Chapter 43

It was dark by the time Nellie reached Ma'am Dodda's chambers. The woman had insisted she spent the evening with her, that way, Nellie had no time to brood like she had done the entire day. Now as she returned to Earl's chambers, she was careful not to bump into anyone, she had done that more than thrice already in one day.

When she got to the hall leading up to his chambers, she doubled her steps in anticipation. Earl should be back by now, she had to think up something to say to him and very fast, she didn't want to go in looking like a fool before her intimidating captor. Oliver and Scot followed closely behind her, she was already used to them trailing her like a lost sheep.

Nellie stopped to breathe in front of the door when she finally got to Earl's chambers; she did not realize she had been running until she got there, panting. After two gentle knocks on the door with no response, she pushed the door open and went in. Nothing. The room was still as empty as she had left it that morning, there was no sign of Earl anywhere around in the room. Nellie sank into the bed in disappointment.

She had woken up to an empty room and bed that morning, hoping to find Earl around the castle, she had dressed up and gone out to look for him, but she was informed by Ma'am Dodda that he had left early that morning, to a ball he was invited to.
What tugged at her heart was the fact that he had gone with Astrid, why it bothered her so much, she could not tell.

Why was she still here? Earl had told her she was free to leave whenever she wanted to, he had given her his permission to leave, she could return to her chambers now at least if she did not want to leave the Castle just yet, but she had no intention of doing any of those.

Had she been too rude the previous night? Maybe her tone was a little too blunt, maybe she should have considered the fact that he wanted her safe, he wanted her in his bed where he could watch over her, where he could protect her, but why?

Ma'am Dodda had told her she was the closest woman Earl had kept, but she didn't know wether to believe her either,

"When they were still married, you won't believe it but they had separate rooms?" The older lady had told her, referring to Earl and Ina's marriage.

"Why would he do that?" Nellie had asked, bewildered.

"She was a difficult one, that one. They hardly ever talked, it was always about what she wanted and they only met in his room when he wanted to take her" Ma'am Dodda continued.

"Now that is weird" Something turned on her when she understood what ma'am Dodda meant by 'take her' but she ignored it.

"I tell you, my dear. You are different, he allowed you to sleep in his bed to keep you safe and these days, this castle is very lively with you in it. Stay, Nellie"

She wanted to believe she was still here because Ma'am Dodda had asked, but if she was being sincere, she knew it was because she wanted to. When has she ever listened to anyone? Whatever reason Ma'am Dodda had to believe Earl was different was definitely because she liked her, Nellie told herself not to take the woman's words to heart.

She was going to wait, and apologize to him of that was the last thing she would do. He had actually helped her, saved her, sheltered her and not once had he treated her like a slave or his captive. He had never touched her against her will, he gave her the freedom to move about freely and even let her stay in his room just to make sure she was safe. She had been wrong, she admitted. Earl had given her his word that he was never going to hurt her, she should have known his reason for keeping her was justifying that fact.

Sighing, she left the bed to stand by the window, looking out the fields. How long before he comes back? Why had he chosen to go with his Astrid? He could have picked someone else but he didn't, the knowledge that he went with his ex mistress did nothing soothe her aching heart.

The night was warm, it reminded her of him, of the day they had gone on a fun ride in the moonlight, although it had turned sour but it was still a good memory to hold unto. Every warm night now reminded her of that night in the bush, under the moonlight where the moon met the lake.

Tick, tock, tick, tock. The sound of the large clock on the wall matched the steady beating of her own heart. Those were the only sounds she heard as she sat by the window, staring into the dark, gloomy night. The full moon was approaching, the crescent was getting bigger by the day.

"Are you still waiting for him, My Lady?"

Nellie jumped out of her seat almost immediately, Ariel stood in front of her, "Ariel! I did not hear you come in"

"Maybe you were too lost in thought?" Nellie flashed a brief smile that disappeared almost immediately.

"You did not knock, it is rude to invade my privacy like that, Ariel. What if the Alpha was here?"

"How would you know if I knocked when you were too occupied with your thoughts, and why will the Alpha be here yet your mind is so troubled? I know he is not here, and I know it saddens you"

Nellie was going to deny that, but she changed her mind when she remembered it was Ariel before her, the girl had strange intuition. "Why are you here?" She asked instead.

"You have been moody all day, My Lady. I came to see if I can help you in any way"

Nellie sighed and went back to the window, was it that obvious? ''I doubt if there is anything you can do for me, Ariel.''

"You never can tell, My Lady" Ariel came to stand beside her now.

