Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Kent drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as they turned down the road that led into New Dawn. They had been on the road for eleven hours, making decent time with almost no traffic overnight. Kent had slept restlessly for the first half of the drive before swapping spots with Leo. Leo had dozed soundly for the second half of the trip, snoring lightly with his arms folded across his chest. But the road into New Dawn was in desperate need of being replaced, filled with potholes and bumps. Within a few minutes of turning onto the road, Leo had been jolted awake as the Lexus bounced along the road. "This road is s**t," Leo grumbled, running a hand over his face. "Yeah," Kent muttered, still drumming his fingers. "For such a highly praised pack, you think they could at least keep their roads in decent shape." Leo adjusted himself in the seat, reaching for his phone to check for a message, a habit that Kent still wasn't used to. Most wolves didn't use cell phones unless they were outside of their packs due to their ability to mindlink other pack members. But Leo, as a council member, didn't have the ability to mindlink many people, so he relied much more on his cell phone to stay in communication. "Any news?" Kent asked, glancing at Leo's furrowed brow. He glanced up at Kent. "Nothing important. Just my mate. My daughter has a stomach bug so I guess they were both up all night." Kent nodded. "That must suck. How old is your daughter?" "Two," Leo replied, tapping out a message. "Her name is Abby." Kent caught the slight smile as Leo said her name. "What about your mate? What's her name?" "Leah." Kent snorted. "Really? Leo and Leah?" Leo chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess the Moon Goddess has a sense of humor." "How'd you two meet?" Leo sighed, slipping the phone back into the cup holder. "We met in our first year at the academy. Leah was actually Riley's roommate. That's how I met Riley." "Oh," Kent murmured, "I knew you guys met at the academy." He nodded. "Yeah, I found Leah and it took a few months for us to get into mated couples housing. At the beginning of the year there's always a huge need for mated housing as a lot of people find their mates during that time." "I recall," Kent said, slowing for a deer that ran across the road. "Right, so, my roommate had also found his mate and they were spending a lot of time in my room. So Leah and I were spending a lot of time in her room, which meant Riley was always around. After we moved into our new housing, we kept inviting her over. She didn't want to come over at first, but Leah wore her down." Leo Chapter 34 smiled at the memory of it. "Leah can be very persistent." raints "What was Riley like?" Kent couldn't help asking, his curiosity about all the things Riley kept hidden from him. was starting to get to him. "She was really quiet," Leo recalled, running his fingers through his hair. "She was rail thin back then, and looked like a strong breeze would take her away. She had literally no one. She came unbacked to the academy." Leo paused, glancing at Kent. "Has she told you any of this?" "I knew she was unbacked," he replied, watching the road. "She said the first year was hard." Leo nodded. "Riley's smart. I think that's what makes her the best. It's not always about speed or strength. Sometimes your ability to read your opponent, to anticipate, to calculate. That's what Riley does better than anyone I know. And that's what set her apart in that first year." Kent considered that for a moment. "She was fresh off a rejection. I can't imagine she fought very well in the beginning, just given how badly that affects you physically." Leo shrugged. "She looked weak and sick when I first met her. I really felt bad for her. This small, sickly, unbacked woman trying to make her way at the academy. I thought she would fail within a month or so. But Riley is driven, she always was. From the moment I met her, I could tell she had something to prove to everyone. She lost a lot of spars in her first year. She got her ass handed to her more times than I can remember. She got mocked and ridiculed quite a bit. But every bad word and criticism was like fuel for her. She fed off it. And by the end of that first year, she was becoming one of the best warriors there. It was amazing." Kent opened his mouth to reply when the woods unexpectedly thinned, opening to a small town, similar in size to Red Moon's. "Guess we're here." ** Riley woke up in the morning feeling absolutely terrible, perhaps the worst she had felt since arriving at Red Moon. She felt sluggish getting out of bed and didn't want to go to breakfast. She finally managed to wash her face and change her clothes, opting for a pair of soft sweatpants and sweatshirt. She quickly braided her hair and headed downstairs. It was towards the end of breakfast time and most people had already eaten and left. She got some toast and coffee, sitting at a table by herself. "Riley!" Wesley walked over, his blond hair messy and a big smile on his face. Beside him was the woman from last night. His smile faltered when Riley looked up. "You don't look well," he said. She waved her hand. "I don't feel well. I think I'm coming down with something. I might just rest after I finish eating, but first you need to introduce me to your mate." He smiled again. "This is Angie." He was beaming as he looked at his mate. "She's a nurse at the hospital. She's smart and beautiful and..." "Stop!" Angie exclaimed, blushing. Riley couldn't help but smile at how cute they were. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Angie. I'm Riley." Angie smiled, sitting down across the table. "You work at the Council with Wes, right?" 2/3 Chapter 34 Riley nodded. "We've worked together for a few years." "I'm going to get us some breakfast." Wesley leaned down, kissing Angie on the top of the head before heading over to the buffet. "Wesley is a good guy," Riley said to Angie, once he had walked away. "I hope you guys will be happy together. Angie smiled broadly. "I hope so too. He seems so nice." Angie looked over to where Wesley was, absentmindedly scratching at her collar when she did. Riley saw the fresh mark there, still red. Riley suddenly thought of Kent last night, the feeling that went through her when he kissed her, not wanting to leave her. She felt a sharp stab of pain through her chest and winced. "Are you sure you're ok?" Angie asked, her face creased in concern. Wesley set two plates of food on the table, looking at Riley. "No offense, Ri, but you look awful." She shook her head, squeezing her temples. "I think I need to lay down." She looked up at Angie. "I would love to get to know you better some time." "Of course," Angie said with a warm smile. "Once you're feeling better." Riley said goodbye, making her way back towards the elevator. Her head was swimming and she felt weak. She stumbled slightly and nearly collided with a solid wall of muscle. "Hey Riley," Max said, grabbing her arms to steady her. His brow creased when he looked at her. "You are not ok." She shook her head. "I just need to lay down." "Maybe we should go to the hospital and get you checked out," he suggested gently. "It's not that bad," she lied. "Have you heard from Kent yet?" "Yeah," Max said, not letting go of her arms. "He called about half an hour ago to say they made it there safely." That news felt like a balm, calming her aching chest for a moment. "I wish I had spoken to him," she admitted weakly. "I can call him back," Max said quickly. "He'd want to talk to you, I'm sure." She shook her head. "I don't want to distract him. He needs to take care of that alliance. I'm just going to lie down for a little bit." "How about I make sure you get upstairs?" She wanted to argue, but she was too tired. He held her upper arm the whole way, making sure she was safely in her room before he left. She crawled into bed, drifting into a fitful sleep. 2 Comments Get Bonus (Ad) >