“Wait, Riley.” She cut me off and placed a palm in my heart and tilted her head to look at me. “I want to have a word with Manuel’s female, if that’s okay with you? I just want to make sure she’s okay. And I want to see her bruises too.”
“Of course. I’m guessing she went with Manuel to the infirmary. I would want to come with you, but I don’t think she would want to see me. Take Jenny, perhaps?”
“I’ll take Jenny then.” She got up on her toes and pecked my lips before walking out of the toilet, ready to find Jenny.
“Nadia…” I called after her.
She turned her head back, her brow hiking up, waiting for me to say something.
“Thank you… for not judging me today.”
She smiled warmly before she turned her whole body to face me, slowly walked back, and stopped in front of me. Her small hands cupped my cheeks, pulling them lower so they wouldn’t be too high for her as she stared into my eyes.
“I’m your mate, Riley. I would always hear you out first before laying out my judgment. You and me, against everyone else. We’re a team, remember that.”
Yes, she was right. My eyes watered at the sincerity of her words. It made me want to tell her about Andrea, but up until now, I still couldn’t find the courage to do it.
“Yes, you and me, against everyone else.” I smiled and kissed her lips softly before letting her go.
She leaned closer and kissed my naked chest before turning around and walking away. My eyes followed her, taking in the way her hips swayed seductively as she walked and how she brightened up the dark alley with her presence alone.
My Nadia.I hoped the Goddess would let me keep her.
Chapter 32
NADIA.
It had been twoweeks since I arrived at the Silver Moon Pack and everything has been going so smoothly that a part of me feared that something was bound to disrupt the peace I feel inside.
Every day I woke up enveloped in the warmth of my mate. He would never leave my side unless I had awoken or he would wake me up to let me know where he would be for the whole day. And it made me happy every Goddess-given day.
I never even dreamt of this because I knew my life was never bound to find this kind of happiness. But the Goddess surprised me when She gave me Riley. I got more than I bargained for.
But I should have learned from my experience. Good days would not last long, and the past would always return to remind you that life was never meant to be fair, that it would mock you every now and then.
So even if my heart was soaring with happiness, a part of me was waiting for that moment when life would crush me again.
I still had an hour to go for my afternoon training session with Jenny, but I was already sweating profusely and my body was tired already. I ended my training earlier so I could shower and visit my mate at his office, and I could spend a little more time with him before my next training, which would be with him as well.
Later today, Riley would be taking me to his outdoor archery range just around the corner from the training ground. He set up an area just for me so I could learn at my own pace and he did not need to touch his own target range.
I was still far from good. My arms couldn’t hold the bow still, and I could only count on one hand the number of times I hit the target face, and it was not even inside the goal.
Riley wanted me to work on strengthening my arms and my grip, so I had afternoon sessions with Jenny. He said it would help in keeping my arms still while I aimed for a shot.
For almost two weeks now, I’ve been trying my hardest, but I just couldn’t seem to hit a goal.
But Riley has been patient with me. He had never snapped at me for being lousy. In fact, it seemed to me that he didn’t care at all that I wasn’t hitting anything at all. He was more focused on getting his hands all over my body while he was training me than fussing around about my missed goals.
He never pushed me hard enough to hit the target. It was probably the reason I couldn’t hit anything at all because his touch and his smell were distracting me.
I smiled despite myself at the thought of him as I turned the corner and approached the packhouse grounds, only to be left stunned at the sight of a car parked in front of the house. This was it.
Reality was here to remind me that I could never run away from my past. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as I sprang inside the packhouse, my feet rushing in towards Riley’s office.
All eyes in the room flew in my direction as I stood frozen by the door and my gaze was stuck on the man I loathed the most. I felt my eyes water as his mouth slowly tugged into that evil grin as she stared at me.
Elliot. What is he doing here?
