Since Riley was doing well in school, she had no problem with taking the day off. She hadn't been sleeping well. She felt tired and paranoid when she should have felt energized and excited. The last two nights, she even felt like there was someone watching her from a distance. She would look outside , peaking from behind her blinds, but couldn't tell where they were hiding. She would toss and turn all night dreaming of nothing but an endless void. Even Ava didn't want to come out and talk. Was there something wrong with her wolf? This was not what she pictured. The last two days, she would get up, get ready, and head to school with only a couple minutes to spare. This left no room for socializing. She barely saw Ethan or Lily, except for at lunch, where she suppressed her feelings deep down and faked it. She would then leave as soon as the final bell rang and run home. Her phone kept going off with texts from Ethan and Lily, laced with concern, even if they didn't mention anything
After the dream state and crying all day Wednesday, she had gone into Thursday emotionless. She got through the day with her new routine and faking any joy and happiness to keep Ethan and Lily off her back. It was finally Friday, and although she still felt empty, she had to keep her spirits up to party all night with Ethan. It was his birthday, after all. She had invited Lily over to get ready with. She appreciated that Lily and Ethan had developed a friendship. It was a lot easier to hang out with friends when your boyfriend was a part of the group. He used to hang out with Nathan and Landon and a few other popular kids, but she thought he was putting in an effort to be close to Riley whenever he had a chance to be. Of course, all his friends were invited, as well as hers, even if it just consisted of Lily now. Neither her nor Lily heard from Ollie. They didn't even see him at school now that she thought about it. What happened to him? Where had he gone? What had he been up to? R
The words slipped out before Riley could process everything. She stepped back and was ready to leave when the hooded stranger spoke. "Hello Riley. We meet again." Riley spun around, trying to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She couldn't see anything besides the large screen at the opposite end of the room and the chairs all in neat rows. She knew this room as she had watched a movie or two here during rec time. However, she couldn't make out who it was sitting on one of the love seats. He definitely hid himself well under the hooded sweatshirt. His voice, though, sounded familiar at that point. Where it didn't hit her before, the familiarity hit her this time. She just couldn't put a name to the voice. She also vaguely remembers the smell too. Like she smelt it before, just not as strong and potent as it was now. Where had she smelt it? "I can see the wheels turning in your head. What are you thinking about?" "Who are you? We've met before, but I just can't pinpoint
Rileys eyes blinked open. She felt groggy and unsure of her surroundings, just like every other time she woke this past week. She couldn't remember where she was, she felt dirty and cold, she couldn't even feel her wolf Ava anymore. Her flesh burned with every movement she took. Was this a dream? Had it all been a dream? She looked around and noticed it was a dark room with no windows, like she was in a basement. The room felt wet and cold. She lay on a bed and noticed a metal chain attached to her ankle. There was a bedside table next to her with a glass of water and a bucket next to the bed. "Hello," her voice came out in a cracked whisper. "Hello," she said even louder. "Is anyone there!? Can anyone hear me!? Please. I need help!" she said as she started to cry. This was real, and she had no memory of how this happened. How long had she been here now. Did she wake up prior to this and do the same thing? She looked down at her ankle, which burned the most. It was raw, and i
As much as Riley tried to get back to the dream state, she was unsuccessful at reaching her stranger, her mate. She hadn't gotten any answers to where she was being kept, and she was still recovering from the wolfsbane that Ollie had drugged her with. She was gaining more energy, and she could feel Ava every now and then, but the silver keeping her in the basement kept her weak enough so she wouldn't shift. Ollie was being kind since she started pretending to be interested in him. He would bring her her meals, give her water to bathe herself with, take the bucket out when it got full of her waste, and combe her hair. Other than that, she kept talking to a minimum to try and earn his trust through actions. The door swung open, and Ollie walked in, taking a big sniff of the air and sighing to himself. Something was wrong. "Are you okay?" "She wants me to take care of you, but I can't ever stay. She wants updates but doesn't want to visit yet. She says I'm yours, but she won't let m
It was the same thing over and over again. She was losing hope of getting out of here. At this point, she didn't know what day it was or how long she had been missing. She didn't know what time it was. She slept and cried and ate whatever measly food they left for her. She never did see anyone either since her last interaction with Ollie. She missed her family and friends and, most of all, her stranger. She didn't even know who he was, but she wanted him. As soon as she got out, she would end things with Ethan and make things right. She had to. Maybe this was her punishment for cheating on Ethan. Maybe the Alpha and Luna did this to her, and everyone was lying. She shook her head as soon as those thoughts crept on her. She had to think of the good. She couldn't let her mind go to the darkness. Everyone was looking for her. They had to be. She was just tired and wished to see the sunlight. Wished to be home again. The door swung open, and her ears perked up. She had no desire to
