Chapter 278: Chapter 278 Little Eyes Discover
Timothy couldn’t figure out why Adam was dragging him along. When he pressed the young warrior for answers, he kept giving him the same irritating response.
"This is the queen’s order," he repeated.
"Yeah, I get that - you’ve said it many times already. But what exactly did she tell you to do?" Timothy’s mood had been trash since yesterday. He’d screwed up his duties, and Perry looked ready to rip his throat out at any moment.
The king was furious with how he’d performed. Sure, he’d made a few errors - simple ones, really - but that’s exactly why Perry was so pissed. The mistakes were so basic that his failure to get them right only made things worse.
"Just follow me," Adam said. He seemed unsure what else to say, probably because Phoebe hadn’t given him detailed instructions about what he could or couldn’t tell the royal gamma.
"I’m not going anywhere," Timothy said stubbornly, planting his feet. Adam immediately grabbed his arm and yanked him forward.
"Come on, don’t make this harder than it needs to be. The queen gave me direct orders - how can I ignore them? Work with me here, okay?" Adam was practically pleading with him, even though he was clearly about to explode.
For him, the queen’s word was law.
"Now what?" Timothy asked when they finally stopped. He scanned the area, searching for Phoebe, but she was nowhere to be seen.
"The queen just told me to keep you here," Adam said, then started to leave. Before he got too far, he shouted back at him, "Don’t move! The queen specifically said you can’t budge from that spot until she says otherwise!"
"Why should I give a damn?!" Timothy growled, but Adam was already sprinting away.
He was beyond annoyed, but he stayed put because he wanted to know what game Phoebe was playing. That woman was always scheming something.
Then he noticed it.
His anger had been clouding his senses earlier, but now that he’d cooled down slightly, he could see what Phoebe was up to.
"What..." He couldn’t even get the words out when he spotted Jude through the kitchen window. She was listening intently as Phoebe explained how to prepare some kind of potion for her daughter. Phoebe had mentioned this to him before, so he knew what they were working on.
Jude was completely absorbed in the lesson, and the strong smell from whatever they were brewing must have masked his scent. She couldn’t detect that he was nearby.
So he could watch her, but she had no idea he was there.
For a moment, he was completely captivated by his mate. She was stunning - the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Every movement she made was graceful, even the way she stirred that potion.
"God, I must be losing it..." He rubbed his face roughly and moved closer to the window for a better view.
When he got closer, he could hear her voice. It was gorgeous - he could listen to that sound forever. It might just be his new favorite thing in this world.
When Jude smiled, he found himself grinning too. It was infectious. It took him way too long to realize Phoebe was staring at him with raised eyebrows and a smirk. He wrinkled his nose at her. He knew he’d walked straight into her trap, but if Jude was the bait, he’d gladly take it.
It was even longer before he noticed the little girl clinging to Jude’s legs. That had to be Harlow, Jude’s daughter - the child she’d had as a teenager after something horrible happened to her.
His heart nearly stopped when the little girl spotted him. Their eyes locked, and she blinked with complete innocence. Her eyes were exactly like Jude’s - it felt like Jude herself was looking at him, and he had no clue what to do.
Hell, he could plan military campaigns and face down every alpha in this kingdom, ready to fight them to the death, but he couldn’t handle being stared at by a young child? He was definitely losing his mind.
Instinctively, he pressed a finger to his lips, silently telling her to stay quiet.
He hadn’t noticed Harlow at first because she’d been hidden under the table. The table was exactly her height, so unless she was on her tiptoes like she had been, he couldn’t see her.
Now the little girl vanished from view as she stopped stretching up, and he wasn’t sure where she’d gone. But from what he could tell, she hadn’t alerted anyone to his presence, which was good.
So he went back to watching Jude. The first time he’d seen her, he hadn’t gotten a clear look because she’d bolted the moment he got close. But now he could stare at her to his heart’s content - though he didn’t think it would ever be enough unless he could hold her in his arms.
Suddenly, he felt something tugging at his pants. When he looked down, Harlow was standing right next to him, pulling on his clothes and staring up at him with those huge eyes. She looked curious.
"Wh-what?" he stammered, caught off guard by this little girl appearing out of nowhere. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" she echoed his words, tilting her head in a way that was annoyingly cute.
"I’m not doing anything." He frowned. He wasn’t sure how he felt about this kid, but surprisingly, he didn’t hate her like he thought he would.
No... He didn’t even dislike her.
"Don’t copy me," he said with a scowl.
"Don’t copy me," Harlow repeated.
