**Roman’s POV**
Riley perched on the edge of my desk, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. “So,” she started, her tone light but her eyes sharp, “tonight’s the festival. Big night for you, brother.”
I didn’t look up from the paper in front of me. “Is it?”
“Oh, don’t play coy.” She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, peering at me like she could see through every carefully constructed wall. “You’re thinking about her. Aren’t you?”
My pen paused mid-sentence, but only for a fraction of a second. I set it down with deliberate precision, meeting her gaze. “Her who?”
She laughed softly, shaking her head. “You really think you can fool me? I know you better than anyone. Your mate, Roman. The one you’ve been obsessing over since that night.”
“I don’t obsess,” I said evenly.
“No? Then what would you call wearing that same mask? The one you met her in. Still holding on to hope she’ll just appear out of thin air?”
My jaw tightened. Riley’s words had a way of cutting closer to the truth than I liked. “You sound like Mother,” I said coldly. “Maybe you should leave that kind of meddling to her.”
She didn’t flinch, her smirk only growing. “Mother wishes she had my finesse. Besides, she doesn’t know about this, does she? No one does.”
“No one but you,” I said, my voice low.
Riley leaned back, smug satisfaction radiating off her. “Exactly. Which is why you should listen to me. You’re not fooling anyone, least of all yourself. You want to see her again. I don’t blame you. If half of what you told me about that night is true, she’s…”
“Enough,” I snapped.
Her grin didn’t waver. “Touched a nerve, did I?”
I stood, walking to the window to avoid her penetrating stare. “She’s irrelevant. If fate had any intention of us meeting again, it woulsn’t have been after so many years of tormet.”
I was in a terrible mood today. The last month had somewhat been refreshing. That touchourous dream I always had before had returned, only this time worse. I craved the person in my dreams more than I care to admit. My wolf was restless, out of control. All my eneergy went towards keeping him in check, hence stealing the excitment of possible meeting my mate in tonights festival.
I didn’t want to have hope. For all I know, she could be dead. Fate has never been on my side.
Riley let out a dramatic sigh. “You can lie to everyone else, Roman, but you can’t lie to me. You don’t let go of things that matter. And she matters.”
I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms. The truth was, Riley was right. The memory of that night-of her-had consumed me in ways I refused to admit.
Riley shifted gears suddenly, her voice dropping into a more serious tone. “Speaking of Mother, she sent me a lovely little task for tonight. Want to hear it?”
I turned back to her, suspicion prickling at the edges of my thoughts. “What task?”
“She wants me to poison Jacky.” Riley said it casually, like she was discussing the weather. “Unfortunate, I was actually begining to like the girl.”
My gaze darkened. “What?”
“She’s worried Jacky might win the match tomorrow. Thinks a little poison will, you know, even the odds. Make it easier for Malia to… finish the job.”
The room went silent, the weight of her words sinking in.
“And you’re just telling me this now?” I asked, my voice sharp. While I wanted Jacky dead, I needed it to be a worthy death. Something painful enough. I wanted her to pay for her treachery and betrayal three centuries ago.
Riley shrugged. “I wanted to see how you’d react.”
I stepped closer, looming over her. “You tell Mother this: the match happens fair and square. No poison. No interference. Jacky gets what’s coming to her the right way.”
Riley’s smile faltered. “You want her to suffer.”
I didn’t answer. The thought of Jacky-what she did-was enough to reignite a fury I worked hard to bury.
“Whatever happened between you two,” Riley said softly, “it’s eating you alive. You can’t even say it out loud.”
I ignored her, turning back to the desk.
She stood, brushing off her dress. “Fine. I’ll play along. No poison. But for the record, I think Mother’s plan had merit.”
“I don’t care what you think,” I muttered.
Riley laughed, the sound light and mocking. “Oh, Roman. Always so charming. Anyway, I’ll see you tonight. And when you bring her back, don’t forget to introduce me properly.”
Her words stopped me in my tracks. I turned slowly. “What do you mean, when I bring her back?”
Her grin widened, eyes glinting with mischief. “Just a feeling. Call it a sister’s intuition. She’s closer than you think.”
Before I could respond, she was gone, leaving her words hanging in the air.
I sat back down, running a hand through my hair. My eyes drifted to the drawer on the left, the one that held the mask.
The same mask I’d worn that night.
For the first time in a long time, I felt something unfamiliar stir in my chest. Excitement.
And for a man like me, excitement was dangerous.