Chapter 21 : Nalani’s Garden

Karyan looked at Nalani, who was looking as pale as a ghost as if caught off guard. The girl looked up at him with her innocent green eyes.

Her adorable red lips parted slightly, startled. Karyan turned his face away from the sight. He reached out his hand to hold Nalani's shoulder, turning her around. "Go," he said. "You can't hang around here."

But Nalani stubbornly turned back to him. "Wasn't I told that I was allowed to explore this whole place?"

Karyan sighed. "I'm changing that now. Except for this place. You are forbidden to come here."

"Why?"

"Are you used to questioning everything?" Karyan felt a small electricity run through his nerves. "I was told that you witches learn to make spells and potions for years until you get it right."

"You forget that I am a Mirean. I have never made spells and potions," she replied coldly.

"Fine, I understand. But listen to me. You cannot wander around this part."

Karyan could see the curiosity on Nalani's face, but the girl held back. She nodded simply and walked back the way she had come, under Karyan's intense gaze on her until she turned a corner.

Karyan sighed. He had already decided to accept the girl from the Inverno wolf as a gift of friendship, although he wasn't sure there were any good intentions behind the gift.

Originally, he had thought of making her Bertold’s assistant. She could help the old healer tend to his garden or tidy up his house. Bertold would be happy, as he was always patient with young girls, including Karina.

However, when he accidentally touched the girl while playing cruelly with her, he felt a strange electricity, something he had never experienced before.

He didn’t know what it was. But it was that feeling that changed his mind. That girl would always be with him, even though she was so fragile and annoying.

Nalani walked in front of him, her shoulders seemed to tense with frustration. Karyan watched her carefully with a lifted eyebrow.

Why had this Mirean girl, with no special powers or abilities, awakened something within him? He had faced countless threats and challenges, yet this girl made him feel more balanced than any enemy ever had.

As Nalani turned the corner, Karyan felt a regret go through his spine. He had been harsh, but it was for her own safety. The killer in the dungeon was not for her to uncover.

It was none of Nalani’s business and would be dangerous for her.

He took a deep breath and started walking back to his room when he heard Karina’s voice calling him.

“Karyan, wait!”

Karyan stopped, letting his step-sister catch up with him. “I have to tell you something strange about Nalani.”

But Karyan’s mind was already full of Nalani, he would be overwhelmed if she added more. “Did you just mess with her? If so, I don’t want to hear it. Leave her alone, Karina. She's Not your business, she’s mine.”

Karina’s face changed, holding back her anger. “I’m not messing with her,” she snapped. “But if you know what you're hearing, so be it. I’m sick of the way you treat me, Karyan. You make me look like I have no self-respect!”

Karyan’s forehead furrowed. “I don’t understand why my attitude makes you lose your self-respect. I was just advising you to behave, Karina. And after all, you are my sister. My advice is for your own good.”

“Oh, you are... you are such a stupid wolf.” Karina stomped her foot in annoyance. “Well, I told you what I think of you.” Karina turned around and walked away.
*

Karyan transformed himself into a wolf and lay under the large window in his room whose shutters were wide open, drawing in the breeze from the courtyard below.

He was annoyed and tired that he could not get any information from his captive.

The woman, Ordas, still refused to confess who had ordered her to kill Nalani. Karyan could not believe that the woman didn't know, as Ruteron was usually very meticulous and selective in accepting assignments.

Her behavior was also strange. When she was first arrested, she pretended to cry in fear, but once imprisoned, her demeanor changed completely.

The dark dungeon, instead of instilling fear, seemed to embolden her to refuse to answer any questions.

Karyan thought about the interrogation he had just undergone in the dungeon, still vividly remembering the sounds of the torture.

Radoff was there, acting on his behalf to pry the truth from the assassin’s lips, to extract a confession.

Ordas was chained to the wall, her clothes in tatters and her face covered in dirt and blood. Radoff’s huge figure was looming over her, his eyes were as cold and icy as a winter’s breath.

Karyan stood in the shadows, watching the scene carefully.

“Who sent you?” Radoff demanded, his voice repeated off the damp stone walls.

Ordas looked up with her purple eyes. “I told you, I don’t know. I just get paid to do a job.”

Radoff slapped her across the face with his back hand, the sound of the slap echoed through the dungeon. Ordas’ head jerked to the side, but she did not scream.

She simply turned to face him, a small, mocking smile on her lips was seen.

“You lie,” Radoff growled. “Ruteron does not accept jobs blindly. You know who hired you.”

Ordas chuckled, a low, raspy sound. “Even if I knew, do you think I would tell you? Do your worst, wolf.”

Karyan stepped forward, his presence filled the room.

He placed his hand on Radoff’s shoulder, signaling him to step back. The room grew quieter, the tension palpable.

“Ordas,” Karyan began with a calm, but threatening voice. “You seem to be under the impression that you have nothing to lose. Allow me to correct that.”

She looked up at him, her smile faded slightly. “You can't scare me, Alpha. I’ve faced worse than you.”

“Maybe,” Karyan replied. “But you’ve never faced me.” He leaned in closer, his eyes boring into hers. “I’m going to find out who sent you. And when I find them, your suffering will only be a prelude to what I have in store for them.”

For a moment, Ordas’ courage faltered.

She looked away with a small fear in her eyes. Karyan straightened, turning to leave. “Take your time,” he said over his shoulder. “But remember, your silence will only prolong your suffering.”

As he exited the dungeon, the door closed behind him, Karyan could not shake the feeling that there was more toOrdas’ mission than she had revealed.

He needed answers, and he needed them soon. The safety of his people and the lives of the Nalani depended on it.

Karyan growled. His irritation made him uncomfortable.

He moved away, intending to transform back into a human, but his wolf’s keen sense of smell picked up a pleasant scent he recognized from years ago.

With a thud, he poked his head out the window. His keen eyes spotted a patch full of flowering plants.

“No way!” he whispered to himself.
That’s where the fragrance was coming from. It was Nalani's Garden.
*