My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 81: Under His Authority

Violet

My hands tightened on the reins.

What was she talking about?

Her eyes narrowed. Steely. Then, she turned to look up at Turin.

"You have a person of interest with you. Without the Supreme Alpha or either of the betas’ supervision," she said, her voice stern and deep.

Turin spoke calmly, "Beta Ila instructed that I bring her here. She is under my care—"

"A person of interest should not be under your care. Will you take responsibility if she escapes like the last time?"

I stiffened. She was referring to when Kael had dragged me back in front of the wolves in the inner district, hadn’t he? And I was sure Turin would have seen it.

His mouth hung open. Closed. His confidence faltered for the first time since we arrived.

I started, instinctively leaning forward, "I’m not going any—"

"We will be moving her to the Supreme Alpha’s custody this instant."

She was already turning away from Turin’s drake as if the matter was already settled.

Turin bowed his head, confusion spread on his face. "My apologies."

And just like that, the pieces clicked into place.

Ila must have known about this.

This was planned.

The woman stepped up to my drake, placing one hand flat against its scaled neck. Her eyes unfocused for a brief moment as she silently communicated with the creature. She then yanked the reins cleanly from my grip.

"You may go, Turin," she said, then finally looked up at me. "This way."

She tugged the reins once and released them. The drake obeyed immediately, turning away from the others to follow her.

My heart slammed as I grabbed hold of the reins again, barely steady as the creature followed her lead.

I slowly looked back to find the others looking back at me. Turin offered me a faint assuring smile before returning his attention to the male wolf the woman had been speaking to initially.

The towering structure ahead of us swallowed the sky, its large presence even more oppressive and domineering the closer I got to it.

I could not sense him here...

As we drew even closer, she didn’t look back at me, didn’t say anything too. Her hand occasionally touched the drake’s flank to guide it.

We approached the main entrance of the massive structure, its cream-colored stone walls and pillars seemed to glow faintly in the late morning light.

The drake slowed to a stop and she gestured for me to dismount. I slid off the drake awkwardly and she grabbed my bag from the harness before I could reach for it. Then she handed it to me.

Her features softened just slightly, just for a moment. The hard lines around her mouth and wrinkles on her forehead eased, and something that might have been sympathy flickered in her eyes. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by that same stern expression.

She turned without a word and started toward the open entrance.

I silently followed her.

The massive double were open, revealing an entrance hall that stole my breath.

The floor was polished to a mirror shine, not with stone but with some kind of crystalline material that reflected everything above it. It looked like walking on captured starlight. The walls were smooth cream-colored stone, but they had the same subtle shimmer as the exterior. Higher up, the walls were embedded with tiny fragments of crystal that made the entire space glow softly even without direct sunlight.

Larger crystalline stones occupied the walls too at regular intervals and not as consistently as the smaller ones. They looked almost like captured moonlight, casting everything in a gentle, ethereal illumination.

It was a very large hall with four grand staircases going upwards to disappear into higher levels of the building. Each staircase was bordered by intricately carved stone balustrades, and I could see glimpses of balconies and corridors on the upper floors.

Wolves moved through the space. Up and down the stairs, across the lobby, in and out of doorways I hadn’t noticed at first. A lot of them were dressed differently from any wolves I had seen before. They were likely dignitaries from other packs in the nation.

A number of them glanced at me as we passed.

She kept walking, ignoring some of the stares as she led me across the crystalline floor. We then climbed a flight of stairs and the sounds of the entrance hall faded behind us. We encountered less wolves along verandahs and hallways, and by the time we reached the fourth floor, the hallway was nearly empty.

She stopped before a set of large double doors at the end of the corridor. They were different from the ones we had passed. The wood was darker, had more ornate carvings surrounding the emblem of a wolf’s head.

"This is the Supreme Alpha’s personal quarters. He wants you to wait here until his return."

I swallowed, something in my stomach bubbling.

She pushed open one of the doors and with a nod of her head, gestured for me to enter.

I stepped inside, and the doors clicked shut behind me.

She was gone without any explanation. I stood there, momentarily stunned.

I was in what looked like a large receiving hall. The same crystalline-embedded walls, the same soft glow from stones set into the stone, and comfortable looking furniture arranged in the space. There was a dim corridor ahead which likely had more doors leading to other parts of the quarters.

I guess finding the room I would be staying in would be a game of trial. Then again, how was I supposed to know what room would be mine and not his?

My blood went cold when I felt that familiar presence.

One that made my stomach clench with anxiety.

Astrid.

Her footsteps echoed as she approached through the corridor.

Astrid stepped into the receiving hall, her lips twisted in a strange expression as her brows furrowed in focus. I didn’t know what to make of it, but thankfully, her cruel mocking look was nowhere to be seen.

She still looked strange.

"I was expecting you."