The Start Of An Ill Fate

Caden Caldwell suddenly jerked up, taking the final swig of his drink. Damien looked away from his phone, gazing at Caden's hovering figure with a confused frown.

"Are you leaving already?"

Damien asked Caden.

"I have a few things to take care of. Enjoy your drink, bud."

Caden playfully slapped Damien's shoulder, striding away, out of the bar.

"Odd. He promised to stay back for me."

Damien said as he watched Caden's retrieving figure.

A few seconds later, River's phone buzzed with a message.

It was a strange number, and it read, "Meet me at the jacuzzi by 8pm."

How had he gotten her number to text her? River wondered. And, how was she to get past the tight security to the jacuzzi?

"What are you smiling at?"

Damien asked River, staring at her curiously. She had had her gaze pinned on her phone, smiling at it, too concentrated to even hear the question he had asked.

"N-nothing." River quickly puts her phone away. "Do you want us to leave?"

Damien curved a brow. "Didn't you hear the question I asked just now?"

"No." River bit out, her face flushing with embarrassment.

"I said, what was Caden telling you? You both looked cozy."

River's heart dropped. 

Had he noticed?

"He said he would love to meet other Omegas. He wants to get in touch with wolves of lower ranks as an Alpha."

River lied. But, it didn't seem like one Damien had bought because he leaned into her, giving her a "Do you think you can fool me?" stare.

"I'm a young Beta, River. Even if you talked in hushed tones a hundred miles away, I would still hear. I heard what he said. The things he said. Or rather,” he paused, letting out a deep sigh. “the lies he spewed.”

Right! How could River be so foolish to fool a young Beta? She had completely forgotten his supernatural hearing ability.

"Listen to me, River. Stay away from him. He is no good news. He would ruin you. Caden is not the man you think he is. He would undo you and throw you away like trash."

Damien had sounded weird to River.

How could he be comfortable badmouthing his friend like that?

"I know I sound odd. But, I care about you as much as I care about him. And, if you get into whatever it is you want to do with him, it'd destroy you more than it'd destroy him. So, this is me protecting you."

River had left Damien after saying nothing in response to his warning against Caden and headed straight home.

The last ray of sunlight was peeking into the sky when River got to the Omega quarters.

Tessa isn't home. However, Noah had just made dinner, and he was arranging the table when River stepped into the living room.

"Ah! She is back! I made dinner."

Noah announced, beaming as she dished a spoonful of Cobb Salad into a bowl.

River eyed the meal in the bowl, her gaze bored.

Cobb Salad again. 

It was like the main course meal in the Omega quarters. They had never been able to afford anything other than that.

River chose to skip dinner.

"I'm fine. You can leave mine for Tessa."

River said, heading up the wooden stairs.

"What is wrong? Are you okay?"

Noah asked, worry dripping off his tone.

"Just school and stuff."

River had dismissed as she climbed onto the first floor, heading straight to her bedroom. 

River washed up, lying back on her bed to give Damien's warning a thorough thought.

Once it was quarter past nine, and she prepared to call it a day, her phone buzzed.

It was the same strange number as earlier.

"I'd burst into your house and come and get you if you are not here in a minute."

River ignored the message, adjusting to a sleeping position.

A few seconds later, her phone buzzed again.

"Is that man in the living room your boyfriend?"

The message read.

Her phone buzzed again.

"I could take him down with one punch, you know that, right?"

River instantly shot up.

"Don't touch him!"

River had messaged back. A second later, her phone buzzed again.

"Then, meet me at the jacuzzi at ten."

The message had said.

Instantly, River got out of bed and got into fresh clothes - white bum shorts and a black crop top.

Noah had dozed off on the sofa when she sneaked out of the house.

She padded off the Omega quarters onto the main packhouse territory. The vertical gate that had separated the packhouse from the other houses in the Pack's territory had been left ajar, no security man in sight. So, she strode in, heading towards Caden's bedroom.

The jacuzzi was lit with rainbow colors when she got there and the water was bubbling when River arrived at it. It was a beautiful sight and River couldn't help but gawk at it. 

The place was also empty and dead silence.

She threw her gaze around to find Caden.

River suddenly heard someone whistle behind her. She swirls around and finds Caden on the stairs that leads to the jacuzzi , a bottle of champagne and two champagne flutes between his delicate, long fingers.

He was shirtless, gray sweatpants hanging low around his waist. 

He gets down the stairs, striding towards her.

"So, is that man your boyfriend or not?"

"Not." River responded dryly.

"I wouldn't have cared anyway."

Caden said, handing River a champagne flute.

"So, you would have cheated with me?"

"I'd cheat with you if you were married."

Caden breathed the words into River's face, seductively. 

His blond hair was dripping wet, smelling of strawberry shampoo. 

He had just washed up.

"I don't drink, Caden."

River said, pointing to the champagne flute he was extending to her.

"It's a party. The rule is to drink the night away."

