Ryleigh's Trials & Tribulations (The Warrior Heart Series Book 2) Read online

  Ryleigh’s Trial & Tribulations

  The Warrior’s Heart Series Book Two

  E.M. Dain

  Ryleigh’s Trials & Tribulations

  E.M. Dain

  Copyright Ⓒ 2022 E.M.Dain. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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  Dedication

  To John: Thank you for being there when I needed you the most. You are one of a kind, and I can’t imagine my life without you!

  ~ Elizabeth

  Prologue

  Ryleigh

  It has been three months since the battle between the Moonlight Shadows and the Warrior's Heart, where I saw my best friend for the first time as a vampire and he saw me as a wolf. He and I along with Hunter as my Co-Alpha were able to come up with and sign a Treaty that would benefit both his Coven of Vampires and our Pack of Wolves and still allow all of us to protect the humans in both of our towns.

  Tristan and I are working on our friendship and reconnecting as friends. His mother doesn’t like it, but she can’t break our bond of being best friends. Hunter and I are closer than ever, in fact, he even asked me to marry him. I can’t wait. Well, according to my mother we can’t have a long courtship since we were technically supposed to be married before I became Alpha. Here’s to the next chapter of what has become my Destiny.

  Chapter One

  Ryleigh

  “Hunter, I don’t know what to do?” I humphed as I slumped down on the bench next to him frustrated.

  “What is it, beautiful?” he asked, turning towards me, smiling that brilliant white smile that melts my heart.

  “Storm, Zayne, Adryan, Cree, and Kalen are still causing problems when I give them orders. There are even whispers from some of the older members of the Pack, that I am not the “True Alpha,” I responded.

  “Storm and his buddies are just young and trying to figure out what boundaries they can push. They are also trying to figure out how much they can get away with. The rest don’t even listen to the whispers. You and I both know that you are and that is all that matters. Besides, “ he broke off to steal a kiss before adding, “ we are going to be man and wife before too long and they won’t be able to say anything then.”

  I returned his kiss with a huge smile because he was correct. “How did you get to be so smart?” I teased him.

  He feigned being offended before answering, “ I will tell you, madam, I am the reincarnation of the Great One.”

  “Oh, then please forgive me Oh Great One,” I once again teased.

  Our joking laughter was interrupted by the awkward clearing of a throat. When I turned my head, I saw that it was my mother’s husband and our Beta, Roman.

  “Roman, what is it?” I asked earnestly as I became instantly on alert at the look on his face.

  “Vampires have been seen gathering in the woods to the west of Mist Hallow,” he responded.

  “Of course, they would be, Tristan and his Coven live in Mist Hallow,” I replied.

  “Lincoln and I don’t recognize these vampires, Ryleigh. I have spoken with Tristan and they are not from the Moonlight Shadows,” Roman answered back.

  “Wait a second, why are you and Lincoln patrolling that far west?” Hunter asked, completely confused.

  “Tristan asked us to. He said it would look suspicious if he sent any of his vampires to look into it,” Roman responded.

  I looked between Hunter and Roman following their conversation. “So let me get this straight. Tristan knew there was a problem and didn’t come to me about it?” I asked him a bit hurt and even more confused than Hunter had been. I thought Tristan and I had been making strides to rebuild the bridge that had been broken when I had been whisked away after my father had died so suddenly.

  “Sorry Ryleigh, I am not sure why Tristan did not come to you about it. All I know is that he had sent word to Lincoln and myself to meet him outside of Mist Hallow and had asked us to check it out,” was his response.

  “Hunter, I need to go and talk to Tristan,” I told him as I stood up abruptly.

  “Yes of course, but take Roman and Lincoln with you, we can’t be too cautious now,” Hunter replied before he stood as well giving me a kiss goodbye.

  Chapter Two

  Tristan

  Life after seeing Ryleigh during the battle with the werewolves has changed for the better, at least I think it has. My mother is devastated that I killed my father and banished his followers from Mist Hallow and the area, but I had to do it. He wanted to kill Ryleigh and the werewolves. If I was going to be put in charge of the Moonlight Shadows, then he and everyone else would have to do things my way or suffer the consequences.

  Ryleigh had been my best friend for as long as I could remember and just because I was a vampire, and she was a werewolf now I was not going to allow that to make me choose between blood and friendship. Besides, the times were different and the Treaty that Ryleigh and I came up with benefited both the Moonlight Shadows and the Warrior's Heart as well as the humans in both Mist Hallow and Silver Lake.

  Was I upset that I had to kill my father, of course. However, I had to do what was best for the Coven and for the Treaty that I signed with Ryleigh and the Warrior's Heart. There needed to be peace between our Coven and their Pack if the humans were going to remain unaware that we existed in their world and for us to keep them safe in the process.

