Se connecterRiley's POV
I stormed up to their table, my heart thumping fiercely—not just from the tequila, but because something about them unsettled me. Their eyes locked onto me, unblinking. I felt the heat of their gazes press against my skin, thick and heavy like the humid air. I was nervous, sure. But furious? Absolutely. Who were they to stop me from having another drink? “Hey!” I snapped, forcing my voice steady despite the nervous flutter in my chest. “Why did you tell that man I can’t have more drinks? Do you own this place or what?” The tallest one—the first—lifted his glass, swirling the dark red wine inside like it was some kind of poison. His dark grey eyes caught the dim club lights and flickered with a lazy, unsettling smirk. “We do,” he said, voice low and smooth. I blinked, momentarily frozen by the confidence in his tone. Still, I forced the words out. “Well, just because you own the place doesn’t mean you can control how many shots someone has.” He raised an eyebrow, amused. “Apparently, we can, Riley Grayson.” That made me stop cold. The second man spoke next, his voice a bit softer but just as commanding."We decide who drinks and who doesn't Riley" His eyes were the color of oceanic amber like molten gold flecked with the deepest blue. They seemed to look right through me, as if he could see every secret I tried to hide. He was handsome, sure, but more than that—he carried an aura of confidence that drew attention without trying. “How?” I stammered, fighting the mix of surprise and fear twisting in my stomach. “How do you know my name? Have we met before?” Before they could answer, the third man’s voice cut through the haze. “You’re not supposed to be here,” he said sharply. His eyes were cold—silver, almost and his expression was deadly serious. There was something frightening about his calm, like a wolf waiting patiently for the right moment to strike. His handsome features were precise but his gaze held a weight that made the air between us suffocating. He raised an eyebrow, his voice icy. “Does Ethan know his human wife is wasted in a downtown clubhouse?” I froze. My mouth dry, mind racing. “How do you know Ethan?” I asked, desperate for answers. The dark-eyed man, the one with the smirk, leaned forward, his eyes narrowing slightly. “We know a lot of things, pretty,” he said with a slow grin. “And we also know about your now open marriage.” My breath caught, and my mouth fell open in shock. For a moment, I was speechless. The words stung—not because of what they meant, but because it was clear these men knew things no stranger should. “Who the hell are you people?” I almost staggered back, my voice sharp with shock and suspicion. They just smirked, settling back into their seats like they were enjoying some private joke I wasn’t in on. The second one, the one with those oceanic amber eyes—leaned forward, eyes locking onto mine like he could see every fracture in my soul. “Don’t you know who we are?” I hesitated. “No… I don’t.” He let out a low chuckle, slow and dark. “Maybe that’s because we’ve been away for a while pretty. Out of town for three years. But we’re back now.” Before I could react, the first man, the dark grey-eyed one with that lazy, dangerous grin stood up smoothly, towering over me. I took an involuntary step back, the heat radiating from his body making it hard to breathe. “Since you want an open marriage,” he said, voice low and teasing, “we thought we’d make you an offer, Riley.” I blinked, confused and a little wary. “What kind of offer?” His grin widened, sharp and wicked. “You want to get back at your husband, don’t you? To prove you’re not the boring woman he made you out to be?” I stared at him, stunned. How did he know that? Ethan didn't even say it out loud back at the company so how? I found myself nodding, more out of shock than agreement. “Good,” he said, stepping closer, eyes never leaving mine. “Then let us join your open marriage.” I blinked again, the words hanging heavy in the smoky air. “As you can see, there’s three of us,” he continued, a slow smirk playing on his lips. “And we can give you everything you’ve been craving for the past three years with Ethan.” His gaze was intense, daring me to respond. “But,” he added, voice dropping to a teasing whisper, “there’s one thing you should know—we like to be… together.” The amber-eyed man nodded, his eyes gleaming. “One woman. Three men. At the same time.” My heart hammered, a mix of fear, anger, and something dangerously thrilling coursing through me. I wanted to back away, to refuse, but something about the way they looked at me made it impossible. Not just desire but a challenge. “Why me?” I managed to ask, not liking the images that was painting in my head, nor the way my body was already reacting to those images. The first man shrugged, that wicked grin still in place. “Because you’re tired of being pushed around. Because you want to prove that you can still hold it in without him. And because… well, we like a woman who's wrecked and ready to be used to get what she wants .” The silence stretched, thick with possibility. I swallowed hard, my voice barely steady. “And what if I say yes?” They exchanged glances, their smiles widening a bit in surprise. They might think I would have turned it down, but no, a wicked thought already crossed through my mind mixed with the heavy alcohol that was swimming in my head at the moment. “Then,” the grey-eyed one said, “this night just got a whole lot more interesting.”he said, his voice low and full of promise. “And once we start, we don’t stop.”Riley's POV Wait, I'm not dead?I blinked again because my brain was still not working properly and I honestly thought maybe I had finally died. I even pinched my arm just to be sure, and it hurt like hell, so that meant I was still alive, which was honestly disappointing because falling from that height should have killed me and now I was confused and annoyed and also hungry, which was very unfair because if someone almost dies, the least the universe could do was give them food.“Okay Riley,” I muttered to myself while still lying on the ground, staring at the sky. “Are you dead or not? Because if this is heaven, I have a lot of questions. Like where is the food? Where is the bed? And why do I still feel tired?”I shut my eyes again and opened them. Everything still looked the same. The strange glowing sky, the silent air, the weird peaceful place that made no sense at all. I sighed loudly.“Great. Not dead. Just stuck in another level of crazy.”Just then I heard a sound and turn
