Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2 (26 page)

Adrian’s eyes
went rounder than the tires on his jeep. “They did?”

Lauren glanced
over at a kid who yelled for his mother, two tables away. The woman
shushed him, looking embarrassed. “Yeah. At first, they were
running into problems. The scents they found always disappeared or
led to a body of water. Finally, they followed one until it led to
a waterfall. Clever, since the movement of water would screw up all
of the scents. Instead of giving up, they crossed it and searched
until they found another scent. It led to an abandoned cabin. All
of the scents are there, including a few more werewolves that
weren’t at the island. They have yet to find them though. They
think there may be another hideout.”

It made sense.
It had been almost three weeks since we had been kidnapped, and
with that many werewolves, you’d think they would have found them
by now.

Adrian was
about to speak when our food came. It smelled so good; I had the
urge to pant like a dog.

We dug in,
staying silent as we enjoyed our meal. Working out took a lot of
energy, and thankfully, food helped replenish it. Eating so much
and not gaining weight was my favorite part about being a werewolf;
my newfound strength was the second.

During our
meal, Lauren paused, placing her fork onto the table. “I have to
tell Joe what we’ve been doing.” Her voice was somber. She knew I
didn’t want her to.

I glared at her
but stayed silent. Adrian glanced at each of us, confusion written
on his face.

“I can’t keep
lying to him. We just started dating. You know what lies can do to
a relationship.” Her voice was desperate, pleading with me to
understand.

“I’m not ready
for Nate to know yet.”

Adrian’s brow
rose. “Know what?” he asked innocently.

I glanced at
him. “About you. How do you think a werewolf who has marked his
mate would react if he knew she was spending a lot of time with
another werewolf?”

Adrian froze.
“True.” His face twitched as he thought this through. “I don’t want
to come between you and your boyfriend. I don’t know why you’re
apart, and it’s not my business. But I think it must be difficult
for both of you to keep away from each other.”

His words hung
in the air. I didn’t know what to say. It was hard, and I wasn’t
ready to forgive. But I couldn’t talk about that with him,
especially in a crowded restaurant.

I was
about to say something, but the thoughts disappeared instantly when
the door to the restaurant opened, and the scent of two werewolves
entered with the cold wind. Adrian, Lauren and I all turned, our
nostrils flaring as the man we were discussing stalked towards us.
He was so furious that his eyes were yellow; his stare was fixed on
Adrian. Joe followed behind, looking just as angry.

“Let me guess.
That’s your mate?” Adrian murmured as we watched the guys approach
us. His mint chocolate scent held no comfort for me as I gazed at
my boyfriend.

“Yep,” I said
dryly, confused why Nate seemed so angry. He had never been the
jealous type, but that was before he marked me. Maybe that
explained why his arms were shaking as he rushed towards us. I was
expecting him to be upset that I was spending so much time with
Adrian, but he didn’t know that yet, and as far as Nate knew, we
had just met.

“Outside, now,”
he growled at Adrian, not even sparing a glance in my direction. I
was feeling anxious at seeing him for the first time since we had
discovered he had bitten me. How would he act toward me? Better
yet, how would I react to him? Would I forgive him like I so
desperately wanted to? I wasn’t sure. Right now, I needed to figure
out what was going on.

As Adrian,
Lauren, and I followed the guys outside, I handed a fifty to
Nicole. She smiled when she saw how much it was.

The sun was out
and for once the air was warm, well, warm for mid-November. Nate
was heading to the back of the lot where we would have privacy. We
passed a group of teenagers who were laughing loudly and squealing
in delight. A lone man, on his way to the diner eyed us wearily,
giving Lauren and I worried glances. Nate and Joe must have looked
scary as they led us away.

When we reached
the isolated back lot, Adrian and I stood together, backs against
his jeep. Lauren rushed to stand with Joe, who grabbed her hand,
shoving her slightly behind him.

