Morning arrived, and I was tossing and turning; a certain golden-eyed figure had influenced my dreams, just as I had seen him in that starry way , dizzy, drunk, and barely able to keep his eyes open.
I woke up to an empty bed, relieved that Ryker had left quite early.
Last night, I had sneaked back into the room, and he was still snoring when I went to bed.
Before I could move, there was a knock on the door.
I cleared my throat.
"Come in," I called out, and the door opened, making me cover my nightgown with the bed sheet as Oscar strolled in; he was Ryker's dog.
"The alpha requests your presence in the dining room in five minutes," he snapped, looking at me as if trying to pinpoint something. I tried to hide my smirk, knowing the mask had worked.
"I'll be there," I answered, snapping him out of his gaze as he turned and left. I jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, preparing myself; i knew he would be there.
And Ryker probably wanted to introduce him to me.
"Avoid skin contact as much as possible."
Anita's words echoed through my brain as I picked up a shirt , a black king sleeve shirt, but it would do. I could only beg the moon goddess that this works and he would not see through my lies and know I was deceiving him.
I wore long jeans to pair with the black shirt, tying my hair in a bun as I stepped out of the room, heading towards the dining area.
I froze when I heard a conversation from the entrance.
"I met her, I swear it; I still remember her scent, rose mixed with pine," a deep voice resonated from the door, and my heart skipped a beat.
"Surely you must have seen her face?" Ryker asked him, and I sighed in relief, calming my beating heart.
"No... I was too drunk to remember her face..." he said, just as I walked into the dining room, where the conversation came to a halt as Ryker, sitting on the right side of the table, turned to look at me.
Then I saw him sitting opposite; he looked like a man out of a hangover. Yesterday did not do justice to the face I saw because he glowed. His dark hair seemed wet on his face, and he wore a dark green shirt with the sleeves all rolled up. I was captivated before Ryker cleared his throat.
"Dad... this is my ma..." Ryker froze as he stood right next to me, his face pale as if he just realized what was happening.
"It seems congratulations are in order," the Alpha King's voice rang out, making Ryker snap his face to him, his face pale as he looked back at me.
But my heart beat so fast, I waited , waited to see if he caught a hint of who I was, from the conversation earlier he knew, he knew he had found his mate, and there was no denying that.
"Your...?" Ryker asked snapping me back to reality, and I nodded. He placed his hands over his mouth, happiness consuming him immediately. It irritated me to see him this happy. He ran to the Alpha King, who stood to his feet as he hugged him.
"I'm going to be a father, dad, a father," he cried out, and I stood there watching their interaction.
"I'm happy, son. I'm happy for you," he said, his hands on his shoulders. Then he spared one look at me before he looked away, my heart beating heavily. I did my best not to stare into his eyes for too long; if I did, he would know. He would see into the depth of my soul, and he would know who I was.
"Com..."
"I'd love to return to my room and..." I spoke so fast before Ryker called me closer to him.
The worse thing that I could ever think of was staying right next to him, not when his scent was driving me crazy.
"Sure, sure, I'll have breakfast sent up," he answered, and without a look in his direction, I turned as I walked out of the room, my heart beating in my chest just when I was out the door.
I heard Ryker's voice."
.
"You will experience the same joy, dad. I’ll have called all the females in this pack, especially the ones who were in this house yesterday. You will find her today; your instinct can’t be wrong. You will meet your mate today," he comforted his father as I walked away from the door.
I returned to my room, and before I could reach it, everyone congratulated me, all happy that I was pregnant. I smiled at every one of them, though I felt bad lying to the pack members; I was pregnant.
Just as I was about to enter my room, I froze when I saw Oscar standing there.
"What do you want?" I snapped at him, and he grinned.
"Congratulations, Luna," he said, and I could spot a hint of mockery in his voice.
"You wouldn’t come all this way to wish me congratulations, would you?" I growled slowly at him.
"Ohhh... you know me so well. I just wanted to know about yesterday?" he asked, and I forced myself to act normal.
"What happened yesterday, Oscar?" I asked him as he came closer and leaned forward, my heart skipping a beat at what he was about to say.
"A little bird informed me she saw you sneaking back in the house, and then... there are a couple of questions..." he whispered, and I glared at him.
"What questions? I went for a quick air, that’s all..." I snapped as I tried to walk past him, but he held me back.
"Not now... I’m not done. You have a lover, do you not?" he asked me, and I stared at his face, anger swelling in me.
"What’s your point in this?" I asked, and he smirked.
"Who is he? Who is the man who got you pregnant?" he asked me, and I froze as I looked at him, then I blurted out laughing.
"You overstep, dog," I growled at him.
"I thought so. Watch your back, because I’ll be there, and whatever you’re planning, I’ll be there to stop it," he warned as he walked off. I entered my room and placed my hands on my chest.
He thought I had a lover; pathetic.
The hours went by, and in the evening, Ryker had planned a party to celebrate what he called his future son. I was disgusted, as if I would ever in my right state of mind make him a father. A man as cruel and wicked as him didn't deserve to be called a father.
Not to a child of mine.
I was getting uncomfortable here, the longer i stayed the more I risked exposure.
The last thing I wanted was for the alpha king to find out I was his mate..
“Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
I rushed forward to open it as Anita strolled in.
I looked around the hall to see if there was anyone around, and I hastily shut the door when I found out there was no one here.
“What are you doing!” I whispered yelled as she rushed toward me and held my hands. She looked panicked.
“You need to leave. This is worse than I thought,” she whispered, and I wondered what she meant as I held her to the chair to take a seat.
“I can’t just leave… the alpha king.”
“He will find you. Have you heard? He knows his mate has red hair. An hour ago, all the ladies with red hair were ordered to assemble in the square. If he…”
My eyes widened, and I looked around the room. This was bad, really bad.
“When can I leave?” I asked, and Anita looked at me worriedly. I knew she was risking herself, her baby, and her mate to help me, and I was heartless enough to make them bear the consequences of the mission failing.
As much as I saw them as family, I couldn’t be selfish and leave , endangering them in the process.
“Tonight, it’s the only time. Everyone will be distracted. Sooner or later , the secret would be out. George has contacted the vessel captain. He will be taking goods from the pack tonight. You will have to run today, or I fear for the worst,” she spoke, and I shook my head at her words.
“What if…”
“Noo, I know you know your worried about us but we will be fine, we stood there and we watched Ryker abuse you for years and our alpha and Luna killed , but we aren’t going to let you be enslaved to a monster off the rest of your life” she whispered and my heart melted at her love and concerns.
“Good we do it then, tonight" I answered and he nobbed.
