Three Alpha Bikers Wants An Open Marriage

Chapter 78: 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 meant I was still alive, which was honestly disappointing because falling from that height should have killed me and now I was confused and annoyed and also hungry, which was very unfair because if someone 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 same. 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 me.

And she was completely naked.

I screamed.

She jumped back.

We both stared at each other.

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

She blinked at me like she was the confused one.

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

I stopped moving.

"What?"

She stepped closer. "You can see me?"

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 me.

I screamed again and started crawling backward.

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

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

"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 mechanism."

She laughed.

Actually laughed.

Which annoyed me.

"You think this is funny?" I demanded.

"Yes."

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

She looked at me 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. Immediately. 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." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

She crouched down beside me.

"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 me! 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 me like I owed them money?"

"They were trying to stop you."

"From what?"

She looked at me for a long moment.

"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 me when no one else could? And why are you still naked? That is still bothering me."

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. "Come."

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 me, 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. freewebnovel.cσ๓

"You... what?"

"You fell. I slowed your fall."

I blinked.

"Oh."

"Yes."

"Oh."

I stared at her again.

"...Thank you?"

She nodded."You are welcome."

I still did not move.

She sighed."You do not trust me."

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

She looked at me for a moment, 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 me.

"You are loud."

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

She looked at me again, then shook her head.

"You must listen to me 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 me 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."Come. We do not have time."

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

And the silence was starting to make me nervous again.

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

She did not answer immediately. 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 me. "I crossed too."

My heart pounded."You did?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been here?"

"A long time."

"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 me, her voice serious now, "you will follow every instruction I give you here."