RILEY
I woke up to the smell of delicious food tickling my nose and filling my lungs. My mouth watered before I even had a chance to open my eyes. I felt like one of those cartoon characters that get dragged out of bed by the food scent. This was real life though, so I needed to freshen up and get dressed before I made my way down. Sure, I contemplated making my way to the kitchen naked but I didn't want to risk someone walking in on a naked woman at their Alpha's house. Plus, I knew it would just end up in some dirty sex on top of the kitchen table and I wanted to avoid that.
Last night was insanely hot- we tried every position and every corner of his bedroom...and bathroom. 6 orgasms later though, it was time to get back to reality which was already knocking on the door with all the worried text messages that I was getting from Lucien, Anna and Connor.
Reality can wait a bit longer, I thought to myself when I entered the dining room and saw an amazingly laid out breakfast table with a stack of steamy pancakes, freshly-squeezed orange juice and aromatic double espresso, all waiting there for me to devour them. This man would make a woman very happy one day.
"I thought you didn't do promises? A woman can get the wrong impression like that!", I said as I sat down while he came out of the kitchen with the toppings for the pancakes, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts. I would gladly have him for breakfast, with a bit of honey just to sweeten my meal even more, but I had to behave.
"I thought you aren't like most women?" Touché! "Can't a guy be a gentleman without that implying that he wants something more?" he raised an eyebrow at me but he didn't actually let me to reply. "And good morning to you too, by the way. Shame that you are all dressed already- we didn't get to test this table", he whispered in my ear and I could feel my core tingle.
"Yes, well- reality awaits. And unless you want the Blackwood Pack to come looking for me soon, I'll need you to give me a lift back to our grounds once we are done here." It took a lot of my strength to turn him down! I nearly felt like patting myself on the back for how good I was being. Plus, I really was starving for food.
"So, you are a Moreau. What's your relation to Alpha Moreau exactly?" Callum asked as I scoffed down the pancakes that he had served me.
"His long lost sister, duh!" I said with a joking tone.
"The sister that no one knew what happened to her?"
"That would be the one. Back from the dead, so to speak, to bite the people who destroyed her family in the arse."
If Callum was surprised by who I was, he didn't give it away. "If half of the stories I have heard about your mother from my parents and the sleuth elders are true, you are every bit as headstrong and charming as your mother!"
"So I keep on hearing!" I gave him a small smile.
"So what happened to your wolf then? Why can't I sense it?"
"That's a story for another day, Callum. Can we not ruin the end to a great night?"
He caressed one of my cheeks with his finger before he ran his thumb over my lips. "Sure, beautiful! I must admit, I didn't expect to have such a grand time when my guys dragged me to that pub yesterday. Animal or not, you are a pretty impressive woman, Riley Moreau!"
As we pulled up in front of the Blackwood mansion an hour later, I could see Lucien and Connor walk towards us. I removed my helmet and passed it back to Callum.
"I'm sorry", I said hastily.
"For what?"
"For what is probably about to come. I think my brother is trying to make up for the lost years with his over-protectiveness." Callum chuckled and I failed to see what was so funny.
"Alpha Andrews", I heard a familiar voice behind me say, so I turned around to face him. He did not look in a good mood- now would be a good time for Anna to tell him her happy news!
"Alpha Moreau. Beta Evans."
"I see that you have met my sister."
"I had the pleasure to get to know her, yes."
Connor smirked knowingly at Callum's words, especially when he stressed on "pleasure" which seemed to piss Lucien off. I was never one to shy away from owning up to my hook-ups but right now I really wished that I could just snap my fingers and teleport myself to my room to avoid the awkwardness. I wondered if my parents could teach me how to do that with magic? You are getting carried away, Riley!
"Sorry that I am bringing your sister back late, Lucien. I just wanted to show Riley the enjoyable things in the area", a cheeky grin emerged on his gorgeous face," and you know how I like to be thorough." I really had to fight the urge to punch him in the shoulder right now but I managed to remain calm and composed.
I heard Lucien growl just enough to make it clear to Callum that he was not happy about this. "I understand, Callum. I guess I should thank you for looking after my sister." Oh god, this was getting more awkward by the minute, so I tried to end things as quickly as possible.
"Thanks for the ride, Callum." I said and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"My pleasure, beautiful." He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips." See you at the Macalister party." I nodded, even though I was not quite sure what he was talking about.
As Callum drove off, Lucien tried to talk but I raised my hand to stop him before he even said anything. "Don't! I am a grown woman and I don't need someone telling me what or who I can do."
