Theo hadn’t even looked up or shown any interest until Warren and I had begun speaking to one another. Then, he had just scowled at . Why?
Oh, right. He didn’t like talking to Prince Warren. He’d told that before.
With Theo staring at , the two of us didn’t seem to have much else to say. To avoid the awkwardness, I cleared my throat. “Um... do you mind if I go back to my room and try to get so more sleep?”
Theo gave a nod as he got up and walked away. “Go ahead. If you need , I’ll be in my office.”
***
One of the maids had brought in a tray of food, and I’d nibbled at it for a few minutes, but I really wasn’t hungry. I had so much on my mind.
My thoughts went back to what Luther had said to the night before. He’d ntioned that there were rebels in my own pack and insinuated that my father, our pack Alpha, was in trouble.
My parents were not ho at the mont. This ti of year, they normally would leave our pack lands for a couple of months. His Beta would still be there, as would so of the other pack leaders, so they should be able to manage.
Although generally speaking, for the last couple of years, I had been the one to manage the leadership and monetary affairs of the pack. So... if the situation was going poorly, why hadn’t anyone in the pack reached out to ?
It didn’t make any sense.
I had sent inquiries to all of the important people. I was eager to make sure that all was well back ho. My parents would be surprised to return and find absent, after all.
But it had been two weeks, and no one had responded. It was strange. I’d written to my governess, my best friend, the Beta and his wife.... Not a single letter in response.
Could it be that they weren’t getting the letters? Or maybe they were getting them, but everything was in such shambles that they didn’t have ti to write back. Maybe everything was just fine, and they saw no reason to reach out to ....
All of the possibilities continued to turn around and around in my head until I decided I needed so answers. I couldn’t just sit there and wonder what was wrong with my people when there was a possibility that Luther could tell more.
I wasn’t an idiot, though. I knew better than to go out there and face him without proper preparation.
It took a great deal of ti to make up my mind that this was what I needed to do. After going over the pros and cons of contacting the hidden enemy, I finally convinced myself that I needed to know what was happening in my pack.
Readying a plethora of weapons, I prepared for my eting with him. I had knives, throwing stars, swords, and many other types of sharp weapons hidden all over my body, as well as strapped to my back and legs. I didn’t want to take the chance of letting him hurt again.
However, I had thought through the situation again. If he had really wanted to cause harm, he would’ve done it then—wouldn’t he have? So was there sothing about that prevented him from hurting before?
A nervous ball of tension ford in my stomach, and I knew it wouldn’t go away easily.
I had no way of knowing, but as I thought about the situation, I grew even more nervous. As a result, not only was I covered when it ca to all of the weapons I knew how to use, but I also made sure that my friends were prepared this ti.
The last ti I had faced off against him, I’d called on the animals to co to my rescue, but they hadn’t known what they were getting into. This ti, when I left to walk into the woods to locate the house, I brought them along with and we ford a battle plan as a group.
Two bears, a tiger, a lion, a giant python, three badgers, a boa constrictor, a pair of jaguars who always stayed right next to one another, and a cheetah.
I thought I had the numbers on my side when it ca to being able to fight against one he-wolf, but then, Luther seed to be a skilled warrior, and I figured his wolf was not soone to be trifled with.
It started to get dark. With the dilapidated house in the distance, I stood outside in a clearing in the woods, with my animal friends around , praying to the Moon Goddess that I wasn’t doing sothing entirely idiotic.
My lips quivered just slightly as I lifted the whistle that Luther gave and gave it a sharp blow.
It only took a mont before I heard so noises from the forest, and Luther stepped out.
He didn’t look nearly as intimidating now, dressed in gray slacks and a blue shirt. Not being clad in all black gave him a bit more of a human appearance. Still, my nerves continued to get the better of . I held one of my knives in my hand, twisting the blade back and forth as he approached, trying to calm myself.
A smirk ford across his face as he took a few hasty steps toward . A growl emanated from each of the mammals’ mouths, and the snakes slithered impatiently.
“You should probably stay back.” It wasn’t a warning. It was a fact. I might be intimidated, but my friends were not.
His smile widened. “I knew you’d call for . Sooner or later.”
“I want to know what you ant when you were speaking about my pack,” I told him. “You said that there were rebels back there as well. But no one has contacted to let know what the situation is. Why is that?”
“Easy. They never received your mail,” he said with a simple shrug.
My eyebrows knit together. That made no sense to . I continued to shift the knife in my hands as I spoke. “Of course, they have,” I said. “I’ve written to them. They know—”
“If soone didn’t want your letters to get to your pack, they’d surely figure out a way,” he replied, interrupting .
Shaking my head, I tried to figure out what he ant. My stomach was beginning to ache from the knots twisted there. “You! You stole my mail?!”
“No! Believe it or not, it wasn’t .” His smile grew crooked as only one-half of his mouth pulled up higher, like he was attempting to fight his amusent and only half-winning. “Not only did I not intercept any of your ssages, because I’m a nice guy, but I’ll also give you so news. There is an imposter in your pack.”
His grin was beginning to annoy , but even more botherso were his words. “An imposter?” I repeated, biting down on my bottom lip for a mont. “Are you saying that there’s soone in my pack pretending to be ?”
One simple, sharp nod was all that I got in response to my inquiry.
“No!” I said. “They would understand that it’s not . I’ve lived there my whole life. Those people know . Not to ntion, the Beta was there when I got on the train to co here.”
He shook his head the entire ti that I spoke. “Would they? Listen, Ciana,” he said, folding his arms across his muscular chest. “You’re caught up in all of this. You seem like a reasonably nice girl. But the bottom line is, your entire pack is under the impression that you brought sha upon them by failing almost imdiately here at the palace, and with your doppelganger in place, no one is the wiser.”
There were a million questions running through my head, but all I knew was that I needed to get back to my pack. I needed to check out exactly what was going on, and get things sorted before Mom and Dad ca back.
But I had another question for him. “Why did you tell all of this?” I asked him. “Why not just keep all of this information to yourself? After all, if what you’re saying is true, and the rebellion you are a part of is behind this activity in my pack, aren’t you hurting your own cause by telling ?”
“Am I?” His smirk was gone now as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets and shrugged. “I think you already know the answer to that question, Ciana. You’re a bright girl. You know what the most important thing is to .”
I thought about the words he’d said to the other night. He didn’t want Sebastian and Theo to have the heir the king wanted.
“You want to get away from Prince Theo,” I whispered.
“Bingo!” the kidnapper said. “Now, if you will excuse , I have business to attend to. This rebellion isn’t just going to win itself.” He winked at , and then he turned around and disappeared into the woods.
I was still staring after him when I thought I heard a rustling in the trees behind .
Quickly, I turned around, my knife at the ready, but I didn’t see anything. My forehead wrinkled as I continued to stare between the tree trunks looking for any clue that soone had been listening.
I didn’t see anyone....
Shaking my head, I turned back around, and taking into the knowledge that Luther had just disclosed to , I gathered my nagerie around and prepared to head back to the palace.
But then I did catch the scent of so unusual flowers.
Gardenia.
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