The Alpha's Gamble - Chapter 99: Chapter 99
You are reading The Alpha's Gamble, Chapter 99: Chapter 99. Read more chapters of The Alpha's Gamble.
NOAH
Olivia’s hand lifted and slammed down on the armrest when I pulled away. I turned to the door. Logan was already gone, having left after Olivia confessed, and Milania bowed her head in a salute before walking after him. The sound of slamming metal echoed in the cold hallway of the cellar, and Olivia’s breath hitched in her throat as she watched me walk away.
“Noah, you believe me, don’t you?”
“I do. I believe that you didn’t hit Maddie and that you didn’t reach out to the witch.”
She wouldn’t know how to. This witch had manipulated Maddie’s wolf somehow. If it was just to scare Maddie or torture her, they would’ve been able to do that themselves. But for something as powerful as fucking with a vessel’s wolf, you’d need powers stronger than any man or wolf.
“You’re still leaving me here?”
“Yes.”
“She doesn’t love you, you know. I did what I did for you, and she lied about what she saw—how can you trust someone like that? I’m just showing you who she is!”
I cocked my head, eyes blazing into hers.
“Maddie didn’t see shit. She was knocked out before she could spot her attacker, but however vain you are, you never could tolerate an attack on your name.” Not where I was concerned.
Realization was setting in, and I was sure she wanted to kick and scream, but her body was too tired, her mind was oblivious to any more information being crammed in there, and her energy was running on reserve. So instead, she slumped back, head cast down, and drew a shallow breath that trembled in her chest.
“Goodbye, Olivia.”
Everyone was hurrying to finish their tasks so they could head home or to their rooms. The chef wiped down the kitchen, the maids and gardeners were cleaning up, and putting tools away. Mathilda wiped down the flame and dipped the cloth in a bucket of dirty water. She stopped when she saw me, threw her head down in acknowledgment, and didn’t speak a word as she turned and walked off.
Not a speck of dust in sight. Everything was clinically clean, polished, and squeaky when you dragged your finger over the surface, no matter where. All under the orders of Clara, who had come to rule our staff with an iron fist. She had a way of keeping people under her thumb, controlled and obedient.
Only my father’s word outweighed hers, and in his absence, mine was the one they answered to.
My hair was damp from sweat pooling on my scalp, and I could feel the itch across my skin; I was fucking desperate for a shower, but I couldn’t stop. Not yet. Not when I was this close.
A silhouette crossed the path outside the mansion, and my brother’s scent wafted in through the open doors.
“Are we going or what?” He stuck his head in. The light from the lamps lit up his face and shed some truth on the deep bags under his eyes, the wrinkles on his forehead, and his dull-looking skin. He needed to rest.
I clapped a hand on his shoulder, and Logan pulled his head back, grabbing my hand to throw it off in a tantrum. Yup, he definitely needed sleep.
“Don’t tell me—”
“You haven’t slept in days. Go get some rest, I’ll take care of this one on my own.”
Malania walked around the corner of the stairs, a bag on her shoulders and a new change of clothes. A black long-sleeved shirt clung to her body—breathable and flexible—and the tights she wore were given to every elite when they joined the Academy. The uniform was made to move in. You could kick high and move fast without anything holding you back.
“Ready, Alpha?”
Logan’s head whipped around, his eyes shooting between Malania and me.
“She gets to go?” he exclaimed, loudly and childishly.
“I didn’t know she was.”
She cocked her head and raised a brow.
“I’m the Alpha’s protector. In your father’s absence, that means my primary job is to keep your dumbass alive,” she grinned.
Logan was shaking his head. I dug my fingers into his shoulder and held him put, smirking at the sight of him wincing when I put a little too much pressure.
“You’re exhausted.”
“So are you,” he countered.
“Go to bed. Sleep it off, and tomorrow we’ll resume together.”
“You get to go off and fight a witch while I’m grounded?”
I drew a breath and took advantage of the few inches I had over my brother.
“Yes.” When I let go of him, he fell back a step and slammed against my shoulder to move past me.
Brat. I noticed Logan’s stomping stopped abruptly. He stood still in the middle of the entryway and looked toward the stairs where Trevor was walking down.
“You heading off somewhere?” he asked, eyes on me. He walked down, past my brother like he was just a ghost in his way, and didn’t seem to notice Malania standing beside me.
“Yeah. We got some information from Olivia that I’m following up.” I was unsure of what the heavy silence between us meant, but Trevor just continued staring, searching my face, and then eventually glanced at Malania for what felt like an hour.
“She needs you,” he said, slowly shifting his gaze back on me. The fog around us pushed on my head, a helmet-like sensation pressuring my temples, and I flexed my fingers. It wasn’t his place to talk to me about Maddie. His one job here was to train her; that was the sole reason he was allowed in the mansion, why he was allowed near her. It was his job to make sure she was ready. Fucking perfect. For the Ember Ring.
As long as he knew his place, the arrangement would work out. But he was overstepping his boundaries.
“I’ll see her when I’m back.” I turned around, which was pretty fucking mature of me considering my sleep-deprived asshole self wanted to knock him out. Trevor’s hand came down on my arm and held me put.
“That’s the second time you’ve put your hand on me.” The heavy air choked the oxygen from our lungs, and my words were cold, causing a shiver in Trevor’s arm, but he held on nonetheless.
“She’s unfocused. Her mind is somewhere else, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out where,” he seethed.
“I can’t…” I pressed my tongue against the inside of my cheek—had half a mind to bite it off just to redirect this fucking pain. “When I have good news to tell her,” I said.
A defeated breath puffed from his lips, and he dropped his arm.
