Malia’s POV
“Ronan, you know how Lila can be super dramatic,” I said.
I didn’t think he was going to take it so well if I told him that Ryder had his hands on my bum, or worse, that I had loved every bit of it.
I saw his jaw clench before he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. “I’ll take your word for it, Malia,” he said.
I gave him a bright smile.
“The troop that came here to search for you are gone,” he announced.
My heart skipped a beat. “How can you be so sure?” I asked.
“Our patrol team at the boundary saw them leaving very early this morning. So you wouldn’t have to spend the entire week indoors after all,” he said.
I gave a tiny shriek of excitement.
“But I still think you should spend the whole of tomorrow indoors, you know, just to be on the safer side,” he advised.
“I think I can survive one more day,” I said with a grin.
“Come on. Today wasn’t so bad, was it? You got to see the conservatory which you immediately declared your best place, and also the library,” he said.
My eyes widened slightly after he mentioned the library. I just remembered that I had taken a book from it. It must have fallen from my hand when Ryder pulled me against him in the hallway.
“What now?” Ronan asked.
“I lost the book I took from the library,” I answered.
“Don’t worry, you’re going to get it tonight,” he assured.
“Thanks. You’re the best,” I said in relief.
My stomach growled loudly and he chuckled.
“Good thing I asked Penelope, your new friend, to bring us something to eat earlier,” he said.
I placed a hand on my chest. “You’re so sweet, Ronan.”
He smirked. “Remember that the next time you and Ryder are in a compromising position.”
I wisely kept my mouth shut and focused on the patterns on my sundress.
The knock on the door saved me from the unbearable silence that had descended upon us.
Sweet Penelope walked in carrying a big tray.
We beamed at each other and she offered a bow to Ronan who rose to collect the tray from her and place it on the bed.
She blushed at his kind gesture and offered him another bow before leaving.
We were definitely going to have something to giggle about in our next meeting.
While we ate, Ronan told me funny stories about when he was little. At one point he and his brother had been pretty close. I wondered what had caused the rift between them. Though Ronan always tried to be civil with his brother, there was this undercurrent of sibling rivalry.
There was another knock on the door by the time we were nearly done with our meal.
Derek poked his head in.
“What now?” Ronan complained.
“The Gamma just returned and he wants to see us for something important,” he replied.
Ronan rubbed his temples and sighed in resignation.
“I’ll be with you shortly,” he said.
Derek winked at me and left.
“One of those days right?” I said to Ronan.
“It’s a necessary evil that comes with my position,” he replied.
He planted a kiss on my forehead before leaving the room.
I didn’t feel like staying alone, so I decided to take the plates to the kitchen and have a chat with Penelope.
She wasn’t there when I got to the kitchen and they weren’t sure what time she was going to return so I left a message for her and returned to my room.
I lay in bed for a few minutes and I must have been more tired than I thought from all the drama because I slept off.
I woke up to someone touching my hair and I immediately sat up in alarm.
“It’s okay. It’s just me.”
I sighed in relief. “You scared me,” I accused.
Penelope grinned at me. “I didn’t know you were such a scaredy-cat.”
I snorted. “Even the bravest people would have reacted in the same way.”
“I brought your book back. Do you care to
explain why it was just lying there in the middle of the hallway?” She asked with her eyes slightly narrowed in curiosity.
I cleared my throat. “There was an incident that occurred but before I tell you about it, there’s something I’d like to show you,” I said.
Her eyes brightened expectantly. I reached under my pillow and retrieved Derek’s bracelet.
For a brief moment, I wondered if I could trust her enough to tell her about Lila and Derek. I decided that she was.
After all, she had opened up to me about her feelings for Ronan and she seemed like a sweet and honest person.
“Have you seen this before?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “No. Why?”
“Do you think Lila might be having an affair with someone else?” I asked in a low voice.
“The Alpha’s mistress?” She asked incredulously.
I nodded. “Yeah. The one and only.”
“Well, I’ve not noticed. And she’d have to be real silly to do that,” she said.
“Did you see her with someone?” She asked.
“She was at the library today. Before you came in,” I said.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “I didn’t know that the Alpha’s mistress was a fan of books. She doesn’t strike me as someone who reads,” she replied.
“Exactly my thoughts,” I said.
I then went on to narrate what had happened in the library. How I felt that they had pushed a book from the shelf to make me move away from my position which was close to the door and how I had found the bracelet which belonged to Derek in the area of that shelf.
“Ronan also confirmed my suspicion when he told me that Derek was pretty late for the meeting they had in the morning,” I added.
Penelope’s eyes widened and her lips slightly parted in shock as I related to her all of these things.
“Interesting,” she murmured after I fell silent.
“But I’m going to need more evidence to confirm my suspicion,” I said.
Her eyes lit up and she grinned at me. “I want to help in any way I can to gather enough evidence.”
I gave her an uncertain look.
“You can’t enjoy all the fun alone. This promises to be very exciting. It’s been a while since I’ve actually been excited about something in this palace. So please let me help,” she begged.
I nodded and she jumped in excitement.
She suddenly became reflective and sat back down.
“So what do you intend to do if your suspicion turns out to be true?”