Malia’s POV
She smiled knowingly at me and I rolled my eyes.
“Please don’t say I told you so,” I said.
“But I did. I remember telling you not to take too many glasses of wine but you ignored me and claimed I was so boring.”
“Whatever. It was worth it. Besides, you’re going to give me that tea and I’ll feel better within minutes,” I said stubbornly.
She snorted. “Yeah. I wonder what you’d do without me.”
I grabbed a bottle of cold water from the fridge before going to sit on one of the kitchen stools.
“So how did it go with Damien?” I asked, giving her a mischievous wink. Her cheeks coloured and she turned away to heat some water for my tea.
“It was cool,” she answered.
“Just cool? You can’t be serious. I was expecting you to say something like life-altering, nirvana. Something better than cool.”
She turned to face me and her expression was serious. “I had to force myself away from him. Right now the only thing I can think of is running back into his arms. Isn’t it strange or is the mate bond always like this?” She queried.
I would have burst out laughing if she didn’t look so worried.
“It’s normal Pen. I didn’t even expect to see you till tomorrow because I know how difficult it can be to be apart from your mate especially when you’ve just formed the mate bond.”
“Zade and I were practically glued to each other for months until the elders started to complain that we were preventing each other from performing our duties.”
“Oh,” she murmured. “Do you think Mary will understand if I do not show up in the kitchen for a few days?” She asked.
“Well, she seems like an understanding person. You could ask her,” I replied. She placed the cup of tea in front of me and I murmured my thanks.
“Don’t you find it strange that Lila wasn’t present at the ceremony?” I queried.
Penelope’s forehead creased slightly. “I didn’t even notice that she wasn’t there. I was just so focused on Damien,” she replied.
“Perhaps the Beta might know,” she added.
I had taken a few sips of my tea and was beginning to feel better. My eyes widened in mild panic as I suddenly remembered something.
“What’s wrong?” She asked with concern evident in her voice.
“I was supposed to be on the training grounds by eight this morning and now it’s almost nine. Lucien’s going to kill me,” I replied, sliding off the stool and making my way to the kitchen entrance.
“You have nothing to worry about. He’s still wiped out from yesterday’s drinking. Damien’s brothers had to practically carry him back to his chambers,” she said.
I sighed in relief. “But Ronan told me he asked Derek and Scott to keep an eye on him. So how come they let him get so drunk?” I queried.
Penelope scoffed. “It would have been better if the beta himself had kept an eye on him. A Beta can call a Gamma to order but mere soldiers can’t,” she answered.
“Ronan is going to be so pissed if he finds out. He trusted them to get the work done,” I murmured.
“Yeah yeah,” Pen said distractedly and I noticed that she had a distant look in her eyes.
I smiled inwardly. “You can go to him. I don’t think I need you anymore. But just remember that you have a lonely best friend somewhere,” I said.
She gave me a grateful smile. “Don’t you want me to whip up breakfast for you? It’s going to be a while before the other maids come to the kitchen.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll just grab some fruits from the fridge. That’ll tide me over till it’s reasonable for me to go over to Ronan’s chambers and bully him into cooking for me.”
Penelope giggled. “I’d have said the Beta can’t be bullied. But seeing as you have him wrapped around your little finger, it’s highly possible.”
She slid off her stool and wrapped her robe tighter around herself. “I should get going then,” she said and I nodded.
I took a deep breath as soon as she left and walked to the sink to wash my empty mug.
Then I raided the fridge for some fruits and put them into a bowl before leaving the kitchen.
I returned to my room and sat on my bed.
I changed my mind and went to sit in front of the window instead. It seemed everyone was still asleep because there were no people moving about outside.
I munched on my fruits and wished there’d be more mornings like this. Peaceful and quiet.
I finished my fruit and went back to bed. I mean, why not? It seemed the whole world was still sleeping so I didn’t feel guilty about it.
I woke up sometime after noon with a gnawing hunger. I don’t know about other people but fruits made me hungry.
I reached for my phone to call Penelope and sighed when I remembered that she was with her mate.
I rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up, deciding to pay the Beta a visit.
As I got to his own wing, I slowed down my pace. I thought I heard voices coming from chambers.
I walked quietly to the door which wasn’t fully closed. There was a small crack that allowed me to see a small part of the living room.
My eyes narrowed in suspicion when I saw some of Ryder’s guards. “So we’re going to have to annihilate him,” Ronan was saying.
I wondered who he was referring to.
“But do you have another plan in case this doesn’t work?” I heard Derek ask.
“With my help, everything is going to go as planned,” a voice that was certainly Lila’s said.
I raised an eyebrow. More surprises. This meeting was definitely suspicious.
“My brother is so smart and strong but I know that together we can take him down,” Ronan said.
I tried not to gasp.
“But do we really have to kill him?” One of the guards asked.
“Yes. He has to die for me to become the new Alpha,” he replied.
I didn’t need to stay to hear more. I was instantly concerned about Ryder’s safety and knew I had to get to him as fast as I could.
I quietly turned on my heel and hurried out of his wing. Why the hell would he even want to do that to his own brother? I wondered in disappointment.
I had never imagined that Ronan was capable of doing something like this. He was such a kind and sweet soul.
And Lila…
I barged into Ryder’s chambers. He wasn’t in the living room. I heard the sound of silverware hitting a plate so I made my way to the dining room.
His eyes hardened when he saw me. “Do I have to remind you that you’re not supposed to barge into my chambers like that? You do not have such privilege,” he said.
“Good day to you too,” I murmured, taking a seat beside him.
He scoffed. “Malia..”
“Please just hear me out,” I said, interrupting him.
“You have just five minutes to say whatever it is you want to say.”
I took a deep breath. “I hate to say this Ryder but your brother is planning to kill you and become Alpha,” I said quietly.
His eyes narrowed slightly. “And how would you know that?” He asked.
“I’m just coming from Ronan’s wing. I overheard him talking about it with some of your guards. Even Lila was there,” I answered.
He looked somewhat sceptical.
“Please you have to believe me. Your life is in danger.”
He regarded me for a moment.
“If what you’re saying is true, why would you even come to me with the information?” He questioned.
My forehead creased slightly in puzzlement.
“Don’t you want your boyfriend to be Alpha?” He asked.
I finally understood what he was driving at and sighed. “He’s not my boyfriend, Ryder. And yes, it’s true that Ronan and I had a moment the other day because I was vulnerable. But I promise you that we didn’t kiss. I came to my senses at the last minute,” I explained.
I saw that he was still struggling to believe me. I placed my hand on his.
“Whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter right now. All I want is for you to be alive. I don’t want to lose you,” I said and his eyes softened.
He got up from his chair and pulled me up from mine. He leaned against the table and wrapped his arm around my waist to pull me closer.
“You have to forgive me for being so cold to you. I was just very jealous. I thought you had chosen my brother over me. I can’t bear the thought of losing you to someone else,” I said.
I nodded in understanding. “I get it Ryder. I have forgiven you. But what are we going to do about the plot against you?” I asked.
“Malia, that’s not important right now,” he answered and I scoffed.
“You’re kidding me, right? Your life is in danger and…”
His mouth slammed hard against mine and I lost all train of thought.