Born as an Omega, Riley was treated with little respect by the pack and worked like a slave to survive. Like a joke made by the Moon Goddess, she was fated to be the mate of the young Alpha, thereby becoming the pack’s Luna. Riley has been the perfect Luna for the Green Creek Pack, dedicating herself wholeheartedly to everyone’s well-being. Everyone except herself. Jude promised to love her as if they were fated mates, because he understood her, appreciated her, and cherished her. However, after a few years of separation, Jude returned with another woman, Ruth, claiming she was his fated mate. He insisted that Ruth wouldn’t affect their relationship, but that was the beginning of Riley’s nightmare. Though she had been fated to be his mate, Jude never considered Riley a proper Luna for the pack, or accepted her as his mate. He used her, exploited her, and gave her the false hope of a better life. What awaited her was a shattered heart and twisted truths to be silenced till the day she died. An evil trap closed in on her like a wild beast, ready to devour her alive. Heartbroken and torn, how will she escape the claws of these shameless people and rise from the ashes like a phoenix? How will she make them regret losing her and ensure they face the consequences they deserve? Will it eventually be her betraying husband who redeems himself and wins her back, or will she find another man who truly deserves her trust and love?
View MoreRILEY
I squint my swollen eyes to shield them from the sun as I look up at the tree’s withered branches. I cannot recall a time when it had leaves or even fruits. For as long as I remember, it has always been this dry.
As dry as my life.
Pa has made it a daily activity to tell me to smile. “Princesses never wear how they feel on their faces, so even if one day you forget your name, never forget to smile.” This he would say every night he returned, staggering, booze in hand.
But there was no reason to.
One day, I saw Pa being thrown out of the joint that he frequents for refusing to pay. Well, that was what I was told, but I knew he had no money to pay. He had bruises on his cheeks and neck as if he had been slapped multiple times and strangled.
The ten-year-old me fought back tears as I dragged my stumbling Pa home. He sang out loud like he couldn’t feel an atom of pain or shame.
He seemed extremely happy.
Pa was my all, but a strange kind of anger grew in me that night. I kept quiet, tears rolling down my cheeks as I stared intently at him. He had always been like this. I grew up with the perception that all a father does is to leave in the morning and return late at night, so I learnt to fend for us both; so imagine my shock when I realized men owned and worked in their farms and plantations.
Mine was just Pa. Pa, who would come home staggering with a huge stench of booze in his breath. Pa, who everyone hid their kids from, as he had been drunk on a full moon night and ended up being a drunk wolf and had chased every child he came across.
Yes. That was my Pa.
His sleepy eyes locked with mine, and on reading my expression, his mouth got to work.
“Princesses never wear how they feel on their…”
“Pa!” I shouted, and the dam broke.
This obviously caught him off guard as his eyes got clear and widened.
“Smile, Princess.”
“Why?” I brushed the tears off and folded my arms.
“Wh..Why?” He frowned.
“People smile when they are happy. Cassy smiles when her Ma makes her a new dress, or makes her a new braid, or when her father pats her head. Riley gets none of that. I don’t even have a Ma, so why should I smile?”
“Cassy? Who’s that?” His frown deepened.
He had never had a good memory.
“Pa, that’s the daughter of the family next door. She’s my friend and her ma brings us food sometimes.”
He nodded. “Oh. So...” his frown returned. “Who’s Riley?”
Ouch.
“Me. I’m Riley.” I tapped my chest.
“Oh,” Pa waved, smiling. “Well, nice to meet you, Riley. I’m Adam, and I always smile. I was born an Omega, the lowest in the hierarchy of werewolves, weak and never respected, but I smile. My wife, mate, and best friend died at childbirth, but I smile. Without her, I feel worthless, but Riley,” a forced bright smile came on his face, “I still smile.”
My heart broke for the thousandth time since I was born.
“Pa. I sometimes don’t remember to smile.” The tears were back.
“Even if one day you forget your name,” he stretched out himself on the bed, closing his eyes, “never forget to smile.”
Then his snores filled the room.
That day, I spoke to myself that I had no right to be sad, and promised myself that no one would ever see me not smiling.
But there just were so many things that could trigger a ten-year-old to tears. But I kept my promise, and ran down here whenever it gets too much.
Today is my third day coming under this tree for solace. I had once asked Pa where I could go find Ma, and he had answered that she was under the tree at the creek. Any wonder why I find peace here?
I come here to cry.
And the sad situation of the tree makes me feel so sad.
Why would a tree by a waterside be so dry?
I sniff and raise my hands in frustration.
“Why?!”
I wait to hear my voice echo back in response.
