Chapter 63. Tea Time
Chapter 63. Tea Time
“I can show you instead,” Onyx said, and Riannon felt herself drifting off to sleep.
“This is what the Goddess told me to do...”her wolf whispered.
She trusted Onyx with her life and knew that her better half would take good care
of her.
But she did not expect what happened to her next as she found herself in the one
place she never wanted to see ever again.
It was the day she died. But not the right time. It was hours before the tragedy
happened.
She remembered that well and a dull throbbing pain seized in her chest. This
was funny ... She thought she was already done with all that. Yet now, seeing
how her pack was gathering once again for what Brayden told them was a
blessing ceremony for his future heir,
was painful for her.
“Onyx, can we fast forward to...” her voice broke. Did she really want to see
herself being killed? Was it really that important? She had her suspicions and at
least she knew that it wasn’t Dean. It was good enough.
“No,” her wolf replied, “You need to see the whole picture.”
“I am not sure I want to,” Riannon confessed, slightly embarrassed of her
momentarily
weakness.
“Too late now,” Onyx chuckled in her mind, “But know that if you look carefully,
you will find out more than you asked. And not only about yourself.”
This gave her strength. It wasn’t only about her. She wasn’t the only victim. If she
could get an important piece of information from being here then she owed it to
all the people she loved to try and endure.
She quickly realised that she wasn’t actually there. She could walk among the
people and see what they were doing, but none of them saw her. Riannon was
just a spirit observing them all and they could even walk through her, not
affecting her at all.
This also helped her to calm down. She wasn’t actually reliving the day. She was
just watching. A guest who was only there in spirit.
She noticed herself sitting in the summer house in the garden, right where they
had the voting the other day. Riannon from the past did not look that well, with
hollow cheeks and a pale complexion. She was also thinner than usual and it did
not look good at all. The year of
stress and pain took its toll on her.
She wanted to tell herself that it wasn’t worth it, that something bigger and better
was waiting for her but noticed a friendship bracelet in her hands. Maya made it
for her when they
seeking the warmth and support that her friend used to give her and this little
trinket was her
anchor.
“Luna,” an omega appeared next to her with a tray in her hands, “I’ve brought
some tea for you.”
“I didn’t ask for it,” Riannon from the past replied, but the girl still placed the tray
on the bench next to her.
“The Alpha sent it to you. It’s cold and you’ve been sitting here for hours,” the
omega smiled at her, “It’s herbal tea, one of your favourites.”
“Thank you,” she stared at the cup and Riannon from the present remembered
how she felt a little glimpse of hope that maybe he was at least sorry for what he
had been doing. She took the cup in her hands and slowly drank the tea, looking
around at the busy pack. She was so broken inside by this point that she didn’t
even feel the taste of her drink.
“Ria,” Ash appeared next to her, holding a huge pile of folders in his hands, “Are
you okay?”
“I am great,” she took another sip without looking at him, “Don’t you see?”
The present Riannon noticed that he wanted to say something else but changed
his mind at the last moment and walked away.
“Everything is for the best,” he muttered, “You will see.”
She knew his motivation now and knew why he made those wrong choices. But it
didn’t make her feel any better. The past Riannon finished the tea and placed the
cup back on the tray. Immediately, the same omega appeared and took it,
rushing away.
Abad feeling rose in her chest. She remembered very well that she did not ask
for tea. She didn’t eat or drink much these last few days. And since she knew
that nothing important
would happen to her before the ceremony, she decided to follow that omega
instead.
The girl was clearly in a hurry even though she tried to pretend that she wasn’t.
And that made Riannon even more suspicious. But it was when she turned in the
opposite direction from the kitchen and went all the way behind the mansion that
she knew her hunch was
correct.
She sped up and caught up with the girl right when she made a turn and almost
bumped
into Roxy.
It was a perfect hiding spot because it was close to practically everything but no
one was
Roxanne was wearing an expensive black silk maternity dress and caressed her
belly every three seconds. But when she saw the maid she got a little plastic bag
out of her pocket and opened it, gesturing for her to drop the cup inside.
“Did she drink all of it?” Roxy asked with a gentle smile on her face.
“Yes, Luna,” the girl nodded and Riannon cringed. Roxanne wasn’t a Luna yet.
Not that it was the most important thing right now. This little omega girl, someone
who lived in her pack and was using her protection, without which no omega
could survive in their cruel world, was the one who poisoned her with aconite.
Now she had no doubts.
“Good,” Roxanne stretched her hand and squeezed her shoulder, “Do not worry.
All is for the best. I just don’t want her to make a scene tonight. This will weaken
her a bit and we will have a calm and fun night. And tomorrow you will be the
personal helper of the new Luna.”
“Thank you!” the girl beamed, not bothering too much about the details of her
promotion.
“Alice,” Roxy gave her a smile that looked so sincere that Ria would probably buy
it too,“ We are almost at the finishing line. Just remember that she will need one
more doze in an hour or so for it to go smoothly.”
“Everything will be done, Luna,” the omega bowed and Roxanne waved her off.
“Go now,” she said calmly, “People shouldn’t see us together yet. But in the
evening, we will celebrate. Come to my room for a glass of champagne.”
