Chapter 5 New Guards

“Why not?” Aurora met his gaze, suppressing the anger rising in her chest. She was so close to the first victory of her revenge and she couldn’t let the smug man ruin it.

“I have other plans for Baker,” Nicholas said with a tone that left no room for negotiation. “I already arranged for Chloe Brooks for your security. She is on her way to the capital. She is the strongest female warrior, an alpha’s daughter. You have my word that nothing will happen to you with her as your security guard.” 

“Chole is an excellent choice,” Philip clapped his hands. “She is fearless in battle. She bested Baker in several contests.”

Aurora pursed her lips. She had imagined there would be opposition regarding the guard arrangement. She had thought it would be from the Queen. But Prince Nicholas proved to be more troublesome than she originally thought. Luckily, she had learned to prepare for the worst.  The message should be delivered to the healer’s center now. 

As if responding to her thought, the door to her ward burst open with a loud bang. A healer rushed in with his face as white as a sheet. 

“Prince Nicholas, we found this on the wall in our center,” he handed out his phone to the alpha. 

Nicholas grabbed the phone. His facial expression changed, followed by a deep guttural snarl. 

“What is it?” Philip neared Nicholas and peered into the screen. His face turned white as well. 

An undetectable smile flashed across Aurora’s face. She knew what they were looking at was 

letters dripping blood on the wall saying “We will come for you, Aurora Coleman”. Her pack members didn’t disappoint her. 

Nonetheless, she pretended she knew nothing about it. “What are you looking at?” she asked concernedly.  

“Someone…someone wants your life,” the healer said, earning warning glares from the two princes. 

“What?” Aurora choked. “Rogues. It must be the rogues,” she exclaimed. 

With his golden eyes glazing over, Nicholas mind-linked his subordinates to have a thorough search of the center for anything that was out of the ordinary. 

“What do the rogues want from you?” Philip asked in a baffling voice. 

“I may be deemed as weak and useless since I don’t have a wolf. But my father holds the most important fort in the Northwest that could help resist the attacks from the rogues and the packs that have been vying for the land in the South. My father may not love me, but If I’m dead in the South, the rebel packs probably could win him over,” Aurora said carefully. 

“We must protect Aurora, Nicholas. We won’t win if the rebel packs in the North and West join forces with rogues.” Philip squeezed Aurora’ hand gently to soothe her. 

Nicholas narrowed his eyes at the hand-squeezing gesture. Since when did they become intimate? They weren’t even speaking to each other on their wedding day. An emotion he wasn’t familiar with swelled in his chest, making him want to punch Philip’s face. His wolf was quick on board with the idea. 

“Can I have Baker as my guard? I think it is in everyone’s best interest.” Aurora looked up at Nicholas who seemed to have the final say in the matter. 

Nicholas locked eyes with Aurora. He felt conflicted about Baker being her guard. Baker was truly the best among the warriors. But he was also the only clue Nicholas had regarding the whereabouts of his mother’s former maid Anna. He knew the true master of Baker was the Queen. That made him dangerous. 

He also had a gut feeling the attack wasn’t like what it looked. His instincts were always right. He just couldn’t figure out what was wrong. 

Nicholas made up his mind. He would have to make sure the warrior knew if anything happened to Aurora he was dead meat. And Chloe would serve as Aurora’s guard, too. 

Misreading Nicholas’ deep thoughts as hesitation, Aurora couldn’t help but plead with him, “Please?” 

She regretted it once the word came out of her mouth. She couldn’t believe she begged him. It was never in the Adkins’ blood to bow to other people. Her father would be ashamed of her if he knew. 

“Begging me, huh?” Nichloas’ lips curled into a smirk. 

Aurora’s face reddened at his reminder of their conversation on the first day they met. She glared at him.

Philip looked at them curiously. “Is there something I missed?” 

“No,” Aurora and Nicholas replied in unison. 

“You will have both Baker and Brooks as your guards,” Nicholas said firmly. 

“Fine,” Aurora compromised. Having two guards would make it more difficult to execute her plan, but it was better than having no chance to get close to William Baker.

“All right. Then it is settled. Aurora will have the two strongest guards,” Philip concluded. “She needs to rest. It’s time for us to go. The warrior squad will be stationed outside the ward, right, Nick?” 

“Yeah, I already mind-linked them. You go. I have some business here.” Nicholas said, his eyes still trained on Aurora’s reddened cheeks. 

Philip checked his watch. “You are not going to the Blacks for dinner? We are already late.” 

Nicholas snorted, “I have no interest in that snob’s family dinner.” 

The room fell into awkward silence after Philip left. Nicholas walked to Aurora and helped her recline on the pillows. 

“Here. You need to drink some water,” Nicholas handed her a cup. Aurora was indeed thirsty. She gulped down the clear liquid greedily. 

“Thank you. You should go to the dinner,” Aurora said, willing him to leave her alone. 

