Torn Between Mates

#16 Glass Slipper

Riven was on his way to the packhouse when Chloe joined him at the entrance. She interlinked her arm with him, making him surprised. Chloe pleaded with him not to disrespect her in front of everyone for old times' sake. She also asked him to consider it his atonement for ditching her on their agreed date.

Riven weighed his options. This claiming event was the worst. He didn't even have an ounce of fun. The mystery girl had vanished into thin air. No one could even recognize the bracelet despite the handcrafted moon trinket. Ella was probably still in the hospital. He wasn't even interested in it anymore. The more he spent time inside the Bluemoon pack, the more he felt suffocated. His emotions were all over the place. So, maybe it would be for the best if people assumed he was with Chloe. He couldn't stop feeling torn between the mystery girl and Ella. And he had concluded that neither of them was suitable since they stirred him. He still didn't want to entangle himself with affection. It would bring his downfall. No wonder he had been making stupid decisions since he met the two.

Chloe talked about their childhood. He didn't even know those incidents could still extract a smile from his face until he found himself reminiscing and smiling. Perhaps it wasn't a bad idea to take Mateo's suggestion about befriending Chloe. She made him feel lighter. They were best friends once. They could still become one, provided Chloe kept her feelings aside. Maybe they should go on that date he had planned.

They wandered the hall, talking about their past and catching up with their lives. Riven could feel the burning eyes on him. But he didn't care until his eyes fell on Ella.

Riven felt like a rumble of thunder struck him out of the blue. When he saw her giving him a sad look, he felt like the ground skidded away beneath his feet. He couldn't control his raging heartbeat. He felt like he was caught cheating. Why? They didn't share anything. She wasn't his girlfriend. He never said to her he liked her or gave her any false hopes. She never confessed her feelings clearly. Didn't he care for her because of her condition? But her situation didn't seem that bad.

Levi went ahead from his duties as an alpha to tend to her. He could vouch Levi liked her as a woman. Levi would look at her with warm, tender, gentle eyes like a puppy when she was busy with other things. That day when he walked on them in the kitchen, Riven had assumed Levi was angry because of Loui. But now Riven knew it was because Levi was jealous of their intimacy. Perhaps he was hiding his love for her beneath that pretense of a bully.

That realization only made Riven more jealous. He couldn't spend time with Ella or visit her, despite her situation, because he was not her alpha. Nor was he dating her. He wanted to see her yesterday. But what excuse could he have given? But he felt a sense of relief when he saw her healthy.

"What are you looking at?" Chloe interrupted, narrowing her eyes. She raised her hands to her waist, trying to get his attention back on her. She can't let it dwindle. She could finally get hold of him after a lot of trying.

"Nothing! I just found that everyone was looking at us. Was that your plan from the start?" Riven chuckled, teasing her a little.

Chloe ruffled his hair, poking her tongue out. It was something she used to do when they were kids. It wasn't something he would like her to repeat, but he was being easygoing to her since he promised to play along.

"Could you not do that again, ever?" Riven asked her, making her pout and sulk a bit. Chloe had assumed Riven would feel bad and allow her to do it. After all, so many people were watching them. But when he didn't budge, she adjusted the situation by laughing even more brightly to keep up the act. She didn't want anyone to notice that it was all a facade.

"You are like a grumpy old man! I wonder why people think you are a player." Chloe huffed, dragging him from there towards a counter of food.

Riven smiled at Chloe generously. But when she looked away, he turned to see if Ella was still there. Much to his disappointment, she was now talking about something with Levi. He felt like he was trapped in a cobweb of jealousy. He huffed, wanting to escape from that room. It suddenly felt clumsy.

"Do you want to eat this?" Chloe asked, handing him some food. Riven didn't even care what he was eating, his mind fully occupied by Ella. He only sighed with relief when he saw her walking away from Levi in anger and resentment.

Before leaving, she didn't even spare Riven a glimpse, making him rattled. He ignored what Chloe was saying, faking a smile now and then. His mind was fully occupied with Ella. Was she acting that way because she was angry at him? Or was it because she had no feelings for him? She said she didn't want to get involved with him earlier.

At least Ella was not with Levi; Riven thought to calm his nerves. It looked like they had some argument. It looked like that. But when he realized Ella was on a level where she could argue with Levi, he felt like something churned his heart. He gulped hard, dropping everything he was doing.

"Chloe, I have to go somewhere urgently!" Riven exclaimed, confusing Chloe. She frowned, trying to stop him. It would be embarrassing if he left like that when everyone was watching them. But Riven could not care less. He ran behind Ella as if his dear life depended on it. He could no longer deny that undeniable attraction he felt for her. Better to act on it than be sorry later.

He strolled through the area, looking for Ella, only to find her sitting beside a fountain and sobbing. It broke his heart to see her sad. He lets out a deep sigh before walking to her in slow steps.

When Ella realized someone was walking towards her, she wiped her tears, rising to leave. She didn't want anyone to see her miserable side.

"Ella!" Riven called her name, baffling her. But she was even more annoyed. Why was he here? To torment her? To confuse her? To play with her feelings?

