Riannon had to calm down.

This battle was lost and the phone was gone.

Butthere were other ways to reach out to Gideon and she would find one as soon aspossible.Right now, however, she had a bigger problem.

Her possessive Alpha husbandwas getting out of hand.

And this wasn’t the state she needed him in for her plan.“Well, congratulations, Brayden,” she folded her hands on her chest after shetook a deep breath, “Now I can’t call Maya!”“That’s not her you were going to talk to and we both know it,” he growled, not ahint of remorse on his face.“I was going to talk to many people.

Tomorrow.” She replied calmly.

“But thanksto your little tantrum that’s impossible now! But today I wanted to talk to my bestfriend whom my husband banished from our pack.

I think I deserve at least thatafter everything!”He clenched his lips and then let out an exasperated sigh.“Ri, I...” he took a step in her direction but she motioned for him to stop, “I didn’tactually banish her.”“No, I think I had enough,” she said, “You know, I never thought that I would seeyou so scared in my life!”His facial expression changed rapidly and he was next to her in less than asecond.“What do you mean?” he snarled at her.“Just the mention of the lycan king drives you to a point of madness,” she pointedout, “ But like it or not, we are going to see him again.

And very soon.

As I havealready told you before, he needs that project and he is inclined to see it througheven if it doesn’t get approved on its first try.

So, potentially, we are looking at

months of me working side by side with him and there is absolutely nothing youcan do about it.

You’d better face those facts now.”She could see his nostril flare up and his chest going up and down.“I am going to see to this project being accepted on the next Alpha summit,” hegritted through his teeth, “Even if it’s the last things I do!”She held back a smirk that was trying to desperately form on her lips.

Shecouldn’t let him see that this was exactly what she wanted and needed.“Do what you want,” she shrugged her shoulders and prepared to leave but hestopped her when she almost reached the door.“Ri, you are breaking my heart,” Braiden whispered, “We are supposed to be ateam, remember? The way we always were.” could potentially ruin everythingthat she tried to build.“I just need time,” Riannon said without turning to see him, carefully selecting herwords.

She did not want to lie even though she was deceiving him.

“I am too tiredfrom all of this today.”Brayden unclenched his fingers and let go of her.

She used this to leave him assoon as she could.

She didn’t want to spend even a minute longer in his roomthan she had to.

There must have been a few new extra phones downstairs inher office and in Brayden’s too.

And all she wanted was to get one.Unfortunately, she hadn’t been this lucky and when she was in the middle of thestairs, she saw Roxy coming up.

Their eyes met and this time the omega decidednot to pretend to be the ignorant crying fool.When they got to each other, both of them stopped.“Careful there,” Riannon raised her brow as she decided to attack first this time,“We don’t want your self-harming habits to hit you in the middle of the stairs.”

“Are you threatening me, Luna?” Roxy covered her mouth with her hand but thentook it away to reveal a smirk on her face.“Threatening?” Ria beamed at her, “What are you talking about, Roxanne? I amgenuinely concerned by your mental state.

I just discussed it with my husband.”“You were done quickly,” the omega sneered, “When we...

talk, it takes longer.”“No doubt,” Riannon snorted, “You are very talented at...

talking.

For a virginomega who spent her whole life as a slave that it.”“Some talents are just natural!” Roxy retorted, flipping her red hair back, “Not tomention that the mate bond makes us want each other all the time.

It’s hard formates to tear off each other, you know.”“And yet here you are.

Not with him,” Ria pointed out, “Speaking of which, as faras I remember, you were told to stay in your room.”“Oh, that,” Roxanne rolled her eyes and touched the necklace on her neckplayfully, “I was so worried after I heard about that prisoner escaping that I cameout to check if I could help.”“Because an omega without any kind of training would be of so much help in asituation like that,” Ria smirked, “What’s more interesting, how did you find outthat he escaped?”“I heard the commotion outside,” Roxy said and then I met Dean later and he toldme he needed someone to talk to.”“How sweet of you to take care of him after you pushed his sister under the bus,”the Luna started to lose patience.

Roxy was too much even for her.“He doesn’t see it that way,” the girl giggled and that sound echoed painfullythrough the Luna’s brain.

It was practically identical to that time when shestruggled for her life.

She remembered how Roxanne grabbed her hair and

laughed in her face.

The desire to push her off the stairs and be done with it wasimmense.She could do it.

Bray would probably even cover for her since he now wanted tokeep her at all cost.

She could get away with it...But she had to stop herself.It wasn’t this easy.

Especially after tonight since ‘Everett paid her a visit.

