Chapter Three

The Mating Ball.

(Riley's POV)

Ryker sat with his mate, and I was to sit besides him, close enough to hear him whisper the same words he had told me to her, close enough to see him kiss her, close enough to hear her soft moans as his hands disappeared beneath her dress, but that wasn't the worst part of this all; the worst part was having to see my mother, refilling his cup like the servant he wanted everyone to know she was.

All I felt was anger, burning fury.

I turned away from them, focusing on keeping my breath steady.

"You work slugglishly, old woman," Ryker said to my mother, she had pretended not to hear that as she refilled his glass for what seemed as the hundredth time.

My mother glanced at me, her eyes a warning, begging me to stay still and not do anything crazy, and it took everything in me to seat still.

"You forgot to refill mine," Zara said to my mother, and of course, my mother did refill hers, muttering a silent appology which wasn't even due. Zara held the glass in her slender hand and then her eyes turned to me, a small smirk playing on her lips and I watched as she let it go—purposely, the content spilled down my mother's plain blue dress.

"Ooops," Zara says. A hand on her mouth, I had watched her, it was no mistake.

"You did that on purpose." I sneered at her. Zara had an innocent look on her face, which was of course false.

"Sorry, who are you?" she asked, an eyebrow inclined.

I am the Alpha's true mate. I wanted to say it but held that to myself.

"Riley. This is your Luna, and don't you ever speak to her that way?" Ryker warned.

I rose to my feet in an attempt to help my mother clean up the broken pieces of glass. I noticed the few eyes on us already.

"Sit, Riley," the Alpha ordered. Every nerve in me wanted to disrespect his order, and I was prepared to, but then my mother gave me another glance, pleading with me to listen to him, pleading with me not to get in trouble, and I hated it. I hated the fact that she thought this was okay. Slowly, I took my seat; my eyes blurred, but I never let the tears out. I had promised myself that Alpha Ryker would never see my tears, and I wasn't going to break that promise.

"I am sorry, Luna; I know the glass must have slipped off your hands," my mother apologized, and Zara gave a silent scoff.

I inhaled again, feeling a thick lump in my throat. I wanted to stand up and leave, but I knew Ryker wanted me here, he wanted to torment me some more; he wanted me to watch and listen, and I didn't want to anymore.

I watched as some of the wolves left the ball with their mates; others waited. It was a beautiful experience to watch a werewolf find their mate, and I welcomed that as a distraction. Soon the dance began, and the female wolves paired up for the dance.

"Would you accompany me for this dance, my love?" Ryker asked Zara, and she gave a little giggle.

"Yes, my Alpha," she said, taking his extended hands, and he led her to dance. He paused, turning to me.

"You could mingle now, Riley, but I doubt there would be a partner available for you," he says before walking off.

My mother was gone; she was somewhere in the crowd working with other omegas.

.

I pushed past people, heading for the door, which seemed too far away. I was once again jostled to the side, and I started to believe they did that on purpose.

Abruptly, the dance stopped, even if the music kept playing.

I stood there puzzled, and that's when I noticed the reason.

Two men had just walked in.

There were a lot of people in the ball; people could go in and come without anyone noticing, but there was something about these two, something that made them... different.

It could be their striking beauty, it was unlike anything I had ever seen, or the aura they carried with them—it seemed to settle over them like an extra layer of clothing. Everyone watched, and so did I.

I had seen this man before, not face-to-face but in a picture.

Alpha Thane of the Nightshade Pack.

How couldn't I have noticed that?. Beside him was his Beta Axel

The two men towered over almost every single person here, even Ryker, who had an amazing six feet four, couldn't be compared to them.

Everyone parted like the red sea, staying very far away from them, as they walked forward.

Ryker had abandoned Zara and stood right in their path. I could sense it; their very presence intimidated him and he was right to be intimidated.

"Welcome, Alpha Thane; you didn't inform us that you would be gracing us with your presence." Ryker said, but Thane had walked past him like he was nothing but a shadow, not even giving him the common and expected recognition every Alpha should get.

Alpha Thane walked forward in a straight line to where I stood. I on the other hands was unable to move. Never had I seen a man so alluring, so beautiful, and so enchanting; never had I seen a man that screamed danger and yet drew admiring gazes like a magnet.

I backed away, but he was heading straight to me.

What the hell was he doing?. When he was close enough, his scent was all I could perceive; it was a manly scent, sexual in a way I couldn't even explain. He towered over me.

Finally my brain set into motion and I backed away.

"Mate," he called out, his intense gaze on me.

But that wasn't right; I was no mate of his.

Faster than I would ever thought possible, his hands circled around me, pulling me closer to him, and then his lips met mine.

His lips were beautifully made, every girl's dream, but shocked as I was, I couldn't make a single move, and I didn't kiss back.

He pulled away, only to whisper in my ear.

"Kiss me back, Riley."