Chapter 20

ALEC'S POV

The meeting had taken longer than I had planned.

I had increased the number of patrol guards on duty at every interval.

Added to their rounds and assigned more border guards.

We were to start more advanced trainings with the pack warriors tomorrow.

New recruitments were to begin tomorrow as well.

We had to be prepared for Lila's warnings.

Rogues fought dirty and were very sneaky.

We had to be prepared in every aspect for whatever it was that they were planning.

Kael hadn't bothered to tell me where he had stormed off to.

Not surprisingly, he wasn't one to ever share his plans.

I hoped whatever he was working at would benefit the pack in one way or another, though.

This wasn't the time to be playing games.

Not when a potential attack was going to hit our pack soon.

Threatening the lives of our members and putting Lila in danger too.

Now that I've handled all the instructions and planning for tomorrow, I head back to go check on Lila.

As I approach her ward room, I make a mental note to penalise whichever guard was on duty tonight.

There was no one watching her door, and it shouldn't be so.

I had ensured to assign two guards at four shifts through the day to watch her door.

I didn't trust the story of her slipping and falling into the pool unprovoked.

There were things she wasn't saying, and I could pick up on the lies.

I was going to find out what was up between her and her sister, though.

I would've done a background check by myself already, but it felt like that would be betraying Lila's trust.

Not only that, but I wanted her to gradually open up to me by herself and at her pace.

As I get to the door, I notice something unsettling.

The door is slightly ajar, and it's eerily quiet and dark inside.

'Mate is struggling,' my wolf points out as I rush into the room.

The silhouette crouched over Lila's bed turns at my entrance, dropping what's in her hand.

I reach to flip the light switch, flooding the room with light, and the person makes a dash for the window.

She jumps right out of the open window as light fills the room.

Lila is gasping for air as she cries, coughing hard.

I'm torn between running after the female form to catch who was trying to kill my mate with a pillow and staying to be certain Lila was fine.

The decision is made the minute I hurry to get Lila a glass of water.

I help her to sit up in bed, assisting her as she gulps down the water.

I hurriedly mind-link all the guards close by, instructing them to go after the person.

“Calm down, love; I'm here.” I tried to soothe her in her panicked state as she held on to me tightly, crying.

Was she ever going to get a break from all this?

Wasn't the murder attempt at the pool enough already?

And yet, the person had still sneaked into the hospital to try killing her when she was completely defenceless.

“I swear to you, I'm going to kill whoever that is when I catch them.” I promise her as I hug her tight to my chest.

Her sobs quiet after a while, and she just stays in my hold, not pulling away.

It seemed we were both becoming exhausted with acting like the mate pull didn't affect us.

I had never hidden my attraction for her, though.

I had only tried to control it and prevent chaos until I came up with the right way to take her away from Kael.

He didn't care for her.

He was incapable of loving anyone besides himself.

Likewise, he just wanted to keep her as a trophy.

“She would've killed me if you hadn't come in when you did… thank you.” She whispers after a while.

I sigh, resting my chin on the top of her head as I rub soothing circles on her back as we're seated on the bed.

“I'll never let anyone hurt you while I live, Lila; they'll never succeed.” I reply, and she sniffs, pulling away to look me in the eyes.

“Why does it seem that no one in the pack likes me? No one else aside from Isabella acknowledges me as a person; they're all just civil to me, honouring the Alpha.” She says, looking sorrowful.

Her eyes are shining with unshed tears as she sniffs.

“Don't say that, Lila; they'll love you when they get to know you. You just haven't interacted with them much. How about I suggest something?” I ask, and she gives me a small smile, encouraging me to keep talking.

“How about you join us on the training grounds tomorrow morning?” She grins at this, looking pleased.

I admire the way her eyes look more beautiful with happiness in them and how her lips look pouty and pink.

My wolf begins to scratch at the surface, begging for just a taste of our beautiful forbidden mate.

Just one kiss…

Her eyes drink my face in, and I can tell from the rising smell of her arousal that she wanted this too.

I lean in closer, and she doesn't resist leaning in as well.

I throw all caution and warning to the wind, closing the distance and pressing my lips to hers.

She kissed me back with equal eagerness, pulling me closer by my hair as my hands went to wrap around her waist.

She's flushed up against me, our lips moving in sync as the smell of her arousal threatens to make me take her there and then.

“Uhm, excuse me? I hope I'm not interrupting anything.” The sound of someone clearing their throat and speaking up causes us to pull away.

Turning to see who the person that had just ruined this perfect moment was, I felt anger course through me on seeing it's her sister.

Camille stood at the door wearing a wide smile like someone who had just won an award or something, and I wanted nothing more than to snap her neck.