft footsteps padding across the ground and knew she was approaching me.

And then she sat next to me, and the moment I tilted my head to look at her, our eyes locked. She
smiled at me and the lyrics of the song got caught in my throat.

She was so beautiful and her eyes were flirting with so many emotions, all positive and warm, that I
wanted to choke up and just hug her, but I didn’t stop strumming my guitar.

And then she started singing the song for me.

“Os.. You’re the hand I have to hold as I grow old… You’re the shore when I am lost at sea….” She was
singing it so beautifully, but I just had to cut her because the next line meant so much more to me.

“As… You’re the only thing that I like about me…” I opened the wall of my emotions and shared them
with her. I wanted her to feel that it was the exact thing I felt in my life when she came.

I had always strived hard to be the best, but I still didn’t like me. Like I was not good enough. Even with
all the achievements and the glory I brought to my pack, I still felt incomplete.

And then she came like a whirlwind, taking me with her, and for the first time, I was happy to be me,
because I was the one fated to be with her.

I rested my forehead on hers. She was smiling and tears were streaming down her cheeks while I kept
my own at bay.



“And…And in this world where nothing else is true. Here I am still tangled up in you…AJ” I sang in a
whisper, my eyes closed, and I felt her arms coil around my neck, pressing our faces closer.

I placed the guitar beside me and held her waist with my hands before hoisting her up and placing her
in my lap.

She rested her head on the nook of her neck and started sobbing.

“I’m sorry if I disappointed you today. I didn’t know he would show up…”

My forehead creased as I brushed her long hair. “What are you talking about? I’m not disappointed with
you.”


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