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“Do not be so stubborn—-”
“I’m not.”
Stefano cursed under his breath. “I just don’t like this. Your cousin has never acted so openly against your father. It’s not in his character.”
“People change. You know it’s true.”
Alejandro stiffened at the way Calys spoke. There was something she wasn’t saying, something that made her very emotional.
Stefano said in a low voice, “If you are talking again about—-”
“Yes, you know I am. And that’s why I am giving you this order as heir to the alpha. Go back to the den and stand guard.”
A beat of silence, and then Stefano said, “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Thank you. I’ll go back to Pasquale’s side now. If you see Alejandro, please let him know we’ll be leaving tonight for the north.”
When Calys left, Alejandro opened the door and came out. He was absolutely certain Stefano had detected his presence, so why not tell Calys about it?
The blond jaguar didn’t even blink as their eyes met. He was on the phone, and Alejandro’s eyebrow lifted in surprise when Stefano started to speak.
“I’m heading your way. Shut every window in your room, lock the door, and don’t come out no matter what.” His voice was fiercely protective. After a moment, Stefano hissed, “No arguments. Do you understand?”
When Stefano was finished with the call, Alejandro blocked his way before the jaguar could even attempt to leave. “What exactly is there between you and Calys?”
Stefano’s stoic face didn’t change. “I don’t believe you’re in the position to ask that.”
“Does she know?” he bit out.
“Know what?”
His eyes bored through Stefano’s. “About the other woman in your life.”
“That’s not for me to discuss with you. However, if you may, I would like to ask you for a favor. As you have heard, the princess has ordered me to leave her side. I can only rely on you to protect her.” Stefano paused. “You are an honorable man, Moretti, so I hope I am not doing the wrong thing by trusting you to do your duty. She only has you to protect her now.”
Chapter Three
CALYS
It was close to midnight when they reached the edge of the Everglades. Its eerie atmosphere fed the legends surrounding it, and shifter packs that lived within and beyond the forest of towering pines did what they could to keep the stories alive. The more terrifying the stories, the better, for it kept prying human eyes away.
Alejandro was looking around us warily. “I don’t like this.”
In truth, I felt the same way. There was just something foreboding in the air, making me feel swallow uneasily.
“We should go back and leave in the morning.”
In front of us, Pasquale laughed. “Did you hear that, men? The werewolf is afraid of the dark. A-woo!” Obnoxious laughter from his men followed his joke, which had been one of the many. It was evident Pasquale wanted to make up for the embarrassment he had suffered earlier, and he took every chance he could to pick a fight with Alejandro.
“We can’t risk going up against Raoul if it’s true he’s set up to ambush us.” I didn’t stop walking as I spoke. Even in the dark, it was easy to navigate my way around the forest. This had been my home for over eighteen years, after all.
“Why can’t we?” Alejandro demanded under his breath.
I answered simply, “Because it would mean pointless bloodshed, and I will always do everything to avoid that.”
Alejandro didn’t answer. When I glanced at him, his eyes bored through me and I pursed my lips. I knew what he was thinking even without him saying a word. Clearly he didn’t think Pasquale’s men would be any great loss.
I was trying to think of a superhero quote to teach him about the importance of protecting innocent lives when I heard a rustling sound. I froze. “Did you hear that?”
Alejandro pushed me behind him. “Stay close.”
In front of us, Pasquale and the rest of his men had also gone still. A line of nervous tension formed around the prince’s mouth as he said stiffly, “I do not hear anything.”
Another rustle and then—-
“Calys, is that you?”
A sigh of relief escaped me as I identified the voice and spotted a familiar figure emerging from my left. It was Juriaan, a forest ranger that had been assigned to our territory over a year ago.
Alejandro still hadn’t budged in front of me. “Who is he?”
Juriaan came walking towards us, still in uniform, with a backpack slung over his shoulders.
“Hi, Juri.” Unable to get past Alejandro, I was forced to poke my head out from behind to smile at him. Tall and fair with the same baby blue eyes as mine, he would have passed as my twin if his hair wasn’t more white than gold.
“Hello, Calys. It’s nice to see you again.” He looked at the men behind me curiously.
Pasquale was suddenly at my side. “Introduce me to your friend.”