"What are you doing? Didn't I say earlier that people would gossip if they saw us together?" Ella grumbled, walking away in the opposite direction.

Riven scoffed, puffing into the air. He chased her, grabbing her hands to stop her from leaving. "How are you?" He looked at her thoroughly. She didn't look like someone who got hit by a wolfsbane-coated silver bullet two days back. She was as healthy as she was when they first met. "You seemed to have healed. That was fast, even for an alpha." Riven mumbled, wondering how someone like her could be an omega. An omega's healing ability is on par with humans. She even outed him in that regard.

"I heal fast. The only ability I have is to heal fast as a grown-up wolf," Ella explained, reading his mind. He wouldn't stop looking at her like she was some miracle.

"Your wolf. It is white." Riven mumbled, wondering about the Pure Wolf legend. He didn't believe in them. But he had never seen one before Ella."So what? Do you think I have any power? You have saved me twice." Ella grunted. It was the very reason she hid her wolf. People would speculate and associate her with a baseless myth. She was the most useless, powerless wolf. "Why do you think I lied about my wolf? They would stare at me like you. I don't want more opinions about myself."

Riven looked away. He didn't even realize he was making her feel uncomfortable. "I am sorry. Your secret is safe with me." He assured her. She looked at him for a long minute. She began to walk away when she was convinced by his promise.

"Ella! stop!" Riven stopped her again.

"What is it again? I am great. You can see yourself." She groaned. The more she spent time with him, the more she craved him. It was annoying how much she was attracted to him.

"Umm... Umm.." Riven gulped, looking for a reason. He could not speak in front of a woman for the first time in his entire life. So much for being a famous playboy, he thought, goofing. A timid-looking woman had him wrapped around her little fingers. Was he this easily tameable? Who knew?

What was happening to him? She wondered. He was acting strangely. He wasn't even trying to avoid her or give a lecture. She rolled her eyes, folding her arms against her chest, glaring at him, waiting for him to speak.

"The bracelet!" Riven exclaimed.

"What bracelet?" Ella scoffed. The man was full of excuses.

"This," Riven took it out from his pocket to show it to Ella. "Do you recognize it?" I found-" Riven was about to tell her about the mystery girl from the ball when she snatched it from his hand, scowling at him. "What are you doing with my bracelet?" She complained, frowning.

"This is yours?" Riven spoke in a soft yet surprised tone.

"Of course. I made that moon trinket. Look, I have one hanging in my bag as well." Ella flashed her bag. "Where did you find it? I thought I had lost it."

"Near the treeline," he whispered, still processing the information. So the two of them were the same? Of course! A broad smile spread across his lips. He didn't even want to fight back his attraction anymore. He was sure it wouldn't go away until he had her.

"Why are you like that to me? I am not even that physically attractive." Ella huffed, putting her bracelet inside her bag, a little suspicious of Riven. He was acting weird.

Riven's eyes widened in a sudden realization. It was as if Ella's words were dripping with a truth potion. Right! He was attracted to her physically. She differed from all the plastic women he dated for a while. He knew what he had to do to get rid of all those unwarranted, heavy, confusing, overwhelming feelings that kept him frustrated. He needed to claim her. He could satiate his growing desire in his heart only by claiming her. Only then can he get back to his old life.

"Riven?" Chloe called out, interrupting them. She was burning with jealousy. Did he leave her stranded on that omega? Why was he even interested in her? She was so skinny. What did he even see in her to feel attracted? She would have understood if it was Loui. Loui was beautiful, even if she was a b***h.

Riven hissed, taking a deep breath. Chloe followed him everywhere. He was beginning to feel like he was haunted. He decided to end it there. He would tell her that he was not interested in her romantically. It was Ella that he liked. But when he turned in Chloe's direction, Ella ran away, ditching him again. It left him shocked but pleasantly. The anger that had surged inside him a moment ago vanished.

He wanted to get angry at Ella for leaving like that. But a broad, delightful smile spread across his face. It reminded her of the ball night when Ella had ditched him as the mystery girl.

"Ella, I know you like me too. I am going to claim you in this claiming event. Wait for me! You shall be mine." Riven chuckled, thinking about it in his mind. He watched her retreating figure, forgetting about Chloe. She scowled at him. He couldn't stop his broad smile, his eyes beaming with sincerity. His wolf felt elated, howling and jumping at his head in ecstasy.

Not far away, Levi saw everything unfolding between Riven and Ella in anger and envy, clenching his fist into a fall in a frenzy. It pissed him that Riven had figured out that the mystery girl he was searching for everywhere was Ella. He wouldn't stay still. He looked at Chloe, hoping she would do something to stop Riven. His sister was good for nothing. Riven didn't even spare a glance at Loui.

He will be coronated as the alpha tomorrow. After that, in the concluding event, he would do everything in his power to claim Ella, even if it meant he would have a mistress before a Luna.

"Ella, I can't let anyone else have you while I am still alive. In this claiming, you shall be mine or no one else's." He promised himself, shivering in determination and anger, etching those words in his head and heart.