Chapter 36
Lilith
I stood rooted to the spot with my eyes planted on the stairs in an indecisive manner.
Maybe it was high time I minded my business and listened to white noise to block the ominous sound that reverberated in this house at night, as Anna suggested.
I heaved a sigh, turning to leave when I stopped in my tracks.
Guilt tore me up from within as images of the Alpha being stabbed while defending me flashed in my head.
He risked his life for me, yet I was hellbent on sticking to the fucking rules when he was clearly in pain.
The sound of his wailing tore through the air again, breaking the brief silence and making me jerk in fear.
This time, it was louder and his words were a bit clearer.
I needed no soothsayer to tell me that he was in pain.
I grabbed the bull by the horn, masking my scent before tiptoeing upstairs.
He saved my life twice and I won’t hesitate to save him when the need arises.
I concluded that if he wasn’t in danger I would slip back into my room.
But in all I do, I would make sure I was not noticed.
I didn’t want to worsen his mood.
His cries guided me along the dark stairs until I found myself in a hallway.
The warm glow from the crescent moon that hung in the sky was the only source of light.
Tracing his scent, my legs led me to a partly opened door.
“Marina.”
“I miss you.”
“I’m sorry.”
His words were audible now.
Surprise hit me like a bulldozer as his words rang in my head.
Marina?
The same Marina that Anna warned me about?
But why was he crying?
Maybe Marina broke his heart.
A rollercoaster of emotions hit me hard and my forehead creased in worry.
Alpha Casper appeared to be ruthless on the outside, but on the inside, he was as soft as jelly.
It made sense now, he wanted the world to fear him.
“I would do anything just to have you in my arms again.”
I quickly clasped my hand around my mouth to stifle a gasp.
The last thing I wanted was to catch the Alpha’s attention.
“Fuck!” I screamed inwardly.
So Alpha Casper could fall in love?
I didn’t know that behind the male bravado, he was a hopeless romantic.
I rolled my eyes, biting my lower lips as jealousy washed up on my spine.
Deep down, I wish it was me. But he was my boss and he belonged to Marina.
I tiptoed towards the partly opened door, peeking inside carefully so that the soft glow from the moon wouldn’t cast my shadow against the wall.
My eyes bulged from their sockets when I saw Alpha Casper kneeling with a white dress in his hands. He kept weeping profusely while his hands had a firm grip on the dress.
Relief coursed through me when I saw that he was safe, so I decided to stay further.
The room was slightly dark, I couldn’t make out a lot of things but I swore that the dress seemed like a wedding dress and it was shrunken.
A part of the dress was black as if…it was burnt!
My heart almost jumped out of my chest at the revelation.
Why was he weeping upon a burnt wedding dress, muttering Marina?
Did Marina burn her wedding dress? It didn’t make sense.
It felt like I was in the dark with a lot of things hidden from me.
A huge part of me wanted to snatch the dress away from him and bombard him with questions.
It all made sense now. Marina broke his heart on their wedding day so he retaliated by burning her wedding dress, but when they broke up, he missed her. That explained why Anna warned me against saying her name.
It was obvious that the Alpha was still healing from the heartbreak and hearing her name would trigger his hurt. But why did he have her dress since it would trigger his emotions?
I slowly released a frustrated sigh. Maybe I was making up things.
Groaning inwardly, I started to get annoyed that Anna wouldn’t tell me about the Alpha’s relationship with Marina despite knowing it.
Yet she called me her friend.
Go!
A voice in my head yelled and my body urged me to leave the spot, but my curious mind still yearned for more details.
Leaning closer, I struggled to have a clearer view of the burnt wedding dress, but a gust of dust rushed into my nose, causing it to tingle.
I wrapped my hand around my mouth, trying hard to suppress the sneeze, but it forced its way out.
Alarmed, I let out a gasp, biting my lips as my heart thundered heavily in my chest.
I had been caught!
I swallowed hard when the Alpha’s cries ceased. Peeking closely, I saw half of his towering image shielded by darkness striding towards the door.
Think, Lilith!
Fear clung to me like a second skin as my body trembled hard against the wall.
The grip of my hand against my mouth tightened so as not to give myself away. Tears formed in my eyes as anxiety took over me, consuming every part of me.
The thoughts of the Alpha catching me were like thousands of needles jabbing at my skin.
“Who is there?”
His voice echoed in the darkness, sending chills down my spine.
Regrets gnawed at me and a dull ache throbbed in my head as a result of overthinking.
My breathing became erratic and my legs grew wobbly.
I should have listened and escaped, but I let my curiosity lead me into trouble.
No excuse would stop him from punishing me.
The moment I heard his feet vibrate against the floor, my heart stopped beating.
Fear squeezes air out of my lungs, allowing me to feel lifeless.
I almost fell to the floor as my legs couldn’t support me, but a knob caught my hand.
Without thinking, I hurriedly entered the room, shutting the door quietly before hiding behind it.
I strained my ears to pick up his movement.
I could hear his footsteps for some minutes before he retired back into the room beside mine. But this time, he wasn’t sobbing.
Letting out a sigh of relief, my hands glided on my chest as I shut my eyes. Thankfully, I wasn’t caught.
But it was only temporary.
When I noticed the prolonged silence, I tiptoed out of the room, opening the door.
It was time to head to my room.
“Marina, is that you?”
*****
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t know when I resumed brawling my eyes out with Marina’s burnt wedding in my hands.
But then, I heard a faint sneeze. It was not loud, but it was enough to get my attention.
Especially to indicate that I was not alone. Someone was on the last floor.
I wiped my tears with the back of my palm, jumping on my feet as I strode to the door.
Silence hung in the air and I walked out of my room. But then, small movements filled my ears.
“Marina, is that you?” I asked in a voice that craved attention and love.
I would do anything for my Marina to come back to me.
But then, a convincing scent tingled my nostrils and I knew that it wasn’t the love of my life, Marina.
Someone was on this floor. Someone unwelcomed.
Anna and Lilith should probably be in their rooms sleeping. None of them would step their foot on this floor, not after the rules.
I walked to the door at the staircase, locking it firmly with my keys before pocketing them.
A dangerous smirk played on my lips as I walked back into Lilith’s room. But instead of crying, I remained mute, listening to every sound.
Minutes slowly grew into hours and the urge to inspect the rooms, starting from the room beside Lilith’s room filled me.
It would be easy since the person was now trapped.
My hands searched around for small weapons and when I found them, I placed them in hidden places before walking out of the room.
Whoever it was would be exposed!