Chapter 392

Chapter 392
COLE'S POV

The ceremony grounds had transformed into something out of a story book, lanterns floating above the courtyard, the scent of roasted meat and sweet wine drifting through the evening air, powerful families from a dozen territories mingling beneath strings of golden light. I stood near the edge of it all, watching, while everyone else celebrated.
Jax stood beside me, his eyes doing the same work mine were, scanning faces instead of enjoying the festivities.
"The Blackwood representative arrived an hour ago," he murmured, barely moving his lips. "Third table from the left, speaking with the Ashford delegation."
I followed his gaze. A tall man in dark formal robes stood among a small cluster of guests, laughing at something, nodding along to conversation like any other invited alpha. Nothing about him looked wrong on the surface. That was exactly the problem.
"Anyone else?"
"Two more from the list. Both keeping their distance from each other, which is strange considering their families supposedly have no connection." Jax's voice stayed low. "If they were simply attending a social gathering, you would expect familiarity between allied guests. Instead they are behaving like strangers who happen to share a purpose."
"Keep watching. Do not approach anyone yet."
"And if they expose themselves first?"
"Then we will be ready."
I let my eyes drift across the courtyard, cataloging every unfamiliar face, every subtle interaction that did not match the celebratory atmosphere surrounding us. Most guests behaved exactly as expected, exchanging pleasantries, discussing trade agreements, sizing up potential matches for their unmarried children. Ordinary politics disguised as celebration.
But a handful of people moved differently. Too aware of their surroundings. Too careful about who they spoke with and who they avoided.
The welcoming banquet began not long after, guests filing into the grand hall where long tables stretched beneath ornate chandeliers. I took my assigned seat near the front, close enough to observe most of the room, and immediately noticed the same tall man from earlier positioned only a few tables away.
His attention was not on the conversation happening around him.
It was on Lina.
She sat further down the main table beside her parents, dressed in deep blue that made her look every bit the daughter of a powerful territory, laughing politely at something one of the visiting elders said. The man in dark robes watched her with an intensity that had nothing to do with polite curiosity. His gaze lingered too long, too calculating, the kind of attention a predator gives before deciding how to approach its prey.
Something cold settled in my chest.
I stood from my seat before I fully decided to move, walking casually through the hall as though simply stretching my legs, weaving between conversations until I reached the space directly beside Lina's chair, effectively placing myself between her and the stranger's line of sight.
"What are you doing?" she whispered, glancing up at me with obvious annoyance.
"Standing here."
"Standing here, blocking my view of literally everyone at this banquet."
"Consider it a service."
"Cole, seriously." She lowered her voice further, glancing around to make sure nobody was paying attention to our exchange. "You cannot keep hovering around me the entire ceremony. People will notice."
"People already notice everything. Might as well give them something interesting to watch."
"That is not helpful."
"I did not say it was helpful. I said it was interesting."
She rolled her eyes, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth despite her obvious irritation. I remained standing there regardless, deliberately positioned so the man's line of sight toward her stayed blocked, my attention alternating between casual conversation with Lina and careful monitoring of everyone surrounding us.
I did not explain what I noticed. Telling her now, before I understood exactly what threat this stranger posed, would only create unnecessary panic during an event already saturated with tension. Better to watch quietly, gather more information, protect her without burdening her with fears that might turn out to be nothing.
Though my instincts rarely proved wrong about threats like this.
The banquet stretched on for hours, speeches and toasts and formal introductions between visiting families. Eventually, restlessness took over Lina's expression, her shoulders growing tense with the strain of maintaining polite conversation with suitor after suitor approaching to introduce themselves.
I watched her slip away from the main hall sometime after the third round of toasts, disappearing through a side door that led toward the quieter gardens beyond the courtyard. I waited several minutes before following, keeping enough distance that she would not immediately notice my presence.
I found her sitting on a stone bench beneath moonlight, head tilted back, breathing slowly like she was trying to release accumulated tension from an exhausting evening.
