CHAPTER SIX

Not a word. Riley was not given the chance to before Malcolm's guards dragged him with them. His plea for reasoning fell into deaf ears. They dragged him all the way to the car and threw him in.

Riley shouted, screamed at his stepdad to let him go, to give him some days to pay off the debt he knows nothing about. "Please, you can't do this! I beg you! Give me some days. Please…" Riley slurred, his face filled with tears. He tried to be tough, he tried to not be shaken.

But can he? No he cannot!

Caspian Nightingale was a nightmare! Even though he's mentally unstable now, who would want to marry into the Nightingale family? Let alone marry Caspian?

The Nightingale family are high rank Alphas that was feared by all, their name enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. More than a mafia, they were an untouchable empire, with power rooted so deep even the cops wouldn't dare cross them.

Merciless in business, they crushed anyone who stood in their way. Betrayal was met with swift, ruthless punishment, and those who defied them rarely lived to tell the tale.

Even hardened criminals steered clear of the Nightingales, knowing full well that crossing paths with them was a death sentence. To marry into their family was not just a risk—it was a nightmare.

No. That's not what scared him. That's not why his hands trembled and his breath hitched in his throat.

It wasn't the Nightingale family's reputation or their ruthless empire that terrified him.

It was Caspian.

Caspian. Caspian. Caspian. Caspian.

The name kept on repeating in Riley's head. That name alone was enough to make someone pee their pants.

He had heard stories of how the Nightingales hated Omegas, no, of how Caspian despised them. Especially Omegas like him. And the way he treated his ex-partners? It wasn't something anyone would wish to experience, not even in their darkest nightmares.

"Get your ass out! You're not planning to sit there forever, are you?" The guard, whom Riley assumed to be Glenn's right-hand man, barked and roughly pulled him out.

"Welcome back home, son." Glenn smirked and slumped onto the nearby couch in the living room. "You know where your room is, you can go and have some rest, it's already late."

Oh, how Riley wanted to knock that smug look off his irritating face. His body trembled with suppressed anger, his hands clenched into fist as he glared at Glenn.

"Rest? You're a full-time clown. I told you I don't want to get married, not with him!" Riley barked, his voice sharp and trembling. How could he rest when he's so close to losing his mind—or maybe he had already lost it!

The thought of marrying Caspian didn't just sit well with him; it clawed at his chest, making it hard to even breathe.

"As if you have a say," Glenn's smirk faded, his tone colder than before. "Go now while I'm still kind to you, or I might just make that call tonight. You don't want to know what happens when the Nightingales lose their patience, trust me."

What? What did he mean by losing their patience? Is it that he had been planning and waiting for the right time to strike? Either way, he's exhausted right now. He needs to rest and think of a way out of this marriage.

Exchanging words with Glenn won't change anything either. So, he needed to plan his move well.

Like that, he went upstairs and slumped on the bed without even taking a good look of the room that was once his.

Riley lay on the bed, his body stiff and his mind restless. Caspian's name echoed in his head, a haunting reminder of the nightmare he was being forced into. No matter how hard he tried to think of a way out, his exhaustion pulled at him relentlessly.

His eyelids grew heavier, his breathing slowed, and before he could stop it, the chaos in his mind faded into nothingness as sleep slowly claimed him.

*********************

Five days later.

It's been five long, agonizing days Riley had been confined to the room that was once his—no phone, no contact, and no hope of reaching out to a friend who might have offered even a temporary solution.

Now standing in front of the mirror, he gazed at his reflection that stared back at him. A white tailored suit hugged his frame perfectly, a stark contrast to the chaos brewing inside him. His wavy hair, still the same as ever, seemed darker now, as if mirroring the heaviness of his thoughts.

"That's it! You're ready for your big moment." The stylist said with a smile on her face, obviously happy for him. If she knew who he's going to marry, her smile would immediately vanished.

Riley nodded and the stylist walkes out.

Now alone once again, he let fingers brushed over the lapel of the suit, and for a fleeting moment, he wondered how he ended up here—dressed like this, standing in a house that no longer felt like home, preparing for a future he didn't want. Everything just happen so fast. A week ago, he was

The sound of footsteps outside the room pulled him from his thoughts. He straightened up, his expression hardening as the door creaked open.

"Still admiring yourself?" The familiar mocking tone sent a wave of irritation through him.

Riley didn't turn to look at the owner of the voice. He already knows who it is.

"Bro, so sorry for you. You're gonna marry the nightmare of everyone in the city, not just that….." Lila deliberately trailed, "Not just a nightmare, a fool, a damn lunatic." She finished, her tone laced with mock sympathy as she leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed and an amused smirk on her face.

Riley shot her a glare from the mirror. He didn't need anyone to remind him of his messed up situation . "I'm not in the mood for your nonsense, Lila. Just leave."

"Chill. I'm just trying to be a helpful sister. You know, I can help you out if you let me."

Helpful? Help him out? Riley wanted to laugh. Of all people, see who's offering to help him. He knows this method, he always fell for it then. But now, he wasn't the naïve fool he used to be.

Riley turned away from the mirror, his cold gaze meeting Lila's amused one. "I don't need your help, Lila. Whatever you're trying to pull, save it for someone else. Just leave while I'm still quiet, I might decide to expose your sweet little secret."

Instantly, Lila's face twisted into a cold sneer. "You…you pathetic shit! …what do you mean." No, it's not what she's thinking, is it? Did Riley know about her more than she thought he did?

The creak sound of the door opening cut through their conversation. Lila's mother, Freya, walked into the room. She gazed at Riley disdainfully before turning her head away.

"Darling, we need to talk about something important." She turned to Lila, her eyes filled with something—Riley couldn't quite name it, but it wasn't the usual mockery he'd come to expect. He was grateful for that, at least there was no reminder of how pathetic he was.

They walked out of the room, not without given him that ugly look of theirs. Now, the next person he's expecting hasn't showed up yet.

Riley looked around the room and noticed the subtle change. He doesn't want to look more than he wouldn't be able to bare. His own biological parent's home has now become someone else's. and the room that he was standing in now —once his—was now decorated into Lila's taste.

"Boss said you should be outside now. It's time." Someone outside said and without waiting for Riley's response, he pushed open the door.

Riley held his right hand up, making the guard that was sent to fetch him stopped in his tracks. "Lead the way." He doesn't need anyone to drag him, he had already accepted his fate. Already made up his mind, it's just a marriage.

Now that he was on his way to the so-called wedding, Riley couldn't stop the thoughts racing through his head. How was he supposed to spend a lifetime with an Alpha who despised Omegas?

A lifetime—those words clawed at him, suffocating him. Would he even survive it? Or would the marriage become a cage he could never escape from?

He had been furious and dejected when Glenn first told him it was a lifetime commitment. At first, Riley assumed it might be a temporary arrangement—a contract marriage, bound by a specific term, something he could endure until it ended.

But no, this was permanent. Forever. As that reality sank in, his chest tightened, and the dread settled deeper. How could he possibly endure a lifetime with someone like Caspian Nightingale? A man whose very name sent shivers down his spine.

Stupid.

How could he have been so stupid? Desperation had blinded him, and before he knew it, his signature was on the document Glenn handed him. He hadn't even read it properly, assuming it was a temporary arrangement. He never thought it would trap him into a lifetime commitment.

A sharp knock on the car window snapped him out of his thoughts. Riley hadn't noticed that the car had already stopped. The door opened, and the guard from earlier stood there, waiting.

"Move. We're here."