Selena

The moment I stepped back into our chamber, both Marqee and Sally shot to their feet. They looked like they had been waiting for me for hours.

Marqee reached me first. "Oh, thank the Moon Goddess!"

She threw her arms around me so suddenly that I almost stumbled backward.

"Do you know how worried I was?" she demanded, pulling away to inspect my face. "What happened? Where did they take you? Are you hurt?"

Before I could answer, Sally’s sharp voice cut through the room. "She’s lying."

The room fell silent then Marqee frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Sally folded her arms as her eyes were fixed on me suspiciously.

"She’s not who she claims to be." Sally said and I stiffened in shock.

Marqee blinked in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

Sally ignored her as her gaze remained on me. "No ordinary servant gets this much attention from Alpha Kael."

My heart skipped as I forced myself to remain calm then muttered. "You’re imagining things."

"No." Sally shook her head. "I’m not imagining anything."

She stepped closer then continued, "When Grengy attacked you, the entire castle practically turned upside down."

I said nothing as I just watched her. "When the assassins arrived, you practically disappeared."

Still I remained silent.

"And somehow," Sally continued, narrowing her eyes, "the Alpha himself became involved."

Marqee looked between us. "Sally..."

"No, think about it." Sally pointed at me. "Who is she really? Something just doesn’t seem right."

I laughed lightly before speaking. "I think you’ve been listening to gossip."

Sally wasn’t convinced. Not even slightly as her frown only deepened.

Fortunately, Marqee grabbed my wrist. "I don’t care who she is." She looked at me anxiously. "I just want to know if she’s okay."

The sincerity in her voice softened something inside me. After everything, Marqee remained exactly the same.

She was still kind, loyal and concerned about me.

I smiled and I told her, "I’m okay."

"What happened?" She asked.

I carefully chose my words. "I escaped from Grengy." That part was true.

"Then while everything was happening, the assassins attacked the castle."

Marqee gasped. "And then?"

"I hid somewhere." I lied smoothly.

Sally snorted conveniently but I ignored her.

Marqee sat beside me on the bed asking, "But why would Grengy target you in the first place?"

I sighed. "I really don’t know." That was partially true because I still didn’t understand how the servant’s hatred had become murderous.

Marqee shook her head. "You were already punished by the headmistress."

"Exactly."

"So why wasn’t he satisfied?" She asked but I had no answer.

Slowly, I reached into my belongings and pulled out my father’s cloak.

The familiar material slid through my fingers and immediately memories flooded back.

The training grounds, castle gardens, the long rides through Nightbane territory, the evenings spent discussing pack history, the lessons about leadership, the lessons about strength and the lessons about sacrifice.

A painful ache settled in my chest. What did Father think now? Did he believe his assassins had found me? Did he think they were already taking me home?

The word home no longer felt simple because Nightbane was still my home yet I couldn’t return there. At least not while he intended to hand me over to the vampires.

No matter how much I missed him, no matter how much I missed the father who taught me how to ride, how to hunt and how to lead, I still couldn’t go back anymore.

That night, sleep came slowly as my thoughts kept returning to Alpha Kael and to the moment he suddenly appeared.

I rolled onto my side with different thoughts. How had he known? How had he known someone was breaking into the armory?

The answer came almost immediately. ’The mate bond.’

The realization made my stomach twist and I buried my face into the pillow.

About the mate bond, I still wasn’t sure how I felt about it and eventually exhaustion won.

The next morning passed in a blur. I didn’t get the opportunity to confront Alpha Kael.

Instead, every available servant was ordered to assist with repairs because the guest wing had suffered significant damage during the attack.

By noon, I was exhausted, covered in dust, hungry, sweaty and increasingly irritated. I was helping move a pile of stones when Beta Bastien appeared.

Immediately several servants straightened and I noticed Sally watching me suspiciously

Beta Bastien approached me before saying in a low voice, "The Alpha wants you informed about the findings concerning the assassins."

My heart immediately quickened. "What did they say?"

"You’ll find out." He said and I quickly handed over the stone I was carrying to someone else.

I saw Sally’s eyes narrowed but I pretended not to notice. Together, Beta Bastien and I headed toward the dungeons.

The deeper we went underground, the colder the air became. Then I saw Grengy occupying one of the cells. He was bruised, looking dirty and miserable.

