GIFTED RILEY by Lacy Mierr

Chapter 63: One-Man Army

*Nicolas*

“I’m sorry,” I said to my wolf over and over again as I ran through the forest. Riley was my mate, she was my responsibility, and I had failed her. That was why I had to do this alone. This was my mistake, I was the one who f**d up, and now, I had to fix it.

Memories of Riley flooded into my mind. Her smiling face, her determination, her trusting and loving heart, the warmth of her embrace, the feel of her lips against mine. She was everything to me. Everything about her was nothing short of amazing.

And now, because of me, she was in danger,

Yes, she hadn’t been doing any better at the Evermane pack, but I feared that by bringing her into my life, I had put her in the forefront of danger and on the radar of whoever it was that was out to get me.

It hurts to think about it. Nobody had touched my soul the way Riley had. She had fully accepted me, regardless of the countless flaws I had. She’d seen right past that and accepted me. And what did I give her in return? I put her in danger.

“I’m so sorry,” I said to my wolf again. “I’m going to get her back.”

But what if I failed? What if her captor had already broken his promise and ended her life before sending me that cruel letter? My mind reeled with horrifying possibilities. What if he had no intention of keeping her alive, and she was just a pawn in his twisted game to lure me out?

Desperate to reach her. I attempted to mind link with Riley once again, hoping against hope that whatever they had done to her would have worn off by now. I wanted to assure her that she would be okay, that I would rescue her.

But no matter how hard I tried, how intensely I focused or visualized her face in my mind, there was nothing but silence on the other end. I

couldn’t reach her.

It made all my fears worse. But I refused to think about it. I would walk into that house, and her blue eyes, still filled with life and wonder would settle on me, and I would know that this was all worth

it.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been running for, but I could feel my feet growing tired. But I couldn’t stop. Riley needed me.

I hoped everything was fine with the pack. I hoped there were no more. hunter attacks. They’d finally gotten what they wanted, I was coming to them, so the least they could do was leave the wolves alone.

Mother would be extremely worried. I hadn’t even bothered making it back to the palace before racing into the woods in search of my mate. I tried to picture Vera’s face when she delivered the news to Mother. I

Chapter 63: One-Man Army

knew how my mother would react. But I needed them to let me do this alone.

I suspected that Vera would try to have me followed after I left, so I made her promise. Vera always kept her word after all.

But I didn’t. I had failed to keep the vow I made to always protect my mate. The weight of my failure bore down on me like a heavy cloak, suffocating and unrelenting. Determination burned in my chest as I vowed to make it right.

“I’ll get her back,” I said fiercely to my wolf. “I’m sorry for letting her out of my sight, but I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.”

“Your words don’t hold any power over me anymore,” my wolf growled, disappointment and anger seeping through his voice. “How could you lose our mate? It’s our sacred duty to protect her.”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” I replied, feeling the shame and guilt weighing heavily on my shoulders.

“Stop apologizing. It’s pointless and only makes you sound weak,” my wolf chided. “You’re supposed to be a Lycan King, a strong and worthy leader of our pack.”

“I know I messed up, but…”

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“But what? You think just saying sorry will fix everything?” My wolf’s voice was tinged with frustration.

“No, but I won’t let them win,” I declared, determination reigniting within me.

“You failed once, but don’t let it happen again,” my wolf warned. “Our mate is our everything, without her we are nothing but beasts. And if we don’t have her, I might just have to go into an eternal slumber.”

I shut my eyes, willing my wolf away. He had a point, I did mess up. I failed to protect my mate. But I didn’t have time to dwell on that. I had to focus all of my energy on saving her.

“Alpha?” Vera’s voice broke through the chaotic thoughts in my head via our mind link.

“I’m here,” I replied, trying to keep my tone even despite the internal battle raging within me.

“Is everything going okay? Are you there yet?”

“Not yet. I have to make a detour first.”

“A detour? Where are you going?”

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“Don’t worry, it’s just a little side task,” I reassured her, though she sounded genuinely concerned. “One of the traitors needs to be dealt with.”

“The she-wolf you asked me to look into?”

“Yes. I believe she is working directly with the hunters. Her sudden appearance in Riley’s life was too convenient to be a mere coincidence. And if confronting her gives us an advantage over these enemies, then it’s worth the risk.”

“You should have let me come with you,” Vera protested.

“I’m fine. You should be worried about Riley, not me. How’s my mother? How’s she dealing with all of this?”

“Luna Adele is strong, you know that much. But I can tell that she’s terrified. We’ve never faced this type of threat before.”

She was right. But it made me feel better that Mother was holding it together. Just then, I noticed the cabin I’d been searching for. I slowed down, creeping around it. And then I spotted her. There was a man, lying on a makeshift bed, and she seemed to be giving him medicine. There were also two children, a boy and a girl.

“I have to go, Vera. Take care of the pack.”

I shut off the mind link, making my way to the door of the cabin. I

Chapter 63 One-Man

raised my hand, knocking subtly on the door. I didn’t want her to panic. and find a way to disappear.

After a moment, the worn-out door groaned open.

“I’ve been waiting for you, why…” she began, but as her gaze met mine, her eyes shot up in horror.

Good. I needed her to be scared of me.