Contractually Yours Alpha (Riley)

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Chapter Two Hundred and Two

Chapter Two Hundred and Two

She couldn't hurt me. But still, I didn't proceed any further.

"I am not what you think I am," she says, "Not anymore."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I heard everything the healers said to you, and I know I might die."

"Don't say that; you won't die; I won't let you."

"There are some things you cannot control, Thane, and death is one of them. I had to leave the healing room because Dias' neck suddenly seemed like the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. And then there were people everywhere; it was overwhelming; I wanted to hurt them, and I've never been so afraid."

"Riley, you don't have to be scared; we would always be there to protect you."

"How can you protect me? You don't even know me."

"I do, Riley; I know you

better than you think."

"Once I would have believed that," she says. "But now... now I don't. All this wouldn't have happened if... if you never let me go," tears streamed down her eyes. "You forced me into believing I wasn't good enough, and you thought you were protecting me, but you weren't. I did something worse, all so I could be good enough for you. I did something worse, so one day I could sit by your side and feel like I deserved my position."

I could hear the pain in her voice, the longing, the sorrow, and I did all that.

She took a single step back and she shut her eyes, more tears escaping her eyelid, and then...

From her back, wings sprouted out, the color a magnificent mix of gray and white. I stared at her in absolute surprise. I had never seen anything like it my whole life.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She asked, "That's what I thought when I saw his wings; I thought they were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Nick promised me power; he said I would never be heartbroken and I would never be weak. I had been in so much pain, and I believed this was the solution. I wanted it so badly; I wanted it just to feel like I can confidently stand by your side because a part of me knew I would see you again.

The chances of surviving the ritual were low, and yet I was ready to risk my life because it no longer felt worth living. I had fallen from grace-from a Queen to nothing and this time I was desperate to do anything to rise to the top. The sorceress services were costly, thanks to you, that wasn't an issue, but there was one more thing I needed-something even money couldn't buy.

The blood of a turned one. Nick's blood.

But that also came with a price: his blood in exchange for my hands in marriage. I hadn't

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Chapter Two Hundred and Two

agreed at first; I had been thinking about you, but the offer was so tempting, it took only a while for me to agree.

That night I had almost lost my life; we thought the ritual had failed, and then... I saw my wings for the first time, and all I could think about was that it was worth it. But now... I don't even know what I am; I can't explain why I find the taste of blood satisfying." She finished; more tears streamed down her face dripping onto her trembling lips.

"Riley," I called, approaching her, but again she took a step back, refusing to look me in the

eye.

"This was my decision; I shouldn't blame you, and yet I do; I blame you, Thane. I blame you for breaking my heart."

Her wings disappeared, and she walked away.

I stood there in a haze.

I had destroyed her, leaving scars that would last longer and I never knew that.

"You didn't know she would go sorting for this," Axel says. "You thought you were protecting her, and you only did let her go because you loved her. This is not your fault."

"No Axel. It is. I had wanted to do what was best for her, and I didn't care if that's what she wanted. She was talking, and I wasn't listening, and now this is the result, and it's all my fault.