The New Visitor

Chapter 2 – Riley’s POV

The New Visitor

The night was quiet, but my mind wasn’t.

I sat at my desk, scanning over reports from the patrol teams. The tension between our pack, the Riley Pack, and the Silvermoon Pack had only grown worse over the past few months. Limited resources meant more competition, and competition always led to conflict. Our warriors were on high alert, and so was I.

A sudden mind-link from one of my warriors broke my focus.

Alpha, someone from Silvermoon is here. They’re asking to see Henry.

I frowned, already shaking my head. Send them away. The last thing I needed was to deal with someone from that pack right now.

There was a pause before the warrior responded. It’s a woman, Alpha. She looks exhausted. And… I think you should come see for yourself.

Something about his voice made me hesitate. My wolf stirred inside me, restless, as if sensing something important. I pushed back from my desk and left the office, making my way toward the entrance of the packhouse.

The moment I stepped outside, my world shifted.

She stood there, leaning against the car. Dark hair, piercing eyes, a warrior’s stance—even in exhaustion, she looked fierce. But it wasn’t just her appearance that caught me off guard. It was the pull. A sudden, undeniable connection that gripped my chest and sent heat through my veins.

Mate.

I inhaled sharply, my eyes locking onto hers.

Annie.

I had heard her name before. Silvermoon’s only female warrior. Tough. Skilled. But none of that mattered at this moment because all I could think about was how fate had just thrown her in front of me.

And yet… she didn’t react.

No recognition. No flicker of realization in her eyes. Nothing.

I clenched my jaw, pushing down the frustration bubbling inside me.

“Bring her in,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “I’ll speak with her myself.”

Henry, our pack doctor, stepped forward, nodding. He was one of the best healers for wolves, famous for treating all kinds of issues, and he had been by my side since we were pups. I trusted him with my life.

Annie followed him into the packhouse, her movements slow but controlled. She was hurt, that much was obvious. I didn’t know what had happened to her, but I was damn sure going to find out.

Inside, I sat across from her in my office, keeping my posture strong and calm. I was used to commanding attention, used to people being cautious around me. But Annie wasn’t like most people.

She met my gaze head-on, her face unreadable.

She had felt nothing when she saw me. But I had felt everything.

I took a slow breath and leaned back. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Annie,” I said carefully. “You’re a skilled warrior.”

Her expression didn’t change. “I was.”

I frowned. “Was?”

She hesitated for a fraction of a second. “I don’t have my wolf anymore.”

Something in her voice told me this wasn’t just an injury—this was something deeper. More painful. My wolf growled in the back of my mind, uneasy.

I wanted to ask more, but I knew pushing her too hard would only make her retreat further. Instead, I tried a different approach.

“My warriors could use someone like you,” I said. “If you’re interested, I’d like you to help train them.”

The change in her was instant.

Her shoulders stiffened, her expression went cold, and the fire in her eyes burned with something I couldn’t quite place.

“No,” she said flatly.

I blinked. “No?”

“I’m not here to train your warriors. I came because I need help.”

There was something sharp in her voice, something that told me my offer had touched a nerve. I didn’t understand why. I had meant it as a sign of respect, but she had taken it as something else entirely.

I nodded slowly, masking my disappointment. “Understood.”

The silence between us was thick. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had already messed this up somehow.

I cleared my throat. “Wait outside,” I told her. “I need a word with Henry.”

Annie didn’t argue. She stood and walked out without another glance at me.

The moment the door shut behind her, Henry smirked.

“What?” I asked, already irritated.

Henry leaned against my desk, arms crossed, amusement dancing in his eyes. “You act different around her.”

I raised an eyebrow. “No, I don’t.”

“You do,” he insisted. “Fixing your hair, straightening your shirt, checking your reflection in the window like some high school pup with a crush.”

I glared at him. “Shut up.”

Henry grinned. “She can’t be your mate, right?”

I hesitated. I felt like she was. My wolf was certain of it. But she had looked at me like I was nothing more than another Alpha, just another man standing in front of her.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

Henry let out a low whistle. “Damn. Never thought I’d see the day Riley, the almighty Alpha, gets all flustered over a girl.”

I rolled my eyes. “Get out.”

