Riannon frowned. She was expecting things not to go smoothly today, but for Brayden to obstruct her
even entering the pack was too much.
“I don’t think Alpha Brayden has a right to prohibit me from entering my own pack,” she looked the
guards up and down. They were Brayden’s warriors, so were supposed to be loyal to him. He actually
thought something through for once. “And also,” she continued, “It’s not the Luna, it’s the Alpha now.
Alpha Riannon Michaels.”
The men glanced at each other but did not move.
She sighed heavily and opened the car door, stepping outside. Maya and Reid followed her, and so did
the warriors who drove in another car. The whole group looked menacing.
“We don’t want any trouble,” one of the guards said firmly, “We just follow our Alpha’s orders.”
“Very well,” Riannon smiled softly at them and produced the papers out of her folder,” Then you should
know that your Alpha is currently trespassing my lands. His territory starts miles from here. And I have
all the required paperwork to prove it. So, at the moment you are obstructing me from entering my own
pack. And this could be taken as an act of war. Since you are clearly in the wrong here, I have the right
to call other packs and the lycans to support me. And what will happen after that will be out of my
control.”
They stood there, gaping at her. And when one of the lycan warriors played with the knuckles on his
fists, making them click, they retreated.
“Apologies, Alpha Michaels,” one of them said, “We were not aware.”
“That’s fine,” she gave them a gracious smile as they opened the gates for her, “Can’t blame you for a
simple misunderstanding.”
She asked the driver to drive slowly this time as she wanted everyone to be a witness to her arrival. So,
when they parked in front of the main mansion and got out of the car gracefully, there was a crowd
already.
“Ria!” her friends Tatiana and Aria got to her first, “How are you?” “You have no idea what is going on
here!” they were both speaking at once.
“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea,” she chuckled, happy that she could still count on the two she-
wolves. She knew very well that loyal friends were priceless.
“Is that true?” Aria lowered her voice, “Did you really divorce Brayden?”
“Can you blame her?” Maya joined the group and Tatiana gave her a hug. They were all shattered by
everything that was going on in the pack lately and were happy to see her doing
“I guess not,” the bubbly blonde giggled, “But is it true that you both are mated to lycans?
“Yes,” Riannon couldn’t help but smile and pointed at Reid, “Meet Maya’s mate Reid Frazer, the Lycan
King’s Beta.”
“My, oh, my!” Tatianna jabbed her friend with her elbow, “Lucky you!”
“It’s not the time for all this,” Maya interrupted them, blushing probably for the first time in her life, “Right
now we have more pressing matters. Help us to gather the pack members. As many as possible.”
“Just give us a sec!” both girls nodded and disappeared in two different directions. In the meantime,
Riannon took a deep breath and pushed the door into the house that had been her home for many
years.
Brayden was sitting in his office with a glass of whiskey in his hand. Everything felt wrong and he knew
exactly when and how it started.
“My love,” his omega mate wrapped her arms around his shoulders, trying to massage them gently,
“You are doing everything right. You can’t let her win after what she did to you. You are a good man and
it’s her mistake for not seeing you for who you are. She started it.”
And yet he hesitated as his hand froze above his laptop’s keyboard. One push of a button and Riannon
would never have access to their pack’s money.
“Just do it,” Roxanne pushed him, “And within a month the whole pack will be yours again. People
wouldn’t tolerate an incompetent Alpha. They will choose you over her. She will be left with just her
land and no pack members.”
But at least half of this money came from the merger of their packs and businesses. He knew very well
that if he did this, it would be wrong on very many levels. And his ex-wife would be able to go to court
and even win the case. But by then, her pack would be done.
He frowned. They were his people once too. He knew that most of The Pearl Moon pack would follow
Riannon. It was a given. Not to mention that they had their homes on her land. And he did not want to
harm them. They also helped to bring him to his former glory.
His ex-wife was the only one he wanted to punish. For betraying him and for making a fool out of him in
front of everyone. He wanted this even though he knew that she was in her right.
He humiliated her first. And now he saw it. His omega mate was whispering something in great ended
up being such a disappointment.
He never wanted to make Roxanne a Luna. She wasn’t fit for the role. She was sexy as hell but there
was no comparison between her and Riannon. Despite helping him back with Maya once, she couldn’t
offer him much. She couldn’t lead their people in battle, considering how weak she was. She couldn’t
take care of pack matters since she didn’t have the proper education. So far, she was just a pretty face.