Sheknew that nothing was simple and all her suspicions were now back in her head.It could have been that Roxy wasn’t even the problem here.So, she decided to test that theory instead of lowering herself to violence.

Roxywas almost at the top when she turned to look at her not to miss her reaction.“Oh, by the way, tell your friend to use the door next time,” she said calmly, “Andnot my balcony.

It’s creepy and not romantic at all.”The omega froze and Ria saw for a second how her claws elongated at once.For the first time ever she had problems hiding her emotions.

And this justconfirmed everything that Riannion was suspecting.Roxy wasn’t just Brayden’s mate.

Or was she even his mate at all? Was she anomega? There were just too many things about her that did not add up.However, the girl quickly gathered herself and threw one menacing look at Ria.

“Idon’t know what you mean,” she said through clenched teeth.“Oh, you don’t?” the Luna smirked, “Too bad.

I thought of asking you if I shouldhim Axel or Everett.

But never mind, he said that he’ll visit me again soon.

I’ll askhim then.”Roxanne’s eyes shone red.

Red! None omegas had this color of their wolfenergy.

They usually had something simpler, like green or white.

The girl in frontof her suppressed it quickly, though.

“Oh, Goddess, Luna! Have you seen this prisoner? Are you confessing?” shegasped.“Don’t worry your pretty little head with it,” Riannon chuckled and wentdownstairs, notAll she wanted was to find a new phone and try calling the lycans.

She was surethat Gideon was already trying to reach her too and could just hope that Braydendidn’t pull any tricks while in possession of her phone.She found Dean when she was passing the kitchen on the way to her office andstopped, sighing heavily.

One more stop before calling her mate was necessary.She realized it when his lips curled into a tiny smile as he kept staring in his cupwhile sitting alone at the table.His sister was just exiled, and he was smiling.

Was it too late to get him back tothe Light?“You do know that she is guilty of what happened to your sister today,” Riannonleaned over the doorframe.The look of surprise was evident on his face.“Ria,” he cleared his throat, “What...

Who are you talking about?”“Roxy,” she decided not to kick around the bush and when his mouth partedslightly, she knew that she was right.“No, Ria,” he shook his head, “You are wrong about this.

I just talked about it withher and she apologized.

She just mentioned to Brayden that Maya had yourbracelet and he got mad.

But she thinks that he was just angry at you andwanted you to come back.

You never separated like this before.”“Oh, really?” she smiled, “So, you are telling me that she says that it’s my fault?Open your eyes, Dean, you haven’t been there.

She stood and accused Maya

again and again.

Without any kind of mercy! And that phone in her room.

Do youreally think that Maya is a traitor?”“Of course not!” he had his brows knitted now.“Then think what a fine coincidence it was that right after Roxy accused her ofstealing of all things, they found an evidence of her betraying our pack right inher room! She was set up, Dean.

And if she hadn’t met her mate today, it couldhave ended badly.”“She said Brayden only wanted to get her to the border,” the guy in front of hergazed at her hopefully.

He was still a child even in spite of being twenty.“Things happen at the border, Dean,” Riannon was too exhausted to explain,“Not to mention how they tried to humiliate her.”“But if it hadn’t happened, then she wouldn’t have met her mate,” he tried to findat least“It was her destiny to meet Reid,” she said, “And today he was here thanks tome.

It could have been very different...”The boy did not look convinced and she felt disappointed.“Anyway, it’s too late,” she turned away since she couldn’t be doing any of thisanymore, “Just think of something.

Use logic when you do.

Maya always locksher door.

It’s her thing.

Just how did this phone get inside when only you and Ihave the keys for emergencies and I was not here.

Because I am sure that youdid not unlock her door for anyone.

Knowingly.”She decided not to stay anymore and just went to her office.

It was on Dean now.She couldn’t help him see things if he did not want to see them.

It was his choice.Gideon was sitting in his bedroom alone with lights off.

It was too painful to eventhink of what Brayden Thorn told him.

“Those are lies,” Mars grunted, “You know far too well that if someone wastouching Riannon, we would have felt it.”“Are you sure? She isn’t marked by us yet,” it hurt him to even say those words.He should have done it when he had her here.

He really wanted to help her withher pack and revenge but this was more important.

He shouldn’t have been agentleman, he should have let his Alpha side control this.

Then she would behere now.

Then she would be safe.“I am sure,” Mars said with confidence, “Our souls are connected.

Mark or nomark.”He ignored the knock on the door and when it opened anyway, his head snappedin the direction of the intruder.Reid gave him an apologetic gaze.“Now you are just asking for me to beat the crap out of you,” Gideon growled.“Actually, I have Maya’s phone here,” he stretched the device to his king,“Someone special here wants to talk to you...”