Ruthless Alpha, and his Curvy Saint-Chapter 67

Lyra’s POV

I walked through the corridors like a ghost, my heart pounding so hard I was certain someone in this castle could hear it.

Angel doesn’t know.

She has no idea what’s coming.

I have to warn her.

The layout of the castle was confusing - so many hallways and passages and doors that all looked the same. But I remembered which direction the servants had led us from when we’d first arrived.

Up.

We’d gone up several flights of stairs to reach the guest quarters.

Which meant I needed to find those stairs now and climb back up.

Please don’t let anyone see me.

Please don’t let me get caught.

I found the stairwell - a grand thing with elaborate carved railings.

I paused at the bottom, listening.

Silence.

No footsteps. No voices. No guards making their rounds.

Now or never.

I sprinted up those stairs like the devil himself was chasing me, taking them two at a time, my breath coming in harsh gasps.

I’d almost made it to the landing when a door to my right suddenly swung open.

I skidded to a halt, nearly losing my balance.

Kade - one of the Alpha’s generals, the youngest-looking one with an easy smile - stepped out, yawning widely.

He saw me.

We stared at each other.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Hey," Kade said, his smile growing. "You’re one of the travelers, right? Lyra?"

"Y... yes."

"What are you doing out here?" He glanced around the corridor, confusion crossing his face. "I thought the travelers were supposed to be locked in their rooms until further notice. The Alpha’s orders."

My mind raced.

He’d just woken up. Probably from a nap. Which meant he might not know that the Alpha had already initiated us and sent us away.

Use that.

"I was looking for my father," I lied quickly. "But I couldn’t find him. So I’m going back to my room now."

Kade nodded slowly. "Probably for the best. You really shouldn’t be wandering around. The Alpha can be... well, ruthless when his orders aren’t followed. Merciless, even."

"I understand. I’m sorry. I’ll go back right now."

"Good idea." Kade moved toward me slightly. "Actually, there’s something I’ve been wanting to discuss with you. Something personal. Can we go to your room and talk?"

The way he looked at me - with that particular intensity I’d seen before in men’s eyes - made it pretty clear what "something personal" meant.

Any other time, I might have been interested. Kade was attractive, powerful, clearly interested.

But not now.

Not when Angel was somewhere in this castle, locked in a room, completely unaware that the man she’d put all her trust in was actually the monster who’d killed her family.

I had to get to her. Had to warn her before it was too late.

"I really need to get back," I said, already moving past him toward the hallway that led to Angel’s room. "Before I get into trouble. But I’ll find you later. I promise."

"Lyra, wait..."

I kept walking, almost running now.

Angel’s door was just ahead. Just a few more steps.

"Lyra!"

Still walking.

"I SAID HALT!"

The command crashed over me like a physical force - not a request, not a suggestion, but an order delivered in the voice of someone who expected immediate obedience.

My body stopped moving before my brain could process the decision.

I stood frozen, inches from Angel’s door, so close I could almost touch it.

No. No, please, I was so close...

Footsteps approached from behind.

Kade’s voice, much closer now: "Turn around."

I did, slowly, my heart sinking.

His expression had changed. The friendly easiness was gone, replaced by something sharper. More serious.

"Have you seen the Alpha since you arrived," he questioned in a firm voice.

"I... I haven’t crossed paths with him in the castle," I said carefully.

"Really?" Kade circled around me, moving behind. "Then how do you explain the Black Wolf mark on your back?"

Oh God.

The brand.

In my panic to reach Angel, I’d completely forgotten about the still-fresh burn between my shoulder blades. The mark that proclaimed me a newly inducted member of this pack. The mark that could only have been given by the Alpha himself.

"I can explain..."

"I’m sure you can." Kade’s hand closed around my arm. "But not here in the hallway where anyone can overhear. Come with me."

He led me away from Angel’s door, back down the corridor to the room he’d emerged from earlier.

I tried to resist. Tried to dig in my heels.

But werewolf strength was no joke, and Kade wasn’t even trying hard.

He pulled me into the room and closed the door behind us.

"Sit," he commanded, pointing to a chair.

I sat, my mind racing for explanations, excuses, anything that might get me out of this.

"We’re going to have a very long talk," he said, settling into the chair across from me. "And you’re going to tell me everything. Why the Alpha would give you that mark, and still leave you to be roaming the castle. What you were really doing in this hallway. And why you’re so desperate to reach that particular room."

His eyes met mine, and I saw intelligence there. Curiosity.

"Start talking, Lyra. And don’t lie to me. I’ll know."

Lord Merrick’s POV

I found Sheena in her chambers, exactly where I’d expected her to be.

The High Priestess sat near her window, looking out over the castle grounds, her expression contemplative. She didn’t turn when I entered, though I knew she’d sensed my presence.

"Lord Merrick," she said calmly. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"I have a proposition for you."

"I don’t make deals with nobility." Her tone was mild but firm. "My loyalty is to the Moon Goddess and her will."

"Even when the Moon Goddess’s will might be... unclear?" I moved closer, sitting in the chair opposite her. "Even when there’s room for interpretation?"

That got her attention. She turned to look at me, her eyes sharp.

"What are you asking me to do?"

"Give me a verdict in my favor," I said bluntly. "Two nights from now, when the full moon rises and you consult the Moon Goddess about Angel. Tell my brother that she’s meant for me, not him."