For once, he wasn’t smirking as his eyes followed me silently as we eventually continued onward.

A few corridors later, I saw the assassins and I stopped to stare at them on seeing they were extremely young.

They were far younger than I expected and were roughly my age or maybe a few years older. Certainly not hardened killers in their forties.

My surprise must have shown because Beta Bastien smirked. "Are you surprised?"

"A little." I couldn’t deny it.

One of the assassins glared at me, another looked away while the remaining two simply watched.

Beta Bastien folded his arms. "They’re from the Velmora Region."

I stared in surprise, "What?"

His expression remained serious. "Specifically Redgrave, Blackridge, and Ashmount."

I blinked as those names were powerful. The realization left me speechless.

Beta Bastien studied me carefully. "Does your father have any special alliances with those packs?"

I frowned. "Everyone knows my Father has influence."

"Influence is one thing."Beta Bastien shook his head. "This is another."

I remained silent as Beta Bastien continued. "Sending warriors is normal."

He pointed toward the prisoners. "But sending Alpha sons across the realm for an assassination mission is not."

That made sense as even I knew it.

I glanced at the captives. "What if my Father forced them somehow?"

Beta Bastien laughed. "Alpha William is influential." His expression hardened. "But these Alphas are powerful in their own right."

I slowly nodded as the logic was difficult to ignore.

Beta Bastien looked thoughtful. "Our best theory is that their fathers have their own agenda."

My stomach tightened at the thought of it. "Concerning me?"I asked.

"Possibly." The uncomfortable shifting among the prisoners at Beta Bestien words answered the question better than words ever could.

I felt very cold. What could they possibly want from me?

Beta Bastien dismissed the guards and eventually led me away.

As we walked back through the corridors, another thought occurred to me. "What about Grengy?"

Beta Bastien looked over. "What about him?"

"What will happen to him?"

He shrugged. "That depends on Alpha Kael."

I hesitated then quietly said, "Can you ask him to let Grengy live?"

Beta Bastien stopped walking as surprise crossed his face. "After everything he did to you?"

I nodded before saying. "I don’t want anyone executed because of me."

For a moment he simply stared then he chuckled. "You’re either very kind or very naïve."

"Maybe both." I said and his smile widened.

Before he could answer, his eyes suddenly glazed over and I immediately knew he was mindlinking someone.

A few seconds later, he blinked and said, "The Alpha wants to see you at the rooftop."

The rooftop? Wonderful!

The climb felt endless as the stairs were narrow, steep and dangerously slanted. By the time I reached the top, I was convinced whoever designed them hated visitors.

Then I stepped onto the rooftop and immediately forgot my irritation as the sky stretched endlessly overhead.

It was blue, bright and beautiful. The wind danced across the castle rooftops while the distant mountains stood proudly along the horizon and standing near the edge was Alpha Kael.

His back faced me looking strong and intimidating. For a long moment neither of us spoke and strangely, the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.

I simply stood there beside him, taking in the view. Eventually I smiled before saying. "It’s beautiful."

"It is." His voice came quietly before the silence returned long enough for my curiosity to awaken.

My eyes drifted toward him then I remembered something. I remembered the painting in his room.

The middle-aged man who looked so much like him. "I saw the painting." I quietly said but he didn’t react so I continued carefully."The man in it, is he your father?"

A long pause followed but I smiled faintly and said again. "You must have loved him very much."

His entire body stiffened. The change was immediate and noticeable.

For several moments he said nothing then finally he spoke. "No."

The answer surprised me. "What?"

His jaw tightened. "I didn’t love him."

I stared at him as he looked away. "He hated me." His voice remained flat, cold and detached.

As though discussing someone else’s life he continued. "He often beats me like I am his punching bag."

I struggled to imagine it yet the look in his eyes told me he wasn’t lying. "Why?" I couldn’t help but ask.

His expression darkened but he didn’t answer.

I waited and when he still said nothing, I eventually asked another question. "If he hated you... Then why keep his painting in your room?"

For a moment I thought he wouldn’t answer as the wind howled around us while his shoulders became rigid.

The silence stretched then suddenly, he faced me, gripped my arms tightly as he bared his teeth at me with his eyes shining bright red.