74- The Scent of Betrayal
POV Lunara Grimwald:
“We’re mated,” I insisted.
“I’ve seen plenty of mated wolves, and not all of them act like that,” Anton retorted.
I spread my hands on the edge of the table and shoved my chair back, losing patience.
“I have no idea where you’re trying to go with this.”
“To be honest? Neither do we,” Andrei admitted. “We’re just saying what we’ve noticed. Edric’s been... off. On edge. And it’s got nothing to do with Alessio or anything else—it’s about you.”
I laughed out loud.
“Sorry if your alpha’s unstable.”
“Our alpha,” Anton corrected. “You’re Eldoria now too—and the sooner you get used to that, the better.”
He spoke as if I despised the idea, when in truth... I admired it. Not belonging to Crepúsculo or Eclipse anymore was a blessing to me.
Andrei pointed to the stack of books.
“He gives you gifts... and he pushed Thalira out of his life. Something I never thought possible.”
I narrowed my gaze at him.
“Why did you think it was impossible?”
“Edric had... a high regard for the omega. They kind of helped each other. They leaned on one another after Catalina’s death.”
"Really? And how did Catalina die?"
She and Edric, surely, hadn’t mated yet, although she was his fated mate. If they had, Edric would be dead as well. It didn’t make sense in my mind; I couldn’t find any answers, no matter how hard I tried.
"Very clever," Andrei hissed. "The only thing I can say is that she was killed. No one expected it, no one imagined it. If you want to know more, ask Edric."
I snorted.
"For him to humiliate me?"
"I’m not so sure he’d do that anymore," Anton remarked. "Maybe he’ll tell you the truth."
I rolled my eyes.
"His list of humiliations is endless. If I bring up the late Catalina with him, he’ll find some way to make my life miserable all over again."
Things were good for the first time in a while. Even though my curiosity about Catalina’s death grew stronger each day, I wouldn’t ruin everything.
"He never bought anything for Thalira," Andrei declared. "But he went into town early this morning just to bring you new books."
"That has a very specific name: remorse," I muttered.
"He’s not the kind who feels remorse."
"Not at all," Anton agreed.
He wasn’t that kind—and yet, I had seen it in him when I confessed I knew about him and Thalira.
"If he gave you a gift, it’s because he really wants to please you, not because he feels the need to apologize," Andrei said.
I pulled the stack of books closer and shot them a sidelong glance.
"You two sound like a pair of old gossiping ladies, making up theories where none exist."
My chest tightened. I turned toward the door in a dizzying motion, my heart racing. Edric’s dry laugh echoed through the room.
"Anton and Andrei compared to two old gossiping ladies," he mocked, stepping into view.
I thought I might faint right there in the dining hall at the sight of him. His hair was damp and shining, his white linen shirt rolled up at the sleeves, paired with jeans and boots.
When I looked at him, a whirlwind of sensations flooded my chest—feelings I fought not to name.
His eyes landed on me, and for some reason, I couldn’t look away. It was the first time we had seen each other since we’d sealed our deal with that kiss. I felt strange, like I was standing at the edge of a cliff, about to fall.
"You must be having a lot of fun with your mated companion, insulting us," Andrei hissed, though the amused crinkles at the corners of his eyes gave him away.
"I can only say I’ll never look at you the same way again," Edric sneered.
"Extraordinary," Anton replied dryly.
"So, what were the old gossiping ladies talking about?" Edric asked.
Anton, Andrei, and I exchanged glances. I fixed my eyes on the books, pretending to be very interested in the titles, while Andrei stuffed his mouth with cheese and Anton swallowed more coffee. None of us wanted to go near the topic—not with Edric there. If he found out we had been talking about Catalina, comparing his relationship with her to the one he supposedly had with me, things would get ugly.
"What the hell were you talking about?" he pressed, taking a step closer.
I stood abruptly.
"Did you manage to find Alessio’s males?" I asked, changing the subject.
For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t take the bait, but the amusement vanished from his face, replaced by a hardened expression.
"They managed to escape. They know more about the territory than I expected."
My eyes widened.
"How is that possible?" I hugged the books tightly to my chest, holding them like a shield.
"Either there’s a traitor, or they’ve been studying every possible way to advance on us and finally get what they want," Anton said.
I turned my eyes toward him.
"A traitor?" I questioned. "But… I thought you didn’t have contact with the Eastern packs."
"And we don’t," Andrei agreed. "But that doesn’t mean they don’t have contact with someone inside the pack."
"How?"
"We’re not allowed to go to the other territories, but the city is considered a neutral zone. We can go there to have fun, as long as we don’t cause trouble. Any wolf who’s gone to the city could’ve made contact with them," Andrei shot back.
I opened and closed my mouth, not knowing what to say. Anton turned to Edric.
"You know we’ll have a serious problem if there really is a traitor among us, right?"
"Yes, I know."
Our eyes met, and an inexplicable heat flared within me. I cleared my throat and looked away.
"I’m… going to the lake," I announced, then hesitated. "Do you think they might go there? Could they get that close?"
If there really was a traitor in the pack, I didn’t want to risk being caught.
"They won’t go that far—at least, not yet," he stated.
I bit the inside of my cheek.
"Yet?" I gasped. He nodded.
"Having a traitor means a lot of things, especially for our safety. They could obtain any kind of information. If it’s true that there’s a traitor among us, you won’t be safe even in here. But… it takes time. Even with privileged information, invading the pack would still be risky."
I hoped, from the bottom of my heart, that it wasn’t true. Edric was an incredible Alpha; the wolves respected and admired him. I couldn’t see why anyone would betray him. If he were like Kellan or my father, I’d understand—but not Edric.