what are you doing here? 66
913 Words
Chapter 66
Amber POV
I shouldn’t be here. That was my first thought as I slipped past the edge of the forest, far enough from the castle that the guards wouldn’t notice. But I couldn’t stop thinking about him. About the book. About the look on his face when he said it was about his father. Something wasn’t right. And I needed to know what. My dragon stirred uneasily. “”This is a bad idea, she warned.””
“Maybe,” I whispered. “But I’m going anyway.” I followed the faint scent again, slower this time, more careful. Until, a branch snapped behind me. I spun around instantly. Too slow. A hand grabbed my arm and shoved me back against a tree.
“Following me now?” his voice was low, dangerous, Court.
My heart slammed against my ribs, but I didn’t let it show. “Let go of me,” I snapped.
He didn’t. His grip tightened slightly, his eyes searching mine like he was trying to figure something out. “Why are you here?” he demanded.
“I could ask you the same thing,” I shot back. “Sneaking into castles, stealing books,what’s next?”
His jaw clenched. “Stay out of it,” he said.
“No,” I said immediately. That caught him off guard.
“I’m already in it,” I continued. “You broke into my home. You made it my problem.”
His eyes narrowed. “You should’ve told your parents,” he said.
“Yeah,” I replied flatly. “And get you killed? No thanks.”
That made him pause. Just for a second.
“You didn’t tell them?” he asked, a flicker of something crossing his face, surprise… maybe even suspicion.
“No,” I said. “But don’t think that means I trust you.”
“Good,” he muttered. “Because you shouldn’t.”
Silence fell between us. Heavy. Tense. I shoved his hand off my arm this time, and he let me.
“What was in the book?” I asked. His entire body went still. “Nothing you need to know.”
“Then why risk your life for it?” I pushed.
“Drop it, Amber.”
“No.”
His eyes flashed with anger. “You don’t understand what you’re asking,” he said.
“Then explain it,” I shot back.
“It’s not that simple.”
“It never is.” That hit something. I saw it in the way his expression shifted, just slightly. Pain. Anger. Conflict.
“Someone betrayed my father,” he said finally, his voice quieter now… but sharper somehow. “Multiple Alphas. It wasn’t a battle. It was a setup.” My breath caught.
“What?” I whispered.
“They lied,” he continued, his gaze locking onto mine. “All of them. About how he died. About everything.”
A chill ran down my spine. Because if that was true… That meant,
“Who?” I asked.
He let out a short, humorless laugh. “That’s the problem,” he said. “I don’t know. The page was torn.” Of course it was. I crossed my arms, thinking.
“This is bad,” I muttered.
“You think?” he snapped. I ignored that.
“If multiple Alphas were involved…” I said slowly, “that means this is bigger than just your family.”
“I know.”
“And if they find out you’re looking into it—”
“They’ll kill me,” he finished. Silence. We both knew it was true. My dragon shifted uneasily again.
“”Walk away,”” she urged. I should. I really should. But instead..
“You’re not doing this alone,” I said. His head snapped toward me.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“No,” he said immediately. “Absolutely not.”
“Too late,” I replied. “I’m already involved.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Good,” I said. “Because I’m not asking.”
His eyes narrowed again, but there was something different now.
Not just anger. Respect? Maybe. Or maybe I was imagining it.
“This will get you killed,” he warned.
I stepped closer, meeting his gaze without hesitation. “So will ignoring it.”
That shut him up. For a moment. “You’re serious,” he said.
“Very.”
He studied me for a long second, like he was trying to decide if I was worth the risk. Finally, he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “This doesn’t leave here,” he said. “Not a word to anyone.”
“Same goes for you,” I replied. “You don’t sneak into my home again.” A pause.
“…Fine.”
“Fine.” Another beat of silence. Then..
“We start with the book,” I said. “If a page was torn out, someone didn’t want that name found.” “Or multiple names,” he added.
“Which means someone else might have the missing piece.”
His eyes darkened slightly. “My mother,” he said. I raised an eyebrow.
“That sounds like a terrible place to start.”
“It is,” he agreed. A small, tense smile tugged at my lips.
“Good,” I said. “Then let’s start there.”
- Writer
