CHAPTER 28: THE NIGHTMARES

He took his time as they walked out of the Queen bedroom. It was unbelievable that this was where his sister placed Riannon. But it made him happy still since his room was right next to it and he was sure that he would be able to smell her delicate scent at night.

“So, the top floor is designated for the royal family and our Beta,” he was explaining as she listened politely, “High ranked unmated wolves take the rooms on the next floor. Most of my warriors live there. You will meet them all in due time.”

“I can’t wait,” Ria said, feeling awkward. If she was just a guest, there was no reason for her to meet all his warriors. And she tried not to think of what he told her in the car. She was not ready to think about it. When her mind went there, it was turning all soft and mushy.

They went all the way to the ground floor, where he showed her a few of their reception halls and drawing rooms, each of which was magnificent and done in its own style and colors. But it was the library that she loved the best.

“Oh. My. Goddess.” Riannon gasped as they walked in and she saw the long room walls of which were covered in bookshelves. There were a few comfortable chairs here and there and a little sofa at the very end of the room. She immediately went to check what they had on the shelves and squeaked in excitement every time she found something rare.

So, she liked books. It made the lycan king smile too because she wasn’t impressed by expensive vases the house had on display or overpriced pieces of modern art that Savvy was buying as if her life depended on it. But her eyes lit as soon as she entered this room. Surprisingly, it was one of his most favorite places in the house.

“Ah, I could live here!” Riannon said and for a second there he let himself believe that she was serious about it.

“You can,” he gave her a soft smile.

“I am seriously considering this!” she grinned at him, “I would sleep on that sofa!”

She pointed her finger at the tiny couch and Gideon started thinking about replacing it with one that could fit two people.

“You can take any books you like from here,” he chuckled while watching her.

“Really?” Ria was impressed by what she saw. She always wanted a library like this. She had one back in her pack, but much smaller and way less impressive.

“Of course,” he leaned over the doorway, realizing that he could look at her like this forever.

He took her to see other rooms, creating a whole commotion at the kitchen as they out. And as soon as they saw her, they all stood up. Savvy and Reid must have told them already. Which annoyed Gideon a lot. Couldn’t they keep a secret?

“It’s so nice to meet you, Luna,” one of the guys stepped forward, stretching his hand.

“Likewise,” Ria shook his hand.

“This is Cyrus, my Gamma,” Gideon introduced us, “He is the best warrior of the pack and is responsible for battle training of the pack. Speaking of which, Cy,what are you doing here? What are you all doing here? Isn’t it time for you to exercise?”

“It is,” his Gamma rubbed the back of his neck, “We just had a break and cake here for…”

He clearly did not know what to say.

“Protein shakes!” someone at the back suggested and they all started nodding vigorously.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Cyrus chimed in, “Protein shakes! To grow muscles.”

“Yes!”

“Exactly!” they all were happy that they came up with something. At the same time, there were no shakes in plain sight and Gideon wanted to growl at them to get out when his sister walked in.

“Oh, there you all are!” she giggled, “I sent those shakes to the training field, guys! So, off you go!”

She presented her brother with a dazzling smile as the warriors got their easy escape

“Why are you doing this to me?” he connected her via their mind link, “I am a good brother. I spoil you. I never failed you. Just why, Savvy?”

“What do you mean?” she smirked, “I am helping you here! I am helping you to woo her! She needs to feel at home here.”

“I think I got it covered, thanks,” Gideon grunted, “I can woo my own mate.”

“Yeah, sure,” the girl rolled her eyes, “Some ten-twenty years and she will be all yours!” “It’s none of your business, Sav,” he tried to remind her, “I am trying to earn her trust.” Content © provided by .

“And I am trying to make her feel safe!” his sister retorted, “And also to create someromantic opportunities for the two of you. Any normal brother would be grateful!”

“Oh, I am grateful,” he looked at her menacingly, “I am so grateful that I now can’t wait for you to find your mate so that I got to know him better.”

Riannon stood there between the two siblings, realizing that they were having a private

“Excuse us,” the lycan king turned to her and took her hand without even asking her, lacing their fingers together, “Let’s get going out of the house. We don’t want to disturb Savvy with all her scheming… I

mean, planning.”

He pulled her out of the mansion, walking fast to be as far away from it as it was only possible. The tour then continued with him showing her all the significant places that he like so much. Luckily, there were plenty.

Ria did not know what to think. All this was not what she expected at all. This place was …warm. And the people were nice. It did not feel like the business trip she was intending it to

It felt like a vacation she needed so much.

And this was bad. This was distracting her from her main goal.

“Can we speak about our business?” she asked him all of a sudden when he brought her to the local river right before sunset. It was so beautiful there as the air was filled with golden light. The water surface reflected the colors of the afterglow.