“Get away from
her!” Nate growled at Adrian, his face wild with fury, his eyes
still yellow. He moved at wolf speed, yanking me behind him. His
scent whirled around me as I peeked over his shoulder at Adrian,
shooting him looks of apology. Adrian smiled sadly at me in
response. Nate noticed and took a step to the side to block my view
of my new friend. His hand was still wrapped tightly around my arm.
Despite the death grip, his touch felt warm even through my coat.
All I could see was the back of his black leather jacket and his
wavy blond hair.

“Leave now, or
I will kill you. Tell Charlotte I will find her, and when I do, she
will pay for what she’s done.” Nate’s voice was just above a
whisper, but it was filled with venom.

I reached out
to touch Nate’s arm about to tell him to leave Adrian alone, when
his words suddenly registered.

“What are you
talking about?” I asked, confused. “He doesn’t know Charlotte.”

Nate relaxed
his grip on my arm and let me move forward. The two of us faced
Adrian. Joe and Lauren stood off to the side. Lauren was staring at
Adrian with a look of confusion that most likely matched my
own.

Nate glanced at
me, remorse shone in his now clear blue eyes, all remnants of the
wolf was gone. “I recognize his scent from the island. He was one
of the werewolves that were chasing you and Lauren.”

The remark
Adrian made the first day we met, about my friend changing into a
werewolf now made sense. Despite this, I didn’t want to believe it.
I shook my head, not accepting Nate’s words. But when I glanced at
Joe for confirmation, he nodded. I turned back and glared at Adrian
feeling like such a fool.

Before I opened
my mouth to tell him off, the jerk spoke.

“I can
explain.”

“You lied to
me,” I yelled, a stab of betrayal burned in my stomach making me
nauseous. What was it with guys I trusted? Why did they keep
letting me down?

“I know, and
I’m sorry.” Adrian’s voice was filled with regret as he took a step
toward me, wrapping his hand around my arm. Before he said another
word, Nate ripped his hand from my coat, and blocked him from me
once again. This time his arm swung out, and punched Adrian in the
face with a sickening crack. I gasped, shocked at Nate’s behavior.
I had never seen him so violent. He wasn’t finished with Adrian’s
punishment; he pounced on him before I could voice my protests. He
threw him to the ground, pounding him in the face over and over.
Adrian didn’t fight back. He just lay on the ground and took it.
And after getting to know him over the last few weeks, I knew he
could have stopped Nate or even worse—fought back.

Despite what
Adrian had done to me, I couldn’t see him get hurt. “Nate, stop.”
Even though my voice was commanding, and shrill, it was barely
audible over the sound of knuckles meeting flesh.

Nate’s hand
froze mid-swing. It took all of his control not to move his fist
forward. “He tried to hurt you. I can’t let him get away with
that.”

He must be
referring to the island, because ever since I had met Adrian he had
been nothing but helpful and kind. He had eased me into the
transition of becoming a wolf and even taught Lauren and me to
protect ourselves. And yet, he was lying to us the whole time. I
felt anger at both Adrian and Nate—they both betrayed me.

“Why not? You
did.” The words slipped out before I thought them through. I didn’t
mean to say it, and I wasn’t sure if I meant them. Lauren gasped,
coming up to stand next to me as I clamped my lips shut, feeling
guilty instantly. I wanted to say I was sorry, but this was not the
time to discuss his betrayal or my inability to forgive him.

Nate stood up
slowly, leaving Adrian lying on the ground. He turned to me, his
striking blue eyes filled with misery. “I’m so sorry.” He rubbed
his face with his hand, taking a ragged breath, as if he was
fighting tears. The gesture was so raw with pain that my eyes
burned, and a lump formed in my throat. I hated that I had made him
look that way, and I wished with all my heart I could take away his
pain. If I could turn back time to the night I made dinner for him,
I would. We were so happy then, but everything had changed the
second he lost control.

“Nate,” Joe’s
voice called out, slicing through the sudden emotion-filled silence
as Nate and I stared at each other. Nate reluctantly looked away
from me and glanced at his friend.

Joe nodded to a
few people wandering to their cars, reminding Nate that we were not
alone. Nate looked lost as he gazed back at the guy lying on the
ground bleeding from his lip and nose. Instead of continuing his
beating, he walked away, heading toward his car which was parked a
few feet away. He stood next to his vehicle, staring down at the
pavement.

