Chapter 133Lessie's POVI didn't leave school that afternoon like the others did. I waited around listening to the now too familiar sound of the footsteps that had been shadowing me for so long. And of course, Aden was by my side before I even thought the thought.His eyes were serene, watchful, too serene in fact, like still water over foul stuff and evil beneath.We returned home silently, the stamping of our feet on the stone pavements that reminded us of our way back to the mansion.In any other situation, I would have tried to break the silence with small talk, but that afternoon, I was tongue-tied. Trent's gentle comment to me in class that morning had been brewing in my head like an upset bird. He doesn't resemble a guard. He resembles an assassin.The word assassin haunted me. It brought to mind the day Aden appeared in my room sweating, the day the maid was assassinated. I had not yet shaken off the terror the day brought.Even before we could reach my chambers, my maid had
Chapter 132Lessie's POVI sat in silence at my own table. I was making circles on the cold surface using my fingers, my thoughts a million miles away from where I sat.I said nothing, I took deep breaths, I even fantasized that individuals threw hostile looks my way and it meant something. Paranoia was no longer the issue. Something was wrong.Trent sat beside me, his expression graver than usual. He always entered with a joke or a wisecrack to lighten the moment, but today, not yet. The air that stretched between us were like a tightrope, and I felt his hesitation as though he wrestled within himself how to speak and how not to.I bent slightly towards him, my voice low. "You're quite subdued today. Something bothering you?" I asked him.He exhaled a deep breath, his eyes fluttering for an instant before returning to me. "I heard something yesterday," he said hesitantly."My father and Alpha Duiane were talking. They were talking about the maid who was." He couldn't complete the sen
Chapter 131Author's POVThere had never been so thick a silence in years among the pack. Two nights had gone by since it was said that one of the maids, an undefiled pure innocent girl barely more than eighteen, had vanished. At first, the rest of the servants were certain that she had ventured out to her family or was on some secret errand without informing anybody. But when she did not come back the following day, fear crept into every nook and cranny of the household.By the third day, terror had bloomed.Alpha Duaine strode along the balcony of his quarters, out towards the training grounds, his jaw tight, his mind in an uproar. His guards were practicing quietly, but their blows were languid. Even the pack warriors could not chase away the shadows of despair that clung to them.Alpha," Dave called, bowing his head low, his voice thick with something he did not say aloud.Alpha Duaine turned, already knowing what was to be told. "You've found her?”Dave nodded. "Yes. We found h
Chapter 130Author's POVThe moon hung low in the sky and it cast long shadows over the landscape. Outside, in a secluded place in the silence of the courtyard one man stood in the shadows, Aden, the new guard.He turned on the communication device he had brought along with him from Dylan's pack, he was about to do his daily check in. He held it against his mouth and spoke softly, his voice contemplative. "It will not be easy," Aden spoke softly, his eyes scanning the perimeter to ensure no one listened. "Dave is never more than a step behind Alpha Duaine. Even when we are out training the men, Dave is there."And Alpha Duiane himself, he is more powerful than I anticipated. More powerful even than myself prepared. To best him out right, it would be bloody."On the other end of the device, Dylan's laughter boomed deep, rough and derisive. "Did you honestly think it'd be this easy? That you'd infiltrate his Pack and reach him so easily?Aden, you don't know him, and you don't know me.
Chapter 129Authors POVThe day was typical for Lessie. She woke up, took a shower and got dressed for school, and tried to focus on things to be studied. But something was different, something she couldn't quite place. As soon as she stepped out of the gates and onto roads leading toward school, she knew. Someone was following her.It had happened for the first time, and she waved it off. Perhaps it was the weight of responsibility on her shoulders, or simple paranoia for being in the presence of someone as powerful and controversial as Alpha Duaine. Eyes were raised at her often, wondering, suspicious, or even admiring. There was something, however, that clung to her, followed her around corners and corridors, then simply disappeared when she suddenly turned around.By day two, the feeling returned, more vivid this time. She saw a momentary glimpse of a dark shape rushing behind a wall just opposite the school gate. Her heart missed a beat. The stalker was not bold, but wary, as
Chapter 128Duaine’s POVI had always been a man who believed that strength must be tested, not only trusted. Titles and reputations meant little if the arms that carried them were weak, and lately, I’d noticed something in Dave. He had been at my side for years, more loyal than most, but loyalty alone does not swing a sword or carry a shield. His actions had slowed down a bit. As much as he hated it, the load of responsibility was starting to get to him.That's when I took initiative and stepped in.The early morning air cut through my flesh as I entered the training grounds. The sun barely rose above the horizon, and a fine golden haze lay over the open grounds. The ring of swords, the impact of boots on earth ringing out, and the new guards, my new guards who Dave had chosen were exercising with a mix of efficiency and pride. Today I would examine them myself."Fall into line," I commanded then, my loud voice carrying out onto the grounds.The men doubled in two lines at once. I o