Darius blushed furiously, averting his gaze. “Uh, yeah. Well, um,” he stumbled and cleared his throat nervously. “You see, I just…uh,” he struggled to find words as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “What I mean to say is…um…” he muttered, glancing back up at her. His pale cheeks flushed even deeper red as his eyes met hers. “Well, um, I’m just…hmm…I guess I like talking to you.” His face grew impossibly more crimson as he spoke, his blush becoming nearly unbearable as he attempted to justify himself.
Riley giggled, enjoying the way he floundered. “Well, Dai, how come you never spend time with me?” I asked. “ I’m busy” he abruptly replied her. “Besides, why do you care anyway?” Riley’s eyes narrowed as she gazed sternly at him. “I know what kind of life you lead,” she told him bluntly. “We’re not really friends, are we? You never ask for my advice or my help. In fact, your attitude towards me has always been completely hostile.” A frown mFinding Clyde.Jason:Clarissa’s resilience was the strongest I had ever come across, to apologize for an offense she had it committed, to hold back her anger and pain as though she too did not need to be taken care of. She was in so much by the conversation concerning Clyde’s pack, It worse obvious that we were digging up old wounds that had clearly not healed. Maybe that was why she was distant from me, and ask why she channeled her pain into trying to build a family for the lost ones like her. She inspired me so much, and I felt her pains so much that I wanted to pull her into my arms and ease all the pain away with my warm embrace, but I knew I could not do that, so I just watched.Apart from the stories they told, I was also very concerned about the whereabouts of Clyde. There’s no how he would have survived the dungeon for that long alone, without food, water. We had brought back all the war prisoners with us and we were slowly planning to begin a plan for a bigger and better p
Darius’s expression hardened once again, and he motioned towards the door. “Go to your chambers,” he instructed, his voice distant. “We’ll talk more later. But for now, I suggest you start by apologizing to the guard at the door for your behavior.” Feeling a mixture of relief and apprehension, Riley nodded and stood up, her legs feeling weak beneath her. She made her way towards the door, aware of the lingering gazes from the pack members around her. Whispers filled the air as she passed by, and she couldn’t help but feel the weight of their judgment. As Riley approached the guard at the door, she noticed the hesitance in his eyes. He seemed wary, as if unsure of how to react to her presence. She mustered up a small smile and spoke softly, trying to convey her sincerity. “I’m sorry for my actions,” she said, her voice filled with remorse. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.” The guard’s gaze softened slightly, but there was still a hint of caution. “Just don’t let it happen
For the longest time, she hadn’t even thought about whether or not her feelings were reciprocated. To hear such heartfelt reassurances was definitely overwhelming…but what was she supposed to tell him? That she wasn’t interested in anyone right now, even though he was the one person she most desired to spend time with? How could she possibly confess something like that without sounding like she was lying to him? And yet…how could she convince him otherwise? Couldn’t he tell she was just playing along? Hadn’t she been doing the exact same thing? Before she could respond, a knock came to her door, effectively cutting short their discussion. Both of them turned to find a servant standing outside her chamber door. “Excuse me Your Highness, but your chambers are ready,” the servant informed her politely. “Please follow me.” Darius glanced in her direction briefly before nodding his consent. Once the servant had withdrawn, he released Riley’s hand and made his way inside his room w
“What am I going to do?” she silently mumbled to herself as she frantically tried to come up with a plan to avoid facing her own wrath. All of a sudden, she felt a firm grasp upon her arm, pulling her back behind the safety of a pillar near a nearby window, away from prying eyes. She felt relieved and surprised – until she realized who exactly had grabbed her and whom she recognized.. Her heart sank slightly. Of course. Why wouldn’t it? It was Rachel. She had heard rumors that there was a consummated marriage between Darius and Rachel after her mating ritual to Darius. Apparently she’d had no intention of marrying either of them, much less Darius, but Rachel had always loved Darius anyway. Now, it seemed like they were having problems reconciling their differences over Darius. That didn’t matter anymore though, she supposed. Rachel hadn’t shown herself to be happy or supportive during Darius’ mating ritual, which was why she’d refused to speak to him when she’d returned
"Come here, Mandy. We have to go get the fruits for momma.""We can go hunting today, Jonas. I've always dreamed of killing a deer."The voices of the wolves in the pack rang through my ears as I stared through my window. I placed my hand on the burglary proof and brought my face a bit forward to get a clearer view of what was happening. Everyone went on with their different businesses. The children chattered and danced around in circles with little ropes around their necks.This was as close as I could get to most of the wolves. I wasn't the most liked wolf in the pack. That title had never been for me. No one loved to be close to me. They seemed to also forget that whenever there was an errand to run. Then, I'm suddenly needed."Riley! Riley!"I tiptoed to my bed from just beside the window. I was already worn out from watering the gardens only a few minutes earlier and I didn't have the strength to do anything else. I lay still, feigning sleep and hoping no one would find out.I di
Riley's POV"Yes, mother.""How many times do I need to remind you that I'm not your mother?"I stood still, brought up my right hand, and held my lips together. "Good," she said. "You're learning fast."She always told me to hold my lips whenever I said something she didn't like. It was something like a sign; one that depicted acknowledgement of a fault and a promise to do better. I didn't think I was wrong. I just had to do it.I lost myself in my thoughts as I wondered why she hated me so much. There wasn't a day when I wasn't reminded that she wasn't my mom."We found you by the witch's pond.""We picked you up and saved your miserable life.""You'd have been better off dead by the witch's pond. Perhaps, we made a mistake bringing you here, you worthless girl."It was all the same. Same thoughts. Same meaning. Same reaction. Just a different way of saying it. I was already getting fed up with all that was happening to me but what was I to do?"Don't tell me you're ignoring me, Ril
"Get down! Get down!"I ducked as a silver spear almost went through my head. Lucky man, I was. It just grazed my hair as it flew. I wish I could say the same about the pack member behind me, whose throat provided a resting place for the speedy arrow.The rogues had grown a lot of wings over the years. A bunch of rebels who simply didn't know their place. Things could have been a lot better if only they had resorted to pleading their case in a better way. There was no need for bloodshed. They didn't need to capture women and children from the pack to set an example. They didn't need to chop anyone's head and drop them at the square to pass a message that the mouth could have passed.Do I blame them? They were simply cowards. They must have feared what would happen to them if they challenged the alpha to his face. I was pained that they didn't even try. They just went ahead to make their grievances known in the way that they deemed fit. They went against the authority. Now, they had to
"Please guys, you don't have to do this.""Why shouldn't we?""I didn't steal the book," I replied. "I swear, I didn't."One of the warriors knocked and when I heard, "Come in," I knew I was in trouble. If only they'd just let me be. Those warriors never passed up an opportunity to torment me and this was no different.They dragged me in as soon as they opened the door. I thought about kicking my legs as hard as I could to break free of their hold but I decided it wasn't worth it. I was already right in the same room as Sharon, the alpha's daughter and I needed a good explanation that would convince her that I didn't steal her book."What seems to be the problem?" Sharon asked, turning towards me. "What has she done?"Sharon was a very beautiful lady. There was this charm around her that couldn't be denied. As she turned to look at me, I couldn't help but have my mouth wide open in awe of her beauty.Her long, golden hair and deep brown eyes just stood out for me. I always thought the