They stood looking out the window in silence for a while, "Do you think they will return today?"

"I doubt, My lady. It is way past ten already. If they wanted to come back I suppose they would have been here since"

"Do you think they are in any harm? What if they are in danger, what if something happened to them on the way and nobody would know?" Nellie panicked now.

"Relax, Nellie" Ariel chuckled, using Nellie's name for the first time that day, "They are not in any sort of danger, and even if they were, Kayel wouldnt let anything happen to them"

That calmed Nellie, if Ariel was this confident then she should be too, something told her she Ariel was right and that was some sort of comfort. "Why are you so sure?"

Ariel shrugged "Because I know it"

Nellie nodded, she didn't know what to say again. They just stood there, listening to each other's breathing. "Do you love him?" Nellie bit her lips the moment the words left her mouth.

She felt Ariel's body go still beside her, for a moment she did not speak, it was as if she was contemplating until she finally, she found her tongue "I don't know"

That was not the answer she was expecting, but it was enough. It had to be love, "Why are you so sure, Ariel? Why are you convinced that Charlie is the one?"

Again, Ariel went frigid beside her, Nellie could feel the heat emanating from her. Was she asking too much?

"I just know, Nellie. It comes easily for some of us"

"But how…?"

"When the time comes, you wll know."

It was the finality with which she said it that prompted Nellie to swallow the next question. Instead, she asked, "I don't think I'm that lucky, but then, I guess not all of us are lucky enough to find our true mates."

"Nonsense. Every wolf has a mate, it's just a matter of time before you find yours, I believe you don't have to look too far though"

She did not know what Ariel meant by theast line but she ignored it, if it turned out that Ariel was right about Charlie, then it would be sheer luck. The man was tough, By God! Of all the men to will an easy going girl like Ariel, it had to be him.

"Why do you think they took Astrid with them, Ariel?"

"The Alpha needs a female companion for such gathering. It is mandatory, I believe that is why"

Why hadn't he asked her? He had to take Nellie, what if she seduced him or what if they were having the time of their lives while she was wallowing in guilt and self pity here?

"I'm sure the Alpha would have asked that you go with him if you weren't angry with him," Atiel squeezed her hands in what was supposed to be a reassurance.

Nellie's cheek flushed, Ariel had heard her thoughts, but then this was Arie, her unusually calm and composed maid who seemed to know it all. "I'm afraid I said too many bad things to him, Ariel. What if he asks me to leave when he returns?"

"I'm sure he wouldn't, My lady" Ariel said with a smile.

"Thank you, Ariel. I really appreciate your kind words"

"I am just doing my job, I think you should rest now. Would you like me to prepare a bath?"

"No. I will just sleep, I'm cold already"

Ariel guided her to the bed and made sure she was properly covered under the sheets, even after Nellie insisted she was relaxed, Ariel insisted she would wait until she slept. After stroking her hair softly for a while, Nellie fell asleep.

That night, she dreamt of thorns amongst roses.
•••••••••••••••••

Ina did not like Rogues, she could barely put up with their unruly character, which was one reason she knew she had to make sure Tony defeated Earl so they would return to take the castle. But then she had fallen in love with one, and she had to get used to his people. Just how long before Earl was defeated and she could finally return to the castle where she belonged?

As she sat watching the Rogues train, her mind travelled, Tony had left two days ago to survey and mark a new territory he and his Rogues had been able to capture the previous day. Ina wasn't sure he would be back by sun down, but she hoped he would. Usually, when he went on such trips, she knew he was likely to pick up wenches to pass the night.

Ina snorted at the thought of that, Tony's addiction with sex was one problem he had with him. But then, if only her parents had not forced a union between her and Earl, then she would have had enough time to mould him into what she wanted. Her marriage to Earl, the Alpha of the Blood pack as her parents had envisioned had done nothing but delay her union with Tony, her one true love. While it also increased Tony's hatred and bitterness towards Earl, it had also given them enough time and opportunity to get to know Earl from the inside.

Ina found life with the exhilarating, apart from the fore bearing life of the Rogues, which she was still trying to get used to, ofcourse. Every morning she woke up to a day full of sunshine and adventure. At Tony's insistence she learned how to swim and did so nearly every day in the warm, blue lake which was not far from their present harbor.

She also rode the horses he brought her along the beach, sometimes not coming home until dusk so she could enjoy the magnificent sunsets. She loved it here, even though the heat could become oppressive at times due to their constantly moving. But it was all new to her, and at her age, she found it all fascinating. The food was different, the climate was certainly different, the locals were colorful and friendly, the entertainments, even dancing in the streets, were nothing she could ever have imagined back in the pack.

