“Mate.”
Nyra stared at him, Riven stared back.
Neither moved or spoke.
Nyra could still hear her own heartbeat, but she wasn’t sure whether it was from the fight or from the man standing in front of her.
She couldn’t pull her eyes away from the stranger.
Riven stood with a casual, dangerous grace.
His sun-bronzed skin was a canvas of dark, intricate ink that spilled across his collarbones and crept down his broad chest like creeping vines.
A silver chain hung low around his throat, nestled right where his shirt fell completely open to reveal a hard, cut torso.
Thick, dark bands and geometric designs wrapped around his right forearm and hand, disappearing under the sleeve of a dark leather jacket.
His hair was a wild, messy mop of dark brown curls that fell over an intensely sharp brow, casting shadows over an angular, beautiful face that looked like trouble itself.
His eyes were dark and steady, watching her with an intensity that made it difficult to look away.
Nyra had heard countless stories about Riven; The Most Fearsome Rogue, The man Alphas avoided provoking, The rogue who didn’t care about pack laws when he believed someone deserved punishment.
She had never expected him to look this handsome and hot.
“Eira.”
‘Yes?’
“You could have warned me.”
Eira’s amusement immediately filled Nyra’s mind.
‘Warned you about what?’
“That my mate was going to look this hot and sexy.”
Eira practically purred.
‘I was too busy being happy.’
Nyra almost rolled her eyes.
She had noticed handsome wolves before.
She had even received enough attention throughout university to know that she was considered beautiful herself.
People noticed Nyra when she walked into a room: Her face, her dark hair, her eyes, the confidence in the way she carried herself, everything about her made her stand out.
Being an Omega hadn’t changed that.
If anything, her beauty had always been one of the things that made her unusual.
There had been plenty of wolves who tried to get her attention over the years.
Nyra had simply never cared enough to entertain them.
Her friends had teased her about it more than once.
You’re pretty enough to have half the university chasing you, Ravenna had once told her.
Nyra had only laughed.
She wasn’t interested in being chased.
She wanted something more meaningful than that and now, standing in the middle of a forest covered in dirt after fighting four rogues, she had somehow found her mate and he was Riven.
The irony wasn’t lost on her.
Riven, meanwhile, was having his own realization.
He had seen beautiful women before.
He had spent enough years traveling through different territories to know exactly how much attention beauty could attract but Nyra was different.
She was striking even after a fight.
Her dark hair was slightly messy, and there were traces of dirt on her clothes, but somehow none of it managed to hide how beautiful she was.
Her eyes were especially captivating.
They were sharp, confident and defiant.
Even now, after watching four rogues run from him, she wasn’t looking at him like he was some terrifying creature.
Riven almost found himself amused.
Most she-wolves who encountered him reacted differently.
He had seen the nervous glances, the sudden blushes, the awkward smiles.
Some became too frightened to speak.
Others became strangely fascinated by the danger surrounding him.He had learned long ago that his appearance could have gotten him plenty of attention if his reputation didn’t arrive in the room before he did.
Riven finally broke the silence.
“Are you hurt?”
Nyra glanced down at herself.
“I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so?”
She looked back at him.
“I’ve been busy.”
For a second, Riven said nothing then the corner of his mouth lifted.
“I noticed.”
Nyra raised an eyebrow.
“You were watching?”
“I was.”
“How long?”
“Long enough.”
She studied him.
He wasn’t joking.
She looked toward the direction the rogues had disappeared.
“They’re gone?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
She exhaled slowly.
The adrenaline from the fight was beginning to leave her body.
She looked back at Riven..
“Thank you.”
Her voice was quieter this time.
“You’re welcome.”
And then
Silence.
Again.
Nyra waited.
Riven waited.
Neither seemed to know what came next.
They knew what they were.
Their wolves knew.
The mate bond had made that perfectly clear.
But knowing someone was your mate didn’t suddenly give you a list of things to say to them.
Nyra cleared her throat.
“Well…”
Riven raised an eyebrow.
“Well?”
“I should probably go.”
Riven’s expression changed slightly.
“Go?”
“Yes.”
He stared at her.
Nyra wasn’t sure why he looked so surprised.
She glanced around the clearing.
