STARLETTE
I still couldn’t fathom why and how Maximus suddenly changed. He treated me like a rag when I came to the pack, and now he wouldn’t stop trying to please me. I believed he had an ulterior motive, but that motive I didn’t quite know. The cat would be let out of the bag soon enough. But until then, I wouldn’t fall for his pretence.
“Soon enough, you’ll get better than me.” Tom teased.
“Soon.” I laughed.
We were on the training ground, practicing. I had advanced, and we were using real swords now.
“How are things with you and the Alpha now? I noticed that he had been giving that crazy head cold shoulders. I’m glad he’s finally seeing the light after being with her for years. I don’t know why he ever liked her anyway.” He scoffed.
“You speak as if you don’t like her.” I observed.
He made a disgusted face. “Why would anyone like that psychopath?”
A laugh escaped my throat. “I know, right?”
“So, how are things with you and him?” He asked again.
“I don’t know. I don’t trust his sudden change.” I said truthfully.
“Why don’t you trust him?” He asked.
I shot up a brow. “I don’t know. You are his Gamma. I should ask you. What do you guys have planned?”
“Don’t do that, Starlette. Don’t turn this on me. I’m his Gamma, but I am also your friend. And I am genuinely asking my friend a question.”
“That’s if you consider me a friend.” He added with a low tone.
“Of course, you are my friend.” I blew out a breath. “I am sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Its okay.” He sighed.
An uncomfortable silence settled between us afterwards as we continued training. When we were done, we only nodded our heads at each other without saying a word before going our separate ways.
I trotted to where Bella was watching us from a distance.
“You finished quite early today.” She told me as she handed me a towel.
I wiped the sweat that coated my skin with the towel. “I kind of said something that pissed him off. And it got awkward afterwards.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I am starving. Let’s go and get something to eat.” I quickly changed the subject, not wanting to talk about it.
“Sure.” She said. I was glad she didn’t press me.
Thoughts of Lucius suddenly crossed my mind. I hadn’t seen him since I saw him save Lauren. And Lauren, Oh Lauren. She had been actively trying to terrorise me, especially now that Maximus has been distant from her.
Bella and I walked into the kitchen to get something to eat, and Lauren was the first person my eyes caught. Speak of the devil.
“Oh, look who’s here.” She hissed.
Ignoring her, I walked to the fridge and took some chicken to fry.
As expected, Lauren, who didn’t have it in her to let me be, appeared before me when I turned around after closing the fridge.
She flashed a wicked smile at me. “Watch out.” She leaned in and whispered into my ear. “Your life would end today.”
I wasn’t going to give her the attention she so desperately sought. So, pressing my lips tightly together, I sidestepped and walked away from her. This time, she didn’t try to stop me.
“What did she tell you?” Bella asked curiously.
“Nothing important. Just an empty threat.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What threat?”
“That my life would end today.”
“Nothing that comes out of that girl’s mouth should be taken as a joke, Starlette.” She said with worries evident in her tone. “You should report this to the Alpha. Lauren is crazy.”
I placed a hand on her shoulder and assured her. “Lauren can do nothing to me. She might be crazy, but she’s smart enough to know that she won’t get away with harming the Alpha King’s breeder. She wouldn’t do something stupid, regardless if he was her lover or not.”
“But-”
“No need to worry, Bella.” I cut her off. “I would be fine. Okay?”
She nodded, but hesitantly, though.
After we finished having breakfast, I asked Bella to escort me somewhere. I didn’t tell her where, though. She kept bugging me on our way, asking where we were going, but I didn’t tell her because I knew she would try to discourage me if I did.
We finally came to a stop at the square where the captured man had been left standing. He looked really pale-so pale that it seemed like he could pass out at any moment.
“Where did you say we were going?” Bella asked.
“Here.” I flashed a smile at her.
She immediately began to shake her head. “Starlette, don’t. The Alpha won’t like this.”
“Who cares?”
I roamed my gaze around all the warriors that were guarding the prisoner before finally settling my gaze on the prisoner himself.
“Why won’t you just talk and relieve yourself of this misery?” I went straight to the point.
He remained silent, his gaze intimidating.
But I refused to be intimidated.
“Why won’t you talk?” I repeated my question. “Who is it that you are afraid of?”
Silence.
“Talk!” I exclaimed frustratedly.
Suddenly, I felt someone trying to get into my mind. Before I could even fathom what was happening, his voice came through.
“Release me, and I will talk.”
I stepped back, startled.
Confusion washed over my entire being. Only my former pack members could mind link me, as I hadn’t severed my link with the pack. I gasped, perplexed, as realisation dawned on me.
I tried to respond through the mind link, but Maximus suddenly appeared before me.
“What are you doing here?” He asked, his jaw tightening. Before I could respond, he darted his gaze at Bella.
“Take her out of here, immediately.”
Bella quickly hooked her arm around me and walked me out of that place. I followed her, but hesitantly, with confusion shrouding my thoughts. A lot of questions hazed my mind. He was a member of my former pack. Did Father send them? Was he planning to start a war with the Alpha King? But why start a war he clearly couldn’t win? Did he have other allies? Or was that prisoner just a random person who deserted the pack to join the invisibles?
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Bella’s question cut through my thoughts.
“Nothing.” I immediately shook my head and forced a smile.
Although my father was cruel to me, I couldn’t just spill what I had just learned. It would put him in trouble, and I couldn’t do that to him, especially when I didn’t know for sure if he was innocent or not.
“Are you sure?” She persisted, worried.
I needed to clear my head and evaluate what just happened. I wouldn’t be able to do that with Bella by my side, bugging me to know what happened.
“Yes.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Uhm… Bella, can you help me get water? I’d be in my room.”
“Sure.” She nodded and, without hesitation, turned and walked in the direction of the kitchen.
I exhaled sharply.
The moment Bella left, a maid suddenly bustled towards me, looking distressed.
“Are you okay?” I asked with a raised brow.
“Lauren asked me to get this for her, and I need to run to the restroom. I think I have diarrhea.” She stretched forward a glass of lemonade. “Can you hold this for me, please?”
“Wait, what?” I asked, confused.
Before I even had the chance to decline, she forced the glass into my hand and breathed. “Thank you.” Before whisking away.
I shook my head and exhaled sharply. I gazed at the glass of lemonade and wondered what I was supposed to do with it. I was definitely not going to find Lauren to hand it to her. I’d rather chew grass than do that.
“Where’s the maid I asked to bring me lemonade?” Lauren’s voice suddenly echoed through the hallway.
I rolled my eyes as I watched her approach me with a wicked smile on her face.
“Oh, Lemonade.” She stopped in front of me and eyed me suspiciously. “Is this yours, or did you peherps bully a maid into giving it to you?”
I sighed deeply and handed it to her. “No. I was asked to give it to you.”
“You? Are you sure it’s not poisoned?” She asked suspiciously, but went ahead to take it from me and chugged it down anyway.
“That’s your business.” I spat as I walked away from her. I couldn’t stand that girl; she was so damn nerve-wracking.
“Poison!” Someone screamed before I could even go far, and I quickly turned around.
My eyes widened, and perplexity overwhelmed me when I saw Lauren profusely coughing out frothy foam from her mouth.
“What?”