The Alpha's Mate Who Cried Wolf novel Chapter 16

Letting out a growl, I glare. She glares back at me and crosses her arms. Did I growl like a wolf? 

"Vanessa! You just hurt your Luna!"Ryker yells. 

"I am your Luna!"She snaps. 

"Vanessa, we will discuss this another time. First, I need to see if Astrid is okay," he says as he walks over to me. My vision is blurry. My head hurts. I realise I must have bumped my head on the tree trunk. Ryker grabs my arms to pull me up. He asks, "Are you okay?"

"I think I hit my head. Everything is spinning," I say, rubbing my head with one hand and leaning onto Ryker. Vanessa marches toward us. 

"Don't you walk away from me, Ryker!"She yells.

"Go home, Vanessa! We will discuss this tomorrow!"He yells back. 

"I love you, Ryker! I know you love me too. We have already made the arrangements. I'm your mate and Luna!"She yells. Gasping at her words, I look up at Ryker. 

"Is this true, Ryker?" I ask, praying that it isn't. Ryker lets out a sigh. 

"Yes, it's true, but-' I slap Ryker across the face before he can finish his sentence. 

"You made me come here. You convinced me to give you a chance, and you already had a mate and Luna?" I yell. Ryker has his hand on his cheek, where I slapped him. 

"Astrid, you don't understand. I can explain all this. You are my true mate, my fated mate. Vanessa was just a chosen mate. It's not the same! I didn't want-"

"Enough!"I say sternly. I look at Vanessa standing behind Ryker, smirking. 

"You can have him!"I yell, making her grin. 

"Astrid, please hear me out. You don't understand!"Ryker says as he tries to take my hand. I back away from him. 

"You know, I thought we had something special and magical until your whore arrived!"I yell. Vanessa glares at my words.

Turning, I run toward the house. Ryker wants to chase after me, but Vanessa grabs his arm. I see Vanessa trying to hug Ryker, but Ryker is yelling at her and pushing her off him.

"I brought you some lunch. I'll leave it at the door," she explains. 

The last thing I want to do is eat food. I feel sick thinking about how close I have become with Ryker. He wants me, but I don't understand why. I know I'm his mate, but he had already arranged to be mates with Vanessa. Have I ever meant anything to him? Or has he been playing me and lying to me this whole time?

Exiting the bathroom via two gorgeous French doors, I sit on the balcony next to a large pot plant, hoping no one can see me. I keep hearing the odd door-knock for the rest of the day and continue to ignore it. Sometimes it's Ryker knocking. Sometimes it's other people. It hurts me every time to hear the pain and regret in his voice when he speaks. Hayley knocks on the door when it's dinnertime.

"I brought you some dinner, Luna. I see your lunch is still here. I know you're upset, Astrid, and I understand why, but Ryker is so distressed we're struggling to keep him calm. We could use your help to calm him down before he destroys the entire house."

Feeling a little guilty hearing that Ryker is tearing the place apart, I let out a heavy sigh, walked to the door, and unlocked it. Hayley is holding a plate of food and smiles at me.

"Luna. Thank you." 

"Thank you, Hayley. I'm not hungry. Can you show me where he is?" Hayley nods. 

I follow her downstairs, where Ryker is growling and throwing a chair across the living room. The room is a complete mess. I stand there with my arms crossed, unimpressed with the absolute mess he has made. Ryker sniffs the air and spins around to see me. He races over to me, relieved. I look away, not wanting to look at him.