34

Chapter 34
Alpha Jude slowly walked over to her bedside, carefully dropping the jug of water and a glass beside it.
Ava had the habit of downing water immediately after she woke up, and he was banking on that. Hoping she did the same thing and not notice.
Walking over to the shelf of antiques and books that she had stowed away a few years back out of the habit of throwing away hobbies just as fast as she started them.
She had leisurely started collecting antiques and books, completely obsessed with them, but she had dropped it a while later
He watched her sleep and was in awe at how peaceful and even more beautiful she looked. She stirred in her sleep, groaning softly, and he recoiled behind the shelf.
Enough to not be seen, there was just enough space behind it for his lean figure, and he was grateful for that.
He looked away when she yawned, fully aware that yawns are contagious, and that he would get caught if he yawned.
It would be embarrassing for her to catch him in such a compromising position with no valid explanation whatsoever.
Throwing her feet off the bed, she glanced at the jug, and for a minute his heartbeat raced to a stop.
Did she recognize it? He had used a different jug and glass cup for this. That was how much he was weary of mistakes.
Alpha Jude smiled when she turned the jug over, pouring the content into the cup and taking a big gulp.
She paused when she tasted something odd in the water, the lady had warmed him that the water might taste mucky or have a foul smell, but he had taken it and promised not to complain.
Her face creased into a frown, and she glanced at the bottom of the glass with squinted eyes. But, she drank the rest of the content anyway.
Placing the glass back in its previous position and heading to the bathroom.
Alpha Jude sighed in relief and smiled, doing a lot of victorious fist bumps in the air. He fished out his phone and texted Princess to be in position.
Not forgetting it left her warnings to be extra careful, it was Ava they were dealing with, and she could be a handful occasionally.
Snapping out of it when he heard the bathroom door close behind her, he pushed his phones into his pockets.
She walked out of the room, stopping to glance at the shelf when she heard a shuffle which was a result of his body brushing against one of the antique cups.
He held his breath, thankful that it was not duly bright yet, or she would have seen him, and he would have had to explain why he was hiding so suspiciously behind an antique shelf.
Snorting, she walked away, and he held on to his even after she closed the door, only letting go and exhaling when he heard her footsteps across the hallway.
Walking out of his hiding place, he walked over to her bedside, taking the still half-filled jug into the bathroom and tipping the contents off to the bathroom sink.
He had to get rid of the jug, of the only evidence of what he had done, that would be quite easy he told himself as he walked out of her room.
Walking into his study, alpha Jude stood at his favorite spot, beside the window looking out into the still dark and foggy morning sky.
Everything had already been well planned, he just hoped it would be just as well executed as it had been planned.
Princesses would take the pictures while the man they hired would do what was necessary. And then they would bring her to the edge of the woods, where his guards would find her.
Sounded simple and straightforward, but it was complicated at the same time because this was Ava they were dealing with.
Tapping his feet impatiently against the wooden floor, he gazed into the distance. Everything seemed still and quiet, everyone was probably still asleep, he guessed.
A smile lighted his face when he heard a bit of commotion from the other side of the house, and he walked back to his position to peep out.
There the sight welcomed him, Ava in the arms of one of his guards. She looked to be completely knocked out, and her body dangled limply from his hold.
Hurrying out of the office and down the stairs, he went to join them. Cautiously taking her from the guard’s arms, he walked up the stairs and to her room.
She must have gone far, he thought when he saw the dirt that stuck to her body and clothes, the deeper part of the forest was the part that held so much dirt.
Laying her on a piece of clothing on the floor, he orders the maids to get her clean and ready for bed, assuring them that she is well and alright. Just passed out.
The maids gazed at him skeptically before proceeding to do as they were told, alpha Jude stepped outside to give them more room and for convenience.
When they were done, he walked back in sitting at the edge of the bed, his eyes fine in her pale but beautiful skin.
She would be passed out for a while, this he knew because the lady who prescribed the tonic had said so.
So he let her be, walking back out and heading to his study. Closing the door behind him, he fished for his phone, tapping away as he sent messages.
Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he paced the floor a little while longer as he waited for a reply. The phone dinged, and he finished it out, smiling when he saw the message that greeted him.
All they had to do was wait for the perfect time to strike, he thought as he sat back down and went to work.
Glancing up at the clock from the pile of papers in front of him, alpha Jude sighed and got up, it was almost supper time, and she was still very much sound asleep.
He had to get her up or people might suspect. Walking back to her room, he stood over her still-sleeping figure.
She looked almost dead with the way the covers were thrown across her chest like that. Sitting on the edge of the bed again, he waited for her to wake up.
Ava stirred and he sighed in relief. Her eyes were wide as saucers when she took in the state she was in.
He would have to do some explaining he figured, and he proceeded to explain it to her.
If it were to be under a different circumstance, he would have seductively thrown the covers off her and done things to her body.
Things that would drive her crazy, things that would leave her craving for more.
“I had the maids do that for you.” Alpha Jude had resorted to saying when she still stared at him with raised eyebrows. That was her signature questioning look.
She sighed in relief when he said that, and Alpha Jude could not help but laugh at her expression.
“And I know how much you hate dirt.” He said, subtly defending himself when she still stared at him like she was expecting more than just that.
Deciding it would be less suspicious if he asked her what happened out there instead of assuming he knew, which he did.
“What exactly happened out there?” He asked with concern in his voice, he had to come off as concerned as he possibly could.
“I do not know,” she said, and Alpha Jude felt a little pity for her. He knew how much she hated not knowing things.
But then, she would have to sit this knowledge out. She would eventually find out she was smart enough that he knew man’s it would not be long before she pieces things together.
He watched her explain her version of what had happened out there, she looked adorable when she was confused.
Alpha Jude could tell she was, her lips quivered a little and her eyes darted everywhere but at him, her hands trembled a little as she made small gestures with them.
The look on her face when he told her he was going to order supper for her was priceless. She could not believe she had passed out that long.
Well, the lady had come through with that one, she had also said it would leave her brain a little foggy, just enough to make her not remember too much detail.
Which was precisely what he wanted, he walked out of the room, he knew she would need some time to herself to get her bearings
He, on the other hand, needed to talk to Princess and see what she had gotten from the whole thing, he had to be certain she had done her part well too.