It was always the same routine back in the pack, wake up, eat, move around, get the most expensive gifts and whatever she desired and satisfy Earl anyday he felt like having her. But here with Tony- where she rightfully belonged, she could explore different options and do other things.

She even discovered that she enjoyed swimming and was an old hand at it now, swimming with Tony often when he didn't have work to keep him busy. Today, as she sat watching the Rogues train, she wondered what Earl was doing, it had been three months already since she left him, she knew he might never want her back, thanks to the girl he harbored.

Ina had never imagined Earl would move on without her so easily, why was it so easy for him to move on? She had wanted him to feel the pain of losing her, she had wanted him to be broken, to be vulnerable so Tony could attack. But while the presence of that wolf had simply jeopardized that plan.

Nellie. She had learnt her name was Nellie, Ina knew she had to do something, she couldn't seat around and get too comfortable with living the normadic life of a Rogue. The longer that wolf stayed with the Blood pack, the longer it would take for Earl to feel her absence, something had to break him.

A gentle tap on the shoulder brought Ina's face up "My lady, you have a visitor" Erik informed with a curt bow.

Ina frowned in disapproval, "Next time don't touch me Erik, do you recognize the visitor?"

"I'm sorry Ma'am, I do not recognize the visitor but he says he has a message for you"

"Oh. Let him in"

There was no doubt it was her informant from the castle, she had been waiting for him for days now. She stood up now and paced the length of the shade until she felt the presence behind her.

"Lady Ina"

"Scot. I've been waiting for you" Ina swung around to face him, the man appeared too healthy for his job.

"I am sorry, My Lady. It is difficult to leave the castle undetected these days" Scot said.

"And why is that, there are a lot of guards there and your absence should not worry Earl the least bit, if he even noticeds it."

"That was the case before, My lady."

"What changed?" Ina said in impatience.

"The Alpha appointed me as one of the new Lady's personal guards"

"What? She has personal guards too?"

"Yes. We were instructed to go with her wherever she goes and make sure we protect her with our lives."

Ina tightend her fists in a ball and clenched her teeth, why was he protecting her so much? "Does she still sleep in his bedroom?"

"Yes, My Lady. They seem to have some sort of... connection"

That did it for Ina, she had to eradicate that Nellie! How quickly she came and was taking over places she was never allowed near, who was she?

"That is nonsense. I need you to watch her and monitor their every move, Scot. If you can not leave the castle without being detected, look for someone else, give him every important information you want me to know and let me know immediately something comes up, I'm sure you understand and you know what it means to fail me?"

"Yes, My Lady" Scot answered immediately.

"Good. I'll give you two days to find another trust worthy person. When you do, you know what to do, I'll be waiting for your signal"

"Understand" The man replied with a nod.

"How did you get to leave the castle during the day without being detected tho?"

"That is another very important reason why I came my Lady. The Alpha was invited to a ball gathering, he left without the lady. She has been in his chambers most likely brooding ever since he left. I told the young mon assigned to watch over her with me tha I had to pick up something in the village and I came immediately to tell you" Scot explained in one breath.

Now that was some good news, "Who did he attend the ball with?"

"His Beta and the healer, Miss Astrid as his escort"

Charlie was bad news, be was way too protective of Earl, Astrid could come around with just a few words, "Do you have an idea when they are returning or why he did not take her with him instead?"

"No, My Lady"

"Alright then, you did a great job. Run along now before they notice your absence"

"One more thing, My Lady. Don't bother sending in Rogues to the castle, the Witcher applied some portion to keep them away"

That shattered any more hope she had to get her hands on Nellie! Well, she would see what she could do with the information.

"How about you persuade her to come out of the castle for a bit?"

"I'm afraid that will not be possible, My Lady. Especially now that the Alpha is away"

"Go now, Scot. And remember what I told you.

If she couldn't get to Nellie, then she had to make an attempt on Earl, if only Tony was not away! She couldn't go out after him alone, because she was yet to decide if she wouldn't need her charm on him in the future.

Nevertheless, she was going to do something. Whatever connection they had that made him breech the rules that she was strictly made to adhere to was worth investigating. Had they been...

"Erik!!!"

The man appeared beside her as soon as he heard her call, "My Lady,"

"Gather a number of your men and stretch out around The Blood pack, not too close to the castle. Make sure you do a good job at your disguise, you will lay an ambush until he comes"

"Yes My Lady, but who are we looking out for?"

"The Alpha, Earl. I want him dead or alive"