1761

I'm not sure what has overcome me, but seeing Noah and Stace standing before me has a cascade of fear settling upon me.

"Anything that you think I know, I don't..." I assure them worriedly, stumbling back a few steps. Lev grabs my arm, stopping me from fleeing completely. He knows there would be no use running now, with two Alpha and whoever Stace is standing about.

They must have seen me listening in to their conversation, hearing more than they intended...

"You don't need to be fearful, Amolet," Noah says smoothly, voice thick with a familiar Harmony Pack accent. I forget that Noah is my Alpha, and that anything that I do wrong could get me cast out from my Pack. "We just want to speak about Cian, and how you have come to know him."

Of damn course this is about Cian.

I wish I hadn't tried to speak to him that day, that I hadn't involved myself in whatever dirty business he associates with. Noah stares intently at me, emerald eyes glistening under the chandelier light that swings above us, lighter than Alpha Isaiah's, and just as mesmerising.

My gaze flickers to Stace, who stares absently down at the marble floor at his feet, caught in his own thoughts. I always knew he was too strange and otherworldly to just be the owner of that facility...Now it makes sense that he is involved in the deeper politics of this strange world.

"Why are you here?" I ask him. He raises his head gracefully, eyes obsidian dark and endless, like looking into an ethereal void.

"Stace is a friend of mine," Noah cuts in before Stace has a chance to speak. "He is how I know about you."

Of course.

I want to glare at Stace, but he is looking away again, focusing on thick, velvety darkness outside. Under the light, his tattoos appear still, stopping just at his jawline in the strange, unfamiliar pattern. The more I stare at it, the less it makes sense. I know once the shadows grow, they appear to move again, controlled by intangible force.

"Have I done something wrong?" I question, drawing my attention back to Noah. He crosses his arms over his chest, and I realise he too is wearing leather gloves. I shiver, hoping there isn't a sinister reason behind that detail.

"No, we understand that you have just stumbled onto a situation that you didn't mean to," Noah exclaims, taking a step toward me. I fight the urge not to step back.

"Yes, exactly...That's all this is," I stutter.

"Nevertheless, I would like to ask you some questions," Noah insists. There is no question in that, just a firm demand. If I asked to leave right now, I wouldn't be granted the luxury. I'm suddenly aware of Isaiah's presence behind me, blocking the exit.

"Am I in trouble?" I ask gently, hating the way voice quivers. Stace looks back up at me, the slightest quirk to his brow as he silently examines my expression. Can he see how frightened I am? Does he even care?

"No, not at all," Noah assures me, stepping forward again. He seems desperate for information, acting as though I'm some kind of prized possession that holds the answers to all of his problems. "We have come to realise that you have become close to Cian."

I shiver. How does he know that? How did Stace know about that in the first place, anyway? They are both very powerful people, having eyes in all sorts of places. It's a terrifying thought, thinking that they are watching me while I am at work, where I didn't think my presence was this much of a big deal.

"Close? I hardly know him at all," I comment.

"I warned you to stay away from Cian, which you were unable to do. You have put yourself in a lot of risk doing so," Stace says, speaking for the first time this night. His tone isn't accusatory...In fact, if I were not mistaken, I would think he was concerned for me.

I'm not disagreeing that Cian is a threat. I just want to know what these two know.

"I'm trying to stay away from him...He came to me," I say after a long moment. I want all the blame off me, even if I'm the one who approached him in the first place and encouraged him to speak to me.

Noah's foot taps against the marble floor. "Why?"

"How am I supposed to know?" I say with a shrug. I'm still trying to figure out what Cian has wanted with me all this time, why he felt like he could confide in me over anyone else. "What do you know that I'm not being told?"

"We want to keep Cian in there for a reason, Amolet," Stace reminds me. "He is a dangerous man."

"How dangerous?" I question. If they are going to make it seem like I'm a naïve girl who has no idea what I'm doing, then I'm going to use that to get as much information out of them as possible. It clearly bothers them that I know more about Cian right now than they do.