“Of course,” Gideon felt slightly disappointed that this was what she was thinking about at a moment like this, “You can ask me anything.”

“My divorce with Brayden…”

“Consider it a done deal,” he said at once, “As soon as you raise this at the Alpha summit, I will approve.”

“And my pack?” she looked at him with hope and he did not want to give her false hope.

“That one will be harder,” he admitted, “For you to get it we need to work more on that new law. And make sure everyone supports it. But when it’s done, there will be nothing in your way.”

“Thank you,” Riannon gave him the sincerest smile and he wanted to kiss her more than anything now. He leaned lower but at the last moment, she pulled away to his disappointment, which he hid deep inside, cursing himself for rushing things. It was Savvy’s fault to put those ideas in his head.

“You told me that you would want something in return for your help,” she looked at him with her clear blue eyes, “Now that I am here, could you tell me what this is?”

He contemplated it for a bit. There was nothing he wanted from her other than to reciprocate his feelings. But he couldn’t tell her that.

But then an idea struck him on his face.

“What is it?” the blonde girl in front of him looked very interested but she did not seem worried at all.

“I want to help you get your wolf back,” he said, startling her.

“Wh-why?” was all she asked, but after thinking some more, she added, “And how?”

“I don’t know how,” he shrugged his shoulders and a devilish grin appeared on his face,“ I am afraid we will have to experiment there. As for the why… sometimes people lose their wolves. And I want to know if it is possible to get them back. And if yes, how do we proceed with this. In other words, it may be good research.”

“Oh,” for some reason Riannon felt sad, realizing that it was not what she wanted to hear.

“It’s getting late,” she said, “And I am a bit tired. Maybe it is enough for today?”

“Of course,” he took her hand in his again without asking for permission. Which was starting to bother her. Why was he doing that all the time? It wasn’t like they were a couple. He just said it himself that he simply needed her for research. And maybe it was what made him a great king, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“The dinner will be at…” Gideon started to explain her.

“Actually, if that’s okay, I would prefer to eat alone and, in my room,” Ria heard herself saying. It was rude to say something like that when you were a guest at a king’s house. But it was too late now.

“If that’s what you want,” the man in front of her looked sad and she felt guilty at once, “I will take you there and order to bring you whatever you like.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled, averting his gaze now.

Back in her room, she cursed herself for her stupidity. Just why would she let her emotions get in her way. He told her he liked her. Why did she get offended by him mentioning the research? He gave her more attention than she deserved already. Just why did she crave

Was it because he was the first man that she actually liked since Brayden or was there something else?

Her train of thought was broken when her phone rang and she saw Maya’s name on the display. This was just what she needed since Onyx wasn’t there to talk to.

“How are you?” her friend’s voice sounded fine, and she felt relieved. Deep inside she was worried for Maya’s safety.

“I am fine,” she said and sighed, “It’s just… Everything seems so strange here.”

“Good strange or bad strange?” the girl on the other end of the line asked.

“A bit of both,” Riannon confessed and then briefly told her everything that happened.

“Hmm, interesting,” Maya stretched the last word.

“Good interesting or bad interesting?” Ria chuckled, covering her face with her free hand.

“Good, of course,” her future Beta snorted, “After I saw you two making out shamelessly in your office…”

“We weren’t making out!” the Luna protested.

*

*

“Yeah… right,” Maya did not sound convinced, “Anyway, I currently like the lycan way more than your husband. This Roxy b***h got out of everything without even as much as a simple punishment! They said she had a panic attack! Can you believe this?!”

“I can,” Riannon sighed, “I’ve been through this before, remember? But, M, while you are there alone, please, lay low and do nothing. I need you to stay safe.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she heard a very unbothered voice.

They talked some more about what a douche Brayden had become. And then said their goodbyes for the day.

Ria went to sleep early since she had a lot to do the next day. Starting with fixing her attitude. It was also the day when the princess was throwing her White party.

She drifted off to sleep easily. But unfortunately, this wasn’t a peaceful night. Maybe it was the stress finally catching up with her, but she saw the worst dream.

It was the night of her death… Roxy stood above her, while she was trying to fight for her life… crawling in the dirt and having a hard time moving her arms and legs due to aconite poisoning. The

redhead’s laugh was echoing through her ears. And then the brown wolf jumped her as she desperately tried to at least recognise him. All while she couldn’t even scream.

But in reality, she could.

“Riannon!” Gideon shook her in his arms, trying to wake her up. She looked at him in disbelief, trembling and not understanding where they were. The unfamiliar surroundings played a trick on her.

“You were screaming,” he said, not letting her go.

And this was when she realized that he was pressing her against his chest. All while wearing nothing but black silk pajama pants…