Chapter 73 Ours Now
Rudy and the others exchanged uneasy glances. None of them knew why the Alpha King had suddenly summoned them to the meeting chamber, and the heavy silence only grew as they waited for their Alpha King to speak.
Gavriel sat at the head of the table, his eyes fixed on Rudy, Trudis, and Ben. His fingers drummed against the polished wood, each tap sharper than the last, his frown darkening.
“She’s a spy for Lady Ava. If the poison hadn’t killed her, her next task was to get close to me, to serve me and report back. She had no choice—if she failed, her son and family would be executed. That’s what I read in her thoughts. Whether you believe me or not, that’s the truth.”
Althea’s words echoed in his mind. Again and again, he heard her voice. And the worst part was… he believed her. Ava would have every reason. Especially once she began to see Althea as a threat. Since the day he met Winter, he hadn’t once called for Ava or visit her assigned chamber at all.
Gavriel’s gaze sharpened on the three guards he had stationed around Althea. His jaw tightened, irritation flashing through him. Althea could so easily twist these three—read their minds, and worst, manipulate their loyalty. He could not allow that to continue.
He would need to reassign her guards. Someone he trusted. Someone who would understand the danger of a captive who could read thoughts. Someone who could cast a protective barrier strong enough to block her.
That left only one option—Uriel. He would have to involve him, at least until Candice arrived from across Velmora Continent.
“Really frustrating,” Gavriel muttered under his breath.
The three guards instantly dropped to their knees in alarm. “Alpha, please—spare us!”
“You fools,” Gavriel snapped. “Get on your feet! I wasn’t talking about you.”
The three quickly released a sigh of relief and got back on their feet.
On the other hand, Gavriel released a frustrated sigh before he turned to Rudy. “Prepare the Moonwell Cottage for Althea. Let her do whatever she wants with it, and give her everything she asks for. But make sure Uriel is involved—he’ll clear all the tools, plants, or whatever else she needs.”
“But Alpha… that cottage,” Trudis gulped nervously.
Moonwell Cottage was the nearest vacant house within the palace grounds, tucked away at the back. Most considered it cursed. It had been abandoned since the day Rizza died there. Not even the Queen Mother or Lady Ava dared step inside, believing the place carried misfortune.
But for someone like Althea, it would be perfect—a secluded place where she could work in peace.
Gavriel’s expression darkened again as the thought sank in. Why was he being this considerate… to Cain’s daughter of all people?
“Understood, Alpha!” Rudy answered, snapping him back from his trance.
“You three must make sure you watch her closely and report every detail of her daily routine to me. If I’m away and any problems occur, inform me immediately,” he instructed.
“Also, that servant Althea saved…” Gavriel paused, recalling her answer when he asked if she wanted the girl.
“I’ll take Elsa because if I don’t, her family will be in danger. Until you assure their safety, then I’ll let Elsa choose her own path after.”
Althea never failed to surprise him. She was the complete opposite of the rumors spread about her, and most of her choices were nothing like her father’s. Yet there was one rumor that proved true… she was Cain’s favorite daughter.
And he knew Cain. Sooner or later, the bastard would try to contact her through the spies he had planted inside the royal estate. Gavriel was already well aware of it. Which made Althea his best bait, his sharpest tool to drag those traitors out into the open.
“Take her out of the dungeon and let her be Althea’s personal maid,” he ordered.
Then he gave the three a few more instructions and then quickly dismissed them.
“Summon Uriel to me,” Gavriel ordered before they could fully step out of the chamber. “Tell him I expect him here at once.”
“Yes, Alpha!” they answered in unison before hurrying out.
Left alone, Gavriel leaned back in his chair. He reached for the goblet on the table, pouring himself a drink. The rich, dark liquid swirled as he raised it to his lips, taking a slow sip.
\[Teach her the mindlink. That way, we’ll know directly from her if she’s in danger!\] Chaos grunted inside his head, impatient as always. The lycan in him never failed to remind him of what he didn’t want to admit.
“No!” Gavriel growled under his breath. His jaw tightened as his grip on the goblet turned firm. Teaching Althea the mindlink would mean giving her direct access to him, letting her slip past the walls he had built. It would mean… he cared.
And if she realized that, she could twist it to her advantage. She could use it to help her father, to help Cain.
He wouldn’t risk it.
Chaos snarled in his mind, sharp and sure. \[She is not stupid. Her life is bound to ours now. If we fall, she falls. Why would she help Cain and doom herself?\]
But Gavriel’s jaw tightened, refusing to let the argument end there. \[You forget who she is,\] he shot back at his lycan.
\[She was willing to sacrifice herself for her half-siblings—children born of the same man. If she would bleed for them, then how much more for her beloved father? Cain raised her. He groomed her. She was his favorite. Do you think she wouldn’t give everything for him, even if it cost her life?\]
Chaos let out a low growl that echoed inside him, defiant. \[She may be Cain’s daughter, but she is also ours now. The bond does not lie. So you'd better win her and her loyalty instead!\]
Part of him wanted to agree, to give in to the logic that the matebond was stronger than Cain’s poison. Yet suspicion was carved deep into him, and trusting Althea too easily could cost more than his pride—it could cost his crown.