Chapter 268
Riley’s POV
Finished
I walked side by side with Lucien along the quiet street, the night air cool against my skin. Mia had already been sent home by the driver, and for once I allowed myself the luxury of breathing freely, of pretending that I could simply be a she–wolf taking a stroll rather than someone whose world had been torn apart.
Neither of us spoke, yet the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It lingered between us like the soft brush of fur against fur, steady and grounding. We walked until the road carried us to a bridge, and there my steps faltered.
The breeze teased strands of hair across my face as I leaned against the railing, eyes drawn to the dark river below. The sound of the water brought memories crashing back–memories of the night when despair had nearly claimed me. I had stood in this very spot, ready to let the current swallow me whole.
“Lucien,” I whispered, my voice carrying the weight of that moment, “do you remember this place? If I hadn’t met you here that night… I would have been gone.”
I turned to him, earnest gratitude in my gaze. “You’re my savior. My fated turning point. My… benefactor.”
The Stormridge Alpha prince’s usually cold expression softened, his tone gentled like a wolf brushing its mate with his muzzle. “Do you recall what I told you that night?”
I furrowed my brow, remembering. “You said life is like a stage play. That sometimes all it takes is one more witness for the story to change. You said you wanted to see how the play would unfold if I chose to live.”
My throat tightened. “At the time, I didn’t believe you. I said my play was already ruined, not worth watching.”
Lucien’s lips curved into a rare smile, a warmth that cut through the night like fire in a den of shadows. “And yet here you stand. The darkest part has already passed. The best acts are always saved for last, Riley. You’ve endured the worst–now it’s time to claim the happiness that waits.”
His words should have soothed me, but a sharp pang twisted in my chest. If only my body weren’t broken. If only time hadn’t been stolen from me. The truth–my truth–was that my life was measured in grains of sand slipping far too quickly through an hourglass.
I lowered my head to hide the ache in my eyes.
Lucien’s senses were razor sharp. I felt his attention on me, the way an Alpha always perceives the smallest shift in another’s emotions. His lips parted, as if he would speak comfort-
“Riley?”
The sound of that voice froze me. My head snapped up, and my gaze collided with Maddox.
He sat in a wheelchair, a blanket draped across useless legs, a file clutched in his hands. His hair was slicked back neatly, his face groomed, his frame wrapped in a black suit. It was almost impossible to reconcile this polished man with the broken wolf I had once seen digging scraps from a trash bin.
Lucien’s eyes narrowed dangerously. He, too, remembered the disgrace Maddox had fallen into.
But Maddox’s gaze was fixed on me alone. Possessiveness burned in his eyes, the same suffocating claim he’d always tried to have on me. “Riley,” he breathed, relief and hunger twining in his tone. “You don’t know how I’ve searched for you.”
The fragile peace of my evening shattered. Disgust curdled in my gut. Of all wolves to cross paths with, it had to be him.
I seized Lucien’s hand, fingers tightening around his warmth, and turned to leave.
But Maddox shoved his chair forward, blocking my path with predatory speed despite his crippled body. “Riley, are you not glad to see me?”
My laugh was sharp, bitter. “Maddox, you framed me. You let me rot in Wolf dungeons for five years to protect Scarlett. You destroyed me. Glad? No. I despise you”
His smile twitched, faltered, but then smoothed over with practiced charm. “That was the past. I didn’t know the truth back then, I swear it. We used to be mated, you and I. You know how deeply I cared for you.”
1/2
11:52 PM P P ·
Chapter 268
Finished
“Cared?” I spat. “If I hadn’t been blinded by bonds, I’d have seen the rot under your skin long ago. You were never worth the time, the coin, or the devotion I gave you.”
The rejection twisted his expression into something ugly. For all his polished surface, Maddox’s soul had already warped beyond recognition.
His gaze slid to Lucien, towering and unyielding at my side. Hatred flared. “So that’s it. You won’t accept me because of him?”
His voice rose, venom dripping with every word. “When did you become so faithless, Riley? I saw another male take you to the healers for a pregnancy test not long ago. And now this? Did you cast him aside along with the bastard pup, only to crawl into this Alpha’s arms? Is that who you are now?”
A growl rumbled low in Lucien’s chest, the Stormridge prince’s eyes flashing with a deadly glint. His hand twitched, ready to strike.
I stopped him with a touch, slipping my arm around him, pressing close in silent claim. Shaking my head, I met Maddox’s fury with calm, almost serene defiance. “If that’s what you want to believe, then
yes. Think whatever you like.”
I watched the words land. He had expected me to shrink, to defend myself, to deny. Instead, I smiled–light, content, as though his accusations meant nothing. As though I had chosen another male and never looked back.
That smile drove him mad. Rage blazed across his features, trembling through his crippled frame. His fingers clawed at the wheelchair’s arms until the metal creaked under his grip.
But I no longer cared. Maddox was nothing more than a ghost of my past, a broken wolf gnashing his teeth at shadows. My heart, my loyalty, my fragile hope for the future–those belonged elsewhere now.
And I had no intention of ever giving him another piece of me.
Send Gifts
490