“I have somewhere to be.”
Riven folded his arms.
“Where?”
Nyra hesitated.
She wasn’t about to explain her entire mission to a stranger simply because their wolves had decided they belonged together.
“I have things to take care of.”
Riven studied her carefully.
There was something about the way she said it that told him she wasn’t going to elaborate.
He could respect that.
Still, he hadn’t expected her to simply walk away.
Most people didn’t walk away from their mate after discovering the bond.
Especially not from him.
Nyra took a step backward.
“Thank you again.”
Riven nodded.
“You’re welcome.”
Another pause.
Nyra turned.
She took two steps then Eira practically screamed inside her mind.
‘NYRA!’
“What?”
‘YOU’RE LEAVING OUR MATE!’
Nyra nearly stumbled.
“I’m not leaving him forever.”
‘It looks like forever!’
“We’re standing in a forest, Eira. I have somewhere to be.”
‘But he’s our mate!’
Nyra sighed internally.
“And he’ll still be our mate when I get where I’m going. We’re on a mission, remember?”
Eira went quiet.
Then, much more calmly:
‘I like him.’
Nyra couldn’t help smiling faintly.
“I know.”
She took another step.
“Wait.”
Riven’s voice stopped her.
Nyra turned around.
He was looking at her with that same calm expression.
“What’s your name?”
She stared at him.
For the first time, she realized they hadn’t even introduced themselves.Despite everything that had happened, they were technically still strangers.
Nyra almost laughed.
“Nyra.”
Riven repeated it quietly.
“Nyra.”
Something about the way he said her name made her stomach flutter.
She quickly ignored it.
“And you?”
Riven’s eyebrow rose.
“You know who I am.”
“I know your reputation.” She paused. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“I asked for your name.”
That actually caught him off guard.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“Riven.”
“I know.”
His smile widened slightly.
“Of course you do.”
Nyra folded her arms.
“Your name tends to travel.”
“Usually not for good reasons.”
“I didn’t say it did.”
Riven chuckled.
It was the first time Nyra had heard him laugh and annoyingly, she liked the sound.
Eira was practically dancing.
‘He’s handsome and he laughs.’
“Please calm down.”
‘No.’
Nyra shook her head.
“Well, Riven…”
She looked toward the forest.
“I really should go.”
Riven nodded slowly.
“You have somewhere important to be?”
“Yes.”
“Then go.”
Nyra blinked.
She hadn’t expected him to agree so easily but before she turned around, Riven added,
“I’ll see you again.”
Nyra looked back at him.
Nyra smiled faintly.
“Maybe.”
Then she turned and walked away.
Riven watched her disappear between the trees.
Tristan was unusually quiet.
For once, even his wolf seemed to be processing what had just happened.
Then..
‘She’s beautiful.’
Riven almost laughed.
“You just realized that?”
‘I noticed immediately.’
Riven shook his head.
He couldn’t deny it.
Nyra was beautiful but there was something else about her that held his attention even more, Nyra wasn’t impressed by his reputation.
She hadn’t been frightened into submission nor clung to him simply because he was her mate.
She had thanked him, introduced herself and then tried to leave.
Riven looked in the direction she had gone.
For years, he had been searching for one thing.
The King’s surviving daughter.
The person his father had ordered him to find and protect.
He had spent years following clues, surviving alone, gathering information, and becoming strong enough to eventually confront the people responsible for destroying his family.
He hadn’t expected to find his mate along the way.
And he certainly hadn’t expected his mate to be an Omega who could fight four rogues by herself and then casually walk away from the most feared Rogue alive.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
For the first time in years, Riven found himself genuinely curious about what the future held.
He turned toward the forest.
“Let’s go, Tristan.”
The wolf stirred.
‘We’re following her?’
Riven paused.
Then shook his head.
“No.”
He started walking in the opposite direction.
“Not yet.”
Tristan seemed amused.
‘You’re going to let her walk away?’
Riven’s smile remained.
“For now.”
Because something told him Nyra wasn’t someone who wanted to be chased.
And Riven had never been interested in forcing anything but he also knew one thing with absolute certainty.
He had found his mate and he wasn’t about to forget her.
Not now.
Not ever.
Thanks for reading.