Chapter 56: Constantly Tested
Gareth flinched as the back of his hair rose at the sudden chill crawling up his spine. Looking up from the book he was reading closely, his brows knitted.
"What is that?" he wondered to himself, his heart thudding as he sensed danger close by.
For a second, he stayed silent and watched his breathing, eyes on the library door just in case he needed to make a run for it. It was his instinct screaming at him, and having lived in a toxic environment, it was a defense mechanism he didn’t think he would get rid of anytime soon. When no one came, he let out a shallow breath and gulped.
"What’s going on?" he wondered, closing the book as he picked himself up to leave. "I feel like something bad was about to happen. I wonder what it was?"
Not just Gareth, but everyone in the manor who had felt Minnie and Severin’s brief collision of power was alerted.
Even Evander, who was quietly praying in the prayer room, paused and slowly opened his eyes. His brows crinkled, his ears twitching. Without a word, he said his closing prayers abruptly before departing the prayer room to see what was happening.
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*
Meanwhile, Severin slowly lowered his raised arm and narrowed his eyes at the big black wolf several meters away from him. His lashes fluttered ever so slightly as he tilted his head, studying the she-wolf.
Minnie, in her wolf form, growled lowly as she peered at the vampire several meters from her. Every part of her itched to maul a vampire like him. However, just now, when she lunged at him, she had actually backed away mid-assault as she sensed danger.
Quite faster than she expected.
Had she not backed away, someone would’ve bled — her.
How did this vile thing manage to get in here? she wondered while imagining how to bite his head off. Surely, everyone wouldn’t just leave Lizzie alone.
Her eyes glinted, the force on her paws creating cracks on the ground she stood on. But before she could attack, someone suddenly appeared between them.
Huh?
Minnie narrowed her eyes at the man standing in the middle. Long white hair tied into a low ponytail, a black suit with a distinctive white collar like that of a priest, and a pair of olive-green eyes.
And this is...?
"Please, do not attack him," Evander spoke calmly, facing Minnie as he sensed the animosity coming from her. "This is Luna’s ground. So, refrain from resorting to violence no matter what."
Minnie tilted her wolf’s head, confused. In her head, she was thinking—since when did the no-violence rule start?
"Moreover, there’s another offense for attacking a member of the harem," Evander added. "So, I advise you to stop this fight. Otherwise, I would be the one subduing you."
She mentally snorted, but the moment she caught a glimpse of the white aura wrapping Evander, Minnie found herself stepping back. Lynsandra was her Luna, and she had sworn to live and die for her money. And since Lynsandra had dominated her before, forcing her to her knees, Minnie wouldn’t back down to any other wolf from other packs, even if they were Alphas.
Unless, of course, the one standing before her had equal standing to Lynsandra or more, like the Alpha King.
And Evander, right here, was enough to make her step back, though it didn’t completely demoralize her.
He would be a problem, she told herself, shifting her gaze to the vampire standing several meters behind Evander. A member of the harem? Him? How come Lynsandra hadn’t mentioned that?
Then she moved her gaze back to Evander, sizing him up and down.
Is he also part of the harem? A priest?
Minnie almost laughed as she stepped back, then quietly turned and walked away. But she didn’t go somewhere else. She walked back to where she had come from.
Cassian blinked repeatedly when he saw the black wolf approaching him.
"Uh oh," he blurted out, stepping back, thinking Minnie’s path was toward the entrance near him. But much to his dismay, when Minnie stopped beside him, she didn’t move.
"What?" he whispered without thinking, only for her to nudge his back. "Huh?"
Confused and startled, Cassian turned slightly, only for Minnie to bite the hem of his shirt and drag him away.
"Hey! What are you—hey!" Cassian turned toward Evander and Severin, who were simply watching. "Help! She’s taking me with her! I don’t know her!"
But neither the priest nor the vampire took action, as they didn’t sense any malice in Minnie’s actions. If anything, it confused them as well.
"Why is she dragging Cassian with her?" Evander wondered quietly. "Do they know each other?"
Cassian had said it himself—that he didn’t—and it seemed he truly meant it. Not dwelling on it, Evander turned toward Severin.
"Are you alright?" the priest asked as he approached Severin, picking up a piece of bread the latter had dropped. When he handed it to him, he smiled. "That must have surprised you."
"..."
Severin simply stared at him with indifference. He took the bread quietly and turned in the direction he had originally been heading. But after a few steps, he paused when Evander spoke again.
"This may sound annoying to you, but the church doesn’t choose the people who go to it," Evander remarked, eyeing Severin’s back. "If you’d like, you may also join Cassian... for some activity."
Evander trailed off when Severin resumed walking, clearly uninterested. A shallow breath escaped him as he shook his head, then glanced up at the sky.
"Every day, I find my faith constantly tested in this place," he whispered.
Evander then shifted his gaze to where Minnie and Cassian had gone.
His brows twitched as he sensed another pair of eyes watching. Following the feeling, he looked up to a second-floor window where Gareth stood.
Evander offered him a smile, only to see Gareth panic and immediately duck away from the window.
Once more, Evander sighed heavily.
"...Did I startle him?"
