Chapter 212 - The Kind Of A Leader

Christian finally breathed a sigh of relief when he returned back to his room. He very well knew that it was a matter of time before the suspicion of Alpha Miller landed upon him. He anticipated this. But what he couldn't anticipate was how he would go on about it. 

Christian needed to make a clear exit or else they might as well land on a war with the Ice Fountain pack. Of all the time, this might not be a great time. With his mother away and Dad on the verge of retiring and with Ashton recently recovered from whatever madness he was a part of… this was definitely bad timing. Not to mention he was trying his best to get over his longtime crush.

Christian was pacing back and forth in his room trying to come up with a viable solution when he heard knocks on the door. The scent seeping in through the door assured him it was Riley. But at this point, he still found it hard to trust him, but at this point, Riley is all he got for assessing the situation. 

The moment Christian opened the door a panicked Riley walked in through the door. "Okay...this is bad...this is so bad" he mumbled.

Christian shut the door and while folding his arms he asked, "What is going on? What did he say?"

"He asked me to keep an eye on you. Report everything back to him" Riley admitted.

"That...doesn't sound so bad. I am really surprised he lets you deal with anything that has to do with me, without an ounce of suspicion". Christian snorted.

"Yeah, cause I know the most about Crescent Pack" Riley shrugged.

"Come again" Christian narrowed his gaze suspiciously. "How do you know the most about Crescentile packs?"

"Well, my great grandmother used to be a part of your pack." Riley informed him. Christian raised an eyebrow and tilted his head prompting Riley to continue. "Sheila Cornwell. She fell in love with my Great Grandpa and moved here. Back at that time it wasn't exactly a pack. She passed away when I was a teenager, but I have heard first hand stories from her, so I know a lot of things that used to be in your pack." Riley explained. 

"Wait…"Christian scoffed. "You are related to the Cornwells?" Asked Christian. "Never thought they had an extended family here". He snorted.

"Yeah, we don't interact much. I don't interact at all. But for some reason Alpha Miller thought as his beta and someone related to a family from the Crescentile pack, it would be great to bestow me with your responsibilities" Riley sighed.

"Well, I am glad he did," Christian smiled. "I doubt any other wolf would have helped me".

"You never know. Knowing Alpha Miller, they probably would have." Riley smiled.

"Wait what?" Christian frowned. "Why? He seemed like he cared a lot about his pack and the pack members. He is extremely adamant on finding this wolf just for the sake of his pack. He seems to be a good leader to me. And if I hadn't done anything shady… I might have actually gotten along with him" Christian shrugged.

Riley snorted at that before clearing his throat. "Let me ask you something, have you ever been in a relationship"

Christian blinked, getting thrown off by that abrupt question. "I'll tell you what, let's finish this conversation and we can then talk about my love life" Christian remarked in annoyance.

"No, I mean.." Riley chuckled. "Well, let me put it this way. You know how when you are in a relationship, and you are new to it everything seems so happy. When your significant other does things for you, like getting you flowers on a daily basis or… getting jealous or you know… keeping tabs on what and where you are gonna be, and it seems like… your partner cares about you"? Riley asked.

Not exactly relating to it Christian nodded reluctantly, "Yeah…."

"Well, that's what you see when you see Alpha Miller. You think he is caring and good because you just got to know him. You don't know him like I do" Riley declared. "In a relationship, over time, you realise how those cute behaviours had hidden toxic tendencies and by the time you do, the damage has been done. You have already given them too much power" Riley shrugged.

"Wow," Christian mumbled. "Somebody had a terrible experience in dating"

"I have had my share" Riley smirked. "But, that's not my point. When Miller took over the alpha he vowed to make this place safe. To abolish the old rules and march towards a better future. He just made the rules that benefited himself." Riley shrugged.

"Like what?" Christian asked.

"Well, for instance… any omega cannot leave the pack boundary unless he or she is accompanied by their mate or a related Alpha of their family". Riley shrugged.

"So, if an omega is orphaned…" Christian mumbled.

"Yeah… they are trapped here until they choose a mate. Which also means they have to choose a mate from this pack only. Not to mention it essentially traps them in this land" Riley sighed.

"That's horrible" Christian huffed, "Why didn't the people of the pack put up a fight?"

"Because, Miller told them, and I quote, 'This will ensure the utmost security of the omegas'" Riley let out a sarcastic smile. "What a load of crap".

"You know, in our pack we train the omegas to fight. Trust me, they are good at taking down abusive ones" Christian shrugged.

"I know. My mum told me. Guess what Miller said when I suggested the same?" Riley snorted, while Christian tilted his head. "You don't run the pack, don't you dare overmine my ideas" Deepening his voice further to mimic Miller, he spoke.

There was an awkward pause in the room after which Christian spoke, "Wow, I am surprised he even trusts you with me. I feel much better now for deceiving him. From what it seems he would have never allowed to let Ashton go just like that"

"You are not wrong." Riley sighed. "Why else do you think I helped you cover"? 

"I don't know...I honestly don't know" Christian sighed. "If he is really as terrible as you say, and if there is a chance he might find out about how you helped us, he might kill you. Why… why would you take such a risk?"

"Cause, I respect the mate bond. It must have been terrible for them to be apart. I just wanted to help" Riley sighed.

"But you trusted me even when you didn't know me," Christian asked.

"Yeah.. I had an instinct." Riley smiled. Christian smiled back at him. After a few seconds Riley spoke "As for Miller, he doesn't exactly trust me. More like, he knows I am his best choice"

"Because… ?" Christian trailed off. 

"I kind of have the best fighting skills here," Riley chuckled. "Whatever, I need to go back and report, I guess. Just to have our stories straight, let's just say you were doing…"?  Riley asked.

"Taking a nap. Still. It will give you a free window. Let's try to come up with a better plan. I need to leave this place as soon as possible" Christian sighed.

"I couldn't agree more," Riley declared and vanished.