Chapter Chapter 17: Stinging

Riannon did not know how to react to this question. How did he guess?

Maya told her that she still smelled like a werewolf and an Alpha at that. So, it

couldn’t be her scent. Yet somehow the Lycan king already knew that her wolf

was missing. This was not the first time he was asking about Onyx. And Ria

wasn’t stupid to consider it simple politeness. He wanted answers.

But so did she.

Even though everyone around them was ready to faint as soon as they were

close to Gideon, she did not feel this way at all. She was sure that he wasn’t

going to hurt her. Not at all. He did not give her that vibe. He felt like... She

wasn’t sure like what. Not a friend.

Definitely not a friend.

Anyway, this was not important as he was staring at her expectantly with his

arms crossed on his chest. His deep green eyes were on her and she felt

pressured to give him an answer.

“My wolf is not talking to me,” she said, choosing her words deliberately. She did

not want to lie to him. For some reason, she knew that it was very important to

never lie to him.

And it was the truth at the end of the day. Some part of Onyx had to be there

since she still had her werewolf senses and physical strength. But no matter how

much Riannon tried to call for her wolf, Onyx did not reply to her. Thus – they

were not talking.

“Hmm,” the Lycan king was watching her with a hint of doubt in his eyes, “For

how long?” “A few days,” Ria coughed. What was it? An interrogation?

“What happened prior?” he asked and it made her flinch, letting him know that

there was something there.

She paused and he got tense. Just what was it that made her wolf go away? Did

someone hurt her? Sometimes, in very rare cases, wolves were retreating to the

back of their host’s mind to recuperate if something terrible happened to them.

Gideon’s fists clenched on an instinct as he imagined that someone may had hurt

his precious mate.

“It’s personal,” she said, turning away. But he couldn’t let it like that.

“Riannon,” he stepped right behind her, itching to close her in his arms, “It’s okay.

You can tell me. If you want, it will forever stay just between us. But I need to

know.”

For a second there she contemplated telling him the truth. Would he believe her?

Maya did.

But Maya was different. They knew each other for so long that they were

practically

While Gideon was new in her life. For goddesses’ sake, he wasn’t even her kind.

He was a lycan and a royalty. And she needed his help to get her divorce and

pack back before anything. What if she told him everything now and he

considered her crazy? There would be no way he would let a crazy Alpha take

reigns of her pack.

No, telling him that she died and was brought back in time wasn’t an option at all.

She needed something else. But not a lie.

“Well,” she turned to face him, finding him way too close. But she gathered all her

strength and looked him in the eye. “What do you think happened?” she furrowed

her brows,“ My husband of 6 years brought home his true mate, breaking our

sacred promise to each other and destroying everything I believed in within one

day in spite of me being the one wearing his mark.”

She noticed his Adam’s apple twitching slightly as if it was suddenly hard for him

to breathe.

“Is that why she is gone?” he asked menacingly and for the first time, Riannon

felt a shiver go down her spine when she was with him.

“She did not tell me for sure,” Riannon chouse her words carefully again, “So, I

am just assuming.”

His face suddenly looked relieved. And also slightly... hurt. Why did he take

those matters so close to heart?

Then again, this was probably why he was considered to be such a good king.

He was concerning himself with the matters of his subjects.

Unknowingly, Ria rubbed the mark on her neck as it started stinging slightly. This

was happening a lot to her lately.

“This omega,” Gideon continued, “Is she always like that?”

“Usually she is worse,” the Luna muttered under her breath, but it did not escape

the lycan.

“Then your husband is an i***t,” the man snorted and it made Riannon smile,

which she tried to get back under control immediately.

“Don’t hide that smile,” he told her at once, shocking her slightly, “It looks good on

you and I prefer my... allies to be honest with me about their feelings.”

She swallowed. So, herinner hunch was correct. He did not like being lied to. Not

that politician to know that. So, she just nodded to him and curled the corners of

her lips a bit again to his satisfaction. His eyes lingered on her lips for far too long

and she turned away from him, feeling how unnecessary heat was rising inside of

her by the minute. Just why did this lycan had been influencing her so much?

“So,” she cleared her throat, “You are seriously considering helping me?”

“I already promised you, didn’t 1,” he stood right next to her and his hand

accidentally brushed over hers, making her feel... tiny tingles.

Tingles! Her eyes darted to his at once but he only looked at her expectantly.

No, this couldn’t be. This was probably in her head. At least that was what she

tried to convince herself in.

And also it was nothing like the mate tingles. She experienced those after

Brayden marked her and this was definitely more intense.

Her mark started stinging again and she rubbed it more furiously while trying to

gather her thoughts.

“What is it?” Gideon looked at her with sincere concern on his face and she

opened her mouth to try and explain it, but he already took her hand into his,

opening the view of her mark and lowered himself to have a better look at it.

She felt slightly embarrassed at that. The marks of chosen mates were just red

ugly scars. Everybody knew what they were of course, but it wasn’t the same as

what true mates had. No matter how they wanted to pretend that it was.

True mate marks looked like two crescent tattoos looking at each other. And

deep inside this was what Riannon was dreaming of every time she looked in the

mirror.

But Gideon’s hot breath on her neck distracted her from her thoughts. He was

close.

Almost too close and he brushed his thumb over her old scar gently, making her

feel things.

“It looks a bit inflamed,” he said with worry in her voice and she gasped.

Inflamed? Why the hell was her mark inflamed?!

A loud growl distracted them from each other and Riannon turned her head to

see one very pissed werewolf glaring at the two of them...