Chapter 20

Rae

Von's laughter broke through the silence and I clenched my fists. Nothing about this situation was funny.

I was trapped in a ditch, covered in dirt and bruises, and now I was being laughed at. I was fuming.

"Von, help me out of here," I demanded.

He folded his arms and tilted his head, smirking. "Since you love acting all high and mighty, get yourself out."

I scowled as he turned and started walking away, his footsteps crunching against the gravel.

My heart pounded. "Are you seriously going to leave your breeder out here?" I shouted after him.

Von didn't say a word. He kept walking, his figure disappearing into the growing darkness.

Panic started creeping in. "What if there's something dangerous down here?" I called out.

Von’s voice came back, dry and unconcerned. "Channel your inner wolf and kill it."

I groaned, my frustration reaching its peak. "Von, please!" My voice cracked slightly, my pride taking a hit.

Silence. I strained to hear his footsteps, but they had faded completely. Had he really left me here? My chest tightened. Just as I was about to yell again, I heard him moving closer.

I noticed his face appeared above me, and he had a smug look on it. "Do you promise to behave yourself?"

I nodded quickly. "Yes."

Von cupped a hand around his ear. "I can't hear you."

"I promise to behave myself from now on," I muttered through gritted teeth.

He grinned, clearly enjoying this far too much. Then, without another word, he reached down and pulled me up effortlessly.

As soon as I was standing, I shot him a glare.

"Careful," he mused. "Want to go back down there?"

I quickly shook my head, forcing a neutral expression, but inside, I was screaming. I wanted to bite his head off.

Von stretched his arms and glanced toward the distant palace. "We should start walking. The palace isn’t far."

I followed him silently, still fuming but knowing better than to argue. The walk was long, and the tension between us still existed, but I focused on the sound of my footsteps rather than the man beside me.

When we reached the palace gate, one of Von’s men stepped forward and saluted. "Your Highness, you have a visitor. An urgent one."

Von frowned. "Who?"

"It’s your friend, and he’s badly injured."

Von's entire demeanor shifted. His usual arrogance disappeared, replaced by a rare look of concern. Without hesitation, he rushed inside, leaving me behind.

"Go to your room," he called over his shoulder.

I hesitated, curiosity growing in me.

He was usually so cold and detached—what kind of person could make him react like that?

Ignoring his order, I followed him, keeping my distance. I peeked into the living room and froze.

A man lay on the couch, his body covered in bruises and cuts. His dark hair was matted with blood, and his breathing was shallow. My heart pounded as I realized I had seen him before—the night Von took me to that building.

Von crouched beside him. "Landon, what happened?"

Landon winced, shifting slightly. "I was attacked… in my own home."

Von’s jaw tightened. "Rogues?"

Landon shook his head. "No."

"Then who?"

"I don’t know." Landon exhaled shakily. "But they beat me up and warned me that they’d be back. They won’t stop until I’m dead."

Von's eyes darkened, and for the first time, I saw something unfamiliar on his face—compassion.

"You can't go back there," Von said firmly. "You’ll stay here until we figure out who’s behind this."

Landon opened his mouth to argue, but Von silenced him with a look. "No. I won’t let you be alone in this. My guards will prepare a room for you."

I watched from the shadows, stunned. Von had always seemed heartless. Yet here he was, taking in an injured friend without hesitation, vowing to protect him.

Something about it unsettled me. Maybe it was because I wasn’t used to him being nice. He was always acting uptight when it came to me.

As Von turned to leave, I quickly slipped away and hurried back to my room.

***

The next morning, I woke early, stretching out my sore limbs. As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I noticed the door to my room was slightly ajar.

Frowning, I assumed Anna had come in to clean. "Anna?" I called softly. No response.

I swung my legs over the bed and stood, stepping cautiously toward the door. Something felt… off.

Stepping into the hallway, I heard voices—one of them unmistakably belonging to Landon.

My curiosity grew, and I quietly followed the sound, pressing myself against the wall when I reached the source.

Landon was on the phone. His voice was low but it was loud enough for me to hear.

"The first phase of the plan is complete," he said, in a menacing tone. "Von suspects nothing."

My breath caught in my throat.

There was a pause before he continued. "Soon, Von will be dead."

My heart pounded violently against my ribs. My fingers curled into my palms as my mind raced. Landon was plotting against Von?

A chill ran down my spine. I had to tell Von. But how would he react? Would he even believe me?

I took a shaky step back, but my foot scraped against the floor, making the faintest sound.

Landon’s head snapped up.

I turned and ran, my pulse thundering.

I didn’t stop until I reached my room, slamming the door behind me and pressing my back against it.

My mind was reeling. Von had just saved this man, given him shelter—and now that very same friend was planning to kill him.

I had to warn him.

But if Landon realized I had overheard him, then I was in danger too.

I sucked in a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. One thing was certain—if Von trusted Landon, he was walking straight into a trap.

And whether I liked it or not, I was the only one who could stop it but did I want to?