Three Alpha Bikers Wants An Open Marriage Chapter 78

Riley’s POV

Wait, I’m not dead?

I blinked again because my brain was still not working properly and I honestly thought maybe I had finally died.

I even pinched my arm just to be sure, and it hurt like hell, so that ant I was still alive, which was honestly disappointing because falling from that height should have killed and now I was confused and annoyed and also hungry, which was very unfair because if soone almost dies, the least the universe could do was give them food.

"Okay Riley," I muttered to myself while still lying on the ground, staring at the sky. "Are you dead or not? Because if this is heaven, I have a lot of questions. Like where is the food? Where is the bed? And why do I still feel tired?"

I shut my eyes again and opened them. Everything still looked the sa. The strange glowing sky, the silent air, the weird peaceful place that made no sense at all. I sighed loudly.

"Great. Not dead. Just stuck in another level of crazy."

Just then I heard a sound and turned my head.

And I froze.

There was a woman standing there.

She was staring at .

And she was completely naked.

I scread.

She jumped back.

We both stared at each other.

"Oh my God!" I shouted, covering my eyes imdiately. "Why are you naked? Why are you just standing there? Where are your clothes? Do you not know sha? Privacy? Personal boundaries? What is wrong with this place!"

She blinked at like she was the confused one.

Then she tilted her head and said slowly, "Can... you see ?"

I stopped moving.

"What?"

She stepped closer. "You can see ?"

I slowly removed my hands from my eyes and stared at her again because this was already a weird day so what was one more weird thing.

"Yes," I said. "I can see you. Obviously. You are right there. And still very naked."

Her eyes widened.

Then suddenly she jumped up like an excited child.

"Finally!"

She ran toward .

I scread again and started crawling backward.

"Stay away from !" I shouted. "I don’t know you! And you are naked! This is suspicious behavior!"

She stopped and looked at again, then looked down at herself like she just rembered.

"Oh," she said calmly. "This is normal here."

"Normal?" I repeated loudly. "Where? In which world? Because in my world this is illegal."

She smiled."You are funny."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I am also traumatized. I almost got eaten by wolves. I fell off a cliff. I ran through ghost trees. I saw dead people walking like they were on a normal stroll. And now I am talking to a naked stranger. So yes. I am funny. It is a coping chanism."

She laughed.

Actually laughed.

Which annoyed .

"You think this is funny?" I demanded.

"Yes."

"This is not funny. This is the worst day of my life."

She looked at carefully again, her expression turning serious.

"You are not from here."

"Obviously," I said. "Do I look like I belong here? I tripped through a glowing circle and now I am in a horror movie."

She frowned. "You crossed the Veil."

"Yes," I said. "And I would like to uncross it now. Imdiately. Right now. Today. This minute."

She shook her head. "That is not how it works."

I groaned and flopped back on the ground.

"Of course it is not. Nothing in my life works."

She crouched down beside .

"You should not be here. The wolves sensed you."

I sat up so fast my head spun.

"I knew it!" I said. "They were chasing ! And they were huge! And very rude! One of them tried to bite my leg!"

"They would not bite you."

"Yes they would!"

"They cannot."

I stared at her."What?"

"They cannot harm you."

"Then why were they chasing like I owed them money?"

"They were trying to stop you."

"From what?"

She looked at for a long mont.

"From reaching the cave."

My heart skipped.

"The cave?" I asked slowly. "You know about that?"

"Yes."

"How?"

She stood up."Because that is where you must go."

I stood up too, still suspicious.

"Okay, pause," I said. "How do you know this? Who are you? Why can you see when no one else could? And why are you still naked? That is still bothering ."

She smiled again like I was a child asking too many questions.

"You ask too much."

"Yes," I said. "Because I do not want to die."

"You will not die here."

"That is what every horror movie says before the main character dies."

She looked confused. "What is a horror movie?"

I sighed.

"This conversation is exhausting."

She turned and started walking. "Co."

But I did not move.

"No."

She stopped and turned "You said you wanted to go to the cave."

"I do," I said. "But I also want to not get tricked and eaten by a naked wolf woman."

She looked at , shocked. "I am not a wolf."

"That is exactly what a wolf would say."

She pinched the bridge of her nose like she was trying not to scream.

"I saved you."

"You did not. I fell."

"I caught you."

I paused.

"You... what?"

"You fell. I slowed your fall."

I blinked.

"Oh."

"Yes."

"Oh."

I stared at her again.

"...Thank you?"

She nodded."You are welco."

I still did not move.

She sighed."You do not trust ."

"No," I said honestly. "Not even a little."

She looked at for a mont, then suddenly turned and walked away.

"Fine. Stay here."

I watched her go. I looked around. The place was silent. Very silent.bToo silent.

Then I heard a distant howl. I froze. Another howl answered.

I spun around.

"Wait!" I shouted and ran after her. "Okay fine! I trust you! A little! Not fully! But enough to not get eaten!"

She did not stop.

I ran faster.

"Hey! Slow down! I almost died today! My legs are tired!"

She finally stopped and turned to .

"You are loud."

"Yes," I said. "It is my personality."

She looked at again, then shook her head.

"You must listen to if you want to leave this place."

"I will," I said quickly. "I am a very good listener. Ask anyone. Well, do not ask Caden. He will lie."

She looked confused again.

"Who is Caden?"

"The annoying man who pushed into the glowing circle."

Her expression changed slightly.

"He did that?"

"Yes."

Her eyes darkened."He should not have."

"I agree," I said. "We should push him into a pit when I get back."

She almost smiled."Co. We do not have ti."

We started walking. The ground felt strange under my feet. The air felt heavy.

And the silence was starting to make nervous again.

After a while, I looked at her."So... why can you see ?"

She did not answer imdiately. Then she said, "Because you are not fully here."

"That makes no sense."

"You are between worlds."

"That sounds illegal."

She ignored that."The others cannot see you because you do not belong here. But I can."

"Why?"

"Because I am like you."

I stopped walking."What?"

She turned to face . "I crossed too."

My heart pounded."You did?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been here?"

"A long ti."

"Did you also get pushed by an annoying man?"

She looked confused again."No."

"Lucky."

She stepped closer. "If you want to get to the cave," she said quietly, "you must do exactly as I say."

I swallowed. "And if I don’t?"

She held my gaze. "Then you will never leave this place."

A chill ran down my spine."And the wolves?"

"They will keep coming."

I stared at her."How do you know all this?"

She looked away."Because I failed."

My chest tightened."Failed?"

She nodded slowly.

"So if you want to reach the cave," she said, looking back at , her voice serious now, "you will follow every instruction I give you here."