Chapter 29: Was that flattery?
The door clicked behind Lynsandra the moment she closed it. Turning back to it, the corners of her lips curled in amusement.
"Gary Stone," she whispered as she walked off quietly. "Was it you?"
With every step, her mind replayed Gareth’s reaction — how flustered he looked when she teased him about the erotica section in the library. How easily he flinched and squealed, something she found far too amusing.
"He’s like a little pup," she murmured, her eyelids drooping slightly. "He reminds me... of me."
That was right, she realized. That was why Lynsandra was both curious and amused by him.
Only now did she truly see it — Gareth was like the Lynsandra she used to be. The Lynsandra who had tried to break free from everyone’s expectations. From the moment she could understand the world, she had known that no matter how hard she struggled, her worth would always be reduced to one thing:
To be the Luna of the Alpha King.
Someone meant to stand behind her husband and support him while he ruled.
Lynsandra shoved the thought to the back of her mind and returned to the matter at hand.
"Was it him?"
Was Gareth her potential mate?
There was only one reason she had thought of Gareth first. He was the only one in the harem who had never tried to gain her attention. If she had to put it into words, he was one of the few who wasn’t truly playing the game.
And until now, it remained a mystery to her why someone like Gareth would enter her harem at all.
It didn’t seem like he was here for the title of Alpha King.
The more she thought about Gareth and observed him, the more convinced she became that whatever he wanted was different from the others. And that intrigued her.
"If it’s him... then I’m not surprised that he didn’t..." she trailed off as she reached the stairs, her steps slowing as her thoughts continued.
...mark me.
If the Alpha King wasn’t his goal, then there was no reason for him to do so. And yet, he hadn’t rejected her either.
On top of that, the mating bond was faint. That could be because Gareth was a beta while she was a She-Alpha. Lynsandra wasn’t well-versed in such matters, so all she could do was speculate.
That aside, there was also someone else on her mind.
Her lashes fluttered as her gaze fell on the stair landing, where a man had come to a halt.
August Benedict.
Unlike Gareth, August was an Alpha. He could withstand her curse. Or rather, he could have eased her pain by taking a portion of it himself. One of the reasons Lynsandra couldn’t immediately suspect Gareth was that he wouldn’t even be able to walk afterward, let alone return to the mansion, if he had taken on part of her pain.
August held her gaze in silence as she resumed her steps. Each movement she made was careful and deliberate, and he couldn’t help but notice how elegant she looked — even while simply descending the stairs.
Stepping away from the railing, he lowered his head slightly.
Lynsandra walked past him with a smirk, then stopped.
"Doesn’t it hurt your pride?" she asked, slowly turning her head to look at him. "An Alpha like you should only bow to the Alpha King. Yet I’ve noticed you lower your head far too often in my presence."
He chuckled lowly, lifting his gaze to meet hers. "Is there anything wrong with bowing to the next Alpha King?"
"Was that flattery?"
"If stating facts counts as flattery," he replied smoothly, "then allow me to state a few more, Luna."
Lynsandra let out a short chuckle, holding his gaze as his never wavered. She raised her brows briefly and shrugged before turning to continue on her way. But just before she took another step, she spoke again.
"August."
His brow arched, eyes still on her.
She smiled faintly as she looked back at him. "Would you like to have tea with me?"
Slowly, the corners of his lips lifted, his eyes narrowing with amusement. "It would be my pleasure."
"As it should," she hummed as she resumed walking. "Do not bore me."
*****
Severin sat on a stool by the window, working on the canvas he had been painting ever since Lynsandra spent her first night with him. His fingers were smudged with charcoal, each movement delicate and precise.
When Severin worked, he was rarely distracted. But this time, his hand stilled without warning as something caught his attention from the corner of his eye.
He turned toward the window and slowly rose to his feet. Standing beside it, he watched two figures walking toward the pavilion.
Lynsandra... with August.
Severin’s eyes narrowed as he observed them, their conversation seemingly casual. His gaze shifted toward their destination, the pavilion where Lynsandra usually had her tea alone.
His jaw clenched, eyes glinting sharply.
He knew she had been drawn to Gareth lately. But Gareth was different from August.
"He... is dangerous," Severin murmured, a strange sensation crawling beneath his skin.
Not because he believed August would harm Lynsandra, but because if there was anyone in the harem Severin watched closely, it was the Alpha of the West Silver Claw Pack.
After a moment’s thought, Severin turned away from the window and headed down the hall, clearly intending to follow them. But his steps halted when he spotted Cassian dragging himself across the mezzanine.
"Ugh... why is my Lizzie missing again..." Cassian muttered, the tips of his ears twitching. When he turned and saw Severin, his face twisted. "Gee. The mosquito."
Half-breed or not, Cassian’s instinctive aversion toward vampires was strong. He covered his nose with the back of his hand, turned away, and was about to rush into his room when Severin spoke.
"Lynsandra."
That single word stopped Cassian in his tracks.
Slowly, he turned back, brows furrowing.
"You want to know where she is?" Severin asked flatly. "She’s at the pavilion. And just now, I saw August Benedict join her."
"What?!" Cassian’s face twisted even further. "That guy — I knew it! He’s just as sneaky as that white lotus Gary! How dare he!"
Snorting, nostrils flaring, Cassian spun on his heel and charged down the stairs.
Severin watched him go.
Then, slowly, the corners of his lips curled into a smirk.
