Chapter 69
Nyssa pov
He sat there quietly, like he always did. His gaze was locked on nothing in particular, his expression cold and unreadable. His hair fell messily around his face, like he hadn’t had the time to take care of it.
Despite that, he looked like he belonged in a muscum- dangerously attractive.
As I stared at him, I knew he could sense it, yet he didn’t lift his head to look at me, not even for a second. He just sat there, staring blankly, even as everyone else spoke around him.
It made me frown for some reason. Sure, this wasn’t the first time he’d blatantly ignored me, but this time… it annoyed me more than usual.
After what had happened yesterday, I didn’t expect him to talk to me, but for some reason, I couldn’t understand why I was
angry.
“Miss,” I heard Serena whisper as she gently tapped me, snapping me out of my daze. I blinked and turned to find her head slightly lowered, subtly gesturing ahead.
Following her gaze, I turned around and realized that everyone at the dining table was staring at me. My father… and everyone else.
“Oh! Good morning, my lady. Yellow looks really good on you,” Cassian greeted with a grin, raising his hand in a playful
wave.
“Yes, Beta Cassian is right. The lady looks very pretty,” Drake added, his voice calm and composed, in contrast to Cassian’s playful tone.
Before I knew it, a smile tugged at my lips as I looked at them, especially when I noticed my father, Calen, and Benjamin all smiling in satisfaction at the compliment.
They looked like proud mother geese admiring their chick.
I knew I’d been dressing differently lately, either in black or in clothes that usually upset my father but today, I’d at least made an effort to wear something brighter.
I smiled softly, lowering my head slightly before walking down the stairs, carefully avoiding the gaze of the man who hadn’t even spared me a glance.
“You know, the color yellow suits you perfectly. It brings out your eyes,” Cassian complimented again as I stepped closer, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I took a seat beside my father.
“Thank you, Beta Cassian. Thank you, Gamma Drake. I appreciate the kind words,” I said politely, and they both smiled back before returning to their food.
For a brief moment, my father looked at me with a glimmer in his eyes before giving me a small nod, almost as if to say was proud of me.
Proud of me?
For what, exactly?
Maybe because I wasn’t making a scene about going to the king’s pack. Well… not yet, at least. I was waiting to see if Sheila would actually do what she said she would tonight.
1/3
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Chapter 69
As Serena began serving food onto my plate, Cassian leaned forward and began speaking to me enthusiastically.
“Our pack is really big–bigger than any other pack in the world. It’s beautiful too, absolutely mesmerizing. We have the best delicacies, the finest furniture, the most luxurious clothes, and the highest level of security. You’ll be surprised when you see it. I know everything might feel a bit rushed right now, but trust me, you’re going to love it.”
He gave me a bright, excited grin before popping a piece of pancake into his mouth. I smiled and listened without interrupting, not because I was interested in Darius’s pack. I really didn’t care if his pack was something straight out of a fairytale. What amused me was Cassian’s playful behavior. Even though I didn’t know him well, he was actually kind of cute. His energy reminded me of a little brother or maybe a best friend. Either way, it was refreshing talking to him, unlike someone else sitting right here…
My gaze flickered to Darius as Ì prepared to scowl at him, but the next second, I snapped my eyes away, my heart nearly leaping out of my chest.
He had been staring at me the whole time, his eyes locked on mine with an unreadable, emotionless expression.
Fuck.
“Are you okay, miss? You look pale,” Drake asked, his tone laced with concern. Cassian stopped talking and narrowed his eyes before chiming in.
“Yeah, are you good?” he echoed, now sounding genuinely worried.
I could feel everyone’s attention shift to me, even my father had paused his conversation with Calen and Benjamin to look
my way.
I quickly nodded and forced a smile.
“Y–yes, I’m okay. Hm… I’ve just noticed that the doctor, Zayn hasn’t been around lately. Is he okay?” I asked, smoothly changing the topic to something that had been on my mind.
The last time I saw Zayn was when I had sneaked back into my room that day. He was usually quiet and kept to himself, but I had still noticed his absence.
“Oh–Zayn?” Cassian repeated. “Yeah, he’s not around. He left two days ago, said he wanted to look for some plant outside since he doesn’t get many chances to leave the king’s pack. He’ll be back tomorrow, before we set out.”
“Ah,” I muttered, nodding in understanding as I reached for a glass of water to drink but in the very next second, I heard his
voice.
“Why are you asking about him?”
My eyes widened in horror, and I spat out the water from my mouth as I felt Darius’s heated gaze pierce through me.
Everyone turned to him almost at once, stunned that he had finally spoken after ignoring every other attempt to draw him into conversation.
But his gaze remained fixed solely on me.
And like the idiot I was, I looked to the left, then to the right, before pointing at myself in surprise.
“Me?” I asked, then swallowed nervously as he narrowed his eyes at me, a shiver crawling down my spine as my body
stiffened.
Just as I braced for silence to swallow the room, Darius said nothing. Instead, he stood from his seat and walked away without another glance.
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Chapter 69
Everyone’s eyes followed him as he left, and the moment he was gone, we all turned to each other, unsure of what had just happened.
Cassian tilted his head in confusion and muttered,
Cassian tilted his head in confusion and muttered,
“That was weird.”
