Chapter 27: Devil wears a mask.

(Luca’s POV)

I don’t know why, but she has changed. 

Ever since a few weeks ago, everything about her seemed to be off. She barely talks to me, even her sneaky remarks about me. I missed them, but lately, I have received none except her silence. 

“What’s happening, Haisley?” I asked no one in particular as I stood by the kitchen door, watching her eat to her heart's content. I chuckled, watching the chocolate drop off her lips. 

She was a messy eater, and that’s what I loved about her. 

Her appetite. 

I sighed watching her fall asleep after the meal was done. She didn’t even notice my presence in the doorway, too consumed with what she was doing. 

I shook my head with a small smile on my lips at her attitude, walking in and picking her up. She softly resisted when I carried her up, mumbling incoherent words as she snuggled closer to my body. 

I could feel her body heat, and it was driving me crazy. 

I checked the wall clock to see that it was 03:00 am. We really did waste time back in the woods, longer than I scheduled for. 

I bent down and picked her up, gentle as not to wake her up. She looked peaceful as she slept, her lips parted and her breath small and calm, her chest rising and falling ever so gentle. 

But something still feels off. Even in her sleep, there was a faint furrow in her brow, like she was carrying a weight I couldn’t see.

The bed dipped as I sat beside her, taking my hands and brushing a strand of her hair away from her face. “Just what’s going on in that head of yours, Haisley,” I murmured, hoping I could see or even hear what she was thinking. “If only you could let me in, I would give you the entire world.”

For the past few weeks, she’d been utterly distant, her usual sharp wit and endless banter replaced by a quietness that made me uneasy. It wasn’t like her. 

No, it wasn’t. 

Haisley was like a burning and everlasting fire—wild, untamed, and impossible to ignore.

But now, it was like she was burning herself out, and I didn’t know how to stop it.

Our time in the woods earlier had been the first time in a while she’d seemed like her old self, even if only for a fleeting moment before she flipped and ran away from me. 

But I couldn’t ignore that smile she had when she was viewing the stars. It was genuine, her laughter echoing in the dark as we even raced through the woods. But that became history when we got back, her retreating into herself again. 

I sighed, leaning back on the bed as I ran a hand through my hair. 

This wasn’t just about me missing her sneaky remarks or her messy eating habits. It was more than that. Something was wrong. I turned to look at her again, scanning her sleeping face. 

There was this glow she now has. 

It’s something I had never seen before. 

I couldn’t explain it. 

The buzzing of my phone snapped me back to reality and away from my thoughts. I reached into my pocket, grabbing the device. 

I squinted at the screen. A text from Natalie.

Natalie: Hey babe, Still up?”

I frowned. Why was she texting me by this time? We had barely spoken since I saved Haisley from her furious attacks. “Why are you texting me at this time?” I typed back a quick reply. 

A minute later, my phone buzzed again.

Natalie: Forget it. I’m outside your room, and you aren’t there. I want to speak with you urgently,”

My grip on the phone tightened. What does she want? And what is she doing in my chambers?

I glanced down at Haisley, still sound asleep. “Stay safe,” I stared at her for a little longer before turning my heels and leaving the room, quietly closing the door. 

I walked back to my chambers, my footsteps echoing through the halls. And when I reached there, Natalie was standing before my door, her hands raised as if to knock again, but she paused when she saw me. 

“Oh, hey, babe. Did you go get something to eat?” She said in a sickly sweet tone, rushing over to hug me. “I’ve missed you, so much.”

I grimaced, pushing her away. “What do you want?” I growled, not in the mood for her nonsense. 

I stepped back, keeping my gaze locked on hers. 

Natalie’s eyes hardened and her grin flattering as she glared at me. 

“What do I want?” she repeated my question, flipping her hair over her shoulder like she had the upper hand. “I think you misunderstand. That is not the real question. The real question is, what are you doing out late?”

“None of your business.” 

“Oh, it is my business,” She snapped.

“You want to know? Then fine! I went for a freaking walk, satisfied?” 

Natalie chuckled. “Come on, Luca. Do you think I’m a fool? I know where you went. You freaking went out with her. I’m even surprised. Why the fuck are you wasting your time with her?” Her voice was sharp, laced with venom, and I felt my temper spike. 

My eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you talking about?” I growled, taking a step forward, but she didn’t even blink. 

“Haisley,” Natalie spat, her disgust unmistakable. “She doesn’t deserve you, Luca. She’s only a slave, dragging you down, isolating you from everyone else. Can’t you see it?” She said, rubbing my chest. “I am the beta’s daughter. I can give you the power you crave.”

I clenched my jaw, pushing her hands away. “You don’t get to talk about her like that.”

Natalie laughed, but it was hollow, mocking. “You’re blind. You think she’s so perfect, so untouchable. But I know her better than you think. She’s hiding something from you—something big.”

I paused, staring at her with confusion. I know she’ll do anything to bring Haisley down, but I was curious about what she was talking about. “If this is another one of your games, Natalie, I swear—”

“It’s not a game, Luca!” she snapped, her mask of confidence slipping for a moment. “Do you even know where she came from? The pack she came from?”

I froze. “What are you talking about?”

Her lips curled into a smirk. “You want to know? I shall tell, but only if you do me one thing!”

“And what would that be?”