“My father said only weird people speak to themselves.” The voice comes from behind.
In fright, I turn to see who owned the voice that had interrupted my Alone Time.
The brightest emeralds I have seen stare back at me. He has small cuts on his left cheek and his lower lip. His light brown hair captures the ray of the sun, adding a glow to his small frame.
Noticing my stare, he gives a broad smile. He winces as the smile stretches the cut on his lip. My eyes zero in on it.
“That must hurt.” I blink when I hear my voice. That was supposed to have been in my thought.
“It does. But don’t worry, I am used to it, and besides, a man needs to feel no pain.”
Man?
I wipe away the little tears remaining in my eyes and scan him up to down. I am ten and a whole foot taller than he is.
“Hey, Little boy, who told you that?” I fold my hands.
“My father. And don’t call me little. I’m seven and big.” He folds his palms and pushes out his chest.
The act makes me throw back my head in laughter.
“Big? My Pa is big. You are not.”
“I am. And if your Pa does not want you anymore, I can be your Pa.”
That reminds me of the reason I am there. Pa had forgotten my name. He is sick, and when I brought him part of the food Cassy’s Ma gave us, he asked who I was. When I wouldn’t answer, he felt ignored and pushed me hard to the floor. I walked down here with a limp.
I hold back tears as they almost spill out.
“Why would you say that?” A tear slides down my cheek.
“You kept on saying that I’m not big. My father says I’m big enough.” He strolls closer to where I stand.
“Then I am bigger.” I almost shout.
“Why?”
I wipe my tears, ready to brag. “I am ten.”
His eyes widen, saucer plate size.
“You are?”
“Yes.”
“Meaning, you can be my Ma if she does not want me anymore?”
“If you will be a good boy, of course. I am my own Ma.”
“Wow. Why?” he squints his eyes, looking really confused.
“My Ma is not here.”
“Where is she?”
I turn to face the tree, then I point at its root. “There.”
His eyes follow the direction of my hand, and he frowns.
“Under the ground? Is she dead?”
“That is what my Pa says.”
“So if my father goes under the ground, I can become my own Pa?” Interest shone in his eyes.
“Hey, that is not a nice thing to say.” I scold.
“Hmm? Why?”
Why?
“Don’t just say that.”
He pouts, avoiding her gaze. Then his mood changes abruptly, and he gives his wide, toothy smile again.
“You answer all my questions. Ma says it’s annoying when I ask many questions.”
“See? You are not big. When you become big, you will know everything, and will not need to ask anybody.”
“Yeah? I’ll be smart like you?”
“Yes.”
We stay quiet till he starts looking at the ground as if searching for something. He moves towards a large fallen tree branch and sits.
“Come sit, Ma.” He beckons, patting a side beside him.
“I’m not your Ma.” I protest, but still walk over there and sit.
“Do you think this branch fell from this tree where your Ma is?” he asks.
“I don’t know. But I feel like the tree is as dry as my life.”
“How?”
“A tree should have leaves. But it doesn’t.”
“Why?”
“I can’t say. But it would have been so beautiful if it had flowers.”
“Why?”
“Flowers are beautiful.”
“Flowers smell.”
“No, they don’t. I love flowers, and when I grow up and get married, I will have my own garden.” I can’t help the smile that comes to my face.
“When you become my Ma, though I don’t like them, I will get you many beautiful flowers. Pretty flowers just like you.” He has his chest puffed out again.
“Cassy’s ma says I’m pretty and will one day get married to a prince.”
His pout returns.
“No, you are mine. Not for any prince. For me.”
He looks as if he is on the verge of tears, but stares straight into my eyes and begins to whisper words cannot hear.
“Hmm?” I ask.
But he ignores me and instead of answering me, he pinches deeper into the cut on his cheek, drawing blood.
“Hey, don’t do that. It was almost healed.” I scold, reaching for his hand.
He pulls his hand away. With a serious expression on his face, he places the bloodied fingers on the side of my neck.
“Eww.” I pull away and stand up.
He replies with a very weird grin. Then I feel a sharp pinch where his blood is.
“Ouch.”
The pinch, very quickly, becomes a slight burn.
Then it stops.
All this while. The grin hasn’t left his face, so I give him a straight look.
“You should say sorry when you hurt someone. Instead, you are smiling? Little boy.” I stick out my tongue at him.
“Hey. I’m not…”
I don’t wait for his response as I turn and run.
