Birthday
Adam’s POV;
I was in the middle of a business call when someone knocked at the door. My brows pulled together into a frown because I had earlier instructed the guards stationed by the door to not let anyone disturb me.
I was pissed off that they had failed to obey my instructions, and I pursed my lips into a thin line of irritation as my jaw clenched.
There was a knock again, and I groaned with frustration as I peeled the phone away from my ear.
“Come in,” I called out, wondering who it was to have disturbed me so early in the morning and still annoyed that the guards had disobeyed my instructions.
After the incident the previous day, I was pretty sure that Ben was up to no good, and it scared me to think that he was going to harm Lilith. I figured that she must’ve been startled and went to meet her later that day, but she was still the same, indifferent, and unbothered. She was like a zombie, only that she wasn’t rotting.
I was still thinking of a suitable punishment for Raider and his new mate. I heard from Ronan that they had gone ahead with the mating ceremony, but it was a small ceremony.
The door opened, and Ronan walked in and sat on the chair right in front of me.
“I was going through those documents and didn’t need any disturbance.” I didn’t bother to hide my annoyance, and he glanced at the documents.
It was about the newly constructed college, and I was confused as the accounts didn’t seem to add up. I had thought it was a mistake on my side earlier, but for some reason, I felt a need to go through it again, and it really wasn’t adding up.
I didn’t want to say it, but something was happening. Funds were being embezzled by someone right under my nose.
“Sorry about that, Alpha. But I think you’ll thank me for this.”
He dipped his hand into the pockets of his slacks and fished out a folded piece of paper before handing it to me.
Without hesitation, I took the report from his hand and opened it, my eyes gradually scanning the words on the paper. The more I read, the more understanding dawned on me, and gradually, my eyes began to light up, and I smiled.
“How did you get this?”
He grinned. “I have my source.”
“Anyway, it’s none of my business. Thank you,” I said as I dashed out of the room and walked quickly to the kitchen.
I whispered something to the head-maid, and she nodded with understanding.
A few hours later, I was in front of her room, and I inhaled deeply as I knocked on the door, a large cake in my hand.
I had brought her a cake the day before, as Cara told me that she seemed to love chocolate cakes.
She opened the door almost immediately, and I kept staring at her, marveling at her beauty, until I realized that she was waiting for me to say something.
“Uhmm, I brought a cake,” she nodded politely as she took it from me.
She was still polite and cautious in front of me. I asked Cara if that was how she was, and she confirmed that it was how she acted towards everybody. She seemed to be indifferent.NôvelDrama.Org content.
“It’s yours.”
She nodded and muttered what sounded like a thank-you.
“It’s your birthday,” I said again, realizing that she might have forgotten. She had gone through a lot, so it wouldn’t be surprising that she had forgotten her own birthday.
She furrowed her brows, and then I could swear that I saw her eyes light up before they returned to their normal neutral expression.
“Happy birthday, Lilith.”
“Thank you.” Her tone held pure sincerity; it was different from that robotic tone she always used to reply to me.
And just like before, I could feel my wolf linking with hers, and again, she withdrew. I said nothing, realizing that she needed time.
“About the wedding, we could call it off if you’re not ready.”
She shook her head, and I sighed. She was going to keep doing this. The wedding was just a few days away, and I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I had pressured her into it.
I had no idea how I was going to convince her that I was really on her side.
“I’ll do anything to make you happy, Lilith-anything! So if there is anything you need, you should let me know.”
“How did you find out about my birthday?” She blurted out, and I glanced at her.
I was still standing by the doorway, and she made no effort to invite me inside.
“Ronan, you’ve met him. He’s my beta. He dug out some information-”
She nodded, and we stared at each other without saying a word, and I realized that she didn’t want me there. Perhaps my presence was uncomfortable for her.
“I’ll leave now. I’ll see you during dinner.”
I walked back to my room, and just as I was about to enter my room, something caught my eye. It was Ben, and he looked like he was having a heated conversation with someone else.
I couldn’t see the person, so I engaged my wolf’s sensitive nose to see if I might be able to recognize whose scent it was.
Ben was family, and I couldn’t just tell him to leave the mansion. He had repeated that the day before in front of the council members, and I knew what he was playing at, but he was right.
He had left on his own, and now he was back, and it should have been a good thing as I would be able to keep my eyes on him, but it wasn’t as I feared that his return wouldn’t be good.
I quickly texted Ronan, and almost immediately, there was a knock on my door, and I opened it to allow him inside.
“I want you to put a closer eye on Ben. I don’t trust him, not one bit.”
“I’ve been doing that. You’re not the only one who finds his sudden return surprising, and besides, he’s still meeting with Alpha Fred. That reminds me, What will you do about Raider?”
“I should punish him, but I have no idea what punishment would be befitting.”
He nodded. “It won’t be long before he becomes Alpha and, therefore, untouchable.”
I interrupted him quickly. “Is Alpha River abdicating?”
Ronan scoffed and shook his head. “The man is dying.”
“According to my source, he’s been consuming poison that has been slowly killing him, and your guess is as good as mine, Alpha Fred.”
“Raider is as gullible as his father, so he is only going to become a puppet. The real ruler of the Green Forest will be his father-in-law.” I nodded my head as I visualized how everything was going to play out.
“What will you do, your highness?”
“Me? I will not interfere. Let’s see how everything goes.”
I could feel his eyes on me, and I sighed as I turned to him.
“What is it?”
“Seriously? You’re just going to let things be.”
“Alpha Fred is smart, and you can’t underestimate Ben. He’s always been the smartest of us. They must’ve already thought about the possibility of me interfering, and there are measures for that.” I paused and walked to the window, shoving my hands deep into my pocket as I took in the beauty of the view.
“They might spin the narrative around and make it seem like a mere accusation.”
“But-”
“For now, we watch and see whatever is going on before doing anything.”
“Oh Man! And I was so happy and getting prepared to show my new skills,” he stood up and began to throw punches in the air.
“What do I do to make her trust me? She acts very polite and formal around me. I’ve told her to trust me; I’ve shown her nothing but care. Nothing is working!”
“I think teaching Raider and his wife a lesson will help you.”
“Well, do you have any idea?”
After what seemed like an eternity of us staring at each other, he grinned widely, and my brows pulled into a frown.
“I do have a plan. A stone to kill three birds,” he said with a smile etched on his face as he made a mock throwing of stones, making me want to roll my eyes.
“Spill!”
He glanced around, then inched closer to me and began to speak. When he finished speaking, the grin was still etched on my face as I nodded.
“Thank you for this. You can send them an invitation now. Make sure to make it a VIP invitation.”
He nodded and we exchanged a knowing look and I smiled.
As soon as he left, my mind wandered back to what I had realized earlier, and I wondered why I didn’t tell Ronan.