Instinctively, Riannon distanced herself from the Beta, but he immediately wrapped his hands around her, pushing her behind his back and taking a defensive stance.
The Lycan King and his Beta, with his hands in his pockets, walked out of the shadows. Ash growled loudly at them.
“You seek death or something?” Ash asked.
He had a smile on his face but did not look friendly at all. The lycan aura was dominating.
“It’s okay, Ash. Step away.” Riannon tapped on her Beta’s shoulder, but he did not change his position.
I think your Luna just gave you an order,” Gideon said calmly, but the werewolf’s eyes only narrowed at him.
“I was given a task by my Alpha to protect her at all times,” he snarled at the two men.
“Commendable obedience,” the king sneered.
“But no one is attacking your Luna, and you are being rude.”
The Beta straightened his back. As Riannon tried to move forward, he held her back.
“Whatever you need to say, you can say in my presence,” he insisted.
“Ash!” Ria tried to invoke some sense into him.
“That’s fine,” Gideon chuckled as he stepped forward while Reid was eyeing the daring wolf in front of him. Riannon had witnessed the Beta fighting just once. Back when she managed to save his nephew. This memory was more than enough to know that he was a killing machine, and Ash stood zero chance if it came to a real battle.
Her eyes met with the king’s, and a faint smile appeared on his face when he stretched his hand.
Ash growled, but she ignored him and took the item he was offering her, realising pretty quickly that it was a phone. She eyed him questioningly, but he simply turned and started walking away without saying a word.
Still, she took it as a good sign.
“Don’t do that again.” She warned as she turned to look at her Beta. He clenched his lips.
“It’s my job-
“Your job is to listen to me and do as I say. She corrected, co.cking her head. She shot her brow up before continuing, “l am your Luna before anything.
At least for now.”
His face changed, and he placed his palms onto her shoulders, “You will always be my Luna.”
Remembering the past, she wanted to laugh at what he said. How he had stood there when Roxy slowly came to power. How he watched when Brayden stripped her of her title. She knew very well she couldn’t rely on him.
“That’s very sweet of you to say that” she sighed.”But as you can see, you may well have a new Luna soon.”
Riannon walked past him and got inside the car. She was about to pull the train of her dress in when Ash kneeled next to her, carefully attending to the train of her dress. Their eyes locked just for second, and his blue eyes shone brightly as he said,
“Brayden may have a mate or even a new wife, but I will only have one Luna.”
He closed the door for her before she could say anything and got into the driver’s seat.
Just then, the passenger door opened, and Harper, Brayden’s sister, tried to get in.
“Oh, good, Ash!” she giggled. “I want to go home early too!”
“You’d better find another car, Har,” the Beta responded dryly.
“But I-” the girl seemed stunned and looked at Ria questioningly.
“She can ride with us,” Riannon sighed. She really did not want her to. Harper was almost never nice to her, and she did not want to make her angrier than usual.
“No,” Ash said dryly.”I have my orders to take Luna home alone. For safety reasons. Find another car, Harp.”
“But-” she tried to object, but a loud Beta growl made her leave the car in an instant. Ash rarely used his dominance– he did today.
The car doors locked, and he drove off. They spent most of their time on the road in silence, exchanging a few phrases about the party.
“The Lycan King..” Ash muttered, “What is that about?”
“He is trying to maintain a friendly relationship with our kind. She shook her shoulders and looked away.
“And yet he spoke and danced with only you.”
The Beta had noticed.
“Turns out he heard about my work” she lied without blinking, “You sound surprised. Is it so strange for him to pay attention to me?”
“Of course not.” Ash cleared his throat and grasped tightly at the steering wheel “If anyone deserves recognition, it’s definitely you. I am just surprised he arrived at all.”
It was true. Riannon was surprised as well.
Back in her previous life, he never arrived at the Alpha Ball. They never met.
She did not know what to make of it. The future was changing. On the one hand, it was a good thing as this was what she needed-to change everything. On the other hand, it was scary.
if the changes were drastic, she wouldn’t know where she could place a safe bet.
Everything was complicated.
They arrived back at the pack late at night, and Ash offered her his hand to help her out of the car.
His fingers grasped hers, and he did not let go after she had exited the car. This was odd. He wasn’t like that before.
Ash had been Brayden’s best friend since high school, but they never actually hit it off as friends.
He was quiet around her, although he performed his duties perfectly. She used to rely on him and take his help for what it was. Yet his betrayal still came as a shock to her.
As a Beta, he had made a vow to serve her when she became the Luna of his pack. He hadn’t kept it.
It was probably because his vow to the Alpha was more important, but it still hurt her.
So, it felt strange to her now to receive his affections. Not to mention it was very new even if the betrayal never happened.
They walked inside the mansion, and everything was quiet.
“Thanks” she mumbled, “l am going to get some sleep.”
