Chapter 376: Only lose her!
Anabel.
The moment I stepped out of Vanessa’s room, a victorious smile slowly spread across my face.
I couldn’t stop the corners of my lips from lifting.
No matter how hard I tried to remain composed, the satisfaction bubbling inside me was simply too great to conceal.
That snitch actually believed she was the one in control. I can’t believe she truly thought she had the upper hand.
How unbelievably foolish.
How dumb could she possibly be?
The thought alone almost made me laugh again.
I drew in a slow, steady breath, allowing the cool air to calm the excitement racing through my chest.
Then I quickened my pace, as there was no point lingering around.
I still had something important to do.
I needed to locate the room where my brothers were currently staying.
That thought alone pushed me to walk even faster through the hallway.
My footsteps echoed softly against the polished floor as I moved from one corridor to another, my mind occupied with everything that had just happened.
I wasn’t paying much attention to my surroundings anymore, as my thoughts had completely taken over.
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed inside my head, and the moment it registered, I realized I had walked straight into something solid or rather someone.
The impact forced me to halt immediately.
My brows knitted together as I instinctively looked up.
The moment my eyes met the familiar face standing before me...
I froze.
Every thought inside my head vanished.
"What are you doing here?"
The familiar voice echoed in my ears, snapping me out of my daze.
It was Noah.
Of all the people I could have bumped into...It had to be him.
"I... I..." I parted my lips, desperately trying to speak or say anything at all but the words refused to come, as my tongue suddenly felt heavy.
Nothing I wanted to say would leave my mouth.
The truth was...I wasn’t prepared.
I hadn’t expected to run into Noah so soon.
How was I supposed to convince him that I meant no harm?
How could I possibly make him believe that everything wasn’t as it appeared?
Before I could gather my thoughts, Noah suddenly grabbed both of my arms.
His grip was firm, and painfully so.
Without saying another word, he dragged me toward a secluded corner of the hallway.
Only after stopping did he finally release enough pressure for me to stand properly.
"What new tricks did you come here to play, Anabel?" he asked, his eyes remaining fixed on mine.
Within them, I saw nothing but disgust, mixed with unmistakable curiosity.
The look in his eyes stung more than I wanted to admit.
Unable to endure it any longer, I slowly lowered my gaze.
I couldn’t bring myself to keep looking at him.
At the same time, I instinctively tried to rub the arm he was still gripping tightly, hoping to ease the dull ache beginning to spread through it.
"Answer me!" He yelled, as his voice suddenly rose.
The sharpness in his tone made me flinch ever so slightly.
His impatience was obvious, as his eyes searched mine relentlessly, demanding an answer.
What’s wrong with him?
Why was he looking at me as though I had already committed a crime?
It wasn’t as though I had come here to hurt Maria.
She wasn’t my target.
The only thing that would happen was that he would eventually lose her.
That was all.
After all...Maria was my brothers’ mate.
Everything that was happening was simply fate taking its rightful course.
I was merely following it.
Drawing in a slow, deep breath to steady the emotions threatening to overwhelm me, I finally forced the words past my lips.
"I didn’t come here on my own accord, Noah." I said, as my voice was quieter than before, but it remained firm enough for him to hear every single word.
"Really... then how on earth did you get here?" Noah asked.
The tension that had tightened his face only moments earlier eased ever so slightly.
It wasn’t much, but I noticed it immediately.
His jaw wasn’t as rigid as before, and the hostility burning in his eyes seemed to lessen just a little.
He was still looking at me with caution.
Still watching me carefully.
But at least he no longer looked as though he was ready to attack me at any moment.
"I was invited by the Lycan Prince," I replied after taking another small breath.
The words left my mouth naturally, without hesitation.
I paused for a brief moment before continuing.
"I actually didn’t know you were here." I added, and as soon as I said it, I held his gaze.
Those words, at least, were the complete truth.
Before arriving here, I genuinely had no idea Noah would be among those attending the gathering.
It wasn’t until I reached the Lycan Territory that I discovered he was one of the invited guests.
And when I really stopped to think about it...It wasn’t surprising at all.
After all, Noah wasn’t just anyone.
He was an Alpha.
A gathering of such importance was bound to include powerful Alphas from different territories, so his presence here shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me in the first place, as someone of his status would naturally receive an invitation to an event of this importance.
There was nothing unusual about that.
"Why would he invite you?" Noah asked again.
This time, there was no accusation in his voice. Instead, genuine confusion crossed his face.
His brows slowly drew together as though he was trying to make sense of something that simply refused to fit together in his mind.
His eyes remained fixed on me, searching my face as if he expected to find the answer written somewhere in my expression.
For a brief moment, neither of us spoke.
"I have no idea," I blurted out without the slightest hesitation.
The answer came naturally because there was simply nothing else I could say. There was no point pretending to know something I didn’t.
I truly had no idea why the Lycan Prince had chosen to invite me of all people.
I had questioned it myself more than once since arriving, yet I still hadn’t found an answer.
After giving my response, I took a slow breath before subtly straightening my posture.
"Now..." I began quietly, my voice calm but polite. "If you’ll please excuse me..." I paused for only a brief moment before finishing my sentence. "I have to go look for my brothers."
As the words left my mouth, I held Noah’s gaze for another second, silently hoping he would simply let me leave without asking any more questions.
As I intended to end the conversation there.
After everything that had happened between us, prolonging it would only make things more awkward.
Just as I was about to move, Noah suddenly chuckled.
The sound immediately made me stop.
"Are you really sure you aren’t up to something, Anabel?" he asked.
His eyes slowly traveled over me, carefully assessing every part of my expression as though searching for the slightest sign that I was hiding something.
The scrutiny instantly irritated me.
"And what exactly is it you think I’m up to?" I asked, unable to hide the annoyance creeping into my voice.
I held his gaze firmly.
This wasn’t how I had imagined our reunion after being apart for so many months.
Countless times, I had pictured what this moment would be like. I had imagined dozens of different possibilities.
I had expected awkwardness, I had expected anger, I had even prepared myself for cold words but not this suspicious look, especially not with the way he was looking at me now.
Even after all this time, Noah still regarded me with unmistakable suspicion.
His eyes never truly relaxed as they remained fixed on me, carefully studying every movement I made, as though he was convinced I was hiding something from him.
The distrust between us hadn’t disappeared with time. If anything, it seemed to have grown even deeper.
And beneath that distrust...there was so much anger. It lingered in his expression, in the tightness of his jaw, and in the way he spoke to me.
Deep down, I already knew why.
Maria.
Everything always seemed to come back to her. Yes, somehow, every road eventually led back to Maria.
His attitude toward me had changed because of her.
Everything between us had changed because of her.
If it hadn’t been for the fact that Maria was my brothers’ fated mate...
And if it hadn’t also served my purpose of getting back at Vanessa...
I would have gotten rid of her long ago.
To me, she was nothing more than a seductress who had somehow managed to draw everyone’s attention toward herself.
Everyone seemed captivated by her.
Everyone seemed willing to protect her.
Burying those thoughts deep inside my heart, I forced my expression to remain calm, as not a single emotion was allowed to show on my face.
I remained exactly where I stood, as my eyes never left Noah’s face for even a second.
Silently and patiently, I waited to hear exactly what he was about to say next.
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