The Alpha's Fated Outcast Rise Of The Moonsinger novel Chapter 286

Clarissa

The bed where I'd left her was empty, the blankets thrown aside. Signs of a hasty departure were everywhere. "Damn it, Lyla," I muttered. Why couldn't she have listened to me just this once?

A noise outside made me freeze. Voices, growing closer. Flashlights were cutting through the trees.

"—check the old groundskeeper's place."

"Alpha says she might be hiding nearby."

They'd found us. I needed to get out and find Lyla before they did. But where would she have gone in her condition?

I slipped out the back window just as the search party reached the front door. Crouching in the bushes, I watched as they broke in, their flashlights sweeping the insides of the shelter.

"It's empty," one of them called. "But the bed's been slept in. She was here."

"Spread out," ordered Nathan's assistant's voice. "She can't have gotten far in her condition."

Condition? It means Nathan had purposely left Lyla in my Father's private study to make use of her later on. I'm sure his assistant must have seen how battered she looked.

I remained absolutely still as they spread out, beginning their search of the surrounding area. Once they moved far enough away, I crept from my hiding place, heading deeper into the forest. If I were Lyla, injured and alone, where would I go?

The answer came to me suddenly—the old willow by the stream. It had been a childhood hiding spot, one of the few places Lyla and I had shared before our relationship soured. If she remembered it, if she could make it that far...

I changed direction, moving parallel to the search party but staying well out of sight. The forest grew denser, the underbrush scratching at my legs as I pushed through.

When I finally reached the willow, my heart sank. There was no sign of Lyla. I'd gambled and lost.

"Looking for someone?" a voice said behind me.

I whirled around, knife in hand, ready to defend myself. But the figure that stepped from the shadows wasn't one of Nathan's men. Though his face was still concealed, he didn't look harmful.

"Who are you?" I whispered, lowering my knife slightly, squinting in the darkness. "What are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I imagine," they replied. "Trying to save Lyla before Nathan finds her."

"Where is she?" I demanded. "Did you find her?"

The figure nodded. "She's safe. For now."

Relief flooded through me, followed quickly by suspicion. "Why would you help her? Who are you?" I asked again, peering into the darkness. It was the shape of a man for sure, and he was tall, but I couldn't make out his face. However, his voice sounded familiar.