Page 5 of Cruel Alpha: Season Two

Cas and I lock eyes. I sit upright in bed, feeling my heart thunder as he doubles back to grab his pants from the chair pushed underneath my vanity. Before this moment, I hadn’t realized how on edge I am. We haven’t discussed Elizabeth or the incident from this afternoon, but speaking for myself, I’m no longer sure who’s trustworthy. And judging by the look of grave concern on Cas’s face as he zips his pants and stalks toward the door, he’s had similar thoughts.

He passes a look my way, then holds one finger to his lips. I nod and pull the sheet higher to cover my breasts, agreeing not to move, not to make a sound. Then, as I swallow the lump in my throat, he opens the door.

Soft light floods in from the hallway, brightening a thin sliver of his skin, and I note how his posture changes—the muscles in his arms and chest becoming more rigid. As if he’s suddenly defensive.

“Yes?” he answers, sounding regal and confident despite having been caught off guard in the middle of the night.

“Creed said I might find you here,” a deep voice says from across the threshold. “We need to talk.”

“It’s late. Can’t it wait ‘til morning?”

“If this could’ve been put off, trust me, I wouldn’t be standing here. Unfortunately, there’s a rather urgent matter to discuss, and time is of the essence.”

I now recognize the voice as Dimitri’s, but there’s a subtle gravity to it that isn’t always there. The sound of it twists my stomach in knots, and just like that, the atmosphere has shifted.

He has yet to disclose the details of this pressing matter, but something tells me an already turbulent evening is about to go from bad to far,farworse.

3

Twice in One Night

Caspian

As Dimitriand I glare at one another from across the threshold, it’s hard to decide whether I’m more annoyed or angry that he’s disturbed us.

Annalise has been through hell today. The entire estate knows this, so the leastanyonecould do is give us a bit of privacy, a chance to rest. Yet, as I live and breathe, my brother decided that whatever has him worked up at such a late hour needs to be shared.

A frustrated sigh leaves me when I purposely don’t cast a look in Annalise’s direction as I step out into the hallway, closing the door behind me.

“What is it?”

Dimitri arches a brow, then nods toward the bedroom. “Not here,” he says. “Someplace a bit more private.”

It’s no secret he’s not exactly fond of Annalise, and his concern for her overhearing our conversation is clear.

“She’s asleep. We’re free to talk.”

I’m careful to keep my expression muted, hiding the fact that I’ve just lied to my brother’s face. However, it’s quite unlikely Annalise will hear anything through the solid, wooden door. Still, Dimitri hesitates before speaking.

“I concluded my interrogation of Geneva and Mitchel Lark twenty minutes ago. They claim they had no involvement in the incident and that they had no knowledge of Elizabeth’s plan. According to Geneva, Elizabeth had a solid upbringing, was taught to respect the High Chamber, and she was an excellent student. Once she left for finishing school, there was only minimal contact. And when they did reach out, Elizabeth’s conversation was always limited.”

I rub my hand across my chin while I think, drawing an imaginary line that runs through Elizabeth’s life—from the time she lived under the care of her parents, to attending finishing school, and finally arriving on my doorstep. Bringing her here had been an act of kindness, a peace offering toward Annalise because I’d been such a brute. I was desperate for her to see that I wasn’t quite the monster she pegged me to be, but the gesture turned into a nightmare.

A nightmare currently on the run after having tried to assassinate the one woman I’d walk through hellfire to save.

“So, whoever got to her, whoever convinced her to take part in the attack, likely has some sort of connection to the finishing school.”

Dimitri sighs and shrugs. “It’s possible.”

“Put someone on it. Nothing too obvious or heavy-handed. Background checks for the staff as well as everyone in Elizabeth and Winifred’s graduating class. If they shared their sleeping quarters with other girls, if they had friends outside the facility, we need to know about it. Report back as soon as you have answers.”

I turn, intent on returning to Annalise’s side when Dimitri’s voice halts me.

“Done and done,” he says. “Those steps were covered before we broughtanyof the girls here. It was all standard procedure to ensure the safety of the High Chamber.”

The irony of those words is hard to ignore. And the news Dimitri has just shared means that, if there were any red flags with any of Annalise’s maidens, we’d already know about it.

Which also means, this seems to be yet another dead end.

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