Chapter 83: What Did You Tell The Alpha
Nina curled her fingers around the stone and closed her eyes. She waited. Nothing. She tightened her grip. Any moment now. Still nothing. Her hand remained exactly as it was. There was no surge of power, or anything that signaled her magic returning to her. Oh no. Something was wrong. "What are you doing?" Rodrigo’s deep voice cut through the quiet.
Nina’s eyes flew open. The stone slipped from her fingers and landed back inside the velvet-lined box with a dull clink. "Oh..." She let out a short, awkward laugh. "Nothing." She forced herself not to look startled. "I was only looking at it. I’ve never seen anything like it before." She shrugged lightly, hoping the movement looked casual. "I wanted to know what it felt like."
Without waiting for his response, she crossed the small carriage and settled back into her seat beside the window. Don’t look nervous. Don’t look nervous. She folded her hands neatly in her lap. They wouldn’t stay still. Her fingers twisted the fabric of her dress until it wrinkled beneath her nails. Outside, trees blurred past in streaks of green and gold, but she barely saw them. Why? Why hadn’t she felt anything? Was it all a lie? No... that couldn’t be. So why... She swallowed.
"The stone looks rather ordinary," she said, keeping her eyes on the passing scenery. "For something that’s supposed to be so powerful." Across from her, Rodrigo lowered the lid of the wooden box. The latch clicked shut. "That’s because it isn’t the earthstone."
Nina turned so quickly her neck almost hurt. "What?" The word escaped before she could stop it. Her gaze darted from Rodrigo to the box resting beside him. "It isn’t?" She straightened in her chair, in complete shock. It wasn’t the earthstone.
Relief came first, swift enough to steal the breath from her lungs. Then came confusion. If it wasn’t... Oh no... Her eyes lifted to him. Rodrigo was already watching her, and realization knocked the wind out of her. He knew something.
His gaze rested on her face with unsettling stillness, as though he had been studying every flicker of emotion she had failed to hide. "Nina," he called quietly. Her pulse stumbled, the carriage suddenly feeling much smaller. She forced the corners of her mouth upward. "Yes?"
He held her eyes. One heartbeat. Two. His expression shifted ever so slightly, like someone deciding whether to ask a dangerous question. Then— The carriage lurched before rolling to a smooth stop. Outside, the muffled voices of guards, the clink of armor, and the restless stamping of horses broke the silence. Neither of them moved. Quiet settled between them, thick enough to feel.
Rodrigo looked away first. Without another word, he reached for the carriage door, pushed it open, and climbed down. Cool air rushed inside. Nina remained exactly where she was, her eyes fixed on the empty space he had left behind. Slowly, her hands curled into fists. What did he know?
Goosebumps prickled across her arms despite the warmth trapped inside the carriage. She tried to recall everything that had happened. Had she sounded too eager? Too surprised? Her thoughts chased one another in frantic circles until the sound of footsteps approached. "Alpha?" Seven’s familiar voice drifted in from outside. "The Luna’s maid is here."
Nina stopped breathing. Moreen. Her fingers curled tightly into her palms as her eyes shifted toward the carriage door. For a heartbeat, she remained frozen, listening to the muffled voices outside, before she gathered her skirts and stepped down.
The moment her feet touched the ground, her gaze landed on Moreen. The maid looked as though she had run halfway across the city. Wisps of hair had escaped her braid and clung to her damp face, her breathing came in uneven gasps, and the side of her dress had been torn, exposing the dirt and dust that stained the hem. Before Nina could say a word, Moreen rushed forward, closing the distance between them with hurried steps.
"Luna!" she cried, reaching for Nina’s hand with both of her own. "Are you alright?" Her eyes searched Nina from head to toe, lingering on her face, her shoulders, and her arms, as though expecting to find an injury she had somehow overlooked.
Nina’s lips curved into a reassuring smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She squeezed Moreen’s hand gently before lifting her gaze to Rodrigo. He hadn’t moved. He stood a short distance away with the wooden box tucked beneath one arm, watching the two of them in complete silence. His expression revealed nothing, but neither did he look away.
