Mistress?

Chapter 3: Rhyder's mistress?

ARIEL'S POV

Rhyder frowned.

"Mean to you?"

His hands settled gently on my shoulders.

"Ariel, I think you're misunderstanding everything. I'm only trying to help someone who’s hurt," he said softly. "Just like I helped you after your accident, remember?"

I swallowed hard, guilt pressing against my chest.

"I know we’re mates, and it’s natural for you to feel a little jealous. That’s okay."

I blinked, unsure if I heard him right. Jealous? Was that what this was?

"I—I’m sorry," I murmured. I didn’t even know why I was apologizing. I just suddenly felt foolish. Maybe I had been overreacting.

"I’ll get her the clothes."

A smile spread across his face, and he pressed a light kiss to my cheek. I blushed, even though something inside me still twisted uneasily.

"Rhyder, how’s Lysandra?" Luna Brianne asked as he entered the dining room.

I turned quickly and walked away, heading to sort out the clothes. I didn’t want to hear more about her.

The day blurred by, and evening came.

Vayne waved at me as I drove into the pack house, returning from pack duties. I returned a small smile after stepping out, noticing he began following me as I made my way to the armory.

He'd tried talking to me earlier about what happened yesterday, but I told him I didn't want to think about it. He mentioned that Rhyder was considering rescheduling the ceremony, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel excited anymore. I hated the pitying looks I got from most of the pack members today.

I passed Malrik training some new warriors. We needed as many as we could get to protect the pack from rogues. There hadn’t been any attacks for a long time now, but it was never wrong to be prepared.

I entered the armory, greeting Jared, who was sharpening a silver blade laced with liquified wolfsbane.

"You look exhausted. You should get some rest," I said, testing some crossbow bolts I’d made earlier.

"There’s no rest for the wicked, Luna," Jared replied without looking away from the gleaming blade.

I smiled. He always called me Luna without caring that I hadn't officially become one. Too bad my Luna ceremony got crashed.

"There’s a rumor that Crimson Hollow Pack was attacked recently by the rogue alpha," Jared added, making a chill run down my spine. "Their alpha was killed, and pack members taken as slaves."

"Who knows which pack he’ll come for next," he said grimly. I knew he was hinting at us.

"Rumor has it the rogue alpha doesn’t attack without provocation," I said, trying not to give life to the fear clawing at my chest.

"Rumors aren't always true," he muttered, more to himself. I didn’t push the topic. I had enough to worry about already. Tomorrow could worry about itself.

I pointed the crossbow in his direction, posting it on a stand. The arrows were coated with ancient runes that weakened a werewolf’s regeneration.

For some reason, my mind drifted back to the rogue alpha. He was the reason Rhyder had us learning to make deadly weapons and poisons—preparing for the day he turned to our pack.

No one knew who the rogue alpha really was. That made him even more dangerous.

Rhyder feared and resented him so much because there were rumors it was Viktor Moonshade—his banished halfbrother.

"Hey, careful, Ari."

Vayne’s smooth voice snapped me back to the present. He walked toward me, joking with Jared about how he’d have been dead if he hadn’t caught me in time.

"The Luna knows Moonshade can’t survive a day without me. She’d never kill me," Jared responded with exaggerated confidence.

I laughed. My first real laugh since yesterday.

"You should be resting after taking care of the pack all day, Ari," Vayne said, voice full of concern.

"I will. I just need to finish testing these, stop by the clinic, and then I’m done."

I dropped the crossbow and started arranging bottles of shade serpent venom into a brown carton. The blue liquid corroded living tissues. Mixed with silver, it became a slow, agonizing poison for wolves.

"You look like you’ll collapse if you don’t slow down."

He was right. I was exhausted. But work helped me keep my mind off Rhyder—off how distant he’d become. I didn’t even know where he was now.

"You’re just being a worry wolf," I said with a small smile. "Is it true Crimson Hollow was attacked?"

I shifted the conversation, not just out of curiosity but to keep him from dwelling on me. If Rhyder walked in and saw him looking that worried, he'd get jealous and angry.

"Yes."

"Then this work is needed of me." I tucked my hair behind my ear and reached for the carton again.

Vayne stepped in quickly, taking it from me and placing it where I showed him.

A moment later, his eyes glazed slightly—someone was mind-linking him.

"Is it Rhyder?" I asked when he snapped out of it.

"Yeah. He needs me in the office," he said and walked out of the armory.

I followed him, but when I got there, I saw some elders and the gamma already seated.

Rhyder told me it was an important meeting. So I turned around and left.

Once I had nothing more to do, I decided to pay Lysandra a visit at the clinic.

She was wearing one of the dresses I’d given her that morning. It fit her perfectly. Too perfectly. I couldn’t tell if the pang in my chest was guilt, irritation, or anger.

She sat up when she noticed me. Most of her bruises were gone now. She looked stronger—healthier—and something about that unsettled me.

“Hey, thank you so much for the clothes,” she said sweetly, like her voice was made of honey.

“It’s nothing. I’m glad I could help. How are you feeling?”

She gave a slow shrug. “Better. Rhyder’s been helping a lot.”

Helping? He wasn’t the pack’s doctor.

My throat tightened at the casual tone she even said his name. Rhyder. No “Alpha.” No title. Just... familiarity. Too much of it.

“He hasn’t changed a bit,” she added with a soft chuckle. “Still so caring.”

I forced a small smile, just until her next question knocked the air out of me.

“Are you Rhyder’s mistress?”

My frown was immediate. “I’m his mate,” I said sharply, unable to hide the steel in my voice.

She didn’t look surprised. Didn’t even blink. Something flickered in her eyes, gone too fast to name, but it unsettled me more than I cared to admit.

“What happened to you, Lysandra?” I asked, trying to change the direction of the conversation. “How did you get all those injuries?”

She shifted slightly on the bed, then sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it. Brings up bad memories.”

Of course it did. Convenient.

Still, I nodded. But I didn’t believe her. Not entirely. She had just shown up, out of nowhere, after disappearing for years and on the day of my Luna ceremony. Something about that felt completely ominous.

Just as I wanted to leave, her voice stopped me.

“Please stay a little longer? I’ve been so bored. No one to talk to.”

I hesitated, then nodded. If she talked enough, maybe she’d let something slip. But all she spoke about was him. Rhyder this. Rhyder that. Their memories, their past.

I kept a tight leash on my temper, biting back the nausea that rose with every sugary word. Finally, I stood.

“I should go. There’s still work to be done in the pack.”

She pouted, her lips full like a doll’s. “Alright then. But if you see Rhyder, please tell him I’d love another body massage if he has time.”

My breath caught. “Rhyder—massaged you?”

Nyra snarled furiously, demanding we show Lysandra her place. But I calmed her.

She blinked innocently. “I’m sorry if that upset you, Ari. I just woke up with my whole body aching, and he was kind enough to help.”

That explained the strange scent clinging to him this morning.

I glared. “Only my friends call me Ari. For you, it’s Ariel.”

“I thought we could be friends,” she said, almost pitifully.

“We never will be,” I replied. “And you might heal faster if you spoke less.”

I walked out without waiting for another response.

My soul felt crushed. I’d spent the night worrying about Rhyder, fearing for his safety. And he... he’d been giving his ex-lover a massage?

I found him in our room changing into fresh clothes.

“Where are you coming from?” he asked without looking at me.

I said nothing, walking past him to the bed. My body hit the mattress hard.

“You don’t ignore your Alpha when he’s talking,” he growled.

I sat up, heart pounding. Staring at the man I used to trust, I didn't even know what to think of him anymore.