Riley woke up shielding herself from the sun, but there was no sun. She had just come upstairs before she passed out. Did they put her back into the basement? She looked around and noticed she was laying on the couch still and was indeed upstairs, but it was night outside. She heard someone humming a tune as she tried to sit up. "Riley! You're awake. Please take it easy. Don't sit up too quick," Ollie said, rushing to her side. He helped Riley sit up slowly. "What happened?" she said as she held her head from the pounding inside. "We think it's from a combination of shock and lack of energy from the silver bindings. You're still lacking in energy. It doesn't help that you have hardly eaten since being here. You're always sleeping or crying." "Well, maybe if you didn't keep me chained up, I would be more myself," she said too weak to actually be angry. "Don't worry dear, I have some food coming over to you right now," the evil woman who claimed to be her mother said. Her mothe
Riley was left alone in the basement. It was cold and wet, and she could feel it seeping into her flesh. She had stopped crying once Ollie left and laid on her back on the damp mattress. She once again tried slowing her breathing, calming her mind, and relaxing. She thought of her mate, of her mysterious stranger. She fell. She kept falling until she hit pavement. She was outside the pack house. She walked towards the front doors and felt the cold handle in her palm. She turned the handle and walked into the foyer. Everything just felt real here, but she couldn't understand why the dream led her to the pack house. "Hello!?" She walked the hallways, dragging her hand along the walls. She peaked into the various rooms she came across. Still, she didn't find anyone around. She didn't even know his name, so she couldn't call out for him. "Hello!? Is anyone there?" she said as she sniffed the air for his scent. She couldn't smell anything, though. This was pointless. He was probabl
"Ollie, what's happened to you?" "This is what happens when a man loses his wolf." "There's plenty of people without wolves, and they make out just fine." "You mean humans? Ha, that's pathetic. I'm supposed to just go live amongst them when all my life, all I've known, is a pack?" "Why not? It could be a fresh start." "Riley, why are you here?" "Can't a friend come visit you?" "I thought we weren't friends for a while now." "Only because of the way you had changed." "You have to know that wasn't me. I swear it. I was under some kind of mind control. Riley, I'm sorry!" "Who had you under control?" "It was the Rogue King and his witches. They focused more on masking where we were, but every so often, when I didn't do what they asked, they messed with my mind. The Rogue King has no power." "How do you know he has no powers?" "He would have you. He's got nothing. Unless you are a part of his pack, then he can mindlink and use his Alpha control. Otherwise, there's
Ava wiggled out from Thorn, Eli's wolf, and stretched herself awake. Their wolves played like puppies last night, and it felt so good not to have any worries. However, she couldn't help but feel there would be repercussions from last night's revelations. "Come back and keep me warm," Thorn said through their mindlink. "We have to get back. There are some things Riley would like to take care of before we leave." "Fine, but the next two weeks, you're all mine," Thorn said with a hint of a promise. Thorn got up and stretched, and then they both ran back to the packhouse. They shifted and put on some of the spare clothing in the shed they keep for emergencies. "I'll go back to the beach and grab our stuff that we hid away," Eli said as he finished getting dressed. "Great! Thanks. I'm going to go see if I can find your father. I have something I need to ask him." "You could always ask me, I am going to be taking over soon." "It's okay. It's actually a private matter rega
It was 6 PM, and there was a knock at Rileys door. It had to be Lily. She rushed over as there was so much she needed to unload. She was holding onto too much and was finally ready to share some of the details with someone other than the Alpha or Eli. The shock of yesterday's news was unnerving, and she hadn't even spoken to Eli as he walked her home. She left him standing in the hallway as she entered her room last night. She sensed him out there for hours until she fell asleep when he must have gone home. Now, now she could share with Lily the important things. "Lily! I'm so glad you're here." "Good thing I am because if you were thinking of going in that outfit, girl, you need all the help you could use." "Lily!" "I'm just kidding. Anyway, I brought pizza and predrinks. Hope you're ready to party!" "Before we get started, I was hoping we could talk a little first." "Sure, what about. You know you can always talk to me." "I know, this has just been really difficult to come to
