I love you

Layla curled her body tighter, trembling from the mournful howl of the beast and sobbing quietly. She just wanted to disappear. She had never been so terrified in her entire life and she had never gone through what she just went through in the hands of her attacker. Madame Parker had abused and beaten her mercilessly, but never had she been abused sexually. And the gruesome sight she just witnessed was too much to handle. She flinched at the slightest touch and cried more when Cade and Caleb arrived with the pack behind them.

Cade took one look at the situation and instantly knew what the problem was. Layla was deathly terrified of the beast and Riven didn't shift back. He kept trying to go close to his mate. If he didn't shift, he might give poor Layla a heart attack.

"Riven you scare her",Cade said slowly, not wanting to aggravate the beast. He tried going close to Layla but the beast turned on him and roared. It this current state, Riven knew neither friend nor foe. He was in his protective state and he would lash out at anyone who tried to go close to his mate.

Cade quickly bowed, showing the back of his neck as a sign of submission to the Alpha. Caleb and the other shifters behind him followed suit and they all bowed deeply in submission.

The beast growled again, red eyes burning with hate, and he glared at the shifters bowing to him. When he didn't feel any danger towards him and his mate, he turned away and his eyes fell on Layla who was still tightly curled into a ball.

[Alpha she's terrified of you. You need to shift back]

Cade mind linked Riven again and this time, Riven listened. The sound of bones popping and reshaping filled the quiet passage as he shifted back. His eyes were still bloody red, which meant his beast was still at the surface, but he was in control now.

Totally ignoring everyone else, he crouched beside Layla and tried to touch her. Thinking it was still the beast, Layla swatted his hand away and cowered further. The rejection greatly hurt Riven but he couldn't blame her. If he were in her shoes, he would be terrified of his own beast because it was a horrible ugly sight. But he needed to be sure his mate wasn't hurt from what that escaped bastard did to her.

"My love it's me",he said quietly. His voice was husky and it reached Layla's ears. She peered out from under her arms, trembling and afraid that she would see the beast again. When her eyes met Riven's blood red eyes, she shut her eyes tightly and turned away. He looked terrifying.

"Oh my sweet Layla",Riven whispered. He closed his eyes, trying to rein in his beast. The pain in his heart increased when he realized that Layla was scared of him. It broke him completely. Try as he could, he couldn't subdue his beast. He needed a run to clear his head. He needed to leave right now.

"Riven?",Cade called when he noticed the Alpha trembling. He knew what Riven was going through. As a shifter, he felt everything his mate felt. It only became stronger after he marked and mated with her. Right now, Layla's fear of him hurt him greatly and there was nothing he could do about it.

Riven clenched his fist and backed away from Layla. A part of him hoped she would turn around and call to him but she didn't. Swallowing the hurt he was feeling, he turned to Cade.

"Get Henrietta to help her. Let no one else go close to her, apart from Henrietta",he said in a strange shaky voice. His red eyes looked up at Cade and the beta nodded.

"Yes Alpha. What about you? Will you be okay?",Cade asked.

"I'll be fine",Riven said. And without a backward glance at his mate, he shifted into his golden wolf and sprinted out of the mansion.

...

The night was cold and moonless and an icy wind blew through the island.

Riven stood in the corridor of Henrietta's house, looking towards the distance. His eyes were hard and emotionless and his shoulders looked rigid. With his arms crossed, he exuded a dominant aura and authority. The cold wind ruffled his hair and brought the scent of the witch as she stepped outside.

Riven didn't bother to turn around to know she was standing behind him.

"How is she?",he asked.

Henrietta sighed. "She's fine now. I gave her some soothing potion to calm her nerves and make her relax"

Riven remained quiet as he stared at nothing in particular. He was glad to know Layla was much better. Knowing she would be terrified of staying in the mansion with what happened earlier today, he had instructed the witch to take his mate to her home. He knew Layla would be more comfortable there.

"Did she eat?",he asked again.

Henrietta shook her head, but answered nonetheless. "She can't keep anything down".

Layla hadn't been able to take any solid food. She complained of being nauseous and whatever went into her mouth was thrown up a few minutes later. She could barely keep the food down in her stomach. Even the glass of juice Henrietta made for her was left untouched. The poor girl was terribly shaken with what happened.

Riven knew this would happen. After seeing so much blood for the first time in her life, she was bound to get sick from it. He closed his eyes, blaming himself for his lack of control. He caused it all. And yet, if it were to happen again, he would not hesitate to destroy whoever tried to harm his mate. He didn't regret doing what he did to the man that assaulted her. His only regret was doing it in Layla's presence.

There was one more thing he needed to know from Henrietta.

"Did...did she ask of me?",he asked quietly. He needed to know if she still saw him as a beast.

Henrietta smiled softly. "She did. Once"

"What did she say?",Riven asked, curious to know.

"She wanted to know where you were, and if you were angry with her for pushing you away. I told her you...",Henrietta was cut short when Riven suddenly pushed passed her. He entered the house, heading towards the room where Layla was.

Riven couldn't stay away from his mate any longer. And when Henrietta told him that Layla thought he was angry with her, he couldn't bear it anymore.

He followed the sweet scent of roses and apples until he got to the room where Layla was. Caleb and another shifter were standing in front of the room, guarding their Luna. They moved aside as Riven approached them.

"Join Caleb in the mansion. I will bring my mate with me",he said to them.

"Yes Alpha",Cade and the other shifter said and left Henrietta's home.

Riven paused outside the door. He could feel her. He could feel the presence of his mate. And the fear of getting rejected by her again scared him. Who would have thought he, Supreme Alpha and Alpha King, who feared no one, who felt no fear, who was ruthless and dangerous, who could take down an entire army of dark creatures... who would have thought he would be scared of his mate's rejection?

Slowly he pushed the door open and entered the room. The interior was dim and a single lantern illuminated the room. Layla was in the middle of a medium sized bed, holding the covers up. Her eyes widened when she saw Riven and she threw the covers off her. Climbing up on the bed, she threw herself into Riven's waiting arms and held on tightly.

Riven felt the relief course through him. His arms tightened around her slender frame and he buried his nose in her hair, relishing her sweet scent.

"I'm sorry Riven...I was so scared...",Layla's voice came out muffled as she held on tight to him.

Riven shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for my love",he told her. "I'm sorry I scared you. I was so worried, I was terrified that something terrible happened to you".

Layla moved out of his embrace and looked up at him. Her eyes were like twin pools of moonlight as she gazed up at him, and Riven couldn't resist the urge to trail his thumb over her luscious lips.

"You were terrified?",she whispered.

Riven smiled at her. He knew what she was thinking. How could the most powerful man who feared nothing be terrified for her?

"I was. If anything had happened to you, I don't know what I would have done",he said quietly, his thumb still tracing her lips. "I regret scaring you, but I don't regret what I did. I would kill anyone who dares to hurt you my love. And I will protect you until my last breathe".

Layla was quiet for a while, staring up at him. Then her lips parted and three words left her mouth.

"I love you"

....

Author's Note

Hello lovely readers, thank you for reading this book so far. To those who keep voting and those who supported the book, I love you all. You give me a lot of encouragement to continue.

I apologize for not updating another chapter yesterday like I promised. I will make it up to you all❤️

If you have an idea about the book, or you have a review, feel free to drop it in the review section. You can recommend the book to others too. Your votes and support are highly appreciated.

I love you all❤️❤️❤️

BellaCupid