“I prefer here,” he said nonchalantly. 

Aurora stared at him and tensed at his words. Did he suspect the attack and was watching her? She made a mental note to be extra careful around him. 

Nicholas stared back at her with intensity. The kind of heated stare that would make any woman blush and squirm, but alas, it only made Aurora more suspicious that he had something on her. For the first time in her life, Aurora felt she met a true rival. 

Aurora was afraid dodging his gaze would send a wrong signal and increase his suspicion, so she tried to keep her eyes open. But she was too tired and her eyelids felt heavy. Without her knowing it, she fell asleep with a pair of heated golden eyes staring keenly at her.  

—-------

Two Days Later 

“Alpha.” The familiar feminine voice made Alexander squirm uneasily on his chair. 

“Do you know why you are here?” Nicholas looked up from the pile of files on his desk at Chloe Brooks’ greeting. 

“Yes, to serve Luna Aurora and protect her from any harm,” the blond girl answered with determination on her pretty face. She was the best female warrior Nicholas had trained. Smart, loyal, tough as nails. 

“Good. If one hair is missing from her, you will be held accountable. Understood?” Nicholas said. 

“You asshole, don’t be so harsh on her. People shed at least 50 hairs one day,” Alexander interjected. 

“Elder Alexander, I believe Alpha Nicholas intended it as an emphasis. Just in case you couldn’t read between lines,” Chloe retorted bitingly, shooting the Elder a dirty glare. 

It was amusing to watch quick-tongued Alexander being rendered speechless. You had to be awed at the power of the mate thing, Nicholas thought to himself. He had long given up on finding his mate. Not everyone was favored by the Moon Goddess. But oddly, Aurora’s face appeared in his head at the thought of the mate bond. He shook his head. 

“Alpha, I will guard Luna Aurora with my life. I swear in the name of The Crescent Pack I will keep her safe,” Chloe swore solemnly. Nicholas nodded in satisfaction. 

His Beta, Carson Miller, walked into the office with sagged shoulders. The defeated look on his face made Nicholas’ heart sink into his stomach. 

“Alpha, Anna was already dead when we found her in the Silver Claw Pack. She lived far away from the pack center so no one noticed her death,” Carson said. 

Sadness overwhelmed Nicholas after hearing the news. A month ago, a dagger William Baker showed off to his peers on the training field caught his attention. The dagger looked familiar. Nicholas asked for a close look which Baker eagerly obliged. Nicholas recognized it was exactly the one he made and gifted to Anna on her birthday 21 years ago. 

He was overtaken by joy and relief by then. The reappearance of the dagger probably meant Anna was alive. As the only one who was unaccounted for during the rogue attack that took his mother’s life, Anna probably knew something unknown to the public. 

To avoid arousing Baker’s suspicion, Carson invited him for a drink and asked him where he got the dagger. Drunk and not knowing what he was saying, Baker let it slip that he got it from a mission in Silver Claw Pack. Carson wasn’t able to get more information from him. 

Anna’s death cemented Nicholas’ belief that someone was behind his mother’s death. It wasn’t as simple as the rogue attack. It was quite easy to fabricate such an attack. 

What if the attack on Aurora was also fabricated? Nicholas brushed the thought away and focused on the matter at hand. 

Anna’s death also meant one thing. Someone knew that he was suspicious of the real cause of his mother’s death and that he was looking for Anna again after he ended his exile half a year ago. Before he could find her, they struck first to gain the advantage. 

Nicholas had no doubt it was the Luna Queen who was behind everything. She was the only one with a motive. His mother’s existence was a constant reminder to her that the Alpha King loved his mother more than her. 

But to topple a Queen, he needed substantial evidence. Right now, Baker was his only solid clue left. And now he was sure Baker killed Anna. The thought that the warrior was going to be Aurora’s guard unsettled him. From today on, he had to make sure Aurora was always under his watch.  

“I found traces that someone was living with Anna. After secret inquiries, I learned Anna was seeing a wolf who lost his mate. But the wolf called Jerry had been missing since the day Anna was killed. He must have witnessed her death,” Carson continued. 

“Find him at whatever cost,” Nicholas ordered. “Don’t touch Baker yet. We don’t want to alert the person behind him.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Carson bowed his head. 

“I’ll keep tabs on Baker, Alpha,” Chole said. Nicholas nodded. 

“What do we know about the rogue attack on Luna Aurora? I heard the rogues threaten her in broad daylight. Is it possible it is arranged by the evil witch? You know how she is disgusted at the union,” Alexander asked. He had a habit of referring to the queen as the evil witch. 

“I heard the Queen gifted her favorite ring to Scarlett Black yesterday. It says something,” Carson added. 

Nicholas’ eyes darkened at the suggestion. He wouldn’t let her mother’s tragedy happen again. But Nicholas was certain the Queen wouldn’t be so stupid to act just days after the wedding. 

He needed to talk with Aurora to get to the bottom of the attack.