Silviu could feel his blood burn with rage, he was smoldering in this anger, and now more than ever, he wanted to lash out, and unleash his fury on anything. He was fighting hard to keep it in check, he hated one to act irrationally and actions usually taken at the whim of one’s emotions irritated him so he couldn't descend low into such ludicrousness but oh, how he wanted to. His whole body was trembling from the rage that held him captive.
It had taken him such long years to come up with a plan like this and to perfect it; it had cost him patience, his youth, his sanity, and the little humanity he’d had left, and all for what? To watch it blown up in his face for something measly as love?
Silviu had seen it; it had been clearer than anything else; the love that existed between those two. He began to pace around the room - this should have been something simple, he’d thought this was nothing more than what a day’s coercion would do but there was something different about the girl now.
What exactly had Alexander done to Sophia?
He recalled Dimitri attempting to say something about abuse and whatnot; perhaps he had been too hasty in killing the man. He should have at least listened to what he’d been desperately trying to say before having his tongue cut out first.
With a sigh, Silviu sank onto the bed, and immediately his eyes caught a piece of paper tucked under his pillow, its edge sticking out slightly. He glanced around him, his narrowed eyes scanning the room for anything unusual.
The paper hadn't been here before he left for his bath, implying that while he’d been in the washroom, someone had been audacious enough to steal into his room and place this.
He pulled it out; it was a small, neatly folded piece of paper. In hasty handwriting, it read:
Meet me in the garden by midnight. There's something you must know.
Again, his eyes moved through the words recapturing what they’d said and it still didn't make sense to him. Why would anyone be meeting him of all people? What was it he must know? Was it about this pack, or…?
The questions swirled in his mind and the harder he tried, the more confused he got. He balled the paper in his fist, clenching his jaw. Silviu liked being in control and with this new information, it felt like that was slipping away.
All this was happening because of that girl. If only she had simply remained meek and done as she had been told, he wouldn't even need to be here; he would be back at his pack preparing to visit the Dark Wood Pack for the mating ceremony and to watch his niece ascend as the Luna just like he’d always wanted.
With a sigh of disappointment, he glanced at the small clock that was by the table. He had a few hours until midnight so he could catch some sleep but sleep completely eluded him. The main thing that plagued him now was where the garden was.
He pulled the bell lever by his bedside to summon a servant and shortly after, there was a knock on his door. He rose and went to the door, opening it for the servant.
He bowed to him before asking, “What can I help you with?”
“Where is the garden located? I would like to take a walk in it in the morning.”
“I could show you tomorrow.”
“No, no.” He stepped out of his room, shutting the door behind him. “Take me to it now.”
The servant nodded, maintaining a neutral expression, and led him down the hallways.
The beeping of his bedside clock woke Silviu up and he marveled at how he’d somehow managed to have fallen asleep, he had been completely engulfed by his emotions and he’d thought falling asleep would be a chore for him when he returned from the garden but still, he’d set an alarm.
He got up and ran his hand through his clothes, smoothing the crinkles before putting on his coat and adjusting the collar. With that, he stepped outside.
The house was completely soundless and Silviu moved stealthily as one with the night. He was used to camouflaging in the darkness and being noiseless while at it so sneaking outside the house came easy to him.
Far out into the night, he could hear the owls hooting, and somehow, it comforted him. Ever since things had gone awry, he’d been too occupied to enjoy the night like he used to.
He marched down the road the servant had taken him by and soon enough, he found himself walking down the steep path that led to the garden.
Tonight, the moon was almost obscured behind the clouds so it wasn't as bright as he would have liked considering he was meeting someone of whom he had no idea. He paused right as he reached the garden, his hand stopping at the hilt of the blade that rested on his waist as stilled his breath - he wasn't taking any chances.
He listened in with rapt attention and so when his nose caught the smell of another and he heard the barest sound caused by the movement of one’s feet, he’d pulled out his blade and swung it so that when he turned, its sharp end was pointing directly at the other person.
A woman. Its sharp end was pointing directly at a woman.
He stared at the outline of her form in disbelief; she was smaller than him and dressed in a loose-fitting cloth. Her feminine perfume reached his nose and he tried to match it to the women in the household but he couldn’t so he settled instead for asking.
“Who are you?” He pushed his sword further so she would know it was not just a mere question. It was an order.
She chuckled. “Are you threatening me with a sword, Commander? I could disarm you faster than you would take your next breath.”
A woman who had nothing to fear; from the tone in which she spoke, he could already tell that she had a strong sense of confidence. Now, he was to find out if this was a dangerous thing or not.
“Why have you called me out here?”
There was a pause and somehow, Silviu could tell she was weighing her next words or gauging if it would be right to tell him whatever she’d been intending to. “Put down your weapon, Commander.” She addressed him by his title but Silviu could feel the taunt in it and he felt insulted. Whoever this woman was, he was very likely to end her, perhaps not now but he would savor breaking down this confidence she proudly adorned herself in.
He put his sword down.
“Good, now we shall speak like two civilized people,” she stated.
“My patience is running thin, woman. What do you want?”
“A deal,”
“A deal?” he repeated.
“I give you Sophia and you rid me of Callan.”
He was ashamed of the fact that he spluttered. “What?”
“He is of no use to me anymore; I want him dead.” Her voice was emotionless, almost like she wasn’t talking about another person. Silvia found that enthralling.
“Is that so?”
“If you agree to it, I shall give you the details.”
He clucked his tongue in disagreement. “I would have to hear your plan; only then will I decide if it's befitting enough for me to get involved in.”
“How do I know I can trust you?”
Silviu chortled. “That makes two of us.”
He could hear the hesitation in her silence and he wondered again who this woman was and if Callan’s upcoming mating ceremony with Sophia was the reason for her wanting to get rid of him. Things were getting interesting and Silviu could feel his body heat up in excitement at the prospect.
Finally, she broke her silence. “Fine.” And with a tone of finality, she declared, “It must be done before the mating ceremony.”