Caden strutted towards River, swallowing up the space between them and forcing the champagne flute into her grip.

"What do you like about me?"

River blurted out, watching as Caden skillfully poured the champagne into her flute. 

When his gaze returned to her, and he leaned into her, their noses almost touching, River felt a shiver run down her spine. 

"Your nose," he whispered, running his index finger down the bridge of her nose. "It's sculptured so perfectly. And, your lips," he brushed his thumb on her lower lip. "You are so gorgeous, River. Your beauty is blinding."

River swallowed, taking a gulp of her champagne. 

"I am an Omega, Alpha. The lowest of the wolf rank. How do you not find me below you?"

"It does not matter, River." Caden took his sip of his champagne. "You are my choice. And, my wolf agrees."

"Your wolf?"

River raised a brow.

River had recalled Tessa stating that if one's wolf made inputs about one's love life, the person was likely to be their mate.

But, River didn't want to be ahead of herself, so, she kept her mouth sealed.

"Come on. The jacuzzi is ready."

When River attempted to enter the jacuzzi with her top and her bum shorts, Caden frowned at her.

"You are not going in with just that, right?"

Caden eyed her outfit.

"How about you? You are in pants."

River pointed out, jerking her chin at Caden's sweatpants.

"This? I plan to put it away."

Caden suddenly pulls out of his pants, exposing his black Calvin Klein brief.

River threw her gaze away, swallowing the bile that had gathered in her throat. 

Caden jumps into the bubbling jacuzzi, shooting back out, wet and drained.

A tiny laugh tore through River's throat. A soft and heartwarming sound.

"Come on! Get in!"

Caden yelled excitedly, playing around in the water. River thought about it at first, then, she immediately strides to a corner and starts stripping out of her top and her bum short, ensuring that Caden wasn't looking.

Then, when she was in only her black lacy bra and black lacy underwear, she slowly dip into the water, feeling the jacuzzi bubbling into her body.

She moves to Caden as they continue playing in the water, colliding with his build countless times.

When she was exhausted from playing in the water with Caden, she moved to the slab of the jacuzzi, resting her back against it.

"I should go." She told Caden and he paused. "I don't want anybody finding me here."

"I want you here." Caden says, leaning against the slab at the other end of the jacuzzi, opposite River.

"And, if anyone sees us, I'd just claw out their heart so they wouldn't have to go around telling people about us."

Cadens stated dryly.

"What about that waiter? I'm certain she had clocked our flirting earlier, at the bar."

River sips her champagne.

Her eyes were already acting funny, and her body was already reacting to the alcohol. 

She really shouldn't have accepted the alcohol from Chase.

"Should I kill her too? Should I rip her throat or cut off her head?"

River laughed. She hadn't known why she had laughed, he wasn't laughing, he was making threats. Death threats. It was certainly the champagne. She was already acting weird.

River gulps the rest of her drink in her champagne flute and waves the flute to her for another drink. Caden moves to her in the water, closing the space between them as he grabs the bottle of champagne behind her.

"Are you a heavy drinker?" Caden asked, eyeing her interestingly as he poured champagne into her flute.

"I don't know, do I look like it?"

River wriggled her eyebrows. 

"I don't just want you getting drunk on my account."

Caden responded calmly.

"What? Wasn't that why you asked me to drink? Is it not the point of all these? So, you could sleep with me?"

River tended to be blunt whenever she was drunk.

"Well, do you want me to sleep with you?" 

Caden smirked, moving even closer to her in the water.

"Yes.”

River blurted out, throwing her hand around his neck.

"You are drunk, River." Caden reminded, as the bridge of his nose brushed River's. 

"Cut the nonsense and just kiss me, Caden."

River breathed, pushing herself into him.

Caden took a little breath, and knocked their noses together one last time before their lips collided.

Caden held her against him, his hand around her waist in the water as he kissed her desperately.

It wasn't the light feather kiss River had anticipated as her first kiss.

Caden was a master at it, and it showed with the way he kissed her like his rent was due, his lips moving skillfully on hers, hungrily.

They suddenly break the kiss, panting hard to collect their breaths.

"Listen, River. I think you are my mate."

Caden suddenly blurted out, River throwing her eyes wide with his sudden confession.

"Higher ranked wolves don't get to know instantly who their mate is. Their instinct is what works for them. And, my instinct tells me you are my mate. My missing puzzle. You are mine, River. My Luna."

Caden whispered against her lips, his blue eyes dancing with a thrill.

"Do you want to see my bed?"

River was too stunned to speak that she only nodded.

They hadn't even had a chance to make it back into his bedroom. River was wiping her body dry on the chaise lounge outside the jacuzzi when she suddenly climbed onto Caden's lap as he sat on the chaise lounge, kissing him desperately. 

He had kissed her back and had slept with her right there, on the chaise lounge. He had taken her virginity after asking her to dress pretty for the following day because he was going to announce her as his next Luna.