Ryan’s POV
I had to sort something out, but the whole time, my mind was on Aurora. I hated that she was by herself without me, and that thought alone unsettled me.
Not to sound obsessed, but I wanted to be by her side every minute of the day.
Unfortunately, there was a rogue caught causing trouble in town, and I couldn’t ignore it. Handling things like this was my responsibility, but I had more important places to be. Like in bed with Aurora.
“This is the second time I’m warning you. I told you to stay far away from Shadowhaven, but you don’t seem to listen.”
The nameless rogue started pleading like they always did. They never learned their lesson.
“I’m sorry, Alpha. Spare me one last time, I swear I’ll never come here again.”
I didn’t have the patience for this. Their excuses meant nothing to me. They became rogues for a reason. They were the bad eggs.
“Take him to the dungeon and do not feed him until he starves to death.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Jamie said immediately as he grabbed the rogue by the arms. The man struggled, but Jamie was stronger. He could handle it, so I decided to leave.
I needed to get back to Aurora.
“You’re in a hurry to go back to her,” Caleb said, taking a sip from his wine bottle. “Come train with me for a bit.”
He was right. I wanted to get back to my future wife. I would spend the whole day with her if I could, and I wasn’t ashamed of it.
“You know I’d pick Aurora over training any day. We can train some other time.”
Caleb just chuckled. He knew me well enough to understand that there was no changing my mind.
“Can I ask you something?” I said after a brief pause.
He looked around like I was talking to someone else.
“Cut the crap, Caleb. I’m talking to you.”
“Oh, the almighty Alpha wants my help now?” He smirked.
“You were once an Alpha yourself, so stop acting crazy. Can I ask or not?”
“Of course, you can. You shouldn’t have to ask for permission. Spill it.”
I hesitated for a moment before saying, “How do you make a girl you love tell you what she’s hiding from you?”
It felt strange asking this, but I needed an answer.
Caleb laughed hard before responding. “I’ve never been in love, so you definitely came to the wrong person.”
“I knew it. I shouldn’t have asked you.”
I regretted it immediately. He was going to press for more details.
“Is your girl hiding something from you?” He didn’t waste a second before asking.
“I don’t know. It feels like it. For the past few days, she’s been with her two new friends a lot, and I know they’re up to something.”
Caleb took a deep breath. “Or maybe you’re just overprotective.”
I was overprotective, but this was different. I knew her heartbeat, the rhythm of it. And I heard when it skipped.
It always sped up whenever I asked about her and her friends. That meant one thing. She was hiding something from me.
But I didn’t have the patience to explain that to Caleb. He wouldn’t care anyway.
“Yeah, maybe I’m being overprotective,” I said, dropping the subject.
We walked toward the mansion, and just before we arrived, Caleb told me he had some business to attend to.
I entered the mansion, and as expected, it was quiet. Just the occasional footsteps of the maids moving around.
Aurora wouldn’t be in the garden by now. I had taken longer than expected.
I was about to head upstairs when I noticed Elliot. He was staring at me, and something about his expression felt off.
“Is there a problem, Uncle?” I asked.
“Does it look like there’s a problem?” he responded with another question.
His smile wasn’t normal. Ever since I had known him, he was always happy. But this? This was different. It was like he was about to explode from excitement.
That confirmed it. He was hiding something.
First Aurora, now him?
“Can you tell me why you’re so happy?” I couldn’t help but ask.
I wished I had the ability to read minds.
Elliot paused for a moment before saying, “Do you want the old man to be unhappy and die of depression? Don’t be a killjoy, Ryan. Go meet Aurora.”
Everyone knew where I was heading. Was it that obvious?
Good. It should be.
“It’s good to be happy, Uncle. See you later.”
I left him there, still smiling like a child who just got his favorite candy.
Excitement built inside me as I walked upstairs. It had only been a short while, but it felt like years.
When I reached my room, I found Aurora with her two maids-Leila and Mira. They were dressing her up, whispering about something. The moment I stepped inside, they fell silent.
That told me everything. They were hiding something.
“Alpha,” they both greeted with a small bow.
“Hi, love,” Aurora said with a soft smile.
Love.
I would burn the world just to hear her call me that again.
“Hey, little one,” I murmured before walking over and pressing my lips against hers.
I missed her.
She tasted like milk and honey, and I wanted more. But first, I had to deal with the matter at hand. The truth.
I turned to the maids. “What are your names?”
They looked scared. But they had no choice but to answer.
“I’m Leila.”
“I’m Mira.”
“Good. I want nothing but the truth from you two.” My voice was cold.
“Yes, Alpha. We would always tell you the truth,” Mira said, eyes lowered to the floor.
“What are you hiding from me?”
Leila’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”
“I do not want to repeat myself. I want the truth. Now.”