I pried my gaze
away from him so I could help Adrian. Lauren and I each grabbed one
of his arms and lifted him up as Joe glared at him with hate in his
eyes. His face was colder than I had ever seen it. Joe was always
in a good mood, never taking anything too seriously. But since I
hadn’t seen him for three weeks, things might have changed. I knew
he had had a difficult time with Lauren.

“Why are you
here with him?” Joe asked, his voice as cold as his eyes. He wasn’t
asking me, he was watching at Lauren.

She glanced at
me, and I nodded. There was no point in hiding it anymore. But I
didn’t want to do it here. I needed to be away from Adrian, the
person I had thought was my friend. Each lie he told felt like a
stone thrown at me, a constant sting of betrayal. As I remembered
all of our conversations, I became angrier at myself for believing
him. Had anything he said been the truth? As these thoughts spun
through my mind, I was desperate to be alone, but I knew that
wasn’t possible.

“Take us home,
and we can talk there.” I glared at Adrian, making it clear why I
didn’t want to discuss anything here. Joe and Lauren nodded and
began to walk toward Nate’s car.

When I turned
to follow, I felt a hand grab my elbow. “Please, let me explain,”
Adrian’s voice was strained. Of course, it was all an act. I no
longer trusted anything he said. I spun to glare at him, and at the
sound of a growl behind us, he let go of me. I didn’t have to turn
around to know who had made the sound.

“Will you just
listen?” he asked without touching me, his eyes shifting over my
shoulder to Nate.

I shook my
head. “I’m done listening. I should never have trusted you.” I
turned on my heel and walked away. I slid into the car without
looking back. Why did it hurt leaving him like that? Was it the
look of sadness as I turned away from him, or was it the feeling of
loss? When we met, I was depressed and fighting my change every
step of the way. He helped me get through that. Was that all a
lie?

I buried my
head in my hands as the rest of the group got in the car, and the
engine started. I felt Adrian’s gaze on me as we drove past. Lauren
was beside me in the back seat, and she took my hand. I knew she
understood what I was going through. Adrian was as much her friend
as he was mine.

The drive was
quiet. I wanted to sort through my thoughts before we explained
what had happened. I refused to look in Nate’s direction, but I
knew he was watching me through the rear-view mirror. I could feel
his heated gaze boring into me.

When we entered
the cottage, it felt different somehow, like I had been gone for
years. Nothing had changed. All the furniture was the same, and the
antique table and chairs were in their normal spot. The pictures
from his past and a few from the present were still scattered
throughout the living room, but something seemed off. When I sat
down on the sofa and glanced at the picture of Nate and me on his
speed boat, I realized it wasn’t the cottage that was different—it
was me.

Everyone
wandered in. Lauren sat beside me, while the guys sat across from
us, waiting. Lauren opened her mouth to speak since I hadn’t said
anything yet, but I placed my hand on her leg and leaned forward.
This was my fault. I had let Adrian into our lives, and I should be
the one to explain.

I took a deep
breath and began. “I met Adrian two weeks ago. I was at the frozen
yogurt shop with Mandy, and after she left, he walked in. We
recognized each other as werewolves, and he came over and sat down.
I didn’t know he was from the island. I don’t remember any werewolf
scents from there.”

Nate looked
weary as he shifted in his chair. “You wouldn’t have. It takes a
few days for the wolf DNA to go through your system. And with
everything that happened, it would have been too confusing to
notice the trace scents that were there. The werewolves had already
left by that time.”

I nodded,
thankful for his explanation. Everything had been so crazy on the
island that it was good to finally understand some of it. “Anyway,
I didn’t trust him at first. My experiences with werewolves haven’t
been good. But when I asked him if he knew Charlotte, he told me
no. He said he had just moved to town and was talking to me because
he didn’t know anyone here. He also told me a story about his
parents dying and that they saved him.” I paused glancing around.
So far no one was upset, Nate’s face was neutral, but I knew that
was about to change. “When I told him that I hadn’t changed since I
was turned, he explained that I needed to. He said that if I didn’t
take control, I could hurt someone I loved.”