Chapter 144: The Plan
Troy tugged at the tight collar of his shirt and grimaced.
"He smiles like he’s already caught you," he muttered, remembering yesterday. Riven had leaned a little too close, complimented his handwriting, his handwriting, gods above, and then grinned like he knew Troy was flustered.
Imagine if his master knew that he was... Flustered because of Riven. No, he was not courting death. He shook his head.
Troy had nearly dropped his pen.
"I hate this," he said, but he was already pulling out a fresh sheet of parchment. His hand moved quickly and precisely, writing the first invitation to trouble, a notice that Riven would be attending the Moonwatch Market in three days’ time, a perfectly harmless public outing.
He used his non-dominant hand so that no one knew that it was from him, his loyalty towards the Alpha was obvious. No one would believe that he betrayed Ronan, they would think he was setting a trap... Which he was.
He stood, smoothed his jacket, and strode to the outer chamber where a discreet messenger waited.
"Deliver this to the merchant guild," he said. "Let them know Lord Riven is attending. Quietly. But not too quietly."
As the door closed behind the messenger, he sat again, this time reaching for a sealed letter—unsigned, anonymous. It would find its way to one of the lesser Elders, the kind who still believed they had a chance to unseat Ronan with the right pressure.
The Alpha’s new mate will be unguarded for an hour in the lower districts. If one were to act, now would be the time.
Troy didn’t flinch as he finished writing. The plan was solid. Calculated. Controlled.