  “Mother?” I called out as I walked through the house that was now silent. I looked through each room and found the house to be empty. Where could she have gone to?

  “Caera, come here!” I demanded.

  “Yes, Tristan, right away Sir,” she came running from her post at the front door.

  “Where is my mother?” I asked her, trying to calm my voice down.

  “She told me she was going to lie down sir and take a nap?” was Caera’s response.

  I cursed under my breath and visibly saw Caera’s flinch. “When do vampires need to nap, Caera?” I asked through clenched teeth. I needed to keep in mind that Caera was a new vampire, but to fall for this was an inexcusable mistake.

  “We don’t sir.” she hung her head, and if she could cry, I do believe tears would have started falling at that point.

  “Go, and take Briallen, Raven, Saber, and Lauden with you and look for
her. She can’t have gotten far.” I once again commanded her.

  “Yes Sir,” she nodded and took off at once, getting the vampires I had told her to and leaving for the woods surrounding the house.

  “I swear mother I will banish you as well if I have to,” I spoke out loud to an empty room but with no conviction, because to live this life with no one that loves me would be truly heartbreaking.

  Chapter Three

  Blayze

  How could Tristan kill his father and banish the rest of us? That was what was going through my mind as I paced the rocky floor waiting to hear from the lovely Trinity. She had stayed loyal to me, as I was her husband’s best friend. She kept me updated on all the doings and goings on of her son, the so-called KING of the vampires.

  “Blayze, Blayze where are you?” came the frantic call from Trinity from somewhere nearby.

  “Over here my beloved,” I called out as I straightened just a bit taller to receive her.

  “Oh, my dear Blayze here you are! I have been walking for what seems like days trying to find you. Why do you insist on moving every couple of days?”

  “Never you mind that. What is going on now?”

  “Tristan has made it so I literally have to sneak out of my own house just to come see you. If he catches me, he surely will kill me too!”

  “I’m sorry about that my dear, but this is for the best for right now. What else has he done?” I kept on insisting.

  She thought for what felt like hours before stating, “He has also stated any vampire caught helping any rogue vampire will be put to death no questions asked, as it is a sign of Treason. He is still working with those wolves too.”

  I mumbled under my breath so she wouldn’t hear me cursing her son. She is still quite sensitive about the topic.

  “You better be getting back now my darling. We wouldn’t want Tristan to start getting suspicious now would we.”

  “I don’t want to go back. I want to stay with you and the others.” she pleaded.

  “You must go back, sweetie. Having you on the inside is valuable to our position right now.”

  She dropped her head. “Hold your head high, Trinity, you are doing our side a valuable service by staying with your son and helping us.”

  “You think so?”

  “I know so. Now hurry back before you are caught. We wouldn’t want your pretty head torn off, now would we.”

  She gave me a chaste kiss and hurried back the way she came. Tristan was in for a world of hurt when he found out that his mother has been helping us all along.

  Chapter Four

  Ryleigh

  I was upset that Hunter insisted that I take Roman and Lincoln with me. I could take care of myself. I was the True Alpha after all and besides Tristan was my best friend, he wouldn’t hurt me, and he wouldn’t allow any of his vampires to hurt me either.

  “Roman, you and Lincoln can go on about your business. I will be fine going to talk to Tristan on my own,” I told Roman.

  “Sorry, Ryleigh, Hunter told us to go with you and if he found out that we didn’t we would both be on teen training duty for three months. Lincoln may like training the teens, but I certainly do not have the patience for it,” he responded.

  I growled in response and kept on walking trying to come up with another way to ditch my babysitters because at that point that is what I consider them both. Then the idea came to me. I transformed and took off running. Lincoln always said I was the fastest runner in wolf form, so I wanted to put that to the test. Looking back I didn’t see either of them, so I slowed down.

  *” Ryleigh, you know you are going to get us in trouble right?”* came Lincoln’s voice in my head.

  *” Lincoln, I need to talk to Tristan on my own. Please tell me you understand?”* I responded to him in wolf communication.

  *” Yes I do understand, Ryleigh. Just please be careful,”* he responded.

  *” I’m always careful,”* I replied, adding, *” Thank you!”*

  I continued on my journey through the woods between Silver Lake and Mist Hallow that would bring me closer to Tristan.

  *****

  I transformed back into my human form as I got closer to Mist Hallow so as not to scare any of the new vampires that might be patrolling the area and might not know me yet. Luckily I was greeted by Moira, one of the older vampires who had stuck by Tristan after he had killed his father after the battle.

  “Hello Ryleigh,” she said with a smile and a hug for me, even though to her I smelled like an old wet dog.

