CHAPTER 19
ZANDER’S PO.V
I don’t know why Lyla is acting weird and as much as I want to stay and figure it out, I have an important meeting with Lucas that I cannot ignore.
For all his playfulness and sometimes dense nature, Lucas is one of the smartest people I know and I would not have made him my beta if I didn’t think so and there is no one else who is better equipped to handle this current issue but him.
By the time I got to the council room, he was already there waiting for me and he was spinning on the swivel chair with a pencil in his mouth and a piece of paper rolled around like a makeshift telescope. When he saw me, he cleared his throat and quickly put down the piece of paper which I now realized was a small map.
“I got bored waiting.” was his excuse and normally I would laugh at him or shake my head but I had more things to worry about.
I shut the door and made sure it was locked behind me. The last thing I needed was someone coming to the door and opening it or listening in.
He must have noticed how serious the situation was by my actions because he sat up instantly and pulled out another swivel chair for me. I sat down and took a second as I gathered my thoughts.
“I went for lunch with Camilla yesterday,” I said finally and his eyebrows disappeared behind his hair. “Before you speak, allow me
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explain
I took another deep breath and explained to him how I got suspicious. considering Camilla arrived early and I have never known her to be early in her life so three days ago I went to her room to confront her and she told me that her father sent his greetings.
I knew it was a threat so I started watching her and digging into her actions before she came here. I noticed how crazily nice she was being to the staff which is a complete 180 from her normal standoffish nature. She knew I was watching too because whenever she saw me, she would give me a smile as if she knew something I didn’t.
Then two days ago, she told me that she had something I would love to know and told me that she would only tell me if I went to lunch with her. I hated being blackmailed but it was Camilla and I knew how low her. I hated being blackmailed but i she could stoop to get her work done so I agreed. We met at a restaurant and she was deliberately stalling and wasting my time.
But at the end of the lunch, she told me that her entire family would be in attendance for the mating ceremony which I found suspicious. because her family is never in the same place at the same time and that must mean that they are planning something big. I tried to get her to explain what it was but she said it would ruin the surprise and she left.
When I was done, Lucas was quiet.
“I have tried my best to think about what they could be hiding but I have no idea,” I told him, “I need your help on this one.”
“I don’t know what it could be either,” he admitted, “But for precautions, I could have one of the spies trail Camilla and track all the correspondence and mails she sends to her family.”
“That’s a good plan; get on it.”
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“What about Lyla?”
I was shocked by his question, “What about Lyla?”
“Does she know about this lunch?”
“No. I haven’t told her and I don’t think I should. It is also none of your concem what I choose to tell Lyla.”
“The lunch could have been a ploy to ruin your mating ceremony,” he offered. “She could have taken pictures with plans to make it seem like you’re having a torrid affair.”
I realized he was right and I had to face palm at how stupid I was. We were seated right next to the window, someone could have been taking pictures of us the entire time and I wouldn’t have known because of all
the outside noise.
“I should tell Lyla about it,” I admitted. “But how do I explain the reason? I think she has something on me but I don’t know what it is.”
“You could tell her exactly that.”
I stood to my feet and was about to leave when Lucas stopped me.
“Do you think she will be a good Luna?” I could tell the question had been on his mind for a while, “She is good, and the challenges that come with being Queen and Luna are a lot and the secrets like Camilla. and her family. Do you think she can handle it?”
“I think she is stronger than we all realize,” I said with a small smile as I thought about the female currently lying in my bed, “She can handle it; and when she can’t, I’ll be right there next to her.”
The answer seemed to satisfy him because he gave me a nod. I wasted
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CHAPTER 198
no time leaving after that and I made my way back to my room.
Lyla was awake when I walked in, I heard her breathing change but. she didn’t move or acknowledge my presence. I crawled into bed behind her and wrapped my arms around her small frame.
I felt her breath hitch but other than that, she didn’t react to me so I pressed a soft kiss to her exposed shoulder blade.
“I have something I need to talk to you about,” I whispered but she still didn’t move, “I wanted you to hear it from me first and not someone else.”
She still didn’t respond to me but her breathing was now even so I knew that she was listening to me.
I exhaled deeply before I spoke, “I went for lunch with Camilla yesterday.”
When the words left my lips, she turned to look at me. Lyla always wears her expressions on her sleeves. It is one of the many things I find cute about her but for the first time, I could not read her face. I didn’t know whether she was angry about it or hurt and it worried me.
“Do you want to get mated to me?” she asked. I could hear the fragility and vulnerability in her voice, “I won’t be disappointed if you say no.”
Instead of responding, I kissed her. I let her feel my response through the kiss and it wasn’t until she kissed me back that I realized she
understood what I was trying to say.
“It was a diplomatic lunch,” I lied, “Nothing more and nothing less. We were discussing official business and she was telling me about a business her family wants to embark on with the crown.”
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Lyle hummed in response and I wasn’t sure whether she believed me or
not.
“How did you meet her?” she asked, “You’ve never told me.”
“She’s Alex’s best friend,” she made an ‘ah‘ sound and chuckled to herself, “Now will you tell me why you were acting weird?”
“I was tired.”
I knew she was lying but I decided not to push considering I also just lied to her so I settled for kissing her softly.
“An afternoon nap is in order,” I ended up saying instead, “What do you think?”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
