Chapter 54: Regrets

Riannon frowned. She was expecting things not to go smoothly today, but for
Brayden to obstruct her even entering the pack was too much.
“I don’t think Alpha Brayden has a right to prohibit me from entering my own
pack,” she looked the guards up and down. They were Brayden’s warriors, so
were supposed to be loyal to him. He actually thought something through for
once. “And also,” she continued, “It’s not the Luna, it’s the Alpha now. Alpha
Riannon Michaels.”
The men glanced at each other but did not move.
She sighed heavily and opened the car door, stepping outside. Maya and Reid
followed her, and so did the warriors who drove in another car. The whole group
looked menacing.
“We don’t want any trouble,” one of the guards said firmly, “We just follow our
Alpha’s orders.”
“Very well,” Riannon smiled softly at them and produced the papers out of her
folder,” Then you should know that your Alpha is currently trespassing my lands.
His territory starts miles from here. And I have all the required paperwork to
prove it. So, at the moment you are obstructing me from entering my own pack.
And this could be taken as an act of war. Since you are clearly in the wrong here,
I have the right to call other packs and the lycans to support me. And what will
happen after that will be out of my control.”
They stood there, gaping at her. And when one of the lycan warriors played with
the knuckles on his fists, making them click, they retreated.
“Apologies, Alpha Michaels,” one of them said, “We were not aware.”
“That’s fine,” she gave them a gracious smile as they opened the gates for her,
“Can’t blame you for a simple misunderstanding.”She asked the driver to drive slowly this time as she wanted everyone to be a
witness to her arrival. So, when they parked in front of the main mansion and got
out of the car gracefully, there was a crowd already.
“Ria!” her friends Tatiana and Aria got to her first, “How are you?” “You have no
idea what is going on here!” they were both speaking at once.
“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea,” she chuckled, happy that she could still
count on the two she-wolves. She knew very well that loyal friends were
priceless.
“Is that true?” Aria lowered her voice, “Did you really divorce Brayden?”
“Can you blame her?” Maya joined the group and Tatiana gave her a hug. They
were all shattered by everything that was going on in the pack lately and were
happy to see her doing
“I guess not,” the bubbly blonde giggled, “But is it true that you both are mated to
lycans?
“Yes,” Riannon couldn’t help but smile and pointed at Reid, “Meet Maya’s mate
Reid Frazer, the Lycan King’s Beta.”
“My, oh, my!” Tatianna jabbed her friend with her elbow, “Lucky you!”
“It’s not the time for all this,” Maya interrupted them, blushing probably for the first
time in her life, “Right now we have more pressing matters. Help us to gather the
pack members. As many as possible.”
“Just give us a sec!” both girls nodded and disappeared in two different
directions. In the meantime, Riannon took a deep breath and pushed the door
into the house that had been her home for many years.
Brayden was sitting in his office with a glass of whiskey in his hand. Everything
felt wrong and he knew exactly when and how it started.“My love,” his omega mate wrapped her arms around his shoulders, trying to
massage them gently, “You are doing everything right. You can’t let her win after
what she did to you. You are a good man and it’s her mistake for not seeing you
for who you are. She started it.”
And yet he hesitated as his hand froze above his laptop’s keyboard. One push of
a button and Riannon would never have access to their pack’s money.
“Just do it,” Roxanne pushed him, “And within a month the whole pack will be
yours again. People wouldn’t tolerate an incompetent Alpha. They will choose
you over her. She will be left with just her land and no pack members.”
But at least half of this money came from the merger of their packs and
businesses. He knew very well that if he did this, it would be wrong on very many
levels. And his ex-wife would be able to go to court and even win the case. But
by then, her pack would be done.
He frowned. They were his people once too. He knew that most of The Pearl
Moon pack would follow Riannon. It was a given. Not to mention that they had
their homes on her land. And he did not want to harm them. They also helped to
bring him to his former glory.
His ex-wife was the only one he wanted to punish. For betraying him and for
making a fool out of him in front of everyone. He wanted this even though he
knew that she was in her right.
He humiliated her first. And now he saw it. His omega mate was whispering
something in great ended up being such a disappointment.
