Chapter 34 The Plan
Astrid adjusted behind the huge pillar, not wanting her night gown to expose her presence. She was thankful it was a dark colour and blended well in the darkness.
She had heard everything and was wondering what proposal they were talking about. Was Lord Odin Audrey's secret lover? Was he asking for her hand? All these thoughts swarmed through Astrid's mind but the one she couldn't deny was that there was something going on between the two and what ever it was wasn't good.
"I accept your proposal but you have to swear you won't hurt him" Audrey stated firmly, feeling unease at the way he looked at her. She tried her best not to let her fear show on her face.
"I give you my word" he reined his neck foward. "Three nights after the full moon you will be taken out through a secret tunnel under your chambers where one of my carriages will be waiting to take you to wherever you want to go. I will place one of my guards at your side at all times, he will stand by your door along with another of the king's guards. He will bring you letters from me and I will instruct you on what you must do to be above suspicion. It will not cause anyone harm as long as you keep it to yourself of course. No one must know. Your first letter will be delivered early in the morning, you won't send any letters back"
"But how would I communicate with you? We can't be seen together"
"We will only discuss before hand, if you ever want to talk to me you know where my chambers are" he said the last part a little too slyly, his eyes taking in her withdrawn expression. His words sounded more like an invitation but Audrey brushed it off along with any paranoid thought that she was being watched. "I will need you to play close to his highness" he finally spoke, causing Audrey to whip her head in his direction, her eyes wide and her brows pulled together in confusion.
"What, why?" she asked, a bit startled. Something about it didn't sit right with her. Sure she could do anything to be free but something about Darius made her uneasy, she couldn't control herself around him and that wasn't something she wanted to experience. She couldn't even control her words and now she would have to pretend to get along with him?
"Because if you show signs of acceptance you will be more above suspicion than ever, he won't think you are unhappy and would not have his guard up when the time comes. It shouldn't be that hard you two already seem very smitten with each other. The mate bond will make it a lot easier so you don't have to worry, unless you're scared this will also affect you in some way?" He teased. She knew what he was doing, trying to pry information about them both under the pretense of mock concern.
Audrey saw reason in his words but she wondered if she could do this and not compromise anything. Lord Odin knew very well how he was going to manipulate this situation and turn things in his favor. For years he had been looking for an open hole to take advantage of the king and now here she stood in front of him, a raven haired beauty who he knew had captured the heart of the king and would ultimately be his downfall.
Poor naive Audrey, he tisked, smiling inwardly. She had no idea she will cause the fall of her king and mate for the price of the freedom she so desperately craved, which he would make sure she didn't get at the end.
Astrid covered her mouth with her hands to stop her gasp from alerting the two. Without wasting time she ran inside before anyone could spot her. When she was safe back inside she let her mind ponder on what she had just heard. She knew Audrey had just been putting on an act, her and Darius weren't in love. She was planning with Lord Odin to leave him and she knew more than anyone what Lord Odin was capable of when it came to taking advantage of vulnerable people.
Realisation crosses her features as she walked slowly down the hallway. If she wanted to get Audrey out then all she needed to do was make sure everything went well with her plan and before anyone would know it Audrey would be gone. Astrid was ecstatic, she didn't have to do anything to get Audrey out of the picture, she would do that all on her own now.
And if by any chance the plan failed then she could use what she heard to get Audrey punished and possibly executed for betraying the crown. Astrid would get exactly what she wanted and Audrey would get what she deserved.
"We were lucky no one suspected anything. A rogue attack was a brilliant cover up" Ryker said, walking beside Darius along the stone hallway.
"Thankfully everyone believed it, are you sure no one suspected anything? We can't take any risks, we have to be very careful" Darius added, stepping into his study.
"I'm sure". Ryker closed the door behind him and walked up to his table where Darius had plopped down. "What did they say?"
"The exact same thing you did. They want Audrey to be part of the blood moon. I told them I was never going to agree to it. It's too much danger to put her in" Darius thought, his brows knitted together and his lips set in a firm line.
"You know them more than anyone, they won't back down. They might try to talk to Audrey about it, about the prophecy as well-"
"That can't happen" Darius interjected, his voice raised and his anger bubbling over. He could feel Phoenix getting angry as well at the thought of the four old men trying to force his mate possibly to her death. He had rose to his feet, his fists balled dangerously. "That can't happen"
"Then you should tell her yourself" Ryker suggested, his stance strong as he stared at Darius's face contorting into a grim expression.
"I can't do that!" He argues. "If I tell her she would put herself at risk and I cannot have that Ryker"
"You don't have to tell her the whole truth if you don't want to" he said, walking closer to Darius. "But you could at least explain things. It would make it easier and it's better than her finding out on her own. Ease her into the topic"