I Have Two Wolves and Three Mates

1.Waking up

Third-Person Point of View

Riley's eyelids fluttered open, her gaze blurry as it gradually focused on the sterile whiteness around her. The soft beep sound of the machines and the faint scent of antiseptic filled the air. She blinked a couple of times, trying to clear away the heaviness she felt on her eyelids. Her whole body felt stiff, disconnected from her soul, as if she were a stranger inhabiting it.

The bed beneath her felt rigid, and the humming sounds of the machines beside her seemed distant, almost unreal.

Maybe she is in a dream. She will wake up soon, but wake up to what? What was she doing before? Why is it this hard to recall?

She pinched herself on her arm to make sure she was dreaming.

Unfortunately, she felt the pain... It is not a dream... This is the reality...

Riley closed her eyes again, seeking refuge in the darkness behind her eyelids. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, to untwist the scattered memories that seemed just out of reach. Slowly, the fog in her mind began to clear, and with it came the excruciating pain in her heart caused by the flood of emotions she had long tried to bury.

Two extraordinarily handsome faces emerged from the depths of her mind. They looked so similar yet so different. The owners of those faces once made her feel like the happiest person on Earth. Their smiles had once been her sun and moon, guiding her through every day and night.

But as their images get more sharpened, so does the pain that comes with them. What had once been the reason for her to live had turned into the very reason she had to run- to escape the life she so painstakingly built.

Tears began to spill from her eyes, making her pale cheeks wet as they rolled down. She hadn't even realized she was crying, so consumed was she by the deep, indescribable pain that had resurfaced.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened. Riley opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at it. Subconsciously, she propped herself up a bit.

A middle-aged woman in a plain, somewhat worn-out dress stood by the door holding a plastic bag in her hand. She looked utterly drained; the depth of sorrow and frustration carved clearly into every line of her face. Yet, despite the traces of exhaustion, an undeniable beauty still lingered that couldn't be entirely erased.

As she saw Riley propping herself on the bed while staring at her, her eyes grew wider, and her jaws opened. The plastic bag in her hand dropped without her even knowing. In a split second, her eyes began to fill with tears.

Then, before Riley could even react, this woman flung herself onto the bed, wrapping Riley in a tight embrace. She began to sob uncontrollably as she kissed Riley's head.

"My baby... My beautiful Riley, you are finally awake... I knew the Moon Goddess would one day listen to Mom's prayers. See, you are finally in mom's arms after one year, hugging mom tightly...."

Riley was getting suffocated with how tightly the woman embraced her, but she couldn't worry. All her focus rested on one thing this woman said: cancelling everything else.

Mom... This woman said she is her mom...

But how could it be possible? Riley's mom passed away a few months before she fled from home. Riley had never seen this woman in her entire life. She didn't even have any relatives except for her mom. So, who is this strange woman claiming to be her mom?

"Oh! I have to call your dad... He just left the hospital, spending the whole night beside you. Oh! God! I don't even know if he gets a heart attack, hearing this good news." After kissing Riley's whole face while crying and praising the Moon Goddess, the woman took a phone from the side bag she had on her.

My dad? Riley fell into a greater dilemma after hearing those words. She had never had a father in her entire life; she didn't even know who her father was. So, how come she suddenly has a father now? A caring and loving father who spent an entire night beside her in a hospital room at that?

"Oh, my baby... Your dad will run all the way here..." The woman was about to dial a phone number but suddenly paused.

"My God, what am I doing? I got so excited seeing you awake. I completely forgot to call the doctors. Baby, Mom will be right back!" she kissed Riley's cheek and hurried towards the door.

Riley let out a sigh, staring at the closed door. Even if the words can deceive a person, not the emotions shown on that face or those continuously rolling down tears could be fake. No doubt this woman loves her daughter so much; even her husband seems to love their daughter a lot. A lucky daughter to have such loving parents. But that lucky daughter is not her!!!

Riley felt her headache becoming more intense with every passing second. This woman even called her Riley, saying she was awake after one year. What was the meaning of all these? How could she untangle this highly messed-up ball of yarn?

Right then, Riley saw that the woman had left her phone on the bed, as she had left in a hurry. Riley quickly picked up the phone; she wanted to check the date to see if a year had really passed since that incident.

As she held the phone, the screen lit up, showing the date, time, and a photo of a lovely girl on the lock screen. But none of these could catch Riley's attention, as her mind stilled when she saw her own reflection on the phone.

It took her a few seconds to process what she should do next. By then, the screen had gone dark, giving her a clearer picture of her reflection. Riley blinked a few times, thinking she must be hallucinating. But the girl on the phone screen blinked along with her. She touched her face, and the girl on the screen did the same.

Riley couldn't help but scream with indescribable panic and fear! Who the hell is this girl on the phone screen? Whoever she is, she is not her!!! She is not Riley Simons, who fled from her house because of those two devilishly handsome faces!!!

A doctor and two nurses hurried to the room, along with the woman who had just left. But Riley had no time to pay attention to them. She wanted to go to the washroom to look in the mirror and confirm—maybe this stupid phone was tricking her!

