SWNOVELS Chapter WHO IS RILEY?
THIRD PERSON POV:
"No! NO!" Hazel screamed as she backed away from Riley.
This wasn't what she needed at the moment, and she couldn't bear the thought that she was unlucky. Did the moon goddess really hate her that much? She questioned herself as she took to her heels.
Bella went after her at once, but Hazel was so fast that she almost tripped.
"Hazel!" Riley called out, trying to follow her, but the triplets blocked his way.
"We won't let you do that," Finn said, his hands clenched into fists.
"But she's my mate, and-"
"You cannot force yourself on her," Ryder stated firmly.
"Do we have a problem here?" Riley's best friend, Ian, asked, standing behind Riley with a hard stare directed at the triplets.
Ian had been watching for a while, and he felt the need to step up for his friend. The triplets stared at the brown- haired boy, who was about their height, but he didn't look intimidating because they all had similar builds. So, they stood their ground. If they wanted a fight, they were more than ready.
"No." Riley backed away, watching Hazel disappear from sight. Then he sighed and returned to his schoolmates.
Ian glanced at the triplets one last time before leaving.
Riley's heart ached badly, but he was glad she hadn't rejected him. It had been heart-wrenching being the only one without a mate, and now that he'd found her, she didn't want him because of his cousin.
"Fuck!" he groaned, punching his right fist into his left palm, then took a deep breath, resting his back against a tree. "Riley, what's gotten into you? First, you sabotage our team for that Frost pack girl, then you almost get into a fight with those guys, and now this." Ian asked, concern etched on his face.
Riley looked at his best friend, taking a deep breath.
"I found my mate, and I can't have her," he said, and Ian's face fell.
"Why? Don't tell me those punks-"
"No, they didn't do anything. They're protecting her from me because of my stupid second cousin, Fae," he sighed, and Ian placed a hand on his shoulder.
"If it's meant to be, then it will be. Come on, let's head back to the cabin," Ian said, and Riley reluctantly walked away, trying to avoid looking at the triplets, who stood their ground until he was out of sight.
After he was gone, the triplets were about to leave when they saw Tyler on the path to their cabin.
"I saw what happened, but I didn't want to confront you guys because they'd think I'm a traitor too, and I'm not so popular at school, even though my father is Beta," he said with his hands in his pockets.
"If you don't mind, can I know what Riley did? It's unlike him to get into a fight," Tyler asked, and the triplets saw this as an opportunity to gather information about him.
"So, what's he like?" Ryder asked, crossing his arms.
"He's the most popular guy in school, and one of the nicest guy you'd ever meet. The captain of Husk High's football team, and he's got girls at his beck and call, but he isn't a player," Tyler said, pausing to gauge their reactions. "Something happened to him last year. During the mating ball, he found out his longtime girlfriend wasn't his mate. It broke him, but he hasn't had a girlfriend since and has been determined to find his mate."
After hearing Tyler speak, the triplets each felt a wave of guilt. Riley sounded like a decent guy, and they had just scared him off. He might never want to speak to Hazel again.
"We have to fix this," Kai said, and they all nodded.
He sent a text to Bella about Riley.
"Thanks for the heads up. See you at dinner," Ryder said, patting Tyler on the shoulder, then left with the twins.
When they arrived at the cabin, they found the girls' room locked. They pressed their ears to the door, trying to catch any sounds.
"Hazel, you know you can't keep ignoring him," Bella said, and Hazel sighed as she stared at her phone ringing for the twentieth time.
She wanted to explore her feelings, but she was scared and didn't want to get hurt again. It would have been easier if there were no strings attached, but he just had to be her mate.
"Why are you so hell-bent on this, Bella?" Hazel questioned, sitting up on her bed. "I know I want someone, but I'm not desperate. What you have with the triplets is great, even though it was rough at the beginning, but me, I don't think-"
"Riley is a great guy, and I wanted you to find out for yourself!" Bella blurted, clenching her fists and shutting her eyes tightly.
"What?"
Hazel got to her feet.
"Tyler and the guys talked about him. Apparently, he's the hottest guy at his school, and..."
Bella filled Hazel in on the details, and she stayed quiet for a while. A part of her was happy to hear that he was a good person, but another part of her felt guilty for the way she had treated him. Now, she wasn't sure what to say to him.
"All I've done is push him away. It wouldn't look good if he thought I was only talking to him because I asked around about him," she said, and Bella shrugged.
"Then don't do that."
"How?"
"Reply to his text and tell him you're willing to give him a chance. Then tell him he has one minute to prove himself," Bella suggested, and Hazel nodded, considering the idea.
"It's dark already, and we're supposed to be heading to bed, and..."
"And I'll fall asleep in the triplets' room," Bella said, and Hazel's face lit up with a smile.