The Secrets Between Us | ✓

|37|

"Do you recognise the werewolf?"

Mason nodded. "He is a pack member."

The music stopped playing, and every single soul inside the castle froze. All that could be heard was their breathing, which had turned as erratic as their thoughts, spiralling out of control, inducing panic. They couldn't have heard right. With an indestructible security system maintained by the Imperial Royale pack, how did the member cross the border without alerting the guards?

Icarus looked at Mason with a blank expression, giving away nothing. Werewolves dying wasn't rare as the beast made sure to eliminate anything and everything that crossed its path. But the death of a pack member outside their territory was drastic, for this was murder.

Someone was warning him or challenging him.

He did not like it.

"Any note?" Icarus growled. The sound reverberated off the castle walls and shook its foundation, awakening others out of their terror-stricken state. They turned in his direction, watching his eyes blaze with barely controlled fury.

"Nothing."

Icarus noticed his reluctance in front of the onlookers, and he could discern why. He didn't trust them any more than his enemies. A tough truth Icarus had learned to accept after some of his loyal disciples ambushed him when he first acquired the throne.

"Let's go." He stood up from the chair and took a step ahead, pausing. He was about to break his promise to Anaya by leaving her vulnerable to the wolves. The very thought pained him. He faced her and curled his fingers through hers, torn between his obligation to his duty and his desire to ensure the safety of his mate. Call him whipped, but she mattered to him a lot more than he could express in words.

Anaya looked into his eyes, felt the conflict eating at him, and gave a reassuring smile. "I'll wait for you." Although her voice didn't waver, her heart did. She felt cold when his hands slipped out of her hold. She wouldn't be feeling so miserable if she were a werewolf. Humans weren't weak, but there was no denying that they would never be able to surpass the strength of werewolves, and for that reason, she was starting to dislike her kind.

"Your Majesty, we will go with you." 

Icarus shook his head. "Stay in and lock the doors and windows. Let Nicholas know if you require anything. I'll be back within an hour." The last words were for Anaya. He kissed her forehead, lingering for as long as he could, then he was gone.

She stared at his retreating figure until the door swung close. Immanuel approached her and threw an arm around her shoulders, turning her toward the crowd which was slowly dissipating.

"He will be okay, right?"

"Don't worry." Immanuel led her upstairs and into her room. "You should rest."

With a weary sigh, she nodded and climbed on the bed, pulling the blanket over her. Once she closed her eyes, he left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. He didn't realise that Anaya wasn't going to get a wink of sleep in Icarus' absence. He may possess the courage and strength to the likes of Gods, but that didn't stop her from worrying about him. How could she not? The man was her life. She'd come to care for him like she hadn't for anyone.