Riley was so impatiently trying to remove all the wires and tubes that were attached to her body. Tears were spilling from her eyes nonstop; her head was so close to exploding...

"Riley!!! Stop this!! You're hurting yourself!!!" the Doctor and the nurses rushed to hold her and stop her from acting madly.

"She was just fine when I left. What has happened all the sudden?" the woman who had come earlier began to sob.

"I... I want to go to the washroom!!" Riley spoke for the first time since she woke up.

"You don't have to go to the washroom. We can help you do it here... It is risky for you to get down from the bed before the Doctor properly checks you." a nurse said kindly, rubbing Riley's head to calm her down.

Riley had only a few opportunities in her life to see other people's kindness toward her, but this was not the time to appreciate it.

"I want to go to the WASHROOM!!!" Riley screamed as she struggled to get down from the bed.

Finally, the Doctor and the nurses couldn't restrain her anymore; they had to help her get into the washroom.

"Keep the door slightly open in case of..." The nurse couldn't finish her sentence as Riley slammed the door in her face and locked it.

Riley heard the Doctor and the nurses shouting outside, asking her to be careful. Still, she didn't have the patience to listen. She quickly stood before the mirror with her wobbly legs and slowly raised her head to look in.

Riley was too shocked to scream as she stared at the reflection in the mirror. The girl looking back at her resembled her in many ways, yet was undeniably different. Instead of her light brown eyes, this girl has remarkable blue ones. Her hair, blonde and unfamiliar, contrasted with what Riley once had. But the facial features were eerily similar. This girl looks like a younger, more innocently beautiful version of herself.

This wasn't her. She is trapped in a stranger's body; there is no doubt about that. Then, where is her own body and what about the soul that once inhabited this one? Riley had heard about soul swapping before, but never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd experience it firsthand!

Her mind was filled with millions of questions, trapping her in the biggest turmoil of her life. She had been through so much in her life: bullied, insulted, and betrayed by the people who meant the world to her. She thought she had already faced the worst her destiny had to offer. But now, this? Losing her own body? It seemed like the universe was playing some cruel, twisted joke on her.

She just wanted to escape from home, from everything and everyone familiar to her. Here she is now, even losing the most familiar thing to her: her body. She laughed inwardly, thinking how ironic her fate was.

However, amidst the chaos in her mind, Riley was smart enough to know one thing: She needed to stay calm, at least for now.

Answers wouldn't come if she gave in to the panic.

She quickly washed her face to remove the traces of tears. Promising herself to be strong and find a way out of this mess, she finally walked out of the washroom.

The woman who claimed to be the mother of the owner of this body was not in the room. There were only the doctors and nurses. They started checking Riley all over to understand if she had any pain or abnormality. Finally, they concluded that Riley was physically fine except for being a bit weak, which is normal. But what about her mental status?

"Doctor, what is the date today?" Riley asked first.

The Doctor gave her a date; it was closer to one year and one month since she escaped from home.

"What had happened to me?" Riley then asked.

"You can't remember what has happened?" the Doctor frowned his eyebrows and asked worriedly.

Riley shook her head.

"Up to what incident can you remember? It is normal to forget incidents related to a tragedy," the Doctor kindly asked.

"Honestly, I can't remember anything, Doctor... I don't even know the woman who came earlier." Riley figured out this was the best way she could play until she found a way to return to her own body.

"Oh!!!" the Doctor looked both worried and scared. Riley could understand his worry, but why did he get scared?

"The woman who was here is your mom. Your dad spent the night beside your bed and went home in the morning. Normally, your parents and your mate would take turns spending time near you. They never left you alone for all this year," the Doctor explained.

"I have a mate too..." That's what first came to Riley's mind, and those words were spoken out loud.

"Of course, you have a mate who can make all the other women envy about you. You won't remember him for now, but you will feel the special bond you share once you see him. His name is Leo Vandenberg, and he is the youngest CEO to lead one of the top 5 companies in the country. So you can imagine how busy he must be. But he always visited you at least once daily and stayed with you whenever possible. Today, he is in another city, but when we informed him that you were awake, he abandoned all of his work and left there. He would come soon to see you. You can see yourself how much he loves you and dotes on you." the Doctor who explained about her parents with just two sentences, gave her a long explanation about her mate...

The hospital room she woke up to was undoubtedly a luxurious one. Even the Doctor and nurses talk to her very kindly and respectfully. So, Riley could guess this hospital must be a high-class one. But that woman... She looked pretty ordinary; Riley couldn't first understand how they could afford to keep this body in a hospital like this for over a year. But now everything is clear. It must be this body's owner's mate who bore all the expenses. Though Riley hasn't seen this person personally, she has heard about him from the news. He is popular not just as an entrepreneur, but his Greek God-like appearance made him an idol among the youth.

Riley's memories subconsciously travelled to the past. No father was present in her life; her mom never fulfilled any mom duties except for giving birth. Then her mates... Yes, not just one... She had two... But the only thing they both gave her was betrayal and pain... They were the very reason she was in this tragic mess right now.

Though she was lacking in many things in her entire life, Riley never envied others for what they had. But at this particular moment, she felt envy for this beautiful girl who is blessed with devoted parents and a mate who truly loves and cares about her.