“She doesn’t need good news. She needs you.”
Olivia’s hand lifted and slammed down on the armrest when I pulled away. I turned to the door. Logan was already gone, having left after Olivia confessed, and Milania bowed her head in a salute before walking after him. The sound of slamming metal echoed in the cold hallway of the cellar, and Olivia’s breath hitched in her throat as she watched me walk away.
“Noah, you believe me, don’t you?”
“I do. I believe that you didn’t hit Maddie and that you didn’t reach out to the witch.”
She wouldn’t know how to. This witch had manipulated Maddie’s wolf somehow. If it was just to scare Maddie or torture her, they would’ve been able to do that themselves. But for something as powerful as fucking with a vessel’s wolf, you’d need powers stronger than any man or wolf.
“You’re still leaving me here?”
“Yes.”
“She doesn’t love you, you know. I did what I did for you, and she lied about what she saw—how can you trust someone like that? I’m just showing you who she is!”
I cocked my head, eyes blazing into hers.
“Maddie didn’t see shit. She was knocked out before she could spot her attacker, but however vain you are, you never could tolerate an attack on your name.” Not where I was concerned.
Realization was setting in, and I was sure she wanted to kick and scream, but her body was too tired, her mind was oblivious to any more information being crammed in there, and her energy was running on reserve. So instead, she slumped back, head cast down, and drew a shallow breath that trembled in her chest.
“Goodbye, Olivia.”
Everyone was hurrying to finish their tasks so they could head home or to their rooms. The chef wiped down the kitchen, the maids and gardeners were cleaning up, and putting tools away. Mathilda wiped down the flame and dipped the cloth in a bucket of dirty water. She stopped when she saw me, threw her head down in acknowledgment, and didn’t speak a word as she turned and walked off.
Not a speck of dust in sight. Everything was clinically clean, polished, and squeaky when you dragged your finger over the surface, no matter where. All under the orders of Clara, who had come to rule our staff with an iron fist. She had a way of keeping people under her thumb, controlled and obedient.
Only my father’s word outweighed hers, and in his absence, mine was the one they answered to.
My hair was damp from sweat pooling on my scalp, and I could feel the itch across my skin; I was fucking desperate for a shower, but I couldn’t stop. Not yet. Not when I was this close.
A silhouette crossed the path outside the mansion, and my brother’s scent wafted in through the open doors.
“Are we going or what?” He stuck his head in. The light from the lamps lit up his face and shed some truth on the deep bags under his eyes, the wrinkles on his forehead, and his dull-looking skin. He needed to rest.
I clapped a hand on his shoulder, and Logan pulled his head back, grabbing my hand to throw it off in a tantrum. Yup, he definitely needed sleep.
“Don’t tell me—”
“You haven’t slept in days. Go get some rest, I’ll take care of this one on my own.”
Malania walked around the corner of the stairs, a bag on her shoulders and a new change of clothes. A black long-sleeved shirt clung to her body—breathable and flexible—and the tights she wore were given to every elite when they joined the Academy. The uniform was made to move in. You could kick high and move fast without anything holding you back.
“Ready, Alpha?”
Logan’s head whipped around, his eyes shooting between Malania and me.
“She gets to go?” he exclaimed, loudly and childishly.
“I didn’t know she was.”
She cocked her head and raised a brow.
“I’m the Alpha’s protector. In your father’s absence, that means my primary job is to keep your dumbass alive,” she grinned.
Logan was shaking his head. I dug my fingers into his shoulder and held him put, smirking at the sight of him wincing when I put a little too much pressure.
“You’re exhausted.”
“So are you,” he countered.
“Go to bed. Sleep it off, and tomorrow we’ll resume together.”
“You get to go off and fight a witch while I’m grounded?”
I drew a breath and took advantage of the few inches I had over my brother.
“Yes.” When I let go of him, he fell back a step and slammed against my shoulder to move past me.
Brat. I noticed Logan’s stomping stopped abruptly. He stood still in the middle of the entryway and looked toward the stairs where Trevor was walking down.
“You heading off somewhere?” he asked, eyes on me. He walked down, past my brother like he was just a ghost in his way, and didn’t seem to notice Malania standing beside me.
“Yeah. We got some information from Olivia that I’m following up.” I was unsure of what the heavy silence between us meant, but Trevor just continued staring, searching my face, and then eventually glanced at Malania for what felt like an hour.
“She needs you,” he said, slowly shifting his gaze back on me. The fog around us pushed on my head, a helmet-like sensation pressuring my temples, and I flexed my fingers. It wasn’t his place to talk to me about Maddie. His one job here was to train her; that was the sole reason he was allowed in the mansion, why he was allowed near her. It was his job to make sure she was ready. Fucking perfect. For the Ember Ring.
As long as he knew his place, the arrangement would work out. But he was overstepping his boundaries.
“I’ll see her when I’m back.” I turned around, which was pretty fucking mature of me considering my sleep-deprived asshole self wanted to knock him out. Trevor’s hand came down on my arm and held me put.
“That’s the second time you’ve put your hand on me.” The heavy air choked the oxygen from our lungs, and my words were cold, causing a shiver in Trevor’s arm, but he held on nonetheless.
“She’s unfocused. Her mind is somewhere else, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out where,” he seethed.
“I can’t…” I pressed my tongue against the inside of my cheek—had half a mind to bite it off just to redirect this fucking pain. “When I have good news to tell her,” I said.
A defeated breath puffed from his lips, and he dropped his arm.
“She doesn’t need good news. She needs you.”
End of The Alpha's Gamble Chapter 99. Continue reading Chapter 100 or return to The Alpha's Gamble book page.