"Ohh, burn!" Connor exclaimed, while Lucien looked extremely serious and very uneimpressed with him."I knew that it would be so much fun to have Riley around. Come along, naughty girl, we have a celebration to plan- looks like we have more Moreau trouble coming our way." This time he smiled with genuine happiness.
My eyes darted to Lucien whose facial expression mellowed immediately. "Oh my goodness, she told you!" I threw myself around his neck.
"Last night! And we told Connor and some other close pack members this morning." Lucien said as he hugged me.
"I am so happy for you, Lucien. I really am! Ahhhhhhhh, I'm going to be an aunty! Can't wait to meet this beautiful baby boy or girl!"
"Relax, aunty Riley- you will never be quite as cool as uncle Connor, for sure, but I guess I can teach you a thing or two." Well, this time I didn't need to control myself any longer so I punched Connor in the shoulder- a little too hard but I knew that he could take it.
"Ouch! I thought that you had already dealt with your frustration." He feigned injury before he tried to tease me but I just glared at him, as I had no intention to continue in that direction.
"So, what's this Macalister party that Callum was talking about?"I asked the boys once we entered the mansion.
"Oh, that! It's Alpha Macalister's fiftieth birthday and, seeing as his pack is one of the oldest shifter packs in the country, it's going to be a huge event with hundreds of shifters. And before you ask, we are all going, trouble!" Connor looked at me as if he knew that I was going to protest. I was not really one for big social events, unless I was there working an assignment.
"But I am human- they probably won't even allow me there!"
"Connor is right, Riley. You are coming along as it will be a perfect opportunity to introduce you to the important people from our world. And you are not any human- you are a Moreau, with or without the wolf! And you better have a gown picked soon, as it's a black tie event and it's happening in 3 weeks."
I knew how to pick my battles and this was one that I was not one that I was going to win. Plus, if we wanted to find out who was behind our parents' death, it was important for me to get to know some of the possible suspects better.
The next few weeks went by in a blink of an eye as I was busy with the pack's training and studying the files that Lucien gave me on the mysterious disappearances and deaths. All the cases were so sporadic and yet they definitely felt connected- whoever was behind them all was using similar MO. Lucien clearly thought that I didn't have enough to read though, as he also gave me a mountain of other files containing the profiles of various shifter leaders and their packs to ensure that I was prepared for the Macalister event. He was thinking about the whole thing so much that, in order to be certain that I didn't attract any extra trouble, he even reached out to my parents to ask if my scent could be covered with the help of the protection bracelet. Apparently, it could! Sure, the shifters at the event would probably suspect that I had something to hide but at least they wouldn't know I was human unless I wanted them to.
Luckily, things were not all just work and no fun, as Anna and I finally got to have a girly day-trip to Edinburgh to pick gowns for the party. I really didn't want to make a big deal out of the whole thing but Anna insisted on making my debut to the shifter world unforgettable and that included a show-stopping dress. I took another sip of my champagne as the sales assistant brought my final dress to the changing room and then proceeded to try it on. I couldn't see how I looked but the moment I put it on, it fit like a second skin to my body and it felt like it had been made for me. It was a daring dress and I couldn't wait to see Anna's reaction.
"Oh wow! I am speechless! You look absolutely stunning, Riley!", I heard Anna say as I walked out of the changing room. I looked at the mirror in front of me and I had to agree with her. Sure, this was the most expensive dress that I had ever tried in my life but it was absolutely out of this world.
The gown was a see-through Versace with Swarovski crystal detailing and a thigh-high slit. It was fitted at the top but flowed into a fuller skirt, and an intricate embroidery covered the bodice. A draping sleeve hing off my right shoulder. I felt one in a million wearing it! As much as I loved it though, I didn't want to spend so much of the pack's money on a dress but Anna wouldn't take no for an answer. She kept on repeating something about responsibilities and appearance when you are a Moreau in the shifter world.
Saturday came and it was time for Alpha Macalister's birthday party. I was finally ready to make my family and my pack proud. Boswell or Moreau, it didn't matter- I had the upbringing of one and the blood of the other, which meant I was more dangerous than any of these shifters could probably expect. I put on the dress and tied my hair up in a sleek ponytail before I put on some light makeup. I masked my scent by saying the magic words that my mum and dad told me to use and was ready to go.
As I was about to head downstairs to meet my brother, Anna and Connor, I realised that there was one more thing that I needed to do- when I walked in at Windcrest Pack mansion, I wanted the world to see me, the real me. The one that I didn't even know about until recently. So I placed my hand on my bracelet and the word gently rolled off my tongue: "Revelare".