Chapter 141: Chapter 141

As soon as I woke up, my eyes shifted towards the windowpanes of the bedroom, darkness shrouding the room. Heavy drops of rain started pounding against the glass in quick succession, drowning out the ticking sound of the clock. I allowed my body another few minutes, languidly stretching the limbs that were beginning to ache. The guards must have left by now, I thought with a twist of my lips.

Aiden insisted on me taking the guards along with the attacks in our territory increasing. Then again, I cannot blame him after what happened to Ann. My heart clenched at her mention, thinking back to the frail image of Luna lying in the clinic. No one from the clinic contacted me, which meant there was no progress.

Before falling into the river, I knew she wanted to tell something, the words on the tip of her tongue. Unfortunately, they never came out. Was that the reason the killer shot at her? That could be it! Ann knew something, and that's the sole reason she came to see me in secret.

A sigh escaped my lips the more I thought about it. I had no other option but to wait for her to wake up in order to answer all my burning questions.

I felt better rested, only a few remnants of fatigue now clinging to me; still, I most likely messed up my sleeping pattern entirely. Rolling over onto my back, I stared at the wood panelling on the ceiling, watching them for another moment before I pushed my body into an upright position. A yawn curled past my lips, and I pressed a hand to my mouth, tears stinging in my eyes.

Blinking back, I hurriedly rushed down the stairs, my stomach growling in hunger. It was time for me to get started on dinner anyway. Aiden did not stay out this late, but there must be a reason why he did not come back yet.

Something settled in the pit of my stomach. He was going to confront his father about Ronald and Ann, talk about his past. It's a touchy subject for him, so I prayed that everything went well.

I suddenly froze in my steps, peeking out of the living room window. Caden and Ellen were rushing to me, wholly drenched but still covering their heads. Why did they come all the way here? The doorbell ringing sound echoed around as I hurried to open the door.

"Ellen!" I breathed, hands falling by my side, watching as they dripped on my front porch, teeth chattering. "Caden. What are you both doing...." I had no time even to complete the question before Ellen hauled in, her wet hair tickling the side of my face, arms encircling my body, making all nerves stand on end.

The omega trainer hunched over like she was trying to curl around entirely, the cold droplets slipping down my black hoodie. We were still practically out in the open, her wet clothes pressing against mine.

"I was so worried about you."

I blinked at her, confusion marring my face. Tilting my head, I stared at Caden, who appeared mildly concerned. "What is going on?"

Slowly, she took a step back, shuffling inside, her body shivering. The front of my hoodie was also drenched, but I let it slide—Ellens, my friend, after all.

"You're shivering...moons!" With that, I wound my hand around her wrist and tugged her in, immediately rushing to start the fire. The omega trainer could fall sick at this rate.

"T-Thank you so much." She let out a sigh, standing in front of the fireplace, looking over her shoulder. Her attention was fixated on the person outside. I followed her vision only to see that Caden was still standing on the doorstep, his arms tightly wrapped around his torso.

I was slightly apprehensive about letting him into my home, especially now that my mate's not here. Chewing on my lip, I thought about it for a second. I could not let my friend stand all alone as we soaked up the heat inside. Besides, he came with Ellen, so I am sure that Aiden would understand.

"You can come in." I opened the heavy front door and held it for him, whose eyes grew wide when he stepped inside.

The Alpha exhaled loudly. "Thanks!"

"Wait here, you two, I'll put on a kettle."

I busied with filling the kettle and setting out three cups, tea bags, and milk. Turning around, I leaned my lower back against the counter as they both sank in the dining chairs. My lips quirked at their unison breaths; hands wrapped together.

Running to the guest room, I pulled out two thick robes and handed it to them.

"There you go!"

It made Ellen laugh unexpectedly, and she nodded with a smile. "Thanks again, Rose!"

"No worries. Tell me if you also need a change of clothes."

With that, we waited in silence for the water to boil; I stacked a couple of dishes in the sink to clean later. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Caden looking curiously around the room, eyes flickering from one corner to the next.

"I believe Aiden is still not back yet, hmm?"

"No." I gritted my teeth to suppress the persisting ache, filling the cups with hot water and stirring in sugar and milk.

Placing the tray on the table, I sat down opposite Caden, feeling strangely drained and out of breath, like holding onto my sanity was taking a physical toll.

"Tell me, what's so urgent that you both had to run all the way here?" I watched as Ellen held her finger, hurriedly gulping on the tea. She set the cup down, a grimace settling on her features.

"You won't believe who I saw on the border today."

I blinked at her. "Who?"

"Ria."

A dread silence settled between us as I gaped at her, waiting for her to burst into laughter. Nothing came. The hair on the back of my hair stood up at the mention of her name. Why was she back now? What does the beta want?

