Page 53 of Silent Noise

CHAPTER 35

LORD HALE

As I hovered only a few steps away from my favoured host, I could see her pupils dilate in anger as fury bubbled and simmered just beneath the surface.

I knew her body well, knew what it was capable of and, right now, that pretty she-wolf didn’t stand a chance. It was also the primary reason I couldn’t let go. I needed her body to finish what I’d started. For now, I wouldn’t dare make my presence known. Not with so many eyes around. Also, I had to admit, I was quite enjoying the events as it unfolded between the two. A fight was imminent, and I had no doubt who would be walking away triumphant.

Taking in the dark-haired she-wolf, I scanned her over. Warrior probably. Strong, but not Alpha. Utterly foolish for even thinking she could take on my host.

White fur began spurting along the back of my host’s neck, her eyes turning a bright yellow. How delightful it was, seeing it from this angle. If I wanted to take her back, I would have to isolate her first. Get her somewhere alone, where I could take my sweet time invading every single cell of her body, inch by inch. Along with the thought, a giddy, warm sensation suddenly filled me. Was it excitement? How rare for an old being like myself to experience such emotions.

Just then, a man came sprinting around the corner, slamming into the opposite wall, bringing him to an abrupt halt. He was slightly pale around the lips, trembling with a light coat of sweat covering his brow. The age-old signs of panic. I knew it well.

The male took an audible, nervous inhale as his eyes landed on the two women standing face to face in the hall.

I studied him as he struggled to regain his footing, almost stumbling when he took his first step forward. His mouth hung open, panting breaths rushing in and out of him. Utterly pathetic for an Alpha.

With eyes darting from one woman to the next, he neared them, finally inching towards my former host, instead of the other female. Irksome.

“Lily, please,” he stuttered, eyes pleading, his hand outstretched. He didn’t spare a single glance at the dark-haired woman, whose eyes were burning into the side of his head as he approached my host.

I hovered closer, so close, she could almost feel me rubbing against her skin. She didn’t move, nor did she say anything to the male. Fire danced in her eyes, consuming all of the blue that once filled them.

“How could you?” She finally breathed, her eyes softening ever so slightly. Utter agony and hopelessness contorted the male’s face, but he didn’t back down.

“I can explain. Lily, please,” he pleaded, “just give me a chance.”

More and more fur spurted, travelling down her arms and legs, all the while she kept her eyes focused on the Alpha before her. So many unspoken things hung in the air between them that I could almost reach out and grab it. Her shifting had gone too far and she let go completely, falling onto the ground on all fours along with scraps of shredded material.

Her wolf, a magnificent pure white beast, stood in the hall, staring up at the male. He crouched down before her, studying the contours of her face, the lines of her jaw and ears. It didn’t look like he was breathing.

Behind him, the dark-haired woman gaped, “Raiden, Baby? Who is this?”

The Alpha’s muscles stiffened and his pupils dilated. He reached out a trembling hand, but the beautiful white wolf glanced over her shoulder at me and let out an agonising howl.

I slammed back against the wall. She’d looked right at me. Impossible.

The howl, however, echoed down the hall, ripping through my very core with its sweet agony. I let her sorrow fill every inch of me, and listened to it even as she bolted down the hall, disappearing around the first corner.

Her shredded clothes were lying scattered on the ground where she’d stood and the Alpha’s eyes remained fixed on them. For a few moments, no one moved, spoke or even breathed.

The dark-haired woman’s mouth was opening and closing, not a sound coming out. Eventually, she turned, walking away with the two servants trailing close behind.

Silently, the Alpha lowered himself to the ground, gathering pieces of her shredded clothing in his hands. He didn’t make a sound, didn’t even look up when another bulky male came sprinting around the corner. This guy I recognized, having marred his skin with my own claws mere days ago.

He stopped as he saw his Alpha on his knees, bundling pieces of shredded fabric together and pressing it to his chest. Lowering too, he helped, gathering the last of it and stuffing it into his pockets.

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