The Alpha's Fated Outcast Rise Of The Moonsinger novel Chapter 249

Neriah

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

"Yes," another warrior confirmed "She said she hasn't been here long," he pointed out. "If she's been waiting for Thames, surely she would have seen the intruder pass by."

All eyes turned back to me. I felt my mouth go dry. If I don't answer correctly, I might be buried alongside the strange man.

"I was meditating," I said, the half-truth coming more easily than expected. "When I meditate, I … lose track of time and my surroundings. If someone passed by, I wouldn't have noticed."

"Didn't you just say you were waiting for Thames?" Their leader asked again.

Thames came to where I was and took one of my hands, placing tiny kisses on my knuckles before he let out an easy chuckle.

"Ah, well, she's probably just flustered from being questioned and that's enough, you all. I was with her. We had a slight quarrel and she came into the forest. We were together when I got a mindlink from the Alpha and I left her alone to wait for me," he turned to me and gave me a small, reassuring smile. "Right?"

I hesitated, glancing at him before quickly nodding. "Yes, I must have misspoken."

The warrior leader didn't look convinced, but before he could push further, my father let out a huff of frustration.

"Enough of this nonsense," he snapped. "How dare you insinuate that my daughter would know anything about that devil?"

"I'm sorry, Alpha," the warrior leader quickly bowed his head and then turned to me. "I'm sorry, little miss."

My father turned to me, studying my face for what felt like an eternity, his dark eyes boring into mine as if trying to extract the truth by sheer force of will. Finally, he made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.

"Get out of my sight," he hissed. "Return to the pack immediately. We will discuss your disobedience later."

"Alpha, she wasn't…"

"Not a word from you either, Thames. You know better than to let her wander off. Get out now!"

I didn't need to be told twice. I dipped my head in submission and hurried away, careful not to look up at the oak tree as I passed. I could feel my father's eyes on my back until I disappeared into the trees.

Only when I was well away from the clearing did I allow myself to slow down. My mind racing with the implications of what I had done. I had lied to my father, to the pack's warriors. I had protected a stranger – possibly an enemy – for reasons I couldn't fully understand.

And yet, despite the trouble, I would likely face, I couldn't bring myself to regret my decision. For the first time in my life, I had acted solely on my own judgement, and my own instincts. There had been something in those forest-green eyes that had compelled me to help him.

A shiver ran down my spine, but it wasn't from fear. It was an unfamiliar thrill coursing through my veins. A strange, electric thrill – the sensation of having taken the first step on a path of my own choosing. Whatever consequences came from this moment, they would be mine to bear, born from a choice that was truly mine.

For the first time, I felt I had truly done something meaningful, something that defined me as more than just the Alpha's daughter. And despite the uncertainty ahead, I couldn't help the small smile that curved my lips as I made my way back to the pack, the image of those vivid green eyes still burning in my memory.

~~~

I couldn't go back to the forest until after three days. For some reason, my father limited movement outside the pack and warriors tripled on each entrance spot. Despite all my attempts to know what was happening, Thames had remained mute.

We'd barely had time for each other as he was constantly following my father around. Those three days, felt like torture to me. I was dying to know what that man was.

My bedroom felt like a prison cell as I paced back and forth. The walls seemed to close in with each passing hour. I'd tried subtle questioning at dinner, casual inquires during pack gatherings to some of the warriors I was friendly with, even attempted to eavesdrop on my father's meetings – all to no avail.

The entire pack was operating under a strange tension that nobody would explain.