Chapter 23 Craved

Chapter 23 Craved
Axel made me laugh; it was so fun having him around. I don’t know what I was thinking, telling him to let me be. Clearly, being with him is much better than being without him.

As we kept walking toward the bushes, I stopped, noticing a letter carved into a tree. It looked intentional and fresh, so I could tell whoever carved it wanted it to be seen.

"Look." I pointed at it. Axel’s attention moved to it, his brows knitting as he took a few steps forward.

"Stand back," He said to me.

I obeyed and let him keep walking. When he got closer, I added, "It’s the enemy’s, isn’t it? They carved it."

"Yes."

"And from the look of it, it seems like it was too long ago."

He turned to me. "Someone was here or is still here." He walked back to me. "I need you to go upstairs and stay in the room with Stephanie while I look into this."

"Isn’t that dangerous?"

"No. No one can get access to our room unless it’s given to them. You don’t worry—you’ll be safe there."

"No, not me. I’m talking about you," I said. "Isn’t it dangerous to look into this? What if they attack you?"

He shrugged. "I’ll be fine. This is my job anyway, and if it makes you feel any better, the guards will come with me."

"Okay," I said quietly before turning around and walking into the house.

When I was about to step inside, Axel called my name, making me turn to look at him expectantly.

"That’s Luna-like," He said.

"What?" I asked confused

"What you just did here." His voice raised so I could hear him. "You noticed the carve before anyone did. That’s good. That’s what a good Luna does."

I couldn’t help but smile. Axel has a way of making me smile too much. "Thanks," I said, then walked into the room.

When I got there, Stephanie was already waiting for me. Axel must have sent someone to tell her to come.

"You look worried," She said.

"I am worried." I walked to the window, where I saw Axel with the other men, looking into the matter. He looked very worried and upset.

He must have felt someone looking at him, because he glanced around for a brief second and then his eyes met mine. The distress on his face instantly vanished, replaced with a smile. He waved, and I waved back, smiling.

Axel went back to what he was doing, and I headed back to sit on the bed. For some reason, I was really worried and scared that the enemies wouldn’t just stop there.

~ AXEL’S POV

"So you’re telling me someone was here, had the time to carve a letter on a tree, and no one noticed?" I questioned in disbelief.

"Yes, Alpha," Karim said quietly obviously ashamed 

I scoffed. He even had the guts to answer me. I looked at the carved letter and then back at Karim.

"Something is not right. There are fifty guards around here who could have seen something or heard something, but none did. I don’t believe that." I touched the letter carved, its “A” but what does it even mean? Is it A for Axel or for what? 

"I need you to send some of your men to check the bushes. There’s gotta be something that would give us a lead."

"Okay, Alpha."

"I also need a list of all the guards."

"Alright. I’ll get that done, but may I ask why?" He asked.

I hesitated for a moment before responding. "Because one of them is a traitor. Don’t act like you don’t see it. Someone around here has to be helping the enemy—it’s the only way they’re able to get past all of this."

"Do you suspect anyone?"

"No, but I’m looking into it. Get me the list."

The only reason I’m trusting Karim is that he’s worked for my family for years with no trouble at all. He’s been more loyal than most of the guys I’ve worked with.

While I was engaged in a deep conversation with him, I noticed someone looking at me. I glanced around and saw Nyla. She looked really worried, so I smiled, trying to reassure her that everything was fine.

When she smiled back, I returned to being serious with Karim. Just then, one of the guards walked up to me with a note in his hand.

"We found this dug in front of the tree that was carved."

"What does it say?" I asked.

He unfolded it and read aloud. "It says… I know who you really are, Alpha."

I grabbed the note from him in a beat and read it myself. It said exactly the same thing—just as terrifying. As I read it over and over, I wondered whose handwriting it was. It didn’t look familiar, so I couldn’t tell who wrote it.

But one thing was for sure: whoever wrote this was either trying to get a reaction out of me or actually knew something about me. About the side of me I’d been hiding. But who exactly?

"I need everyone to keep an eye on the bushes. Whoever wrote this might come back," I said, turning to leave. "And Karim—come with me." 

We walked into my office, and once we were alone, I placed the note in front of him.

"I don’t want excuses. I want actions. Whoever is responsible for this—find him. I need him in my presence before the week ends. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"And I need you to look into those new guards you brought here. I don’t trust them one bit. We need to keep an eye on each of them."

"I will," He said, nodding.

I waved my hand dismissively, and he walked out. Sitting back in my chair, I let out a heavy sigh. I’ve been hiding that part of me for years. No one knows about it except my family—and there is no way I’ll let anyone else find out and ruin what it took me years to build.