He never wanted to make Roxanne a Luna. She wasn’t fit for the role. She was
sexy as hell but there was no comparison between her and Riannon. Despite
helping him back with Maya once, she couldn’t offer him much. She couldn’t lead
their people in battle, considering how weak she was. She couldn’t take care of
pack matters since she didn’t have the proper education. So far, she was just apretty face. And this wasn’t good enough. It was definitely a downgrade from
what he used to have, and everyone would see it that way.
He regretted bringing her into his pack. Now he was even thinking that he should
have rejected her as everybody had been telling him to do. Then everything
would have been different...
He still couldn’t believe that Riannon was lost to him. Even if he managed to
destroy her pack, she wouldn’t be back. She would be the lycan queen. And his
enemy forever.
It hurt. Having her as his enemy was painful since she had been his best friend
for many years. He shared everything with her and was sure that she would
understand the need for his mate.
But this was what broke them. He saw that now and he regretted it. If he had
known... If he had a chance to change the past, he would have.
No matter how hard he tried, he wasn’t in love with his mate the way he was with
his ex-wife. However strange that sounded. He wanted Roxy 24/7, the pull was
there and his wolf wanted her too. But she didn’t feel like the other piece of his
soul, she didn’t feel his mind the way Riannon used to. He now knew that mates
were overrated.
Then again, he did not mark her. That could be it. They didn’t have that
connection yet.
His hand instinctively went to the mark on his neck, the scars still protruding from
his skin.
When the lycan king mentioned the mark disappearing on Riannon’s neck, he
was in shock. It wasn’t supposed to be possible. And yet here they were.
He needed more time to figure out what was going on and how to bounce back
from all this. But time was one thing that he did not have.“You are hesitating,” Roxanne sighed and circled his chair, moving the laptop
away from him and sitting on the edge of his desk, “I really did not want to do it
this way, Brayden. I just wanted you to choose your own future and understand
that your ex-wife is not worthy of you.
But you are losing this battle to her, and I can’t stay behind like this anymore.
There is
“What is it?” he was slightly annoyed as he needed to think about everything.
Preferably alone.
But when she took his hand and placed it on her belly, his lips parted in shock. “I
am with child, Brayden,” the redhead smiled, “With your child. Your heir.”
“That’s impossible,” he muttered, “I only forgot myself once and...”
“Once is enough for true mates,” the girl bent down and placed a kiss on his lips,
igniting his inner desire for her, “This is what happens when you are with the right
partner. I will give you a son, Alpha Brayden Thorn. He will be an Alpha among
all alphas.”
He caressed her belly, lost in his thoughts. There was a reason why he did not
want to risk it with her. Since she was an omega, she could give him low-ranked
pups. Which would be unforgivable. It would make him the laughingstock
amongst other alphas. Not to mention that it would jeopardize his pack’s future.
And he couldn’t afford that.
This was one of the reasons why Riannon was a perfect partner for him. With her
alpha bloodline, she could guarantee alpha pups to her husband.
He regretted once again that he didn’t have children with her yet. That would
have solved all their problems. The pups would be his and she would never leave
him as a result. They would build their alpha empire together just as they dreamt
when they were younger.But instead, they were both caught up in their work all the time and kept
postponing it. This was one of his biggest mistakes.
Now it would be next to impossible to get her back. She was with the Lycan king
of all people. She was his mate... And even if she wasn’t, it would be too hard to
compete with him. He had power and money. Money...
Brayden stared at the screen of his laptop. He needed it more now than Riannon
did. This was the only way for him to remain powerful enough.
“Will you say something?” the omega pouted her lips, “I know it’s too early to tell,
but I can feel that our baby is an Alpha! It’s like the power has been circling
through my bloodstream since I got pregnant.”
This gave him hope. Maybe his mate could act as a Luna after all? She had
already proved to him her scheming skills once. That might come in handy in the
future again. But if she managed to become a mother of an Alpha, then
others would respect his choice too. This could be the way out that he needed. at
the Summit and he owed her nothing anymore.
He pressed the button and looked at the screen, relaxing only when he saw a
transaction confirmation message. It was done.
“I am so proud of you, Brayden,” Roxanne jumped onto his lap and this time he
let her,” There is something else I need to tell you. Something about your ex-wife
that I learnt recently. I think you are going to like this information.”
He looked at her with a newfound interest.
“Do tell,” he encouraged her and she leaned all the way down to his ear,
whispering what she knew and making his eyes go wide.
But at the next moment they heard Riannon’s voice in the nearby hallway,
“Honey! I am home!”
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