“When we were younger, he would go away and find a place to play his guitar. It was his only escape when the world was too much for him.”
“Does Riley have a bad childhood? He told me his mother left him when he was a baby, but I don’t know anything aside from that.”
“Ask him. I’m sure he will tell you.”
I sighed in desperation. Like always, no one tells me anything here.
“Do you know how much money he paid to Elliot?”
“A hundred thousand.”
“What?” My eyes widened before I let out a sigh of desperation. “Why? Maybe that’s why he was mad! But why did he pay him?”
“Are you seriously thinking he’s angry at you because of the money? I guess two weeks is not enough for you to get to know him. Come, let’s go see him so he can answer your questions.”
“What? What questions?” I was rattled at the thought of going to Riley and be pushed away. I didn’t think my heart could take it.
“Ask him why he left and if he was mad at you about the money.”
“But what if he gets more angry?”
“You’re the Luna of this pack. If there’s anyone who can match the Alpha, that would be you. If he yells at you, yell back. You’ve been good at taming the Alpha, so just continue doing it.”
“I don’t know. The last two weeks were almost perfect, and now seeing him like this, I don’t know how to handle it.”
“Alpha Riley is an insecure man, Luna. You just…”
“Wait! Where did that come from? How can you say that about him? Insecure? He’s too perfect to be insecure!”
“There are clearly many things you don’t know about him. But he is. He’s just too good at hiding it. That’s why he excelled in everything he did. Being an Alpha, combat fighting, archery, basketball, guitar, too many things to mention. He puts his whole heart into everything he does to prove he is good enough.”
“You’re talking in puzzles. Aren’t we all like that, giving our best shots in everything?”
“Yes, maybe, but he clearly has his own reason. You just need to be patient with him. Two weeks, months, or years is not enough time to know him, but he’s not a bad person.”
I shook my head. “Never. I never even thought of him that way. But I still don’t get what you were trying to tell me. And why am I getting this lecture when it should be the Alpha you’re talking with and saying that stuff to so he won’t get mad at me?”
He stood up and shook his head, chuckling as he walked towards his car. “Come, Luna, I’ll drive you to where he is. And you don’t need to worry. I don’t think he’s mad at you.”
I followed after him, still thinking of what I should tell Riley if I saw him.
“Are you sure we’re not invading his privacy if we go there?”
“You will go there, not me. I’ll just drive you there. And no. He’s your mate. I don’t think it’s an invasion of privacy.”
I wanted to ask Beta Dominic more about Riley, about his mother, and about his insecurities, but I knew he would just direct me again to my mate, so I just kept my mouth shut and let my eyes feast on the scenery we were passing through as we drove to the western border.
I had never been to this part of the territory before, and it was beyond amazing.
We had entered the forest line and trod the forest road before we exited and were driving through a terrain road. It felt like I was in another part of the world. I didn’t know their territory was so huge and hidden within it was this majestic place.
After some time, Beta Dominic stopped the car, and my eyes scanned the area. I didn’t see Riley anywhere. He must have guessed my confusion, so he started explaining. “Justin said he’s up there.” His finger pointed at the pathway going up to the higher ground.
“The view is majestic over there, so it’s no wonder he chose this place. You need to hike a little to get to him because if I drive the car around, he will see me and I don’t think he’d like that.”
“Are you sure he won’t get mad that I came here?”
“Trust me, he won’t. But just to pacify you, I will stay here for a while. Send me a mindlink if you think you can handle him, then I’ll drive away.”
