Chapter 55 055
LYKA
I got to my room, and even after shutting the door behind me, the noise in my head refused to quiet down. I was still perplexed about what happened at the training ground earlier, replaying every second of it like a cursed memory I couldn’t erase. Derrick’s face. That shift in his eyes. The way his presence had felt heavier....darker. But what surprised me the most wasn’t the confrontation. It was the fact that he truly didn’t know anything about it.
He looked confused. Not pretending. Not acting.
Genuinely unaware.
“What happens if you don’t…” I began muttering to myself, pacing slowly across the room, but I trailed off when I realized what I was doing.
I was worrying about him.
My steps halted.
Why was I worried about him? Of all people? Shouldn’t chopping off his head still be my goal? Shouldn’t revenge still be burning brighter than concern?
“Stop being so weak, Lyka. You can’t afford this,” I scolded myself under my breath, clenching my fists tightly. I had come here with a purpose. I had endured humiliation, anger, and memories of blood for a reason. I couldn’t start softening now.
A gentle knock interrupted my thoughts.
I frowned.
Who would be knocking at this hour?
When I opened the door, no one was there. Instead, a single letter lay neatly placed on the floor. My stomach tightened instantly. I picked it up slowly, already knowing who it was from.
“What now?” I muttered under my breath as I unfolded it.
“I was impressed by your strength and your demeanor last night while saving the man that wiped out your pack. I never thought you could be so slow, but you proved me wrong.”
I let out a sharp, humorless chuckle.
Impressed? Slow?
The audacity.
What was this man even saying? He was disappointed in me? Who gave him that authority? Who made him judge, jury, and executioner of my actions? My fingers tightened around the paper as heat crept into my cheeks.
But I forced myself to continue reading.
“But I hope that you won’t miss such a splendid opportunity again. And also, don’t act up while you await my next letter. Doubt everything you see. There is more than what the eyes see.”
My eyes glistened....not with tears, but with rage.
The man really knew how to rile me up.
I stood there for a long moment, the letter trembling slightly in my grip as anger coursed through my veins. Did he think I was a joke? A pawn? Someone he could provoke and direct from the shadows?
“Maybe we should be clear on something,” I muttered coldly. “I don’t take commands from anyone. But unfortunately, I can’t see you right now to tell you that.”
With a frustrated breath, I crumpled the paper and tossed it across the room. It hit the wall and slid to the floor like it had no weight at all.
I wasn’t going to swallow that insult quietly.
The next time we met, I would make sure he understood exactly who he was dealing with.
But my mind kept circling back to one line.
Doubt everything you see. There is more than what the eyes see.
That line unsettled me.
It wasn’t just provocation. It felt like a warning. Or worse....a clue.
“If I’m supposed to doubt everything I see,” I murmured slowly, thinking aloud, “then maybe I should start by doubting what’s right in front of me.”
My eyes shifted toward the hallway.
The room down the passageway.
The suspicious one.
“I don’t see a reason why I shouldn’t go and check what’s in that room,” I continued under my breath. “I’m sure there’s something doubtful in there.”
My decision was made.
“Let’s see what they have to hide.”
I stepped into the passageway quietly, my senses heightened. The air felt colder out there. Still. As if it were holding secrets.
But my steps halted immediately when I saw movement ahead.
A man was walking toward the very room I intended to investigate.
I instinctively stepped back into the shadows.
Clark had stopped me from entering that room before. He had brushed it off casually, but now seeing someone else go in stirred something sharp inside me.
And that someone....
My breath caught.
It was the same man who had told me about Derrick being the one who attacked our pack.
The so-called crippled man.
But what surprised me the most wasn’t his presence.
It was his legs.
He wasn’t dragging his feet like before. He wasn’t limping painfully. He wasn’t struggling.
He was walking normally.
“Was he not crippled?” I whispered in disbelief.
Before I could think further, his head snapped slightly in my direction.
I ducked behind the corner instantly, pressing myself against the wall, my heart pounding violently in my chest. Had he seen me?
I peeked cautiously as he entered the room.
What was he doing there?
‘What is going on?’ Elysia purred inside me, her voice tense.
“I don’t know,” I replied silently, forcing myself to remain calm. “But we’re about to find out.”
I waited.
Every second stretched painfully.
Then the door opened again.
He stepped out.
And my gaze darkened immediately.
In his hand was a letter.
The same type.
The same folded paper that kept appearing at my doorstep.
My pulse quickened.
When he entered the room, he wasn’t holding that letter. I was sure of it. I had watched him carefully. So where did it come from?
Was someone inside that room?
“If he has to go to someone else for letters,” I murmured slowly, the realization dawning on me, “then that means he is not the one calling the shots.”
My eyes narrowed dangerously.
He was just a messenger.
The place he entered didn’t look like a room meant for someone important. It resembled a prisoner’s quarters....isolated, quiet, almost hidden.
So who was inside?
Who was powerful enough to remain unseen but influential enough to orchestrate everything?
I stayed hidden until he walked away completely. Only then did I slip back toward my room, my thoughts racing faster than my steps.
“That’s not right,” I muttered as soon as I closed my door behind me. “I’m missing something. But what am I missing?”
I rubbed my jaw thoughtfully, pacing again.
The crippled act.
The letters.
The suspicious room.
Derrick’s strange behavior.
None of it was random.
I needed clarity.
Amanda.
If anyone had a sharper instinct than mine, it was her.
I found her quickly and told her everything....about the letter, about the man walking normally, about what I saw when I decided to check the room.
“What did you mean there is someone else?” Amanda asked, her mouth wide open in shock.
“You heard me right,” I said firmly. “And that means we must have missed a detail. If we’re not careful, this man might be playing us.”
She nodded slowly, but her expression was tense.
“That crippled man! Didn’t I tell you he was suspicious? Scott told me....” she began, but suddenly stopped as if the name burned her tongue.
I raised a brow. “Why did you stop? I’m sure you were mentioning your Scott just now.”
She glared at me lightly, brushing it off. “Focus.”
I smirked faintly but didn’t push further.
“So what are we going to do now?” she asked seriously. “I’m sure that man lied about knowing something about the pack. He didn’t know anything at all.”
I nodded slowly.
Strangely, I would be relieved if that were true. I didn’t know why I wanted to believe that so badly....but I did.
“Me too,” I admitted. “But why would he lie to us?”
She shrugged helplessly.
We fell silent for a moment before speaking at the same time.
“He’s not the one calling the shots.”
Our eyes met.
That made his earlier words meaningless.
He could have lied to provoke us. To mislead us. To redirect our anger.
But why?
Why was he after Derrick?
And more importantly....
Why was I the one being targeted?