Chapter 12

Riley's POV

I woke to an unfamiliar sensation, a tingling feeling that spread through every part of my body. The room, too, felt strange, too grand and opulent, a stark contrast to the simple, and portable room I was used to. My eyes drifted over the plush furnishings, the rich tapestries adorning the walls, the sunlight streaming through the large windows, the strange artworks of powerful wolves. All was beautiful, breathtaking even, but it totally felt… alien.

I stared around briefly, then slowly, the memories of last night flooded back, causing my stomach to churn loudly. Norman. His touch, his scent, the way he’d looked at me, a mixture of tenderness and possessiveness that had both thrilled and frightened me. He’d taken me to a place I’d never been before, a place of pure sensation, where only he and I existed. He’d marked me, claimed me as his. It still felt surreal, it had all happened so fast.

A blush crept up my cheek as I recalled the intimacy we’d shared, the way my body had responded to his, the unfamiliar pleasure that had coursed through me. I was his, and he was mine. The thought, both exhilarating and terrifying, settled deep in my bones.

I sat up, the silk sheets cool against my skin. The room was empty. Norman was gone. A pang of disappointment, quickly followed by a surge of anxiety, twisted in my gut. Where was he? Was he regretting what had happened between us? Had the tenderness he’d shown been just a fleeting illusion?

I pushed the thoughts away, refusing to let them take root. Norman is my mate, and now my husband. He wouldn’t… he couldn’t abandon me. Could he? The uncertainty gnawed at me, a persistent worry that I couldn’t quite shake off.

As I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, the strange sensation I’d woken with intensified. It felt like a buzzing energy, a low hum just beneath my skin. I tried to ignore it, focusing instead on finding Norman, but it persisted, growing stronger with each passing moment.

Then, I heard it. A faint whisper, echoing in the back of my mind, a sound I’d never heard before, yet somehow… familiar. I paused, holding my breath, straining to hear it again. I didn't need to wait for long before the sound came again – a soft, melodic howl, like a lullaby from the wind.

“You should go find our mate,” I heard a soft voice from somewhere within me and my heart pounded in my chest.

It was my wolf. She was awake.

A wave of relief washed over me, so intense it almost brought tears to my eyes. I’d waited so long, endured so much, and finally, she was here. A part of me I’d never known, yet always longed for. I closed my eyes, focusing on the gentle hum of her presence, the warmth that spread through me, chasing away the lingering anxiety.

But as the initial euphoria faded, a new wave of fear washed over me. What would this mean? How would this change things? I’d spent my life as an outsider, shunned and ridiculed for my lack of a wolf. Now, finally, I had one, but in a pack where power and strength were paramount, where weakness was a liability, how would I explain this sudden, late awakening?

My thoughts raced hard, a whirlwind of possibilities, each one more terrifying than the last. What if Norman rejected me? What if the pack turned on me? What if they saw me as a threat, or an outcast? I'd finally found a place to belong, a mate who cherished me, a life I’d never dared to dream of. I couldn't risk losing it all.

A decision, cold and hard, formed in my mind. I would keep this a secret. For now, at least. I needed time to understand what this meant, to learn to control my wolf, to find a way to reveal her without jeopardizing everything I’d gained.

My mind was made up, I needed to keep this to myself, not even Norman deserves to know, at least for now.

The thought of hiding such a fundamental part of myself felt like a betrayal, a denial of who I truly was. But the fear of rejection, the fear of losing Norman, was stronger. I would play this game of secrets, hoping, praying, that the truth wouldn’t unravel everything.

I slipped out of bed, my bare feet sinking into the thick carpet. The room felt even more grander now, the silence amplifying the whispers of my wolf. I needed to find Norman, to see his face, to reassure myself that everything was still alright.

I wandered through the opulent suite, tracing my fingers over the smooth surfaces of the furniture, the intricate carvings on the walls. Each touch, each sight, served as a stark reminder of the world I now inhabited, a world of power and privilege, a world where I was both cherished and vulnerable. The silence of the suite pressed in on me, amplifying the quiet hum of my wolf, a constant reminder of the secret I carried.

I opened the doors leading to a balcony, stepping out into the crisp morning air. My mouth involuntarily shot open, the view took my breath away. The pack lands stretched out before me, a combination of green and gold, bathed in the warm glow of the rising sun. The scent of pine and damp earth filled my lungs, a welcome contrast to the perfumed air of the suite. For a moment, I simply stood there, lost in the beauty of it all, the quiet hum of my wolf a comforting presence in the stillness. But the fear remained sharp, a shadow lurking at the edges of my joy, a constant reminder of the risk I was taking.

I needed to find Norman. I needed to see him, to hear his voice, to reassure myself that nothing had changed. But even as I turned to go back inside, I knew that everything had already changed. I was no longer the same Riley who had arrived in this pack, lost and alone. I was a wolf, I was finally whole. But notwithstanding, I was burdened by a secret of revealing my wolf to the people of this noble pack.