Chapter 254: The trouble with too many pieces 1
ALDRIC
The drive back to Skollrend took longer than I expected. Mostly because I could not stop thinking about the crazy way Pauline has ended our conversation. The roads were empty at this hour. So it was just me and the occasional truck hauling goods to nowhere I cared about. My headlights cut through the darkness and lit up the white lines on the asphalt. They disappeared under my wheels one after another in an endless rhythm.
I replayed the conversation with Pauline in my head. Her confidence at the end bothered me. That certainty in her voice when she said nothing would be found. Like she had something up her sleeve I didn’t know about. Like she was holding cards she hadn’t shown me yet.
People who kept secrets from me didn’t last long in my service. I knew all too well that secrets were currency but I preferred to be the banker.
The gates of Skollrend appeared in the distance. Tall iron bars topped with decorative spikes. They swung open as my car approached. The sentinels on duty stepped forward. One of them raised a hand in greeting.
I rolled down my window.
"Alpha Aldric." The sentinel on the left dipped his head. He was young. Maybe twenty-five. His uniform was crisp and his posture was perfect. "Welcome back."
"Thomas." I nodded at him and then at the other sentinel. "Mark."
"Long night?" Mark asked. He had a scar on his cheek from some fight years ago.
"Aren’t they all?" I gave them a small smile. The kind that put people at ease. "You two staying warm out here?"
"Warm enough." Thomas grinned. "Coffee helps."
"Make sure you get some rest when your shift ends." I let the car roll forward slowly. "Can’t have my best sentinels falling asleep on the job."
They both laughed. Mark waved me through.
Useless imbeciles.
The drive up to the main estate was short. The deciduous trees lined both sides of the wide path. Their branches hung over the road and created a tunnel of shadows. My headlights swept across the front of the house. The stone facade looked gray in the predawn light. Most of the windows were dark. Which could not be good because it meant that Ronan was right about the things he said about Fia since everyone was asleep.
I parked the car and got out. The air was cold. It bit at my face and hands. Winter was coming quick. I pulled my coat tighter and walked toward the entrance. My breath came out in white puffs that disappeared almost as soon as they formed.
The front door was unlocked. I stepped inside and closed it behind me. The click of the latch echoed in the quiet foyer. My footsteps on the marble floor sounded too loud. I headed toward the stairs and climbed them two at a time.
The hallway on the second floor was dimmer than I remembered. A few of the lights had burned out. I’d have to tell someone to replace them. Details mattered. Small things like burned out bulbs sent messages. Messages about negligence and lack of attention.
I walked down the hall toward my room. The sentinel I’d stationed outside my door straightened when he saw me approaching. He was older than the ones at the gate. He had prominent smile lines around his eyes and mouth. And it was clear that this was someone who had been doing this job for some time now.
He bowed. A small dip that was just enough to show respect.
"Alpha Aldric."
"Thank you for your service." I stopped in front of him and pulled my keys from my pocket. "You can leave now."
"Oh. It is no problem at all Alpha Aldric. After all, I am simply doing my job." His voice was steady in that professional proud manner their kind usually had. Like there was much to be proud about being born into a life of servitude.
It was less self-respect than adaptation, a psychological adjustment to a system that offered no alternative but submission.
I looked at him. Really looked at him. He had dark circles under his eyes. His shoulders sagged just slightly and he made an active effort to make sure it was barely noticeable unless you were paying attention.
It still grinded my gears.
"Well, it’s almost morning already." I gestured down the hallway. "A few hours wouldn’t matter. Plus, you look like you need rest."
Would he take it or would that fucking pride of theirs that could only survive in rigid hierarchies like this, where obedience is reframed as virtue and survival is mistaken for purpose take over common sense?
His expression shifted just a fraction. It was surprise mixed with gratitude.
"Thank you, Alpha." He bowed again, deeper this time.
I turned to the door and slid the key into the lock. It turned smoothly. Just one click and the handle gave way under my hand.
I froze.
One click?
Not two?
I always locked my door twice. Always. It was habit. Muscle memory. I’d done it for so long I didn’t even think about it anymore. My hand just did it automatically.
I turned back to the sentinel. He’d taken a few steps away but stopped when I spoke.
"Wait."
He turned around. His eyebrows raised slightly.
"Did someone come in?" I kept my voice casual and light. Like I was just asking about the weather. But every bit it it was meant to come out as accusatory as it was.
"No." He shook his head. "I was here all day. I didn’t even take a break."
I studied his face. He looked sincere. His eyes met mine without flinching. There were no tells. Neither were there nervous twitches.
"Are you sure?" I tilted my head. "Perhaps my daughter Elara came by?"
"She did show up." He nodded. "But I assumed when the door was locked, it would be best she showed up when you were around. So I turned her on her way."
Hmm.