Riley's POV The moment I took that one step forward, everything changed.I did not even realize what I had done until I heard the first growl behind me, low and deep and very close, and my whole body froze instantly because that sound did not belong to something small or harmless. It sounded big and hungry and angry, and slowly, very slowly, I turned my head.Wolves.Not one.Not two.So many.They were standing in a circle around me, their eyes glowing under the strange light, their bodies huge and terrifying, and their gazes fixed on me like I was a walking piece of meat. My heart began beating so fast that I could hear it inside my ears, and my mouth went dry immediately.“Oh hell no,” I whispered, my voice shaking.One of them took a step forward.I took one back.Another growled.Another stepped closer.“What is this now, what did I do to deserve this kind of life?” I asked loudly, my voice rising in panic because this had to be a joke. This had to be a nightmare. I had not even
Gunnar’s POV I had been inside this cave for three days, and every hour that passed was making me more restless and more angry because the prime wolf beasts were nowhere to be seen. I moved slowly through the darkness again, my steps careful and controlled as my eyes scanned every corner and every shadow. The cave was huge and deep, and it felt endless, with different tunnels stretching in every direction. I had searched almost every part of it already, and still there was nothing. No sign of them. No scent that stayed long enough for me to follow. It did not make sense. These beasts had been here for centuries. They were bound to this place. They were not creatures that just disappeared. Something was wrong, and that thought alone was making my wolf restless inside me. He had been pacing in my head for days, clawing and pushing against my control because he wanted to be free, and I had kept him restrained because shifting too early would waste my strength. But now I was star
Riley's POV We stopped in front of a glowing circle, and I froze.I rubbed my eyes hard because I honestly thought I was seeing things. The light was real. It was bright but not blinding, and it moved slowly like it was alive. The circle was floating in the air, not touching the ground, and inside it was darkness that looked deep and endless.“What the hell is this?” I asked.“This is the Veil,” Cane said calmly as if this was normal.My heart started racing again. I did not like this at all. Nothing about this looked safe or normal.“Wait,” I said quickly. “You’re telling me I have to step into that?”But before anyone answered, a strong hand suddenly pushed me forward.I screamed.My body fell into the glowing circle, and for one second everything felt cold and heavy, like I was sinking into deep water. I tried to turn back. I reached out behind me, desperate to grab something, anything.But when my feet hit the ground and I spun around, the circle was gone.Gone.There was nothin
Riley's POV “Healing from what?” Sebastian asked as he suddenly pulled my wrists closer to his nose and scented them deeply like he was trying to catch something hidden beneath my skin.My heart dropped so fast it felt like it hit the ground.It beat Thump. Thump. Thump.I was not expecting that at all.The way he held my wrist was firm, and I could feel his fingers pressing into my skin while he inhaled slowly, panic rushed through my entire body. I could hear my heartbeat loudly inside my ears, and for a second I was sure everyone else could hear it too. If he detected anything strange, if he sensed something connected to that mark, everything would be over.“It’s healing from an infection,” Cane said instantly without hesitation, his voice calm but serious.Sebastian did not respond immediately. He kept holding my wrist, his nose still close to my skin, and I felt exposed in a way I did not like at all. I forced myself not to pull away because that would only make me look guilty
Riley's POV Sebastian’s words did not leave my head even though he was still standing right in front of me, watching me like he already knew he had shaken me. I could feel the doubt crawling inside me, and it annoyed me so much because I hated that he could affect me this easily. I stood there for a few seconds without saying anything, and the silence felt heavy.I kept thinking about what he said, and the more I thought about it, the more confused I became. What exactly was I going to gain from all of this? I was about to risk my life in the Rite of the Borrowed Moon just because they wanted to marry me, and before their father would agree, I had to prove myself. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. Why should I do something so dangerous just to be accepted?Then another thought entered my head, and that one was even worse. Ethan. My body stiffened immediately. I had not even divorced him yet. After everything Cane and Caden did to him, he would definitel