Stace looks reluctant to speak for a moment, gaze diverting to Noah. "He killed Alpha Noah's mate."

I pause, my catching in my throat. I had no idea that Cian had done that, and now it makes perfect sense. My blood chills, as I think about all the alone moments I've had with him, when he could have killed me and chose not to. I knew he was capable of it, yet I had no idea that he actually might.

And now I'm standing before a man who lost his mate because of Cian.

"So that's why you want to kill him..." I murmur numbly. Noah looks up, surprised, Stace furrowing his brows. I scramble, realising they don't know that I overheard them speaking at the restaurant. "Don't ask how I know."

"In order to kill him, we must find someone suitable to take over the role of Greed," Noah explains.

I imagine there's a convoluted process to this, that Noah has no interest in explaining to me. I'm not sure I want to know, anyway.

Looking toward Stace, I eye his uncomfortable demeanour. "Why don't you do it?"

He pauses, crossing his powerful arms over his chest. Being a Sin wouldn't be an easy job to undertake, yet I can imagine it's possible for someone as enigmatic as Stace. Would greed overcome him, or would it simply remain a title he can do whatever he pleases with?

"I have my own priorities...Elsewhere," he notes, tilting his head back and forth in a way that his dark curls shifting around his forehead.

"What about you?" I ask, shifting my attention back to Noah.

"It's possible," he says with a shrug, which means he is genuinely considering this. "But we are willing to keep our options open."

I'm not sure why they are telling me about this, but I have a feeling it's leading up to something, and I'm certain I don't want to know. I'm afraid they will ask me to take the place, even though I have no experience with any of this, especially being a Sin. I'm not even certain I remember all the names of the Sin's and Virtues.

"If I promise to stay far away from Cian, will you let me go? I don't want any part of this," I say, voice quivering as I practically beg them to let me and Lev walk out of here without any complications.

"Well, it seems like Cian trusts you, which is beneficial for us," Noah breathes, his smile attempting to be warm, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "How would you feel about helping me, your Alpha?"

"Help? How?"

"We haven't decided everything yet," Noah says with a shrug, glancing back at Stace who nods grimly. "Perhaps it would be best if you continue working and continue to gain Cian's trust. Then when we are ready, we will have a task for you."

"I can't agree to that...You told me yourself he is dangerous," I remind them.

"We will protect you," Noah assures me. For once he sounds sincere, not wanting to risk losing me to Cian, as his one chance to get inside the mind of the Sin. "Stace is a very powerful man. You don't need to worry."

I look at Stace again, wishing he would catch my gaze. Is he really my boss? There are so many questions I have for him, that I assume I'm not going to get an answer to. If Noah is the one who lost his mate, what does Stace have to do with this?

"You're the only one who can do this. That makes you very valuable to us," Noah murmurs softly.

"You'll have to give me time to think about it. I'm meant to be on vacation," I tell him. Part of me knows I should trust him, that I should help him as he lost his mates, one of the most devastating things a person can go through. If that happened to me...I don't know if I could move on from it.

I go to back away, to take Lev with me, but Noah steps forward, looking as though he is going to reach for me, but when I flinch, he reconsiders.

"Woah...Amolet," he coaxes, like I'm a fragile animal that might scare away. "I think you should think this through."

"Let me think about it," I reply uneasily.

"Let her, Noah. If you push, she will push back," Stace murmurs.

Looking over Noah's shoulder, I catch Stace's gaze, trying to make him see how grateful I am that he is the one who is going to let me leave, yet once again, he doesn't look at me. Noah sighs, retreating back a few steps.

"Fine. You can return them," he says to the driver who stands behind. When I look over my shoulder, Alpha Isaiah is nowhere to be seen.

Noah turns away, not giving me or Lev another glance as we walk out the door.

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Sophie_Midika

Midikacrane

~Midika 💜🐼