Focus is all Riley kept repeating to herself for the past week and a half. She had managed to do so, especially with Lily's help. She would pass Ethan in the halls, but his attention was always on his friends. No looks or spoken words. However, she could feel the eyes burn into her from Melissa. Landon was part of that group, too, but she couldn't blame him. He would only be a step-brother. He had his own friends from before their families joined together. She couldn't hold it against him. Riley also succeeded in avoiding Eli. She hadn't wished to go to the dream state. She also avoided the pack house. Going and coming from home to school and back again. Over the weekend, she visited home, too. Dad was finally putting the nursery together, so she slept on the sofa in the living room. Dad even helped Sarah and Landon finally move in. They had their own little family happening already. It still had felt good to be home and surrounded by others. It was the end of the school day, and
Riley stretched as she opened her eyes after having one of the best sleeps of her life. She felt an arm under her head that wasn't hers, and she rolled over to stare at Eli. He was still fast asleep and looked like a God. The goddess had blessed her well. She softly kissed his lips, which stirred him awake and had him kissing her back. "Good morning, beautiful. I could definitely get used to this." Eli grabbed her and brought her in for a bear hug. Riley giggled, and they both laughed. "I should get up and get ready before I'm late for school." "Or you could ditch and spend the day in bed with me." "I think you can survive a day without me. I'm sure things will be different once we're marked." Riley stood up to head to the washroom to tidy herself up when Eli hugged her from behind. "I never want to be apart from you ever again," he growled in her ear. She playfully swatted him away and headed for the shower. Eli smacked her ass as she went. He had put on his boxer brief
Riley and Eli walked side by side back to her apartment in silence. They walked into the foyer where a few pack members were, but Riley paid no attention to the stares. It didn't seem to faze her anymore. They walked down the hallway to her door. It was silent all around. "Well, this is it. Thanks for walking me home." "Yea, no problem," he said as he lifted his arm to scratch the back of his head. "Okay, well, goodnight then." "Yea, goodnight." Eli started to walk off, and the panic started to rise within her chest. "Eli?" He turned around to face her, "Yeah?" "Would you like to come in for a bit? I could use the company." "Sure, yeah, I would love to." She giggled at his excitement and eagerness. She opened the door and allowed Eli to enter. "It's not much, not like your place. But this is home right now." His lips came crashing into hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled him closer. He picked her up and placed her on the countertop before pulling his shi
Riley and Eli lay on their backs side by side. They had just finished another round of making love. Her and Ava felt in total bliss until she heard a phone vibrating. Shit! She was supposed to be at her meeting. "What time is it?" she said as she quickly sat up and searched the surrounding bed and clothing, trying to find her phone. Eli rolled over and picked up his phone from the side table, "It's 6. We probably should get something to eat after all that." "What are you talking about! I was supposed to meet your father at 5 for our meeting to go over recent events," she said in a panic, getting out of bed and gathering her clothing to head down. "It's okay, Riley. I will just message him that you're running late." "How are you going to explain to him that you know where I am instead of my own boyfriend? Especially when I haven't messaged Ethan or your father back after all the missed calls and messages from them. This is such a mess," Riley said, pushing her hair back.
After school, Riley rushed over to the pack house to make the meeting on time. She was nervous to tell the Alpha about what happened. She didn't want to be judged, especially knowing her mother was involved. She sat just outside the office, and she could smell him. Ava's tail started to wag as she spun in circles in Rileys mind like a puppy. She got up and tried to follow the scent. She started walking up the stairs to the Alphas quarters. It didn't even dawn on her where she was going. Ava was in control now, and she needed him. She needed his touch, his scent, she wanted to drown in it all. She opened the door to their private home. She didn't care if she was trespassing. He was here. Was he a beta? Was he part of their personal staff? Her nose kept her going down the hall. She passed Ethans' room and kept walking to the end of the hall. She stood outside the door where the smell was the strongest. This was it. She would find out who he was. Ava was so excited, she kept screaming
It had been exactly one week since Riley was freed from the basement. After her rescue, she was taken to the infirmary by Ethan and her dad, where she spent two days recovering. IVs hooked up to her, machines tracking her heartbeat and blood pressure. Though, once she was out, she felt fantastic again. It took her some getting used to the brightness of the sun and all the lights. However, with Ava at full strength again, she quickly adjusted. The first thing she did when she was released was shift and go for a run with Ava. She asked her father and Ethan to let her go alone as she needed freedom. They weren't far from her, though. She could pick up their scents from further away, always watching. She then had the rest of the week off, Lily had come over to bring all her school notes and any missed homework or assignments. Lily stayed as long as she could to help with any questions and just keep an eye on Riley. No one wanted to leave her alone. The overwhelming food and flowers lef