Chapter 19
Emily’s entire body trembled with restrained rage, the faint golden flicker in her irises betraying her wolf’s rising fury.
“Dear… don’t worry,” she said through clenched teeth. “For everything you and the pup suffered, swear by the Moon Goddess-I’ll see justice done.”
I nodded faintly, lips curving into a calm smile I didn’t truly feel. I appreciated her words. I did But vengeance wasn’t something I would entrust to anyone anymore. Not even an elder wolf like
her.
Lexie had taken so much from me-my life, my parents, my bond, my home, my unborn child. And if she thought she’d walk away unscathed just because I’d turned my back on the Nightbane Pack, she’d badly underestimated me.
I stepped out of the small café tucked along the neutral territory, the mountain wind chilling my face as I pulled my coat tighter. I was about to hail a ride back to Ashton territory when a sleek black Rolls-Royce pulled up silently before me.
The tinted rear window lowered slowly with a low mechanical whir, revealing the one wolf whc could still make my heart race without saying a word.
Riven.
His golden eyes flicked over me like a cold flame, his voice low and commanding.
“Get in.”
I obeyed without question. It wasn’t just that he was my mate. He was Alpha of the Ashtor bloodline-a lineage older than most packs dared to remember. But beneath all that power, knew the real reason I stepped into the car without hesitation.
He came for me.
“Didn’t you say I could head home alone?” I asked, buckling in as I glanced at the dark folders ir his lap. “You told me you had back-to-back war council meetings today. Why are you here?”
He didn’t even glance at me-just continued reading the leather-bound report, flipping a page with calm precision. I watched him, something in his silence coiling a little too tightly in my chest.
It wasn’t like Riven Ashton to be this unreadable.
Curious, I glanced up and caught Chad’s eyes in the rearview mirror. The driver gave me a hesitant look, then spoke carefully.
“Alpha canceled every meeting the moment he heard you were seeing your former in-law. You should’ve seen him, Luna-he was pacing like a wolf in a cage. Looked ready to tear someone’s throat out.”
I blinked, then let out a soft laugh despite myself.
But before I could reply, the rustle of paper stopped. Riven looked up, his voice a cold drawl.
“Sounds like someone’s in the mood to talk. Want me to transfer you to the Council’s diplomacy branch?”
Chad stiffened, eyes flicking back to the road like he hadn’t just been growled at by a predator.
Chapter 18
3/3
84.9%
7:05 pm
A
I leaned closer and gave Riven a playful nudge. “Come on, he was just telling the truth. Why are. you being so scary?”
He still didn’t answer, so I added in a quieter voice, “Wait… Are you mad that I met with the Elder Luna, Emily?”
“I didn’t go to be nice,” I continued. “The Nightbanes are still part of the High Council. I figured if I gave them a healer’s name, it might cool tensions down. You’re the one who shattered Alpha Darius’s leg, remember?”
His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
I sighed. Fine. If brute honesty wouldn’t work, I’d try a different tactic.
I leaned close, brushing my lips just behind his ear before gently tugging it between my teeth in a teasing bite. I felt the heat flashing across his skin and smirked.
“Don’t be mad, Alpha Riven,” I whispered. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to upset you. But I swear-I won’t see any of them again without your blessing.”
Still nothing.
I pressed on. “You really think I’d want anyone else? You think I’m blind enough to look past the Alpha who would burn kingdoms just to see me smile?”
He finally looked at me then. Those golden eyes bored into mine, sharp and unrelenting.
“If you weren’t blind,” he said coldly, “you wouldn’t have mistaken another wolf for your protector You’ve already been foolish once. I’m just making sure you don’t repeat the mistake.”
That shut me up.
His smirk curled slowly. “Tonight, you’re coming with me to my parents’ estate. Mother wants tc meet you.”
I groaned softly, letting my head fall back against the seat. “Seriously? That’s way too sudden. You couldn’t warn me earlier?”
“It’s just a family dinner, nothing formal,” he replied coolly. “But yes, the entire inner circle will be there. You won’t be alone-whether I’m beside you or not, you’re Luna of the Aston Pack. You outrank them all.”
I blinked, surprised at the weight of his words. He said it so matter-of-factly. No hesitation. Nc doubt.
“You don’t have to bring anything,” he added. “My mother doesn’t care about gifts. She just wants to see the woman who managed to tame me.”
My chest tightened. No one had ever spoken about me that way before-not even Darius, in the
years we were bonded.
I remembered the first pack banquet I attended as Darius’s mate. He pulled me aside at the entrance, jaw clenched.
“Tonight, you speak only when spoken to. Keep your head low. If the elders say something, smile. Do not embarrass me.”
Darius would whisper warnings into my ear, and all I could do was nod-like a good little omega. Back then, I didn’t know any better.
Chapter 19
7:06 pm
Now?
I was mated to the powerful, wealthy rouge Alpha who told me to bare my teeth if anyone made me feel small.
Riven didn’t want a shadow. He wanted a queen.
And tonight, I would walk into the lion’s den not as someone’s accessory-but as someone’s equal.
As his.
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.