Chapter 2: No Locks Necessary

He let her go.

That was the part Nyra couldn't make sense of. Six years of training had prepared her for a hundred different reactions when an assassination attempt was discovered. Violence was the simplest.

An Alpha might summon his guards, draw a weapon or try to overpower her himself. He might demand answers, threaten her or expose her to the entire room. Any of those responses would have been easier to understand than what Lucian Blackthorn had done.

He had simply held her gaze for a moment before stepping back.

“Enjoy the rest of the party, Lady Ashwood.”

He said her false name again, almost casually, then turned and walked back into the celebration.

The crowd opened for him without hesitation. A wolf called his name from across the hall, another stepped aside to let him pass and within seconds Lucian had disappeared among the guests as though nothing unusual had happened.

Nyra remained where he had left her, the wineglass still in her hand. She waited for the guards to come, but none did. No one approached her. No order rang through the hall and no hand closed around her arm.

The party continued.

That unsettled her more than an arrest would have.

Nyra placed her untouched wine on a passing tray and began walking toward the nearest exit. She kept her pace leisurely and her expression composed, looking every inch like an envoy who had simply decided she'd had enough of the celebration.

The night air was cooler than the crowded hall. She allowed herself one deeper breath before crossing the courtyard toward the low wall she had marked earlier. It was far enough from the main entrance to give her a clean route into the forest and low enough that climbing over it would take seconds.

She had already checked it three times.

Tonight, two wolves in human form were leaning against it, talking quietly.

Nyra continued walking.

Neither man stopped her or even looked in her direction, but she knew they weren't there by accident. The wall had been empty every time she'd passed it earlier that evening.

She changed direction and headed toward the stables.

A young stable boy was working beneath the lanterns when she arrived. He looked up and straightened.

“I need a horse,” Nyra said. “Tonight.”

The boy's expression turned apologetic. “I'm sorry, my lady. All the mounts are out to pasture.”

“All of them?”

“Yes. Alpha's orders.” He hesitated. “There's supposed to be fireworks later for the celebration. The horses have been moved somewhere quieter until morning.”

Nyra stared at him.

“Fireworks?”

“Yes, my lady.”

There had been no fireworks on the schedule.

She had studied the evening's arrangements before crossing the border. She knew the guard changes, the expected movements through the grounds and the approximate time the celebration was supposed to end. Fireworks had never been mentioned.

She thanked the boy and left.

By the time she reached the courtyard again, the two obstacles had begun to look less like coincidences. Neither explanation was suspicious enough to challenge, but both had appeared exactly where she needed an opening.

She looked toward the hall. Through the open doors, she could still see warm light and moving figures. Somewhere inside, Lucian was probably speaking to his guests as though the evening had gone exactly as planned.

He hadn't needed to order anyone to stop her.

He had simply anticipated where she would go.

Nyra's jaw tightened.

She had spent six years learning how to anticipate people. Fear, desperation and pride all made people predictable. She had built assassinations around that knowledge.

She didn't like being on the other side of it.

There was still one thing she could do.

She turned toward the quieter side of the grounds. She hadn't been given a room when she arrived because she hadn't intended to stay. Her plan had been to enter Blackthorn, kill Lucian and disappear before anyone had reason to remember the name Lady Ashwood.

She had almost reached the guest quarters when a woman approached her.

“My lady?”

Nyra stopped.

“The Alpha asked that you be shown to a room for the night.”

She studied the woman's face. There was no suspicion in it.

“Why?”

“He thought you might prefer somewhere quieter after the celebration.”

Of course he did.

Nyra followed her through the corridor. Refusing would accomplish nothing, and she had no intention of revealing how much she disliked being led anywhere by someone else.

The room was comfortable without being extravagant. A fire burned in the hearth, fresh water sat beside the bed and a small table stood near the window. Everything looked ordinary.

Welcoming, even.

The woman bowed and left.

Once the door closed, Nyra waited until the servant's footsteps faded before examining the room. The door was unlocked.

She opened it and looked down the empty corridor before closing it again.

Then she crossed to the window.

It was unbarred.

She pushed it open. Cold air rushed inside, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine from beyond the grounds. The drop was manageable. She could climb down, cross the courtyard and reach the outer wall before anyone had time to react.

Then she looked down.

Two wolves stood beneath the window.

They weren't looking up.

They didn't need to.

Nyra slowly closed the window.

She rested her hand against the frame, staring at the courtyard. The wall had been occupied. The horses had been moved. Now there were watchers beneath the window.

A memory surfaced.

A cage didn't need walls.

She had been sixteen when her training master taught her that lesson. He had left the gate to the training yard open for three days, and Nyra had watched it without once stepping through.

On the fourth day, he had caught her staring.

“It was never locked,” he'd said.

“You could have left whenever you wanted.”

She had been furious when she realized what he had been teaching her.

A cage only needed to convince you that leaving wasn't an option.

Nyra stepped away from the window.

Lucian hadn't locked her in. He hadn't even told her she couldn't leave. He had simply made every obvious route inconvenient enough to discourage her from taking it.

That was more unsettling than a locked door.

She sat on the edge of the bed and thought through the evening again. Lucian had seen the blade. He knew she wasn't what she claimed to be. Yet he hadn't exposed her.

If he wanted her dead, she would already be dead.

If he wanted her arrested, she would be under guard.

So what did he want?

Her mind returned to the moment in the hall when his eyes had met hers.

I've been waiting for you.

A knock sounded at the door.

Nyra rose, her hand moving instinctively toward the hidden blade beneath her dress before she remembered there was no reason to draw it yet.

She opened the door.

The same servant stood outside.

“The Alpha asked me to give you a message.”

Nyra waited.

“He said you're welcome to stay as long as you like. He would consider it a personal courtesy if you didn't leave the grounds without informing someone first.”

Nyra leaned against the doorframe.

“For my own safety?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“And what else?”

The servant hesitated.

“He said he looks forward to getting to know Lady Ashwood properly.”

Nyra's expression remained unchanged.

“Starting tomorrow.”

The servant bowed and left.

Nyra closed the door and stood with her back against it.

She had entered Blackthorn intending to kill its Alpha. Within a few hours, Lucian had discovered the weapon hidden beneath her dress, allowed her to walk away and quietly removed every obvious path out.

He had not imprisoned her.

He had made staying feel like her choice.

Nyra looked toward the window.

For the first time since crossing the Blackthorn border, she understood what made Lucian dangerous.

He hadn't needed to take away her freedom.

He only needed to make her believe she still had it.