“Can’t wait, Luna!” Alice giggled and ran away quickly.
Riannon decided not to follow her. She knew what the girl would be doing for the
rest of the day. And she chose to stay face to face with her mortal enemy who
was still a mystery to her. Roxanne caressed her bump. She wondered if it was
even her ex’s child...
A dark figure appeared from the nearby bushes and Roxy didn’t even flinch when
one of Brayden’s warriors, Marcus, leaned over the wall next to her lazily. She
handed him the plastic bag and he took it, clearly knowing what was inside.
“Get rid of it,” the fox said coldly and nodded even though she stood with his
back to him. The woman sighed and then added, “And after Alice is done, make
sure to get rid of her too. I don’t want any traces. It’s not the time yet.”
“Will be done,” the man assured her, while Ria tried to remember what colour his
wolf was. Was he the one who killed her? Or did Roxanne have more
accomplices on their territory?
“Will you need me to accompany you in the evening?” Marcus asked before
leaving.
no one disturbs us and everyone stays at the party.”
“Fine,” he grunted and walked away back to where he came from.
The fox stood, looking in the same direction and soon Riannon realised that she
was watching the past her. Her lips curled into a smirk and eyes glowed red just
for a second, but she took it under control fast.
Riannon followed her as the day unfolded, however, nothing was happening for a
while other than Roxy being Roxy. By this time she already stopped pretending
that she was a weak omega and positioned herself as the Luna of the people.
She was throwing herself to help everyone she met but, of course, her huge belly
prevented her from doing anything and won her the sympathy vote from
everyone.
It was painful for Riannon to watch this. Yet she forced herself to. Since if she
was to get useful information from anyone, it had to be Roxy.
Finally, the fox went to her room to change for the event but once she was inside,
she just sat in a huge armchair with her phone in her hands. After a while, the
phone rang and she immediately picked up so that Ria had no chance to check
the caller ID.
“Cass,” her voice became sweet and Riannon sat closer to be able to listen to the
phone call on both ends.
“Is everything ready for tonight?” the familiar voice sounded, making her cringe.
Of
course, he was the mastermind. Not Roxy.
“Yes,” his subordinate replied, “Brayden is ready. And his Luna will go tonight.”
“Good,” Castiel sounded indifferent. Like it wasn’t a big deal for him at all. And
this made her furious. He was deciding their lives and didn’t even seem to care.
A smile formed on Roxanne’s face at the little piece of praise she got.
“Make sure there are no delays,” the man added, “I need this pack by the end of
the week. A lot depends on it. It’s crucial for killing the western lycan king. He is
our last obstacle on the way to victory. And he is this close to making a deal with
the northern king. If that happens...”
Riannon’s world froze at the mention of her mate. Those bast.ards didn’t just
want her pack. Gideon was their aim. While the pack was just a tool. And now
that she thought about it, of course, he was. If they wanted to destroy the wolves,
then the leader of the lycans would be
their target number one.
“I know,” the pregnant girl sighed, stroking her round belly, “It will be done. Just
tell me
“End of the week,” Castiel said calmly, “And make sure there is no one to lead
the pack. Luna, Beta and anyone else who may take Alpha’s place in case of an
emergency. They all have to go.”
“Got it,” Roxy agreed easily as if they were discussing a grocery list. Riannon
noticed that she was fidgeting with her hair and stood right in front of her trying to
read her facial expression. “Castiel,” the woman changed her tone to a more
seductive one, “I miss you...”
“Gross,” Ria muttered to herself. To her, it was already clear that the two foxes
had
something going on between them. Yet the man’s reply startled her.
“Just concentrate on the mission,” the fox king cut her off, “And don’t you dare to
use your siren powers on me. Even over the phone.”
Roxanne’s facial expression dropped at once, while Riannon covered her lips
with her palm as if she had to stay quiet.
A siren! Of course... That explained so much and yet it was hard to comprehend
since she hadn’t heard about anyone seeing them for the past few decades. Not
to mention that she knew for a fact that Roxy was a fox too. All this made her a
hybrid. And very dangerous.
“I am sorry,” the glint in Roxanne’s eyes disappeared as if someone sucked the
life out of her, “It’s hard to control myself now due to hormones.”
She wanted to say something else but then took the phone away from her ear
and Ria realised that he had hung up on her.
The girl’s eyes filled with tears. A usual sight for her. Yet this time it seemed
sincere.
“You really like him, don’t you?” Riannon chuckled to herself when the door
opened and Brayden walked in. He was wearing grey trousers with a grey
waistcoat and a white shirt, looking good.
“I thought you were going to change,” he looked his ‘mate’ up and down.
“I wanted to, but your heir is so strong. He keeps kicking me,” Roxy used that
sweet tone again and stretched her hands to Alpha, “Here, help me to stand up.”
“Are you ready?” the man did as he was asked and she gave him a soft smile.
“I can’t wait!” she giggled, making Riannon want to throw up a bit.
The two of them walked out of the room and she followed them closely with a
smirk.
Unknowingly, they gave her an idea of how to win that war. And the evening was
only
starting...