Chapter 181 CHAPTER 181
The late afternoon air felt different outside the palace walls. It was lighter, warmer, almost playful. Ethan and Isabel walked side by side along the cobbled street, the sound of distant music from the theme park drifting toward them like an invitation.
Behind them, the guards kept their formation without being obvious. Two walked several steps back, blending into the crowd. One vehicle from the motorcade rolled slowly along the road beside them, keeping pace without crowding them. Another followed at a greater distance.
Isabel had insisted they walk.
“If we arrive like royalty,” she had said earlier, “no one will dare scream on a roller coaster near us. And I fully intend to scream.”
Ethan had smiled at that. For the first time since the morning’s storm inside the council chamber, the weight in his chest had loosened.
They had barely made it two streets from Pauline’s café when Rex shifted inwardly.
It was not a growl or a warning, it was alertness.
“There is a familiar scent,” Rex said.
Ethan did not break stride. He nodded at something Isabel was saying about cotton candy, though his attention sharpened.
“Whose?”
There was a pause, the wolf sorting through memory.
“Vaughn.”
The name settled coldly inside him.
Ahead, to their right, a narrow alley cut between two brick buildings. A man stepped out of it, collar raised high, hat pulled low. To any ordinary eye, he would have looked like someone avoiding attention in a busy district.
But scent could not lie.
Ethan slowed slightly.
Isabel noticed the subtle change. “What?”
“Nothing,” he said calmly.
The man walked briskly toward a sedan parked along the curb. It was not one of Mooncrest’s official vehicles. It was plain, unfamiliar. He opened the door without hesitation and slipped inside.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed just slightly.
Through the mind link, his voice remained controlled.
“Vehicle two, follow that sedan. Keep distance. Report location only.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” came the immediate response.
One of the motorcade vehicles eased forward, then turned smoothly into the next street, falling in behind the sedan without drawing attention.
Ethan added quietly through the link, “Unit four, two guards into that alley. Discreetly. I want to know who he met.”
“Understood.”
Behind them, two guards shifted course casually and disappeared into the alley as though adjusting patrol positions.
Isabel had gone quiet.
She had not heard the conversation, but she had seen the car peel away. She had seen the guards break formation.
She nudged him lightly. “Is that classified?”
He blinked. “What?”
“Whatever it is you just said to them in your head,” she replied, studying him carefully. “Are you sure it’s something I don’t need to know?”
“I didn’t say anything,” he answered smoothly.
She gave him a look that said she did not believe him for even a second. “I may not be a wolf, but I have lived with one long enough. I know when Lisa talks inward. Her eyes go distant for half a breath. Yours just did the same.”
He exhaled faintly, almost amused. “Nothing gets past you.”
“Maybe I was a spy in another life,” she said lightly.
He laughed under his breath. “That would explain your confidence.”
Her expression shifted slightly as she grew serious. “On a scale of one to ten, how serious is it?”
“It’s a suspicion,” he said after a moment. “Nothing confirmed. It won’t interfere with today’s activities.”
She searched his face for a second longer. “Are we still going to the theme park?”
“Yes.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
She nodded, though concern still lingered in her eyes.
They resumed walking, the sound of music growing louder as they neared the park entrance. Laughter floated over rooftops. Children ran past them in small groups, excitement glowing in their faces.
Inside Ethan, Rex remained alert.
“What do you think he was doing there?” Ethan asked quietly.
“He was not alone,” Rex replied.
Ethan’s jaw tightened slightly. “You’re sure?”
“Another scent lingered in the alley. Male. Older. Faint, but recent.”
Ethan did not react outwardly.
Isabel glanced at him again. “You’re doing it again.”
“I’m sorry, it wont happen again.” he responded gently.
“Are you something isn’t bothering you?”
“No, not at all.” he said carefully.
She crossed her arms. “That sounds suspiciously like there’s something there.”
He chuckled faintly despite the tension coiling beneath his calm.
“I saw someone I did not expect to see in the city,” he admitted. “That’s all.”
“Someone dangerous?”
“Not yet.”
She studied him again, weighing whether to push further. Then she surprised him by letting it go.
They were almost at the park gates now. Bright lights flickered on as evening deepened, illuminating the towering rides in gold and electric blue.
Without thinking, Isabel reached for his hand and tugged gently. “Come on. If we waste time, the best rides will have long queues.”
He looked down.
Her fingers were wrapped around his.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then she seemed to realize what she had done. She released him quickly and cleared her throat. “I just meant hurry.”
“Of course,” he said evenly, though a faint smile touched his lips.
Inside, Rex remained unsettled.
But as they stepped through the entrance of the theme park, music swelling around them, Ethan felt the weight of uncertainty settle beneath his ribs.
And in the silence of his mind, he wondered one more time, "Who was Vaughn meeting?"
Rex’s voice came steady and unreadable.
"Let us hope the guards find out."