Without looking back
RILEYIt has been, two days and two nights since I spoke to Ryan.Two days and two nights of staying indoors with Stefani.Two days and two nights since I carried this guilt of talking to him like that. I could read his face. The expression of hurt on his face still hunts me. He looked like he wanted to tell me everything, but there was something in it that was so embarrassing to spill.It had hurt me that he feels he could be embarrassed with me.Well, that had just been a mere hurt, till I coiled back in here with my bundle, and Stefani had looked at me with that stern mother hen look of hers, then asked me; “If the tables were turned, would you do same for him?”It had shocked me about how intuitive she can be, because even till now, I haven’t told her a thing about what is going on between myself and Ryan, so how can she just analyze everything and give me such feedback.But she wasn’t wrong though.If the tables were turned… like had it been Ryan hasn’t been a prying individual a
RYAN“Yes, I am.” There is no strain in her voice.She sounds like she is alright, like she isn’t going through the torture I am going through by not having her in my arms for days and being unable to sleep a wink.Heaven knows I missed my girl.I still miss her even though she is standing right in front of me. She feels distant. Too far for me to reach. She is not planning to come closer, I can see that in her eyes.And I don’t like that, because I want to hold her.I want to hold her so tight, there would be no telling where I stop and where she begins. That is exactly what I want.But the past few days have opened my eyes to show me that I have a knack of wanting one thing, and doing the other.I regret leaving her that day.I loved her hands on me. I really do love being caressed by her, so why had I flared up that way and left?So many reasons. Reasons so many I don’t even know most of them.I had gotten a hint of her scent close by, yesterday, while Philemon and I welcomed her f
RILEYRyan had welcomed her, with a grumpy look on his face.Philemon had looked at her like her wanted to take her home.All these I watched from afar.Then after they were all done with their pleasantries, I waited for them to let her off. That had taken Ryan just a few minutes to do, but Philemon had lingered longer than necessary.When he had finally left, I rushed towards my friend, and she dropped all she was carrying to grab me in a big hug.This is a reunion I have waited so long for.I had thought that with his recent attitude towards me, he would not let anyone with anything that has to do with me come one hundred and twenty kilometers close to him or his territory. But he had welcomed her.He hadnt smiled. Looked like he was in no mood to smile. I had arched to go there, reach over and smoothen those frown lines on his face. But coming close to him wasn’t part of the plan. Coming just a bit closer to him, when he catch my eyes, where my nose can catch his scent, is not go
RILEYThere is a saying that goes this way. The more you look the less you see.Okay that doesn’t match with my situation, and that is definitely not the quote I wanted to use in this time of my life.Because I know the saying. But heaven knows I don’t know what on earth that saying means.For a situation like mine, a better term to use is the tragic cycle. I had read about it in a book, once upon a time. They had used it to refer to a situation where a main character in a story would know that there is a looming tragedy about to befall them, and will try everything in their power to evade that thing. But what makes it a cycle is that the farther you run from it, the closer you get to it.Story of my life.I knew… heavens, I knew this thing with Ryan, whatever it is, I knew it would not last.A thing in me always kept on keeping me in check not to give my heart out again, not to feel too comfortable in his arms, not to fall into line with the way of life of his people as it is defi
RILEYWe are in our most recent position that has somehow become our normal position.Ryan’s favorite way to sleep.Earlier, he held me. Took me in his arms, while he hand goes through my hair in gentle pats. Soothing. Very soothing.Now, he lets me hold him.He comes to bed, late as usual, and if I am asleep, he somehow nuzzles his way into my arms, so his head is kept close to my chest. And if I awake, I would spread out my arms and let him rest in my arms.This is complicated. I know.There is still no concrete definition for our relationship. But I know I like breathing in the scent of his hair when they lay splayed on my chest. The way his hands go around my waist and my belly.It had been that way last night.After our shift, he had the decency to turn around when I shifted back.I had been quite courageous to strip in front of him before the shift, because so many things were going on with me at that time.But when the pain was gone, along with the bother of the shift process g
RYAN "Your back still hurts?" I ask her what has been on my mind all day. I had been in a meeting. Stanley, Alpha of Stanley Pack has sent his messenger. He had come here with news regarding the silver store.They had begun to search for it, and reasons.why the accusation had been on them in the first place.Tat had been a very important meeting, so i had no choice but to be there when he brought the report to the Council.I sat there, in body and flesh. But my mind and spirit was with My girl.As it always is.She was supposed to stay in the meeting with me. But I had not told her about the meeting, because I know sh I in pains.I have never been a wolf before.I have never been close to any. So I don't know how this whole full moon thing goes for them.With the knowledge of how painful it must be for her fo my strong girl to flinch this much, and knowing that this will happen to her every full moon, makes me wish that I had the power to make her a Lucas like myself.But that is no
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