Chapter 179
I didn’t expect my morning to begin with chaos. Not that I ever expected peace in this place, but waking up to the blaring sound of the warning bell echoing through the ambassador compound wasn’t exactly the wake-up call I wanted.
Anna bolted upright in her bed across from mine, hair a frizzy halo around her head. “What the hell is going on?”
I jumped up, yanking on my boots. “I don’t know, but it can’t be good.”
By the time we got outside, the training yard was buzzing with tension. Whispers swirled like wildfire—something had been stolen from Alpha Oliver’s private wing. Something important.
I found Tomas near the communal firepit, already dressed like he’d been up for hours. “They say it was the Silver Blade.”
“The what?” Anna and I asked at the same time.
Tomas leaned in. “It’s a ceremonial dagger gifted to Oliver’s pack by Alex’s father as a sign of peace. Ancient. Powerful. Sacred. Basically, it’s a huge insult that it’s missing.”
“And dangerous,” I added. “If someone wanted to stir trouble between packs, this would be the way to do it.”
That’s when I saw Alex. Standing a few feet away, arms folded, jaw clenched tight as the Alphas questioned the guards. He didn’t look surprised. If anything, he looked… prepared.
I approached him cautiously. “Did you know it was missing?”
He turned to me slowly, his face unreadable. “I heard this morning. I don’t know who took it.”
“But you knew it might happen?” I raised an eyebrow.
His silence was an answer of its own.
“Why would someone target your father’s gift?” I asked, my voice quiet now.
Alex glanced away. “Because it’s more than a gift. That dagger is part of our history. Losing it sends a message to every Alpha watching: my father’s peace deal is vulnerable.”
“Wait—your father?”
Tomas blinked at me. “You didn’t know?”
“No,” I said, my heart suddenly racing. “Everyone thought he was the son of a Beta.”
Alex let out a hollow laugh. “That’s the point. The fewer people who know, the safer I am. Being the son of an Alpha makes me a target. Same as you.”
My breath caught. “What?”
He turned back to me, eyes sharp. “You hide it well, but I see it. The way you move. Speak. Lead. You were trained to rule.”
I opened my mouth to deny it, but the words died on my tongue.
Anna came up behind me, confused expressions on her face.
“Wait, what’s going on?” Anna asked.
“She’s an Alpha’s daughter,” Alex said bluntly.
I winced. “Thanks for that.”
Tomas’s jaw dropped. “Are we all just hiding royal blood now? Should I be checking my family tree for hidden kingdoms?”
Despite the tension, I laughed. “It’s complicated.”
Anna looked at me, hurt flashing in her eyes. “You didn’t trust us?”
“It wasn’t about trust,” I said quickly. “It was about safety. If the wrong people find out—”
“She’s right,” Alex interrupted. “We’re both targets. There’s a reason we’re here, and it’s not just to play ambassador. Someone wants to shake the balance of power, and they’re starting from within.”
Tomas muttered, “Well, they’re doing a great job.”
The Alphas ordered everyone to remain on high alert. No one was allowed to leave the compound. No missions. No trips. No exceptions.
Later that afternoon, we gathered in the strategy room, tensions higher than ever. Everyone sat stiffly, the air thick with suspicion.
“I can’t believe they think it was one of us,” Anna whispered to me.
“It makes sense,” I replied. “Who else could have gotten past the guards? We’re the only outsiders.”
Alex was at the front with Jeremiah, arguing over the latest search grid.
“You’re deflecting,” Jeremiah growled.
“And you’re accusing without proof,” Alex shot back.
Their voices carried, and heads turned.
Jeremiah’s gaze flicked to me briefly, then away. He hadn’t spoken to me directly in days. Since that night. Since he’d walked away, again, pretending like our bond didn’t exist.
It stung, but I refused to let it show.
After the session, I caught up with Alex as he walked to the armory.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, keeping pace with him.
“That I’m an Alpha’s son?” He shrugged. “Same reason you didn’t tell me about yourself. Secrets protect people.”
“Or isolate them,” I muttered.
He stopped suddenly, turning to face me. “Do you think I had something to do with the dagger?”
“No,” I said without hesitation. “But you’re hiding something else. I can feel it.”
He smirked. “You’re not wrong.”
“I hate cryptic answers.”
“I know,” he said with a wink before heading inside.
I groaned and turned around, nearly colliding with Anna.
“You two have a weird vibe,” she said, linking her arm through mine.
“Tell me about it.”
The rest of the evening passed with heightened patrols, hushed conversations, and the unmistakable scent of distrust hanging in the air. I joined Anna and Tomas in the mess hall, where the food was as dry as the mood.
“We should form our own investigation,” Tomas suggested, biting into a stale biscuit. “Call ourselves the Dagger Detectives.”
Anna nearly choked on her juice. “Please no.”
“I’m serious! No one’s going to take us seriously unless we show initiative.”
I rolled my eyes but smiled. “Fine. But I’m not wearing matching uniforms.”
As we laughed, I felt something shift. A moment of lightness in the middle of storm clouds. For the first time, I wasn’t just surviving—I was connecting.
And then Jeremiah walked in.
Every room changed when he entered, like the air recognized him before our eyes did. His presence was commanding, sharp, magnetic—and infuriating.
He didn’t look at me, but I felt his awareness like a tether pulling tight.
Anna followed my gaze and nudged me. “Still nothing?”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
I didn’t believe it, but I wanted to.
After dinner, I returned to my room, only to find a note slipped under the door.
Meet me at the west tower. Midnight. Come alone.
I stared at it, pulse quickening.
By midnight, the compound was quiet. I crept through the shadows, heart pounding in my chest.
The west tower was dark, empty, the wind whistling through the old stone walls.
“Hello?” I whispered.
Alex stepped from the shadows.
“Did you leave this?” I asked.
He held up a different note. “Got the same message.”
We exchanged a glance. “Someone’s playing with us.”
Before we could figure out what to do, another voice joined us.
“Nice of you both to show.”
Jeremiah.
He looked between us, face unreadable.
“I wanted to see something,” he said slowly. “How fast you’d come when called. Both of you.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because this isn’t about stolen daggers,” he said, stepping closer. “It’s about what’s coming. And the fact that none of us know who we can trust.”
Alex stiffened. “Are you accusing me again?”
“I’m watching you,” Jeremiah said.
Then he turned and walked away, leaving only silence and suspicion behind.
Alex let out a low whistle. “Your mate’s intense.”
“He’s also an idiot,” I muttered.
But even as I said it, my heart ached with the knowledge that nothing—nothing—was simple anymore.
And secrets had a way of demanding the truth. One way or another.
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