The Alpha's Heir Forbidden Mate

Someone is watching

(Kiara)

Keeping the mate bond secret was harder than I expected. Every time Cassian entered the same room, Nyra immediately became aware of him. I had to remind myself not to look at him too often. The problem was that Cassian wasn't nearly as good at pretending.

Breakfast was the worst. I stood near the table with the other servants while Cassian ate with his family. Whenever I moved past him, I could feel his attention following me. I didn't need to look at Maris to know she was noticing too.

'He's doing it again,' Nyra said. 'Tell our mate to stop staring at us.' She sounded amused rather than worried.

'This isn't funny.' I collected an empty plate. 'Maris watches everything.' I carried it toward the kitchen.

I had almost reached the doorway when Maris stepped into my path. She looked past me toward the table before meeting my eyes. I waited for her to give me another task. Instead, she studied me.

"You've been distracted since yesterday." Maris moved closer. "And the young Alpha seems distracted too." Her meaning was obvious.

"I have work to do." I kept my expression calm. "If there's something else you need, tell me." I wasn't giving her anything she could use.

Maris didn't move. "Something has changed." Her eyes narrowed as she watched me. "I intend to find out what it is."

I walked around her and entered the kitchen. My hands were beginning to shake, and I hated that she'd noticed anything. Cassian and I had discovered the bond only yesterday. If Maris was already suspicious, hiding it from Lucan would be difficult.

I avoided Cassian for the rest of breakfast. When he left with Lysander, I finally relaxed. Maris kept me in the kitchen afterward and gave me more work than usual. I knew she was waiting for me to complain.

By midday, I was carrying clean dishes into the dining room when Aurelia entered. She sat at the table and watched me put everything away. Usually she talked the moment she saw me. Today, she remained silent.

"What?" I finally asked. I placed another plate in the cabinet. "You've been staring at me." I wondered whether she had noticed something too.

"Maris has been watching you all morning." Aurelia glanced toward the doorway. "She watches Cassian whenever he's near you too." Her expression became serious.

My hands stopped for a moment before I continued working. "Maris watches everyone." I hoped Aurelia would accept that. "It's how she finds reasons to complain."

"No, this is different." Aurelia lowered her voice. "She asked one of the servants whether Cassian spoke to you after dinner yesterday." She looked worried.

That caught my attention. Maris wasn't simply watching anymore. She was asking questions. If she learned Cassian had followed me after dinner, she might start putting pieces together.

"What did the servant tell her?" I asked. I tried to keep my concern hidden. "Did she see anything?" I needed to know how much Maris knew.

"She said she saw Cassian leave the dining room after you." Aurelia watched my reaction. "Kiara, what's happening?" She waited for an answer.

"Nothing you need to worry about." I picked up the remaining dishes. "Please don't ask me anything else." I hated shutting her out, but the secret wasn't mine alone.

Aurelia was quiet for several seconds. "Fine." She stood from the table. "But if Maris asks me anything about you and Cassian, I didn't notice anything." She headed toward the door.

I stared after her. Aurelia hadn't demanded an explanation or threatened to tell anyone. She had simply decided to protect me without knowing what she was protecting. I wasn't used to people doing that.

"Thank you." I spoke before she reached the doorway. "I mean it." I hoped she understood how much it mattered.

"You don't have to tell me." Aurelia looked back at me. "Just be careful." Then she left.

I finished putting away the dishes before returning to the kitchen. Maris was waiting near the counter when I entered. She handed me a basket of folded cloths and told me to take them to the storage building. Her expression made me immediately suspicious.

I took the basket and walked outside. Cassian was crossing the grounds with Lysander in the distance. He saw me and changed direction. I wanted to tell him not to come closer, but doing that would only draw attention.

Cassian reached me a minute later. "I've been trying to find a chance to talk to you." He glanced toward the pack house. "You disappeared after breakfast."

"Because Maris is watching us." I kept walking. "She's already asking servants questions about yesterday." His expression changed immediately.

"What kind of questions?" Cassian walked beside me. "Does she know?" He kept enough distance between us that anyone watching wouldn't see anything unusual.

"Not yet." I looked ahead. "But she knows something changed between us." I told him about Aurelia's warning.

Cassian was quiet as we reached the storage building. "Then I'll be more careful." He stopped outside instead of following me in. "I don't want my choices causing trouble for you again."

I looked at him and remembered what he'd told me yesterday. He wanted me before the bond, and I believed him. Now I needed him to understand that wanting each other wasn't enough. Lucan could make both of us pay for it.

"Don't come looking for me unless we're alone." I adjusted the basket in my arms. "At least until we decide how we're going to handle your father." I hated asking for distance so soon after finding him.

"I can do that." Cassian gave me a small smile. "But I'm not going anywhere." He turned and headed back across the grounds.

I entered the storage building and placed the basket down. Through the window, I saw Maris standing outside the pack house. She wasn't looking at Cassian. She was looking directly at me.

Maris didn't know our secret yet. Aurelia had quietly placed herself on my side, which gave me one person I could trust. But as Maris continued watching me, one thing became clear. We wouldn't be able to hide the mate bond forever.