Chapter 176
Elise had taken the girls to get something to eat and later headed out to play by the lake.
Mathilda always loved lakes, when she was younger she’d say that there were creatures living on the bottom, looking up at us when we stared at our
reflections.
And Kiera liked Mathilda, she felt safe with my sister so I knew they’d both be fine.
The Guards would be with them so no harm would come to them and Elise was warm and kind and would keep a mother’s eye on them.
We stood in Darian’s office with three of the leaders of the Royal Guards; Eddie, Lauren, and Tam.
They stood with their hands clasped behind their backs listening to Darian briefing them on everything Zade related.
Apparently, they knew a great deal already because Darian had these briefings once every two weeks.
“My King, what is his end game?” Tam asked.
“We don’t know,” he admitted.
“The Elder coerced the Councilmen into going against the Monarch but they have been taken care of so Zade will get our fullest attention as well as our arsenal pointed directly at his ass,” Gabe said.
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I leaned back in the chair and flickered my eyes away from them for a moment. They still didn’t know about Angus and the humans conspiring with the Elder. At least I think it was the Elder, it was the only thing that made any sense.
I knew I had to tell them but telling now would entail I’d admit that I was withholding this from them and that would cause a massively aggravated pair of
Lycan’s.
“You have to,” Trixy said.
“I know and I will. After the meeting is over I’m telling them everything,”
That was the plan, now I just had to keep busy so I didn’t talk myself out of it.
Luckily the meeting only went on for about another forty minutes and they hammered out a strategic plan overseeing added protection and a search around the palace grounds for any traces of Zade.
The leaders went out and Gabe raked a tired hand through his hair. I looked at him and the anger stirred back up every time I did. He must’ve seen it because he averted his eyes with a deep sigh.
“Are you hungry?” Darian asked and decluttered his desk.
Gabe was heading toward the door and I bit my tongue, hoping he would’ve left already so that I only had Darian to deal with.
“Actually, there’s something I need to tell you,”
Gabe’s hand was just about to reach for the damn door handle but it froze inches away and he pulled it back.
They were facing me and I don’t know if it was my voice that had given anything away but they were looking at me with a veiled disappointment. Maybe it was all in my head but I was anticipating what would come within five minutes.
“What did you do?” Gabe asked and walked around me to stand next to Darian.
“Why do you just assume that I’ve done something?” I snapped viciously.
“Haven’t you?” He asked.
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Chapter 176
I gulped and rose from the chair when I felt like a mouse sitting down under their gazes.
My cheeks expanded when I blew out a breath and I looked with a certainty that I refused to lose. I held my head high and no matter what happened next, I wouldn’t fold.
“Yesterday I met…” Come on, say it. Could I lie? I could switch stories and tell them that I met someone else.
Their eyes were hardening already, Gabe’s more than Darian’s but it was when Darian was calm that he was at his scariest.
“Hazel,” Darian said calmly.
Fuck me.
“You were sitting by the fire and I left, remember?”
Gabe nodded slowly.
“There was a human in the palace and I talked to him,” I blurted out.
Darian took a step but I held out my hand and ignored Gabe’s reddening face.
“Let me finish the whole story please and then you can react. He’s been in the castle since I arrived, maybe before then, I’m not sure. He led me out of the castle and we talked, apparently, nobody had smelled him but there was a pungent smell that stuck with me the night of the Ball and it was him, so he’s been around. He has heard us talk and he informed me that the humans are working with werewolves to take you down. They think it will bring them freedom,”
“Is that all?” Darian asked calmly I could swear that Gabe was holding his breath.
“Also, I think it’s the Elder and the Councilmen who are working with the humans to take over Valeria,” I blurted out. “That’s all. You may react now,”
I took a cautious step back and waited.
One thud.
Two thuds.
“Gabriel,” Darian said without taking his eyes off me.
“Leave us.” The order was given and Gabe didn’t spare him a second glance, glad to be leaving the office.
However, I was less pleased because without him here there wouldn’t be any witnesses.
Gabe heaved a breath and his glare was penetrating every shield I’d built and I shivered under him as he walked by me.
He flung the door open and stormed out.
“Get me Nora!” He ordered and I saw someone walking off.
The door was open, I could run and the flight part of my brain that knew common sense said that I should.
Unfortunately, the signals didn’t reach my feet in time and Darian stood on the other side of the office in a flash and closed the door.
“Sit down,”
I tilted my head to the side and crossed my arms.
It didn’t matter what situation we were in, I was not going to be ordered around by anyone again.
He drew a breath that would’ve filled his lungs to their maximum capacity.
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Chapter 176
“Hazel, would please sit your fucking ass down. Please,”
1 gently released my arms and pressed down on the armrest when I sat.
He moved the other chair around and sat opposite me. I watched as he circled his fingers on the cushion between my legs and pulled the chair in so it was glued to his. We were close but what made everything worse was the mark that allowed me to feel every ounce of anger that rushed through him. It grew by every silent second and I was waiting for an explosion to happen. Darian put his hands on my thighs- sending tingles down my legs, and he leaned in.
“I want you to tell me, word by word, what the human said to you,”
The Alpha’s Hunt
