Riftan looked towards Layla in surprise. He hadn't expected her to literally stop the wedding that way. The girl acted recklessly and she would only get herself killed. Supreme Alpha Janus was a ruthless Alpha King, and he would not let Layla go unpunished for interrupting his son's wedding.
Layla suddenly regretted her actions. She hadn't meant to scream that way. She only acted in the spur of the moment. She began to tremble as all eyes turned towards her. She looked towards the couple and her breath hitched when she caught Riven staring at her. He looked the same, like the younger version of himself. His honey eyes regarded her curiously and Layla felt a smile tugging the corners of her lips.
And then Supreme Alpha Janus marched down from his throne, where he sat with his Luna Merribel. His eyes were glowing pools of gold and he glared down at the girl that had the audacity to interrupt his son's wedding. He was greatly tall, wide shoulders hunched forward and Layla gulped fearfully. His gait clearly intimidated her and she took a step back in fear. The entire ball room had gone deathly quiet and the creatures all watched as the Supreme Alpha stopped in front of the girl.
Layla shrank back and tried to hide behind Riftan.
"Who are you?",Alpha Janus' voice boomed out powerfully.
Layla looked away from his fearsome eyes and bowed her head. She was visibly trembling while praying someone would come to her rescue.
"You've suddenly gone deaf as well as dumb. GUARDS!",Alpha Janus roared.
Four shifters in their fearsome lycan forms appeared and seized Layla roughly. Layla's eyes widened and she looked up at Riftan, asking for his help. Riftan shook his head and his eyes seemed to say, 'i warned you'.
"Throw her in the dungeons",Alpha Janus ordered and turned away. "I guess she will speak after her limbs have been cut off".
Oh no, please no, Layla thought. This couldn't be happening.
"Supreme Alpha please wait",Riftan suddenly spoke up.
Alpha Janus raised a hand to stop the lycans from dragging Layla away. He turned around slowly and his cold golden eyes glared at the hybrid.
"What connection do you have with the girl hybrid?",his cold voice ground out.
Riftan resisted the urge to growl at the Alpha King. Calling him a hybrid was a constant reminder to him and everyone present there of what abominable creature he was and how he would never he accepted as a shifter nor a vampire. He was an abnormality;a creature that no one would ever accept. But there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't challenge the Alpha King.
"She is my...",Riftan trailed off and looked over to Layla who was pleading with her eyes.
"My distant relative",he said finally.
Alpha Janus arched a perfect brow. He knew Riftan was lying and trying to cover up for the girl and that made him wonder who the girl was.
"How dare you let her interrupt my son's wedding?",he asked angrily. "I will have you killed at the spot!"
"Please don't",Layla cried out. She couldn't let Riftan die because of her. Now that she stopped the wedding, there would be no changes in the future. She only hoped she would return to her time before something drastic occured.
"Please I beg you Supreme Alpha",she continued. "I apologize for stopping the wedding. But I had to...I..."
"You had to?",Alpha Janus' voice was strangely low and dangerous.
"I had to because...I...I am Riven's mate!",Layla blurted.
Riftan palmed his face and shook his head disapprovingly. The girl just made everything worse.
The entire crowd of shifters gasped in shock and began to whisper amongst themselves. Never in there lives did they ever think something like this would occur. For a young woman to address the Alpha King's son without the Alpha title? And to claim she was his mate?
It was utterly surprising.
Young Riven observed the beautiful lady that claimed to be his mate. He didn't feel the pull of the mate bond but strangely enough, he was intrigued. He had never seen her in the island and yet, he wished to know more about her. She roused his interest totally.
The girl he was to be married to, Jenna Amnell glared at Layla with animosity. She wouldn't stand back and let some strange nobody claim to be Riven's mate. Riven was hers, and now that her dreams of being the next Supreme Luna was finally coming true, she wouldn't let it slip from her fingers. And the way Riven stared at the strange girl fueled her rage and made fury burn through her eyes.
After her unexpected claim, Layla expected the Alpha to roar out in rage and punish her for saying such words. But instead, he began to laugh. There was nothing hilarious about that laughter. It was cold and humourless.
"You claim to be my son's mate. And you dare address him without his title?",Alpha Janus asked. The smile was suddenly wiped off his face.
Layla cowered and lowered her head. Her arms were beginning to ache from being held tight by the lycan warriors. She gulped and forced herself to speak.
"I do not mean any disrespect Supreme Alpha. I only want Riven to know that..."
"You dare to still address him that way?",Luna Merribel suddenly said and marched down the throne in rage. One had lifted up and descended forcefully, aiming for Layla's exposed face.
"Mother! Stop!",Riven said suddenly.
The crowd gasped again. The drama unfolding was suddenly getting heated up and they all remained silent, wanting to know the outcome.
Jenna whirled around and faced Riven. "What do you think you're doing?",she asked. "This girl is clearly trying to stop our wedding and you're letting her"
"Quiet Jenna!",Riven snapped at her, eyes as cold as his father's. He left her side and walked towards his parents. The entire crowd seemed to hold their breathe in anticipation.
Layla slowly raised her head and stared into the honey brown eyes she was so used to.
"If she is really my mate, you can't hurt her",Riven said. "I will not allow it"
"But darling... ",Merribel said while shooting daggers at Layla with her eyes.
"Let me deal with this father. Please",Riven said and turned towards Alpha Janus.
"Touch her",Alpha Janus said coldly. "Touch her and find out if the mate bond flows through you both".
Layla looked towards Riven terrified. What if the mate bond didn't work? This wasn't her time. She was just a visitor in the past. And in this time, she hadn't been born. She and Riven haven't met. She was only here to stop the past from affecting the future. The mate bond wouldn't work!
She was brought out of her reverie when Riven's warm hand softly touched her cheek.
She gasped. And looked up at him.
She could feel the sparks dancing up her face and towards the rest of her body. It worked? The mate bond actually worked? Her shocked eyes moved up swiftly and connected with Riven's. He was staring at her in wonder and confusion. Why did he look so confused?
Riven was at a loss. The sparks of the mate bond was there. He could feel it. But still, he didn't feel that pull shifters felt when they found their mates. Something seemed to be blocking it.
"Well son. Is she your mate?",Alpha Janus asked.
"She is, father",Riven said. But he didn't add the part about not feeling the pull. He would wait until he was alone with her so he could question her.
"It is settled then",Alpha Janus said and led his Luna back to the throne. "We shall continue the wedding. Riven shall be wed to his mate".
The crowd was silent for a while. And then they cheered. Jenna screamed in anger as the lycans released Layla. Layla's shocked eyes looked around her in unbelief. What just happened? she asked herself.
Suddenly she began to feel strange. A strong pull began at the pit of her stomach. The scene began to fade from her vision and she knew she was being pulled back to her time. She looked towards Riftan and the hybrid instantly knew what was happening.
"I hope we meet again, strange girl".
Layla tried to smile but everything suddenly became dark. She felt that sensation again, of falling through a dark abyss.
When she opened her eyes, she gasped.
Riven was in his lycan form, and he was about to attack Cade.