Chapter Thirty
Faelen’s POV
I wiped the dust off the desk in the study I was assigned to clean out, my mind wandering as I worked. The room was quiet, almost weirdly so, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit… on edge.
I had hoped to find a phone here, something I could use to reach out, but there was nothing. No phone, no way to contact anyone still… too bad.
Disappointment settled in my chest, but I forced myself to carry on with the task I was on to. “I’ll get my chance.” I murmured to myself.
As I moved around the room, polishing the surfaces and straightening the books, my thoughts kept going back to my plan to steal a phone.
Ever since Hunter had caught me sneaking around the estate, I’d been too scared to try again. The memory of his cold, angry eyes sent a shiver down my spine.
But I couldn’t just give up. I needed to find a way to resume my search, to gather more of the information I needed. I had to be more careful this time.
The estate was huge, with so many rooms and studies that were never used. It was strange, really. I couldn’t understand why the Alpha’s estate needed so many empty spaces.
I’d heard the other girls talking about it, saying there were about fifteen bedrooms in the two-story castle. By my count, only eight of them were occupied.
It seemed like a waste to me, but then again, what did I know about the lives of the powerful Lost in my thoughts, I barely noticed the voices that sounded through the study wall.
It wasn’t until they grew louder that I realized someone was in the next room. Curious, I tiptoed to the door, my heart pounding in my chest.
I didn’t know who it was, but I wanted to find out. Maybe I could gather some useful information, something that would help me.
The door to the next room was closed, but I pressed my ear against it, trying to catch the conversation. The voices were muffled, but I could make out enough to understand what was being said.
I bent down and peeked through the keyhole, my breath catching in my throat when I saw Caleb sitting, with another man standing inside.
I pressed my ear to the door again, listening carefully. They were talking about sending scouts and spies into the neighboring pack. My heart skipped a beat.
So, the room next to the study I was cleaning was Caleb’s office. I hadn’t realized that before. It made me feel a bit uneasy, knowing how close I was to being discovered.
But I pushed the fear aside and focused on their conversation. If I was careful, I could learn more valuable information.
This was important information, though. They were investigating murders that had happened where the gold was being mined.
So there had been killings after all?
That explained the sad mood among some of the male servants this morning. Three of them were missing also, and now I think knew why.
The knowledge made me feel uneasy, a knot of guilt twisting in my stomach. These men had died, and their families would likely never know about it.
I felt sad and guilty about all I was doing, but I had a job to do, a mission to complete. My Alpha needed their secrets, and I had to find a way to get it to him.
I didn’t know how he would use it, but it wasn’t my place to ask questions. I just had to do my part.
As Caleb’s conversation wrapped up, I quickly returned to my cleaning, my mind racing. I had to be more careful than ever now.
I had enough information to be useful, but I couldn’t risk being caught. I had to think of a way to pass on what I already knew without rising suspicion.
I heard Caleb’s office door opened, and I heard his footsteps as he left his office. I kept my head down, pretending to be absorbed in my work in the next room.
My heart was pounding, but I forced myself to stay calm. I couldn’t let him know that I’d been eavesdropping. Not yet, anyway.
When he was gone, I let out a shaky breath, trying to steady my nerves. This was getting more dangerous by the day, but I couldn’t back down.
But how was I even supposed to keep up with this secrecy, this mission for a long time, when my feelings for Hunter were constantly getting in the way?
And worse, how was I supposed to survive in this place now that I had become the object of his anger now?
The answer was simple… I had to be extra careful, to be invisible when I needed to, and less suspicious than now even. I must be careful than ever before.
The next time I saw Hunter, I would have to keep my head down, avoid his gaze, and do everything in my power to stay out of his way.
If I could just get through the days without being caught, then maybe… just maybe… I could find a way to finish my mission and leave this place before things got any worse.
I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. The connection between us, whatever it was, wasn’t going to just disappear. And I wasn’t sure I had the strength to resist it.
Hours passed, and I forced myself to go through the tasks I had lined up, doing the routine tasks that occupied my days.
Cleaning, cooking, more cleaning… anything to keep my mind off the chaos that had rose up in Hunter’s office that morning.
The other servants gave me long stares, sensing that something was off, but no one said a word. It was almost a relief, this silent treatment. At least it gave me time to think.
But just as I was finishing up in the kitchen, preparing to retreat to my room, the head maid approached me again. Her expression was unreadable, and that made my heart skip a beat.
“Faelen,” she said, her tone firm, “the Alpha has requested your presence in his office.”
My stomach dropped.
What now? What more could he want from me again? Hadn’t I suffered enough for one day?
But I couldn’t refuse. With a nod, I set down the dish I was holding and wiped my hands on my apron. My legs felt so heavy as I made my way to Hunter’s office, each step heavier than the last.
When I arrived, I saw Hunter standing by his office desk, his back to me as he looked out the large window that overlooked the courtyard.
The room was dim, I suspected on purpose to stop too much light entering the opulent office, which kind of made the atmosphere even more intimidating.
My heart pounded in my chest as I stepped inside, keeping my eyes fixed on the floor.
“Sire,” I said softly, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to stay calm. “You sent for me.”
He didn’t turn around, didn’t acknowledge me right away, and the silence and awkwardness it came with stretched on, suffocating me where I stood.
I swallowed hard, waiting for whatever cruelty he had prepared for me this time, my nerves on edge.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Hunter spoke, but still didn’t turn around. “Do you know why I’ve called you here, Faelen?” he asked in a low voice.
I hesitated, not sure how to answer. My mind raced with possibilities, none of them good. I just shook my head nervously. “No, Alpha,” I whispered.
He turned then, his gaze locking onto mine, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. There was something different in his eyes… something I really couldn’t place.
He took a step closer, his movements deliberate and controlled, which made my whole body tremble in fear.
“You’re here because we have unfinished business, you and I,” he said, his voice sending a shiver down my spine.
I didn’t know what to say, or how to respond. All I could do was just stand there, frozen in place, shivering, waiting for whatever was about to happen.
Hunter closed the distance between us in a few swift steps, stopping just inches away from me. I could feel the heat radiating off his body, could see the tension in his jaw, in the way his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
“Last night…” he began, his voice tight, “what happened last night cannot happen again. Do you understand me?”
I nodded quickly, my heart racing. “Yes, yes… Alpha.”
“But,” he continued, his eyes piercing into mine, “there’s something you need to understand. You are a servant in this house, and you will behave as such. You do not challenge me, or question me, and you do not… under any circumstance… cross that line again. Understand?”
His words were sharp, cutting into me like a knife. But beside the sharpness, I could sense… something that told me he was struggling just as much as I was. He too, was caught in this net we’d suddenly found ourselves in.
“I understand,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
He stared at me for a long moment, as if searching for something in my eyes. Then, with a sigh, he stepped back, turning his gaze away from me.
“You may go,” he said, his tone dismissive.
I didn’t need to be told twice. I turned on my heel and hurried out of the room, my heart pounding in my chest.
As I left the office, I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were far from over… But it was indeed strange, he seemed strange… calmer than I knew him to be.
Whatever had happened between us, whatever had been said, I still felt this massive desire to get closer to him, to know him more… even though he frightened me.
Something told me it was the same with him too… this could just the beginning, even though he’d seek to end it. And deep down, I knew that no matter how much I tried to avoid it, I was already in TOO DEEP.