Chapter 32 Chapter 32

Chapter 32 Chapter 32
KILLIAN
This was exasperating.
Who could have done this? Rogues being involved told me a vampire was behind it—most likely a prominent one—but I was confused as to why the rogues had only attacked the werewolf representatives. What was that about?
Did they not want the tournament to happen? Did they just want to get my father’s attention? Was it to create a distraction?
Also, the fact that they were able to take down the wards meant they were most likely working with a witch. But witches and vampires hadn’t gotten along in centuries, so it was unlikely that the former would easily partner with the latter. Sure, the witches could have done it to get the artifacts that were in the vault—they’d always wanted them after the riptide after all—but the vault could only be opened by the keys my father and I possessed. No amount of magic could force it open. What had been the guarantee that if they helped bring the wards down, they were going to be able to access the vault?
What was the main purpose of the attack? To kill the werewolf representatives or to rob my mother’s vault?
I groaned, rubbing my forehead, before Fabien placed a hand on my shoulder, and I lifted my gaze to his.
He gave me a sympathetic nod, patting my shoulder before asking, “Do you want them to gather in the courtyard?”
“What?”
“Everyone in the palace.”
“Oh…” I gritted my teeth, glancing around the vault once more.
I was still surprised by how fast they’d managed to empty it. They definitely couldn’t have done this without an accomplice in the palace, and I was going to find that person even if I had to spend the entire night interrogating everyone.
I walked over to the harrowe which I’d dropped when my father kicked me, and picked it up, handing it to Fabien. There was no point in leaving it here. “Yes,” I replied, and he nodded again.
As we both headed out of the vault, I wondered if the objects that had been in the vault had even left Eyrosa. The heist must have ended while I was with Lenore, so— Lenore!
Her name sent a surge of adrenaline through me, clearing the fog from my mind, and I snapped my head in Fabien’s direction.
“Lenore?” Before I went to treat her wounds, I’d placed a barrier on the suite that would prevent anyone with ill intent toward the dweller from entering it, but I’d also left Fabien there so she wouldn’t be alone.
“Two guards are stationed at the door. She’s fine,” he said, and I frowned but still gave him a nod. Then how soft her lips had felt came back to mind and my mouth twitched into a smile
My mate… I should go check on her. I’d love to kiss her again, and if possible, do much more than that before I start interrogating people.
Fabien and I went different ways—I headed to my suite while he went to begin rounding up everyone—and just before I got to the hallway my suite was in, my steps faltered. The scent of vampire blood was heavy in the air, and my brows snapped together before I quickly rounded the corner to see the source.
There were two guards—presumably the ones Fabien had mentioned—in front of my suite’s door. They were both covered in blood and one was helping the other up from the ground while a spear and a knife lay on the ground a couple of feet away from them.
The first thing that came to mind was they’d been bored and decided to fight each other. It wouldn’t be unusual; I’d seen guards constantly do that while growing up. Still, I’d rather they saved the shenanigans for when they were not watching over Lenore.
However, the barrier I’d placed on the suite was still active so I decided not to say anything.
I resumed walking and when they finally noticed my presence, they looked startled.
“Your Highness—”
“Whatever.” I walked past them and into the suite, but before I could close the door behind me, I realized something was wrong.
I couldn’t hear Lenore in the bedroom. Not her breathing, not her heartbeat. Nothing.
My shoulders tensed. I dashed into the bedroom, but even after checking the closet, bathroom, and my study across the hall, she was nowhere to be found.
My chest grew tight while I tightened my grip on the study’s doorknob. The suite suddenly felt infinitely small, the air too thick to breathe, as it occurred to me that the guards had probably been knocked out instead of fighting out of boredom like I’d assumed.
Stay calm, stay calm.
Seeing as the barrier was still active, no one with ill intent had entered the suite, so who did? She’d have to have seen that the person knocked out the guards. Did they force her to leave with them?
No, no, coercion would have made the barrier react—What the fuck happened?!
I sucked in a breath, gritting my teeth as Lenore’s scent tickled my nose. Then I shifted my attention to the two guards who were now standing in the suite’s hallway.
I was really going to kill someone.
“Here’s the thing. The woman who was here is missing,” I started as I moved towards them and they stiffened, exchanging nervous glances. “Yes, the one you two were supposed to be guarding. If she’s not back here in the next thirty minutes, I’m going to kill you. Now I don’t know what god you pray to, but you better pray she’s alright when I get her back.”
The moment I stopped talking, they didn’t hesitate to dash out of the room, and I glanced into the empty study once more. She couldn’t have gone far. She definitely hadn’t. It hadn’t been more than ten minutes since I left her.
Then I remembered the vault had been emptied in a small timeframe. Apparently, the time it took to do something detrimental to me didn’t matter in this fucking palace.
Still, I took consolation in the fact that she still had to be in Eyrosa because of the spell my father had placed on the invitations he sent to the pack repre— …The wards were down. She could be outside Eyrosa right now.