The Last Hope (AU Book 1 of The Last Series)

Chapter 9

The male looked at me, shocked, and instantly stood, which made the people gathered in the room growl out in warning. He bowed low and showed his neck, and I couldn't help but be pleased, even though I was a little sheepish because I had no idea why he decided to bow towards me. "My name is Silas," he said. "I am happy to serve you."

I frowned, warning bells flickering in my mind. I had no idea why warning bells were going off because he was my Protector, but they were. I had no idea who I could talk to about this, not knowing if her Protectors would know or if I should bring it to their attention.

Cooper cleared his throat and scowled when I didn't answer. He was impatient, and I had a feeling that he wanted me out of the tent so that they could discuss something else without my knowledge. "Aren't you going to tell him your name?" he asked through gritted teeth.

I furrowed my brows and cocked my head. Why should I give him my name? Didn't he already know it?

"Say it," he growled, narrowing his eyes at me. Power came off of him in waves, and all I wanted to do was scoff and roll my eyes; however, I didn't and bowed my head a little.

"Oh, um... Caroline," I said, tearing my gaze away from Cooper to look at the male, who was still submitting to me. "My name is Caroline, and you can stop... submitting." I rubbed my arm and cleared my throat, feeling uncomfortable.

Silas stopped submitting and stood straight and at attention. His dark brown eyes were still on me, and there was something in them that I didn't like. He was hiding something; I could tell, but I had no idea what. "It's nice to meet you, Caroline," he said, finally, and again, there was this feeling that I didn't like.

I smiled and pushed the feeling aside, knowing full well that I would have to figure out why later. "It's nice to meet you too." I looked at Cooper and then Silas, not knowing what to do now.

"Leave," Cooper ordered. He looked at Silas and ignored the fact that I was still there. "We still have some business to attend to. After that, Giselle will show you to your tent."

Silas frowned, and panic filled his eyes. "But what about her?" he asked and gestured to me. "My duty is to b-"

"I know what your duty is," Cooper said, interrupting him. He snarled, and his brown eyes turned darker. "However, she is safe here as long as she doesn't leave the camp." He turned his gaze to me and narrowed his eyes. "Didn't I tell you to leave?" he barked.

"Cooper," Giselle warned, and she earned a growl from the Alpha. She scowled and rolled her eyes. A smile was on her face when she caught me staring at her with wide eyes. "Go," she said. "I'll bring him by later, so you two can get to know each other a bit."

"No, you w-"

"It is the way it is supposed to be, Cooper," Giselle said, interrupting him. She turned her gaze to him and scowled. "There needs to be trust between the two of them. He was chosen as her Protector for a reason. Just like you were once chosen."

Cooper slammed his hands and growled while he stood. His brown eyes turned a darker brown, and anger and power filled the air around us. "Never say that again," he snarled, and Giselle bowed her head.

The tension in the air grew thick with each passing second. It grew so thick that anything could set it off, and the Alpha before us could burst into a fit of rage.

"Yes, Alpha," she said, her voice soft. She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. She didn't say a word and sent me an apologetic look from the corner of her eye.

Cooper turned his attention to me and narrowed his eyes. "Leave," he ordered, and I gulped.

I nodded and quickly walked out of the tent. My whole body was tense, and my heart pounded hard in my chest. I had no idea what was going to happen to Giselle, and I prayed that nothing bad would happen to her, especially since she was only trying to help me.

Fernos moved to my side as soon as I exited the tent. He stayed silent and walked me back to the tent. He didn't mention what had happened, and I wondered if he was curious or not, especially since it had to deal with me.

Finally, I huffed and turned my head in his direction while I kept walking towards my tent. "Well?" I asked and raised an eyebrow.

The "Demon Prince" turned his head towards me ever so slightly and raised an eyebrow. "Well?" he asked.

I narrowed my eyes and scowled. "Are you going to ask?" I asked.

"Ask what?"

I huffed and shook my head, not replying. I had no idea what was going through his head, and I had a feeling that I never would.

My mind wandered back to the Siran, and I couldn't help but wonder if she would be able to read this male made of stone. Would she have picked up on what I picked up on with Silas, or would she have ignored it as well? Would she have been able to describe what I was feeling in front of everyone, or would she have waited until she could get either Cooper or someone that would listen to her and tell them?

Would she have had the confidence to stand up to Cooper and tell him to stop being a dick to both myself and Giselle? Or would she be like me and let him take control of everything and hide her point of view on something that she didn't like that he was doing?

Fernos cleared his throat, and I turned my gaze to him. Hidden worry filled his eyes, and I couldn't help but wonder how long he had been trying to talk to me. He held the tent flap open and waited for me to step through.

I ducked my head and muttered an apology while I walked through the entrance. I sat on my bed and turned to face him while he stood at the doorway with his hands folded behind his back.

Fernos frowned and studied me, and I stopped looking at him after his gaze grew too intense. "Are you ok?" he asked, and his voice was filled with concern.

I took a deep breath and shrugged my shoulder. "I don't know," I replied. I looked at him and let him see the tiredness that I felt and tried to keep hidden.

Fernos leaned forward and frowned. The concern in his eyes created his eyes to become darker while he studied me, searching for answers that I didn't say out loud. He didn't say a word while he studied, and I didn't say a word either.

Finally, I sighed and shrugged. "But, I have to be, don't I?" I asked. "I have to be because I am supposed to bring hope and get everyone out of this mess. I have to be this big shot, and I don't know if I can do it."

Fernos slowly nodded. "You do bring hope," he said. "You bring hope every day."

I didn't reply and shrugged. I knew that I brought hope to people because I was the Red Wolf. I was supposed to help set the world right, even though I had no idea how to do it and had no idea how to give hope to others and change the mess of the world that we lived in.

However, people said that I did bring hope to them when I crossed paths, even though I had no idea how I did it. I had no idea what hope was nor the cost of losing it, but I didn't care while I lived the life that I lived, surviving and making sure that I carried on to bring hope back to those that needed it the most.

But who would bring hope back to me?