Chapter 2

Chapter 2. Rejection They all stared at her in shock, Bray’s eyes were as wide as two saucers.

“Ri, my wolf...”, he started the same song again and she wanted to laugh. She already heard it all back in her previous life. He was bringing up his wolf every time he wanted to spend time with Roxy. He never rejected her like they agreed and very soon she became his mistress.

Riannon tried to close her eyes even though it was extremely painful for her. But she was the one who truly cared about the pack and tried to drown herself in work. This was her other mistake. But since she got a second chance, she was not going to repeat it. She was going to get rid of Roxy here and now. Until it was too late.

Back then, Bray told her that it was her choice, and she chose wrong. Letting Roxanne stay for the sake of the pack was a big mistake. People died because of that and not only her. Ria’s eyes met with her best friend Maya’s and tears almost rolled in her eyes. Maya was one of those killed in Roxy’s schemes. She had her doubts before but now she knew for sure. She was going to get rid of this evil once and for all.

“I said no,” she repeated herself and looked back at her husband with coldness, “We talked about this before and came to an agreement. We’ll find a good pack for her, who will take care of her. But she will not stay here. You need to reject her just as we agreed.”

One question that was bothering her was why Bran chose to have this conversation in public. But it wasn’t the time to think about it. Now she had more pressing matters.

“Riannon,” Bray suddenly got serious, stepping in front of Roxanne, who was hiding behind him and shaking like a leaf in the wind, “Think about this. I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important. I am the Alpha of our pack and my wolf is going crazy for his mate. We can’t risk...”

“Brayden,” she addressed him calmly, “Our pack is one of the strongest in the country. We are not at war with anyone. And you are a strong Alpha. I believe in you, I always did. You know that. I am sure that rejecting your true mate would not be easy, but we will get through it. As a family that we are.”

“I just want what’s best for the pack,” Bray mumbled, not sounding so sure anymore and Ria felt a prick of hope.

“If you want what’s best for the pack, do it now,” she said, “The longer you put it off, the harder it would get. And if she is anything, she is your weakness. You already go back on your word and this is day one.”

His lips twitched slightly, and Ria knew what it meant. Her victory was close. She almost got rid of this redhead monster.

Sighing, Bran turned to Roxanne and spoke to her softly, “I am sorry. I’ll make sure to take care of you afterwards. I promise...”

Ria did not notice how hard she clenched the fabric of her dress. Was this always this easy? Could she stop all the disasters that happened to her if she simply said no at once?

“I, Alpha Brayden Thorn of the Silver River pack, reject...”, her husband started to say in a firm voice, when the omega in front of him fell to her knees, bursting in tears.

“Please, no!” she whimpered, “I am still too weak! I will die if you reject me now! Please! I’ll do anything!”

Bray froze. He couldn’t bring himself to reject this little delicate mate of his. And this was the moment when Riannon realised that everything was lost. He turned to face her again and she held his gaze with pride.

“Please, Alpha!” Roxy started to sob and Ria had to give it to her. If she didn’t know who was before her, she would have bought it too. “I will be your slave! I can clean and I can cook! I can do anything! Just, please, spare me! Don’t do this! I will serve to your Luna!”

A wave of electric shock went through Ria at the mention of her. She looked at her rival and met a gaze full of well-hidden hatred.

“Please, my Luna!” the girl kept begging still kneeling, “My fate is in your hands! Please, don’t kill me! Please, spare me! I will be your slave forever. Don’t kill me!”

No one spoke a word and the only sounds in the room were the pitiful sobs and sniffs of Roxanne.

“Sweet girl,” Riannon decided to try one last time, “There is no need for all that. You will be well taken care of, but just not here.”

“Please, my Luna!” Roxy crawled to her way faster than Ria managed to dodge her and grasped her dress, “The rejection will kill me! Please, spare me!”

“I...”, Ria wanted to say something but a loud growl made her stop.

“Enough!” Brayden roared, looking at her with his eyes shining red, meaning that his wolf was at the surface.

“Calm down,” his Luna said firmly but yet another growl emerged from him as he was furious.

“I said enough!” Brayden appeared next to Roxanne in no time and scooped her in his arms, “She is staying! We’ll find a way around everything!”

He walked firmly towards the huge staircase, taking his mate upstairs to one of the guestrooms. Ria knew very well which room it would be – the one in the far corner of the mansion, where her husband would practically move in no time. Roxanne’s head was tucked into Brandon’s neck and Riannon was sure that it was not a coincidence that she was now breathing into his collarbone, right where a mark should go.

Automatically, she touched the mark he gave her when she was nineteen and caught the omega’s gaze on herself. Roxanne was watching. And Ria knew that today she lost just like the last time.

Nothing changed. Her words and actions on that day played absolutely no part in what happened. It was like a very bad movie on repeat...

“Ri!” Maya came up to her when their Alpha was gone, “Are you okay?”

Riannon looked at her best friend, the one that she lost. Not thinking twice, she threw herself in Maya’s arms. After the death of her parents, this was the only person, apart from Brayden, whom she could trust with everything.

“There, there,” she patted her long platinum blonde hair, “It’s going to be all right. He will reconsider, I am sure.”

Only now did Ria realise how everything looked like to the people around her and distanced herself at once. She already lost her husband, there was no need to lose her face too.

“I am fine,” she said and caught the Beta’s gaze on her.

Ash nodded and gave her a soft sympathetic smile, before shouting loudly, “I feel like everyone forgot what they were supposed to be doing! The work is waiting!”

“Let’s go to your room,” Maya suggested, “We’ll talk about everything there.”

No, Ria did not need this conversation. She remembered it very well. Because they already had it.

What she really needed now was some time alone. Because she needed to process things and to come up with a new plan.

She couldn’t save her marriage, but she could still save Maya, other people who died with Roxy’s help, her pack and her own life.

“I just can’t right now,” she smiled at her friend, squeezing her hands, still not quite believing that she was here, “Let’s talk another time. I have a lot of work to do.”

“Work?” Maya’s eyes grew wide, “Are you serious?”

“Yes,” Ria fixed the creases on her dress, “Now that our Alpha is... busy, I have to step in. The pack comes first.”

She gave her friend another warm smile and added, “Everything is going to be all right, Maya. We are going to be fine. All of us.”

Riannon locked the door of her Luna office and tried to control her ragged breathing. Too much! Everything was too much for her.

She needed to clear her head and think of everything. She needed a plan. And a good one. She had to save everyone, herself included.

But the office was too stuffy. And she needed to breathe!

Only one thing could help her and it was shifting into her wolf.

Riannon went into the woods that were surrounding their pack and stripped, preparing to change her form.

But nothing happened.

“Onyx, are you there?” she spoke to her wolf for the first time since her sudden rebirth less than an hour before but did not get a reply. It was alarming. Onyx was there her whole life.

“Onyx!” Ria called for her second half but was met with silence. Angry, she ran as fast as she could using her human legs. She was still super fast and strong, which could only mean that her wolf was somewhere there. She was not weak. But what was wrong?