  “Hello Moira, how are your kids?” I asked her, also greeting her with a smile and a hug. While she was cold to the touch I didn’t mind it.

  “They are a bunch of hoodlums,” she said with a chuckle before adding, “What brings you out here?”

  “Oh I need to talk with Tristan, do you know where he is?” I replied.

  “I believe he is at his mother’s house, there was a bit of a commotion there earlier today. At least that is the scuttlebutt that is going through the grapevine,” she answered back with a shrug of her shoulders. “Don’t be a stranger, Violetta, keeps asking when you are going to come and teach her how to fight wolf style.”

  I had to laugh, but I knew I had promised her daughter I would teach her. “If I have time before I have to head back, I will certainly drop in. It was sure good to see you again, Moira,” I returned with a smile before heading towards town and my best friend’s house, skirting my old street. Memories that I had thought were long gone, trying to creep up.

  Chapter Five

  Tristan

  I sat in my mother’s living room seething still from the fact that she had slipped her protection detail yet again. It had only been an hour since I had sent Ceara and the others out looking for her but it felt like a lifetime.

  From the kitchen, I heard some pots rattle, and immediately I was on alert. As far as I knew I was alone in the house. I stood up from the chair that I had been slumped in and crept slowly down the hall, which was hard for me to do now that I was six feet five inches tall. My head kept hitting the ceiling and the floor kept creaking in places that I didn’t know it was soft at.

  “Who’s there?” I called out.

  “Tristan is that you?” my mother answered back.

  When I entered the kitchen, my mother was at the sink, as if nothing was wrong. “Just where have you been?” I asked her my words dripping with the anger that I had seething throughout my body.

  “Whatever do you mean?” she answered, acting like she didn’t know what I meant.

  “Mother, I know you left the house. I have Ceara and some others looking for you as we speak. NOW where did you go?” I asked again.

  “Nowhere you need to know,” she answered, not turning around.

  “Mother, I will ask you one more time, and you best give me a straight answer. WHERE DID YOU GO?” I demanded from her.

  She turned around at my demanding tone, shocked that I had yelled at her. “Tristan, you may be the leader of the Moonlight Shadows, but I am still your mother, and as such, I deserve your respect.”

  “You will get my respect when you earn it, Mother. Until then, I am doubling your protection detail, not only at the front door but also inside this house. A vampire of my choosing will follow you throughout this house. Do you understand me, Mother?” I spoke to her as if I was speaking to an insolent child.

  “Tristan, you can not do this to me!” she whined.

  “Mother, you did this to yourself!” I answered her back. I turned and walked back down the hallway that I had come down. When I reached the front door, I started calling for Ceara and the others that I had sent out with her, the only way I knew how, which was through our Vampire Bond.

  “Yes, Sir,” Ceara greeted me when she came to a stop in front of me.

  “Mother has returned, but I need you to go and tell Shira that her services are required for the indefinite future,” I told her.

 
“Yes Sir,” she answered and turned and ran off in the direction of the latest post that Shira was working.

  “The rest of you can go back to the work you were doing before Ceara called you to help her,” I told the others. They all nodded their agreement and went about their business. I waited until Ceara and Shira came back. I left Ceara on the front door as was her usual post, and took Shira into the house.

  “My mother is confined to the house unless it is required for her to attend any official functions of the Coven,” I told Shira.

  “Yes sir,” she nodded her head.

  “Report to me if there are any problems and I will take care of them,” I also told her.

  “Yes sir,” she agreed as well.

  “I will leave you to it,” I said, and just as I was about to turn to leave and Ceara was there.

  “Ceara what is it?” I asked, trying to rein in my aggravation.

  She looked down at the floor. “Sir, you have a visitor,” she answered.

  “A visitor, who would know I was here?” I asked her.

  “Ryleigh Blackwood, of The Warrior's Heart, sir. She said it was urgent that she speak with you,” she replied, still looking at the floor.

  “Did you say Ryleigh is here, Ceara,” my mother sneered.

  “Yes, Ma’am, I did,” Ceara responded.

  “Do not let that Bitch in my home. It is her fault that my husband has been killed. I will not have the likes of her in my home,” my mother yelled.

  “Mother DO NOT call her that,” I demanded.

  “Well she is, and it is her fault you killed your father,” my mother turned on me.

  “Am I interrupting anything,” Ryleigh called out.

  “YOU BITCH!!!” my mother yelled out while trying to reach for Ryleigh, myself, Shira, and Ceara keeping her from reaching her though.

  “Trinity, nice to see you again as well. Uh, Tristan, I need to speak to you. Is there someplace else we can go to talk, please?” Ryleigh asked.