Chapter 351: His Grand Plan.
Adrein.
I almost scoffed at Noah’s words.
The urge was there—it was strong enough that I had to bite it back before it could slip out.
Not because what he said was ridiculous, but because of how simple he made it sound.
For a moment, I stared at him, forcing myself to remain calm, because despite my initial reaction, his words actually carried meaning.
He wasn’t entirely wrong, in fact, he was probably saying what all of us needed to hear.
We had been distracted and pulled in different directions by frustration, anger, and uncertainty.
But none of those things mattered right now, because what mattered was Maria, and finding her.
Bringing her back safely is definitely the most important thing and everything else could wait.
And honestly...I missed her, far more than I wanted to admit. The absence she left behind had become unbearable.
There were moments when I caught myself looking twice at strangers because, for a split second, I thought they were her.
Moments when I heard a familiar laugh in the distance and my heart skipped, only for disappointment to follow immediately afterward.
It had gotten so bad that sometimes I hallucinated her presence.
Her radiating golden eyes, a glimpse of long hair and familiar silhouette, also a voice that wasn’t really hers.
Every time it happened, reality hit harder than before and the thought alone made my chest tighten.
I forced myself to focus.
"How do we go about it then?" I asked.
Noah immediately adjusted himself properly, straightening his posture as though he had been waiting for someone to ask.
"The first thing to do is scout the area," Noah said confidently.
There wasn’t even the slightest hint of hesitation in his voice. He spoke as though the solution was obvious, as though the first step of our mission had already been settled.
Under normal circumstances, that confidence would have been reassuring.
It would have given us something to hold on to, maybe a direction or a plan. Unfortunately, these weren’t normal circumstances.
"Do you think the Lycan Prince will let you roam freely in his territory?" Damien asked.
His arms were crossed tightly over his chest as he leaned back slightly in his chair. One brow arched upward, and the skepticism on his face made it clear he wasn’t convinced.
The question hung in the air.
A simple question.
Yet one that immediately exposed the flaw in Noah’s suggestion.
Noah frowned, as his brows drew together as he considered Damien’s words.
For a moment, it looked as though he was preparing a response.
But before he could say anything, Davian spoke first.
"Exactly," he said seriously.
His voice was calm, but there was a heaviness behind it that instantly captured everyone’s attention.
"He seems to have his eyes on us. I could even feel the killing intent surging within him."
The room immediately fell silent. The kind that settled when something uncomfortable was spoken aloud.
Because we all knew Davian wasn’t exaggerating.
We had all felt it.
Maybe not to the same extent, but enough to understand what he meant.
The Lycan Prince’s hostility wasn’t exactly hidden, It lingered beneath every interaction.
And that was precisely why none of us challenged Davian’s words.
"I don’t get it," Noah admitted at last.
For the first time since the conversation began, genuine confusion appeared on his face.
His gaze shifted between us, as though he was searching for an explanation that everyone else seemed to understand except him.
"Well," Aidan said, leaning forward slightly, "positioned outside this door are guards assigned to watch over us." He paused briefly. "But honestly, it feels less like protection and more like they’re monitoring us." His eyes moved toward the door. "As if they’re trying to stop us from leaving."
Noah’s brows furrowed deeper, and I guess the realization was slowly settling in.
"You just woke up, Noah," I said, as I pushed myself to my feet and began pacing restlessly across the room.
Sitting still had become impossible, as too many thoughts, too many worries and too many possibilities were running through my head.
My hands clenched and unclenched at my sides as I walked.
"You actually don’t know what’s happening."
Every step felt heavier than the last and the tension in the room seemed to press down on all of us.
I stopped briefly before turning back toward him.
"Scouting the area won’t be easy."
The words came out heavier than I intended, because the truth was simple. We weren’t dealing with ordinary obstacles.
We were trapped inside the territory of a Lycan Prince who clearly didn’t trust us.
And judging by the guards outside, he wasn’t giving us much freedom either.
Which meant finding Maria was going to be far more difficult than any of us wanted to admit.
"We might have entered the Lycan territory as guests, but it is very clear he treats us as prisoners!" Aidan yelled instantly.
His voice echoed through the room, carrying weeks of frustration that none of us had been able to properly express.
The anger in his eyes was impossible to miss.
He pushed himself forward in his seat, his hands clenching into fists as though he was struggling to contain himself.
"We haven’t been allowed to leave this room!" Aidan’s voice echoed through the room, filled with frustration and anger he could no longer keep bottled up.
The accusation hung heavily in the air.
And the worst part was that none of us could deny it, because every word he spoke was true.
Aidan drew in a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to regain control of his emotions.
His jaw tightened briefly before he spoke again.
"I guess we can only leave on his orders," he added bitterly.
The resentment in his voice was impossible to miss.
The room fell silent, as no one immediately responded, because whether we wanted to admit it or not, there was truth in what he was saying.
Every day that passed made our situation feel less like hospitality and more like confinement.
The guards stationed outside weren’t exactly subtle either.
They watched everything while observing every movement and somehow always seemed to know exactly where we were.
"Relax, Aidan," I said, trying to calm him down despite the fact that I was dangerously close to losing my own patience.
I forced my voice to remain steady and controlled. Even though frustration was constantly simmering beneath the surface.
"We will definitely get through this." I paused briefly before continuing. "But let’s all rest and gather our strength back."
The words sounded reasonable enough, at least on the surface. The truth was that we couldn’t afford to act recklessly, especially not inside the territory of someone significantly stronger than us.
Noah suddenly coughed lightly, drawing everyone’s attention back to him.
"I am not dumb, you all," he said, his brows furrowed slightly. "I am well aware that the Lycan Prince won’t let us move freely." He paused for a moment, long enough to make sure everyone was listening. "So I suggested we scout the area first." A faint smile appeared on his face. "We definitely won’t make it obvious."
Davian immediately raised an eyebrow. "And how is that possible?" he asked curiously.
The skepticism in his voice mirrored exactly what I was thinking.
Noah looked far too confident for someone whose plan sounded impossible.
Yet somehow that confidence never wavered.
"That’s easy," Noah replied, leaning back slightly. "I will tell us how we would all go about it."
The certainty in his tone was almost unsettling.
Honestly, I couldn’t believe Noah was the one about to lead this so-called operation.
The irony nearly made me laugh.
What grand plan was he about to share now?
Whatever it was, he certainly seemed proud of it.
I fixed my gaze on him and waited.
So did everyone else.
For a brief moment, nobody spoke.
The anticipation slowly built inside the room.
Then Noah adjusted himself properly on the bed before speaking, his eyes swept across the room carefully.
Once.
Twice.
Making sure everyone was paying attention.
Then, almost instantly, his expression became serious, as he lowered his voice. It was so low that we practically had to lean forward to hear him.
And then he began whispering his grand plan.
His words never rose above a murmur, careful, calculated and secretive.
The room remained completely silent as he explained everything with no interruptions, no questions and no arguments.
When he finally finished speaking, the silence lingered for a few seconds longer.
And then I noticed —a smile slowly spreading across my brothers’ faces.
One after another, they nodded, their expressions filled with agreement, approval and confidence.
Apparently, Noah’s plan had impressed them.
And seeing their reactions, I realized I was outnumbered.
I looked from one face to another before finally releasing a slow breath.
And then I nodded as well, not because I was completely convinced but because, at that moment, it seemed like the only choice I had.
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