Henry laughed. “Oh no, I’m enjoying this. You, all serious and brooding, while your mate doesn’t even recognize you? This is priceless.”

I grabbed a pen from my desk and threw it at him. He dodged easily, still grinning like an idiot.

“I hate you,” I muttered.

“No, you don’t.” He stretched lazily. “I’ll check on Annie. You stay here and… try not to fall apart.”

****

I crossed my arms, watching her closely. She was tough, no doubt about it. But I could see the exhaustion in her stance, the tension in her body. She wasn’t at her best—because of her wolf, because of everything she had been through.

“Annie, I know you’re strong,” I said, my voice calmer now. “But without your wolf, you’re not at full strength. You need to be careful.”

She scoffed, her eyes flashing with irritation. “I don’t need you telling me what I already know.”

Damn, she was stubborn.

Before I could respond, Henry clapped a hand on my shoulder, his usual smirk back. “Well, that was fun to watch. You going soft already, Alpha?”

I shot him a warning look, but he just grinned. “Since when do you step in for someone else? Especially someone who’s not part of the pack?”

I ignored his teasing. Instead, I turned back to Annie. “Let’s go. You’re staying in the guest house near my home from now on.”

She frowned. “What? Why?”

“So I can keep an eye on you.”

Annie folded her arms, her eyes growing cold. "And why must I be watched by you?"

I looked back at her, not flinching. "Because you're on my pack's territory. That makes you my responsibility."

She didn't seem to be believing me. "Or maybe you just don't trust me."

I didn't reply to that. Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was feeling. My instincts were screaming at me to guard her, but my rational side—the Alpha side—was aware that I couldn't completely trust a member of a hostile pack. Not yet.

Annie let out a breath, clearly frustrated, but she didn't keep arguing. "Fine. But don't expect me to be grateful."

I smiled. "Wouldn't dream of it."

—

For the remainder of the next few days, I found myself going to the pack hospital more often than was required. Officially, I was making sure my Beta, who had fallen ill after holding down the fort around here while I was off fighting, was doing well. But somehow, regardless of how the conversation started, it always seemed to circle back to Annie.

"How's she doing?" I leaned against the wall of my Beta's room.

Henry didn't even look up from his clipboard. "You mean her wolf? Or do you mean if she's still unmarried?"

I rolled my eyes. "Her wolf."

Henry made a humming sound, jotting down a note before finally looking up. "No change yet. She's been quiet. Spends most of her time either training alone or staring up at the sky like she's got a whole lot on her mind.".

I nodded, playing it cool like that annoyed me less than it actually did. "And has she contacted anyone from her pack?"

Henry smiled knowingly. "Jealous?"

I snorted. "I'm being cautious."

"Sure you are."

Before I could argue any further, my Beta, who had been standing there silently, finally broke his silence. "You're acting weird, Riley."

I frowned. "How so?"

He grinned. "Since when do you get so invested in a stranger's life? You're an Alpha. Not a lovesick puppy."

Henry chuckled. "Yeah, shouldn't you be honeymooning right now? Or have you finally decided to show us you're not secretly married to your Beta?"

I rolled my eyes. "You two are terrible."

Henry grinned. "Hey, I'm just saying—if you keep hanging around Annie, everyone will believe you've got something for her."

I didn't respond. Because the truth was, I didn't know what I wanted.

I wasn't that kind of Alpha to be swayed by a face. I'd never allowed my duty be swayed by emotions before. But with Annie… it was different.

I didn't want to just defend her. I wanted to know her.

And that scared the living hell out of me.

—

That night, when I was standing at my window, I noticed something that made my wolf twitch.

Annie was out there, sitting on the fringe of the guest house, her eyes vacant. She was mind-linking with someone.

I gritted my teeth.

I didn't want to intrude. I wasn't the type of person to invade someone else's privacy.

But my instinct was screaming at me—she is talking to someone in her pack.

She might be a spy, for all I knew. Or worse, she was taking off.

That was excuse enough.

Using my Alpha power, I extended into the bond and killed it.

Annie gasped, her head snapping up. Her eyes shot to mine in the darkness.

Fury. Confusion. A hint of betrayal.

I glared back at her, my face cold.

If she had anything to hide. I would discover it.