Chapter 46 Chapter 47

Chapter 46 Chapter 47
Vanessa

I couldn’t move.

I stood frozen in the hallway, staring at Alaric.

The corridor behind me was empty.

The glowing eyes had disappeared.

Yet my heart pounded as though they were still there.

Because for one impossible second…

I could have sworn his eyes had turned gold.

Then he blinked.

They were dark again.

Cold.

Unreadable.

I swallowed.

Perhaps I was losing my mind.

“Vanessa.”

His voice was sharp.

I blinked.

“What?”

His brows drew together slightly.

“You’ve been standing there for five minutes.”

Had I?

I looked around. The maid beside me looked nervous.

“I…” I cleared my throat. “I thought I saw something.”

His expression didn’t change.

“What?”

I looked down the dark corridor.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

I suddenly felt ridiculous.

“Nothing.”

Silence.

The candles flickered.

I could feel him watching me.

Assessing me.

As if trying to determine whether I was ill.

“You look frightened.”

The words surprised me.

Not because they were kind.

Because he had noticed.

I looked at him.

“I’m fine.”

He looked unconvinced.

“You keep saying that.”

I almost smiled.

Again.

That line again.

But before I could answer, Emma’s voice drifted from the dining room.

“Alaric? Everyone is waiting.”

The coldness returned to his face immediately.

“I’ll be there.”

He stepped aside.

“Come.”

That wasn’t an invitation.

It was an order.

I nodded quietly and followed him.

The dining room looked beautiful.

Too beautiful.

Candles glowed warmly.

White flowers decorated the long table.

A pianist played softly in the corner.

The atmosphere was elegant.

Perfect.

Like a celebration.

I suddenly remembered what they were celebrating.

Emma’s recovery.

A strange ache settled in my chest.

The grandmother sat at the head of the table.

Emma sat beside her.

An empty chair waited beside Emma.

For Alaric.

And far down the table—

a single empty seat.

Mine.

I almost laughed.

I had never seen isolation turned into an art form.

The grandmother looked up as I entered.

Her expression hardened immediately.

“Oh.”

Just one word.

Yet somehow it sounded like an insult.

Emma smiled brightly.

“Vanessa! You came.”

I nodded politely.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

The grandmother looked displeased.

“I didn’t realize invitations were necessary.”

Silence.

I lowered my eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

She seemed satisfied by my apology.

Emma rose gracefully.

“You should sit.”

I walked to my chair.

The servants avoided my gaze.

The guests did not.

I recognized several of them.

Mafia associates.

Business partners.

Powerful people.

All of them looked at me curiously.

Whispering.

Judging.

I suddenly wished I had stayed upstairs.

Dinner began.

Conversation flowed around me.

I barely touched my food.

I wasn’t hungry.

I could feel the grandmother’s eyes on me.

Watching.

Waiting.

Eventually she spoke.

“You’ve become very quiet.”

Every conversation at the table stopped.

I looked up.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She raised a brow.

“No argument?”

I blinked.

“No.”

Interesting.

That seemed to disappoint her.

Emma smiled gently.

“Vanessa is still recovering.”

The grandmother sniffed.

“Recovery does not remove one’s manners.”

I lowered my gaze again.

“I’m sorry.”

Silence.

I could feel everyone’s attention on me.

I wanted to disappear.

The grandmother leaned back in her chair.

“At least she has learned humility.”

The words stung.

I said nothing.

Across the table, I felt someone’s eyes on me.

Alaric.

I refused to look at him.

I couldn’t.

Not tonight.

Emma spoke cheerfully to one of the guests.

Everyone laughed.

I didn’t.

The room felt too warm.

Too crowded.

Too loud.

And then—

A glass shattered.

Everyone jumped.

I did too.

A servant stood frozen.

Pale.

Terrified.

He had dropped a wine glass.

The room became silent.

Then—

A low growl echoed somewhere in the house.

I froze.

The servant looked horrified.

The grandmother’s expression changed.

The guests looked around.

“What was that?” someone whispered.

The growl came again.

Deep.

Animalistic.

Very close.

I felt the blood drain from my face.

The same sound.

The same growl.

From last night.

The room became uneasy.

Another servant crossed herself.

One guest laughed nervously.

“Surely that wasn’t an animal.”

No one answered.

The grandmother looked irritated.

“It’s the wind.”

It wasn’t.

I knew it wasn’t.

Because I saw it.

The flicker in Alaric’s eyes.

He looked…

tense.

Very tense.

Another growl sounded.

Louder.

Closer.

The candles flickered violently.

One extinguished completely.

A woman gasped.

The pianist stopped playing.

The room suddenly felt colder.

I swallowed hard.

Then—

I looked at Alaric.

He was already looking at me.

Our eyes met.

And something strange happened.

His expression changed.

Not warmth.

Not softness.

Alertness.

Like he was checking if I was alright.

Then it vanished.

He stood abruptly.

Everyone looked at him.

“I’ll handle it.”

One of his men immediately rose.

“My lord, perhaps I should—”

“No.”

The word was final.

Cold.

Dangerous.

The man sat back down.

Alaric looked at the grandmother.

“Continue dinner.”

Without another word, he walked out.

Silence followed.

Emma looked annoyed.

The grandmother looked furious.

I looked at the dark doorway where he had disappeared.

Then—

I heard it again.

The growl.

This time from the hallway.

Very close.

A strange chill spread through me.

I suddenly remembered the glowing eyes.

Watching me.

Guarding me.

The thought returned.

It’s not following you.

It’s protecting you.

I didn’t know why I believed that.

But I did.

Ten minutes passed.

Then fifteen.

The room became increasingly uncomfortable.

No one spoke much.

Emma kept glancing toward the door.

Then—

The lights flickered.

Several guests gasped.

A window flew open.

Cold wind rushed inside.

Candles went out.

The room plunged into darkness.

I heard someone scream.

Then—

Two golden eyes appeared outside the window.

Everyone froze.

I stopped breathing.

The eyes stared directly at me.

Only me.

A low growl filled the room.

Someone shouted.

A chair crashed.

Emma screamed.

The grandmother stood abruptly.

Then the eyes disappeared.

Gone.

As though they had never existed.

Chaos erupted.

“What was that?!”

“Oh my God!”

“Did everyone see it?”

The lights suddenly returned.

The room looked completely different now.

Pale faces.

Shaking hands.

Fear.

Real fear.

The door opened.

Alaric walked back inside.

He looked calm.

Too calm.

Everyone began speaking at once.

“The beast!”

“We saw it!”

“Outside the window!”

He didn’t react.

Not even a little.

His gaze swept the room.

Then landed on me.

I was trembling.

I hadn’t realized until then.

I couldn’t stop shaking.

His expression tightened slightly.

Then he looked away.

Emma rushed toward him.

“Did you see it?”

“No.”

“But it was there!”

Silence.

Then he said:

“Everyone should return to their rooms.”

Nobody argued.

People stood immediately.

The celebration was over.

The guests wanted to leave.

The servants looked terrified.

The grandmother looked angry.

Emma looked frightened.

And me?

I felt something entirely different.

Because as everyone hurried from the room…

I glanced at the dark window one last time.

And I could have sworn—

just for a second—

I saw two golden eyes in the garden.

Watching.

Waiting.

And somehow…

I knew they weren’t watching the house.

They were watching me.