Chapter 4
1015 Words
Cody took a deep breath to calm himself.
He listened doubly hard to make sure no one was coming along the passage before he opened the door of the cupboard he has been hiding in ever since the inauguration party ended.
He can't get into this side of the manor once the maids retire, so he had to hide while he still had access.
Once he had dusted himself, he looked down both ends of the passage, in case they were guards. He saw none.
'This is easier than I thought.' Cody said to himself.
Moving briskly, but making his footsteps as silent as possible, Cody started making his way to Luna's side of the manor. He has already prepared an excuse in case anyone sees him.
Along the way, he grabbed a strolling cat and quickly covered its mouth. He tied its mouth with a piece of cloth and tucked it under his armpits. On second thoughts, he put it into the pocket of his apron. It would be hard to explain if anyone saw him.
Soon, he was just almost near his target. The passage went straight ahead towards the door that led to the west side of the manor and the stables. There was another passage to his right just a few steps ahead. Turn that one and he would be face to face with the soldier's booth.
It was time to use the cat.
He picked it from his pocket, untied the mouth and quickly replaced the cloth with his palms. His next actions have to be fast. He gave a loud knock on the walls to rouse the guard in case he was sleeping. Then he crouched low, took aim and threw the cat just directly in front of the passage.
He held his breath as the cat looked back at him with eyes glowing in the darkness.
"Shush!" He made as if to catch the cat again.
It streaked off in the opposite direction, towards the stables.
Good.
Cody shifted back as fast as he could and waited, pressing his body against the wall. A second later, just as he expected, the guard in the boot rushed into the passage.
He glanced east. Cody flattened his body against the wall even more. Then the guard glanced west, saw something moving and went after it.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Cody ran straight into the passage, past the booth, up the stairs and soon, he was out of sight even if the guard was to return to his booth.
He waited and listened with bated breath. He heard the guard return, cursing to himself and assuring his wolf audibly that it had only been a cat.
Cody smiled.
So far, so good.
The next threat was the alpha. Alphas are usually more sensitive. And Cody would have to pass the alpha's door before he moves down to that of his daughter.
"Shade?" He called to his wolf, who was taking a nice nap, not even caring in the least how much Cody's heart was beating. He was used to Cody's escapades and has come to expect success every time.
"Shade?" Cody called again in his head. "I need to turn."
Shade yawned loudly. "Why?"
"I need you to smell for sleep in the air. I'm not sure that Alpha is sleeping yet."
"Alright."
In a second, a huge black wolf was standing where Cody stood. It sniffed the air repeatedly. Then it changed back to Cody.
"All clear." It said in his head.
"Thanks." Cody whispered, but Shade was already sleeping again.
Cody shook his head in disbelief. He could never belief how relaxed Shade could be in situations like this.
Cody tiptoed past the alpha's door. He stopped and held his breath. Nothing. He breathed out slowly.
Now, just one more thing.
He picked out a bunch of keys from his apron pocket. He had swiped it from the maid whose duty was to make the luna's bed every morning. The problem would be identifying which of the many keys fitted in Isabella's door.
It turned out it wasn't that hard. The keyhole was gold plated. And there were only two gold plated keys in the bunch. One must be for the alpha's door.
Luckily, the first one Cody tried was the right one. The door opened smoothly, not even making a sound.
Cody's mouth stretched into a tense smile.
He looked at the window, it was locked. He didn't worry though. He has already planned to make the operation absolutely silent. After Isabella is dead, he can take his time opening the window and making good his escape. He can't play the cat trick again.
He stepped away from the door and closed it gently.
He tiptoed to the bed. The moonlight was beautiful on the sleeping lady's face.
Then a sweet scent filled his nose. Before he could make sense of it, his wolf snapped awake.
"Mate!" It yelped in his head.
Cody's eyes widened.
"What?" He yelled at Shade. He just couldn't believe his ears.
"Mate!" Shade repeated, frolicking in excitement.
"f**k you, goddess. Can't you let me off for a single day?"
At the same time, the lady's eyes snapped open. She saw the knife poised above her and screamed out.
Cody's heart let out an almighty leap.
"Sh!" He told the screaming lady, placing a finger against his lips, like one might do to a child. And like a child, Isabella obeyed.
She looked at Cody's face fearfully. Then her eyes widened in realization as she recognised him.
"You're the man at the bar!" She gasped.
"I am." Cody replied.
He paused, frowning. Shade had just informed him that the alpha was awake. And that guard at the foot of the stairs was on his way up.
He started inching towards the window. Isabella, mistaking his movement, started scurrying backwards on her buttocks. Soon, she was backed against the wall, with nowhere to go.
"Then, why do you want to kill me?" Isabella asked with fear in her eyes. "We're mates for Goddess's sake!"
- Writer