And this wasn’t good enough. It was definitely a downgrade from what he used to have, and everyone
would see it that way.
He regretted bringing her into his pack. Now he was even thinking that he should have rejected her as
everybody had been telling him to do. Then everything would have been different…
He still couldn’t believe that Riannon was lost to him. Even if he managed to destroy her pack, she
wouldn’t be back. She would be the lycan queen. And his enemy forever.
It hurt. Having her as his enemy was painful since she had been his best friend for many years. He
shared everything with her and was sure that she would understand the need for his mate.
But this was what broke them. He saw that now and he regretted it. If he had known… If he had a
chance to change the past, he would have.
No matter how hard he tried, he wasn’t in love with his mate the way he was with his ex-wife. However
strange that sounded. He wanted Roxy 24/7, the pull was there and his wolf wanted her too. But she
didn’t feel like the other piece of his soul, she didn’t feel his mind the way Riannon used to. He now
knew that mates were overrated.
Then again, he did not mark her. That could be it. They didn’t have that connection yet.
His hand instinctively went to the mark on his neck, the scars still protruding from his skin.
When the lycan king mentioned the mark disappearing on Riannon’s neck, he was in shock. It wasn’t
supposed to be possible. And yet here they were.
He needed more time to figure out what was going on and how to bounce back from all this. But time
was one thing that he did not have.
“You are hesitating,” Roxanne sighed and circled his chair, moving the laptop away from him and sitting
on the edge of his desk, “I really did not want to do it this way, Brayden. I just wanted you to choose
your own future and understand that your ex-wife is not worthy of you.
But you are losing this battle to her, and I can’t stay behind like this anymore. There is
“What is it?” he was slightly annoyed as he needed to think about everything. Preferably alone.
But when she took his hand and placed it on her belly, his lips parted in shock. “I am with child,
Brayden,” the redhead smiled, “With your child. Your heir.”
“That’s impossible,” he muttered, “I only forgot myself once and…”
“Once is enough for true mates,” the girl bent down and placed a kiss on his lips, igniting his inner
desire for her, “This is what happens when you are with the right partner. I will give you a son, Alpha
Brayden Thorn. He will be an Alpha among all alphas.”
He caressed her belly, lost in his thoughts. There was a reason why he did not want to risk it with her.
Since she was an omega, she could give him low-ranked pups. Which would be unforgivable. It would
make him the laughingstock amongst other alphas. Not to mention that it would jeopardize his pack’s
future. And he couldn’t afford that.
This was one of the reasons why Riannon was a perfect partner for him. With her alpha bloodline, she
could guarantee alpha pups to her husband.
He regretted once again that he didn’t have children with her yet. That would have solved all their
problems. The pups would be his and she would never leave him as a result. They would build their
alpha empire together just as they dreamt when they were younger.
But instead, they were both caught up in their work all the time and kept postponing it. This was one of
his biggest mistakes.
Now it would be next to impossible to get her back. She was with the Lycan king of all people. She was
his mate... And even if she wasn’t, it would be too hard to compete with him. He had power and money.
Money…
Brayden stared at the screen of his laptop. He needed it more now than Riannon did. This was the only
way for him to remain powerful enough.
“Will you say something?” the omega pouted her lips, “I know it’s too early to tell, but I can feel that our
baby is an Alpha! It’s like the power has been circling through my bloodstream since I got pregnant.”
This gave him hope. Maybe his mate could act as a Luna after all? She had already proved to him her
scheming skills once. That might come in handy in the future again. But if she managed to become a
mother of an Alpha, then others would respect his choice too. This could be the way out that he
needed. at the Summit and he owed her nothing anymore.
He pressed the button and looked at the screen, relaxing only when he saw a transaction confirmation
message. It was done.
“I am so proud of you, Brayden,” Roxanne jumped onto his lap and this time he let her,” There is
something else I need to tell you. Something about your ex-wife that I learnt recently. I think you are
going to like this information.”
He looked at her with a newfound interest.
“Do tell,” he encouraged her and she leaned all the way down to his ear, whispering what she knew
and making his eyes go wide.
But at the next moment they heard Riannon’s voice in the nearby hallway, “Honey! I am home!”
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