“Of course.” He suddenly appeared way too close to her in this dark reception area. “Luna… No, Riannon.. I think that Brayden is an idiot.”
She did not know how to respond to that.
Deciding to go with the first thing that came to her mind, she turned toward him.
“That makes two of us,” she let out a little laugh, “Shame he can’t help it.”
Then the silence between them became awkward, and she simply turned and started walking up the stairs. When she turned to look at him, she noticed how his eyes shone blue and gulped, saying nothing and just speeding up.
Back in her bedroom, she locked the doors behind her.
“What’s up?” Maya looked worried, sitting at her desk with a sketchbook. Ria was relieved to see her best friend here, and she gave her a relieved smile.
“Nothing. Just came back early.” She sighed, throwing off her heels. Maya put her sketch away, and Riannon noticed that it was a caricature of Roxanne this time.A very good one. The girl was smiling way too wide while holding a knife behind her back.
“That bad, huh?” she asked with a hint of disappointment in her voice.
“Actually, it went great!” Ria grinned at her and demonstrated to her the phone that Gideon gave her, “You wouldn’t believe it, but the Lycan King himself was there!”
“What?!” Maya gasped and jumped to her feet,
“For real?! What did he say? What did he do? Did you talk to him?”
The two girls talked until it was way too late.
Riannon told her best friend everything, and then they planned and strategized for the next few days.
They had to be in perfect sync for everything to work.
Before sleep, Ria sighed, looking at the cell phone that she had placed on top of her bedside table. There weren’t any numbers in it, no instructions. It looked like the phone was brand new.
Just why did the king give it to her? What was the point? He had her number anyway. He could call anytime.
She caught herself on the thought that this man wasn’t leaving her mind. She was supposed to think about her husband and his betrayal, yet thoughts of king Gideon prevailed. He was unusual. Even for a lycan. The way he spoke, the way his lips curled into a smirk. It seemed like he knew something that she didn’t.
And that dance, it was short, but it made quite an impression. And not only on the guests. On her as well.
“I have my reasons for everything,” he had said, and she could only wonder what those were in her case. He had made a quick change from ridiculing her to giving her the chance of her life.
She was thinking of him when the phone rang.
She hesitated before swiping her finger to start the conversation but did it anyway.
“Hello?” she hated how her voice trembled.
“What are you wearing?” the Lycan King asked, his voice huskier than she remembered.
What kind of question was that? She started to get worried that he was interested in her for the wrong reasons.
“l am not answering that,” she said.
“Why not?” he asked as if this was not the first time they were doing it.
“Because it’s inappropriate!” she scolded him,
“Who asks a married woman that? What are you wearing, Gideon?”
She couldn’t control her rage and used his first name, biting her lip at once.
“Easy.” he chuckled, clearly enjoying the conversation, “I am wearing nothing, Ria.”
She swallowed. Her brain immediately imagined despite her efforts to control herself.
“That was-I didn’t mean to” She stuttered in an attempt to explain herself, blushing wildly. This was not going well.
“No offence taken,” he assured her, sounding amused, “and I bet you wear something lacy and.. cream. You look like the cream kind of woman.”
She looked down at herself, almost cursing under her breath. He was right. She was wearing a cream slip with lace. Most of her nightgowns were exactly that, cream-coloured with lace.
“I cannot confirm nor deny that,” she retorted, trying to sound professional. “l If that’s the only reason for your call, then I have to hang up now.
“That’s not the only reason,” he said without a hint of worry in his voice.
“So?” She felt like he was playing with her, and she did not like it. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to end the call either.
“I will be visiting your pack tomorrow,” he said, and she quickly sat up on her bed.
“You will?” she asked, her throat suddenly gone dry.
“I will,” he snorted. “But, unofficially. Of everyone in your pack, I will only be meeting with and speaking to you. We need to discuss a lot of things.”
“We need to indeed,” she agreed with ease, feeling the instant uplight in her mood.
“Then I’lI be seeing you tomorrow, Riannon,” said, and she just knew he was smiling.
“See you then, Gideon,” she responded, growing bolder. Before he managed to say anything else, she switched off the phone and fell back onto her pillow.
What was she doing? And most importantly, what was he doing?!
In the morning, Riannon had breakfast in her room, trying to figure out what she could and couldn’t say to the Lycan king when he would arrive.
Brayden had been out early that morning with Ash. They both trained the pack warriors at that time.
Which was why Ria was surprised when she heard a commotion in one of the drawing rooms of the packhouse.
She opened the doors, and dozens of eyes met hers. The room was filled with omegas having some kind of a tea party. A party that she wasn’t even aware of.
“Oh, Luna!” Roxy ran up to her, “l am so sorry! I didn’t think you would mind that I gathered my friends here! This we….”
Fake tears started forming in her eyes, yet again, and Ria just about had enough.