"Yes," Nina answered softly, turning back to Moreen. "I’m fine." "I tried to find help," Moreen said quickly, the words tumbling over one another. "I went everywhere I could think of, but they wouldn’t let me into the auction—" "It’s fine," Nina interrupted gently, giving her hand another squeeze. "I’m safe now." She glanced at Rodrigo, and then she forced a smile. "I’ll be inside."
Nina waited only long enough for the words to leave her mouth before turning away. Without looking back, she climbed the front steps and crossed the entrance hall, her footsteps echoing softly against the polished floors. Behind her, she heard Moreen murmur a respectful greeting to the Alpha before hurrying after her.
Neither of them spoke. Nina kept walking through the winding corridors until the voices from the entrance faded behind the walls and they rounded a quiet corner free of servants. Only then did her pace begin to slow. A few more steps carried her beneath the shadow of a tall window before she stopped altogether. Moreen halted behind her. "Luna?" she called carefully. "Is... is something wrong?"
Nina remained facing the corridor ahead, her eyes fixed on nothing at all. The silence stretched long enough for Moreen’s breathing to become the only sound between them before Nina finally turned around. "What did you tell the Alpha?" Her voice was calm. Too calm.
Moreen froze. The color drained from her face, and for a brief moment, she simply stared at Nina. Then, without another word, she dropped to her knees, lowering her head until it almost touched the floor. "Your Grace..." Her voice trembled. "Please forgive me." Nina said nothing. "The Alpha asked how we came to be at the auction house." Moreen swallowed hard, twisting her fingers together in her lap. "I told him... I told him that you had business there, but that I didn’t know what it was. I swear I told him nothing else. I truly didn’t know."
Nina closed her eyes. Her fingers dug so deeply into her palms that her nails bit into her skin. A slow breath slipped through her nose. She was totally done for. He had known all along. He let her touch the stone because he wanted to see exactly what she was after.
Nina let out a quiet curse beneath her breath. She lifted a hand and dragged it through her hair, her fingers lingering at the back of her neck before they fell to her side. A sudden weight against her leg pulled her from her thoughts. Moreen had lowered herself even further, both hands wrapped around the hem of Nina’s dress as though afraid she would be sent away.
"I am sorry, Your Grace," she whispered, her forehead nearly touching the floor. "I didn’t know you wouldn’t want me to tell the Alpha. Had I known, I never would have said anything. Please forgive me." Nina looked down at the young maid for a long moment. The girl’s shoulders were trembling, her fingers clutching the fabric so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. A soft sigh escaped Nina’s lips. She really should have left her behind.
Gently, Nina loosened Moreen’s grip on her dress and stepped back. "It’s alright," she said stiffly. "Get up. You didn’t do anything wrong." Moreen hesitated, as though she wasn’t certain she had heard correctly. After a moment, she slowly pushed herself to her feet, keeping her head lowered.
Only then did Nina truly look at her. The tear running along the side of her dress was worse than she had first noticed, and there was dirt smeared across her sleeves and along one side of her waist. A loose strand of hair had become tangled against her cheek, and a faint scrape marked the side of her hand. "I hope you’re alright," Nina said, her voice softening. "Were you hurt?"
Moreen quickly shook her head. "No, Your Grace. I only fell while running to find the coachman." She brushed at the dirt on her sleeve, though it did little to remove it. "He suggested we return to the pack house and find help, but..." She lowered her eyes. "I couldn’t. I was worried something might happen to you before we returned." She paused before adding, "The entire auction house was sealed shut. We couldn’t get in. Seven found us behind the building while we were trying to find another way inside."
Nina gave a slow nod. "That’s enough," she said gently. "You should go and get some rest. Have someone look at those scrapes, and change into something clean." Moreen finally lifted her eyes. "Yes, Luna." She bowed deeply before turning away, her footsteps growing quieter as she disappeared down the corridor.
Nina remained where she was long after the sound of those footsteps had faded. The hallway stood silent around her, sunlight spilling through the tall windows and stretching across the polished floor, yet she barely noticed it. Her gaze rested on nothing in particular while the conversation inside the carriage replayed itself over and over in her mind.
Finally, she closed her eyes.
She was in trouble.