"Please tell me you're joking." I winced, wrapping my hand tightly around the cup till my knuckles turned white.

The Alpha shook his head, a sympathetic look taking over her face. "Unfortunately, no. We both were returning from the training when we saw her."

"Mhm, that's why I asked Caden to come along to check on you. We know how nasty she can be." Ellen added.

I palmed at my temples, shifting my eyes between both of them. If she was back, I had to be extra cautious, my hand wrapping around my stomach. Ria may not react to my pregnancy news lightly, dread settling in my tummy.

"Where is she now?"

As in on cue, the door opened with a drawn-out creak, and I stilled, turning my head to the left just as a cold gust of wind hit my face. Quiet footsteps sounded over the floorboards, leaving a trail of wet footsteps as a person with an umbrella walked our way. I could feel the air go thick and heavy, sizzle with something I had become far too familiar with.

My shoulder tensed, and I abruptly stood up, facing the beta standing in the middle of my home.

"Hello, Rose."

"What the hell are you doing here?" I gritted out after a beat, watching as Ellen and Caden stood up. They protectively pressed to my sides, eyes narrowed into slits at the person in front.

Ria didn't respond immediately. I could see her chest rise and fall even through the coat like she took her time walking in the rain. The beta appeared pitiful, with hair that's escaped her ponytail sticking to his cheeks and forehead and eyes almost as red as her face from the cold.

"I'm sorry", She exhaled. "I am not here to fight with you, Rose. Believe me; I have changed."

"Says every evil person ever." Ellen scoffed from my side.

The beta did not spare her a glance, staring deep into my eyes, a pleading look etched across her face. "Please, I need to speak with you."

My body slumped as I slowly nodded and motioned towards the dining chair. Her eyes uncomfortably shifted towards Caden and Ellen hovering. I asked them to wait in the living room while talking to her. They were initially reluctant, understandable as my history with Ria has not been so favourable.

Somehow I convinced them that they agreed to give us some time alone. As soon as they left, I sat on the chair and motioned Ria to take a seat as well. I would have offered tea, but my omega was still hostile in her presence. After what she did, it's a miracle that Aiden allowed her to step inside the boundaries.

Does he know that she's here? I thought, my teeth sinking on my bottom lip, eyes nervously flicking towards the floor. What if he gets angry about meeting her? Maybe I should not have let her in the first place.

"I came with Damon, and he's talking with Aiden in the Council room. He knows that I am here." The beta started as if she could read the thoughts running through my mind.

Red in the face, I simply bobbed my head at the beta, my clasped hands falling on my lap. There was tension in the air, thick enough to slice with a knife.

"So...how have you been?" Ria cleared her throat, her legs awkwardly bouncing.

"Uh...good, I guess."

The beta hummed, licking her lips, a weak sigh escaping past her lips. "I know my apology means nothing to you as I always contradict my words. Trust me, I have moved on and no longer want Aiden."

"Oh?" I made a surprised sound, unsure of how to react to her words.

"Yes. I heard the rumours about Luna Ann planning a war against this pack. As soon as Damon heard about it, he came to visit Aiden. We want to help."

"Really?"

"Yes. Damon is disappointed that Aiden did not tell him about the seriousness of the situation. Our Pack is still standing, all thanks to Aiden's help."

I couldn't help but notice how Ria referred to Alpha Damon's Pack as 'our'. Maybe she did change after all. There was an evident glow on her face, and Ria proudly wore a shiny engagement ring.

"I get that Alpha Damon is upset, but we had no time with Pack Alpha falling sick and Ann getting attacked."

"I heard." Ria made a wounded sound. "Poor Ann."

"Is there any other reason why you wanted to see me?"

"Yes!" Her eyes glimmered, lips parting. "I also heard that Sylvie is back in town. She's also Luna now, so be careful. As a person who has seen her closely, I suggest you keep Aiden away from her."

"W-What do you mean?"

"She's...bad news." Ria twisted her lips,  both elbows resting on the table as she leaned closer. "That omega pretended to be innocent and naive all while two-timing Aiden and Ricky. She broke their close friendship. When I caught her kissing Ricky on our trip, that crazy bitch threatened to kill me if I said a word to Aiden. I don't know what happened, but she kept up the act for two months and then broke up with him."

"Wow..." I opened and closed my mouth, shock filling my features.

"Yeah." Ria made a face, a scoff escaping her lips. "That woman is truly something else, and this is coming from me! Just be careful around her."

"R-Ria, thanks for telling me, I guess."

"No worries!"

All this time, Sylvie had a hidden motive to be here. Does that omega still want Aiden? The Alpha made it clear that he has no interest in her but will that stop her? What am I going to do now?

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