Flashback

Chapter 4: Flashback 

Riley’s POV

I woke up with a jolt, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. My sheets were soaked in sweat, clinging to me like a second skin, and the faint scent of the forest still lingered in my nose, a cruel trick my mind played on me.

The nightmare had come again. The same one.

I swung my legs off the bed, my feet hitting the cool wooden floor as I ran a trembling hand through my hair. 

I couldn’t get the images out of my head: blood staining the earth, my father’s body lying limp in the moonlight, the sharp, snarling voice of the Beta accusing me.

“You did this, Riley! You killed him!”

“Stop,” I muttered to myself, squeezing my eyes shut. But the memories weren’t just nightmares. They were real.

I pulled in a shaky breath, trying to steady myself. My wolf, speedy clawed at the surface, angry and restless. 

It always happened after these dreams as if the wolf wanted to rip through me and go back to that night, to fight, to avenge.

But I couldn’t. I was here now, far from the pack and the lies that had shattered my life.

“Get it together,” I whispered, pushing myself to stand. The room around me was still dark, the faint glow of dawn slipping through the blinds.

 I crossed the small space to the window and leaned my head against the cool glass, staring out into the quiet neighborhood.

A flash of my father’s face appeared in my mind, his proud smile, his booming laugh. He’d always been larger than life. The strongest Alpha our pack had ever seen.

And now he was dead.

---

Flashback

It had been a night like any other, the full moon hanging high in the sky. I’d just returned from a patrol when the sound of shouting reached my ears.

“Something’s wrong,” my wolf, Speedy had whispered.

I sprinted through the trees, the scent of blood growing stronger with each step. My chest tightened as I burst into the clearing, only to freeze.

My father lay on the ground, motionless. Blood soaked the earth beneath him, and the metallic tang hit me like a fist to the gut.

“Dad?” I choked out, stumbling forward.

Before I could reach him, strong hands grabbed me, yanking me back. I struggled, but the Beta’s voice cut through the chaos.

“It was him! Riley did this!”

The pack gasped.

“What?” I whipped my head around, staring at the Beta, Zane my father’s oldest friend. “That’s not true! I just got here!”

His cold eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a sinister smirk that only I seemed to notice. “Liar. Who else could get close enough to kill the Alpha without him knowing? It’s his own son!”

“No!” My voice cracked as I looked around desperately. “You have to believe me. I didn’t—”

“Silence!” Zane roared. “We saw you with the blood on your hands!”

I looked down in horror. My fingers were stained red, but I hadn’t touched him—had I? 

My vision blurred, my pulse pounding in my ears.

“Beta Zane,” one of the pack elders said quietly, his gaze wary. “What do you suggest we do?”

Zane didn’t even hesitate. “He’s a traitor. A murderer. He deserves death.”

Gasps erupted around me.

My wolf screamed in rage, but I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. I knew then that this was a setup. Zane had planned this, killed my father and framed me to seize power.

I didn’t wait to find out what would happen next. My survival instincts kicked in, and I broke free from the wolves holding me, bolting into the forest. Behind me, howls erupted, and the sound of pursuit echoed through the night.

---

The memory faded as I pushed myself away from the window, my breathing ragged. That was the night I lost everything: my father, my home, my pack. I’d been running ever since.

They still hunted me. Zane wouldn’t rest until I was dead, not when I was the only one who could challenge his claim to Alpha.

I sighed heavily and padded into the small kitchen, pouring myself a glass of water. The nightmares always left me feeling hollow, a ghost of the man I used to be.

After escaping, I’d hidden in human cities, blending in as best as I could. I didn’t have much choice. 

Humans didn’t ask questions, didn’t sniff out lies like wolves did. I kept my head down, moved often, and survived.

Photography had been a saving grace. It was something I’d picked up during the quiet moments on patrols, capturing the moon, the forest, the fleeting beauty of life. Now it paid the bills. I worked freelance, kept to myself, and stayed far away from trouble.

This neighborhood was supposed to be a fresh start. A quiet place where I could lay low for a while. I’d taken the house next to Ethan’s because it was close to a studio that had offered me steady work. Nothing more.

The fact that Ethan lived next door? Pure coincidence. I hadn’t even seen him until today when he proposed to help me, his nervous smile and warm hazel eyes catching me off guard.

My wolf had stilled, as if it recognized him.

“Fate,” I muttered bitterly to myself. “What a joke.”

I downed the glass of water and glanced at the clock. Almost 7 a.m. Ethan would probably be awake by now, doing what? Maybe pacing in his living room or wearing that adorable frown I noticed he always got when he was thinking too hard.

Adorable? I winced at myself. “Get a grip, Riley.”

But I couldn’t ignore the pull I felt toward him, no matter how much I tried. It wasn’t just attraction, it was deeper than that. Like my soul recognized his.

I shook my head and grabbed a towel, wiping the sweat from my face. I needed to focus. There was no room in my life for distractions or for lack of a better word feelings.

Especially not with a human.

But as I thought back to our conversation yesterday, his nervous smile, his earnest desperation, I couldn’t help but feel a strange warmth in my chest. I’d agreed to help him because, deep down, I wanted to.

I wanted to know him.

And that terrified me.

“Just one day,” I muttered to myself. “Pretend to be his boyfriend for one day. What’s the worst that co

uld happen?”

The voice in the back of my mind whispered an answer, though I didn’t want to hear it.

Everything.