"You are impossible to escape," she said without turning around, clearly having sensed my approach despite my attempts at subtlety.
"I prefer persistent."
"Same thing, different word."
I settled onto the bench beside her, close enough that our shoulders nearly touched. "Rough evening?"
"Three different alphas have already asked my father about potential arrangements tonight. Three. And the ceremony has barely started."
"Should I be concerned about competition?"
"You should be concerned about minding your own business."
Despite her sharp response, amusement flickered behind her tired expression, and I found myself smiling in return, something about her exhaustion and irritation striking me as endearing rather than off putting.
We walked together through the quiet garden pathways, conversation drifting easily between teasing banter and genuine questions about how she was handling the overwhelming attention this ceremony always seemed to bring. The moonlight cast everything in silver, the distant sounds of celebration fading into peaceful quiet as we moved further from the main festivities.
Lina's foot caught suddenly against a loose stone hidden in the pathway, her balance faltering as she stumbled forward with a small gasp of surprise.
I reacted instantly, catching her before she could hit the ground, my arm wrapping securely around her waist to steady her against my chest. She grabbed onto my shoulders for support, her breath catching as our eyes met at close range.
"You really do find trouble wherever you go," I said quietly, making no immediate effort to release her.
"That was not my fault. The stone was loose."
"Somehow trouble always finds an excuse around you."
"Are you going to let go of me anytime soon?"
"Should I?"
Her cheeks flushed visibly even in the dim moonlight, and I could feel her heartbeat racing rapidly where her chest pressed slightly against mine. The urge to close the remaining distance between us pulled at something deep inside my chest, but I forced myself to remain still, allowing the moment to stretch between us rather than rushing toward something she might not be ready for.
Eventually she pulled back slightly, though I noticed she did not move far, staying close enough that warmth still radiated between us despite the space now separating our bodies.
"We should head back," she said, though her voice carried none of its earlier conviction.
"Probably."
Neither of us moved immediately, both apparently reluctant to end whatever peaceful moment we had found together away from the chaos and expectations waiting inside the main hall.
As we finally began walking back toward the courtyard, something shifted at the edge of my vision, movement flickering between the trees lining the garden's perimeter. My entire body tensed instantly, senses sharpening as I focused carefully on the darkness where I had caught the brief motion.
Someone was there. Watching us.
I kept my expression neutral, refusing to alarm Lina before I understood exactly what threat this observer represented. She continued talking beside me, unaware of the sudden shift in my attention, completely trusting that our evening walk remained as peaceful as it had felt only moments earlier.
I memorized the exact direction the movement had come from, cataloging details even as I maintained casual conversation with her, already planning how I would investigate once she was safely returned to the ceremony surrounded by her family.
We walked the rest of the path in comfortable silence, my hand finding hers briefly before we reached the courtyard entrance, releasing her just before anyone could notice the small gesture.
"Thank you for tonight," she said softly, genuine warmth evident in her voice despite the earlier chaos of the banquet.
"Anytime."
She smiled and disappeared back into the crowded festivities, rejoining her family's table while I remained near the entrance, watching her retreat with mixed emotions swirling inside my chest.
The moment she was safely surrounded by guards and family members, I turned back toward the garden, intent on tracking whoever had been watching us during our private moment together.
But when I reached the spot where I had seen the movement, nothing remained except disturbed grass and a single dropped object glinting faintly beneath the moonlight.
I bent down carefully, picking it up between two fingers, my blood running cold the instant I recognized what I was holding.
A small pendant, bearing the exact same insignia I had seen documented in the compound's stolen files, the same symbol connected directly to the trafficking network we had been investigating for weeks.
Whoever had been watching us tonight was not simply a curious guest wandering the gardens.
They were part of the very organization threatening everything Lina's family had worked to protect, and they had been standing close enough to touch us both without either of us realizing the danger lurking just beyond the treeline.