The Alpha's Silent Bride: Seventh Time's The Charm novel Chapter 111

Chapter 111: 111: An attack

~ RONAN ~

I can’t fucking sleep. Even with Roselle curled against me, sleeping peacefully with her body tucked close to mine, the Lycan’s words keep reverberating through my head.

The Alpha is closer than you think.

I’ve replayed those words so many times tonight that they’re practically carved into my fucking brain.

My head is buzzing with thoughts, and at this point, I already know this is going to be another endless night without sleep.

Careful not to wake Roselle, I slowly untangle myself from her arms and slip out of bed. I glance back at her for a moment, making sure she’s still asleep, before quietly making my way into my study.

I lower myself into the chair behind my desk and stare at the files scattered across it, trying to connect every possible dot. If the Lycan was telling the truth, then whoever is behind all of this isn’t some distant enemy hiding beyond Blackshadow’s borders. They’re close enough to watch us, understand our movements, and apparently have people working right under my fucking nose.

On one hand, there’s Ethan.

I already know the bastard is plotting something. Mom’s warning about him approaching the Council and presenting himself as a better candidate for Alpha only confirms that he’s making moves behind my back. What I don’t know is how far those plans go or whether any of this shit with the Lycans is connected to him.

And if it is, who the fuck is he working with?

Earlier tonight, I had Nikolai pull every record we could find on Ethan, including who he’d been seen with, who he’d contacted, where he’d been going, and anyone he’d interacted with frequently enough to raise suspicion. If there’s even the smallest connection between Ethan and whoever helped that Lycan escape, I intend to fucking find it.

Sometimes, I genuinely feel sorry for Nikolai.

The poor bastard probably thought becoming Beta meant power, respect, and standing beside his Alpha in battle. Nobody warned him that it also meant whenever I couldn’t sleep, apparently neither could he.

One of the many benefits of being my second-in-command. I’m sure he’s fucking thrilled.

By morning, the missing piece is still exactly that, missing, and it’s starting to piss me the fuck off.

I’ve never had to solve a puzzle this complicated before. Every lead seems to end in another dead end, and every person I consider somehow gives me another reason to cross their name off the fucking list.

I spent most of the night going through everyone who has had access to our room recently. Irina occasionally goes in there to treat Roselle, but that’s usually where it ends. She comes in, does whatever medical shit needs to be done, and leaves. Nothing about her movements has ever given me a reason to question her.

Then there’s Celeste. She’s Roselle’s friend, and her loyalty has always been sworn to Blackshadow. I find it difficult to believe she’d risk betraying the pack by helping a Lycan escape, especially when she has no apparent reason to do it.

That leaves the pack maids, and I spent an ungodly number of hours going through security footage and tracking their movements from yesterday. I watched them enter our room, leave, move through the halls, and return to their usual duties, looking for even the slightest thing that might seem suspicious.

Nothing. Not a fucking thing.

I’m still staring at the records scattered across my desk when Nikolai’s voice suddenly tears through the mind-link.

"Alpha, there’s an attack at the border."

My head snaps up, but surprise is the last thing I feel. Instead, a slow smile pulls at the corner of my mouth.

Fucking finally.

I’d anticipated this move from the moment we realized the Lycan had escaped. If he was still working with whoever sent him into Blackshadow in the first place, then his escape wasn’t going to be the end of it. It was only a matter of time before he either tried to leave our territory or regrouped with his people and made another move against us.

Which is exactly why I’d quietly doubled the patrols along every border during the night.

"Which border?" I ask Nikolai as I rise from my chair,

"Northwestern. They’re already engaging our warriors."

I grab my jacket and head for the door, adrenaline already surging through my veins.

I’d expected them to attack again, but apparently I’d given the Lycans far too much credit by assuming they’d take their time and come up with something less fucking predictable. The bastard escaped only last night, and now they’re already making a move at one of my borders.

Either they’re incredibly confident... Or incredibly fucking stupid. Anyways, I’m about to find out which one.

I rummage through my arsenal, pulling out several vials of the neutralizer we’ve discovered can temporarily sedate Lycans. After preparing the doses, I carefully coat the tips of several arrows with the solution before securing them inside the quiver.

Once everything is ready, I head back into the bedroom and walk straight toward Roselle. She’s still curled beneath the covers, completely unaware of the chaos beginning outside, and for a brief second, I hate that I’m about to drag her into it.

I place a hand on her shoulder and gently shake her awake. "Hey, wake up. We’re under attack, and I need to teach you a few basic things before I leave."

Her eyes flutter open, still heavy and glassy with sleep as they meet mine. Confusion immediately creases her forehead, and she stares at me for several seconds as though she’s trying to figure out whether she heard me correctly.

Then the weight of my words finally seems to register.

A faint smirk pulls at my lips despite the urgency of the situation. "Roselle, the arrow isn’t loaded. I need you to stop looking at the bow like it’s going to bite you and learn how to aim under pressure."

Her shoulders relax slightly, although she still looks at me as if I’ve completely lost my mind.

I tap the side of my neck and hold her gaze. "Right here. Don’t look at anything else. Focus on your target, trust your instincts, and aim."

She slowly raises the bow, her hands trembling slightly as she lines it up with me.

"That’s it," I murmur, watching her carefully. "Don’t overthink it. Trust yourself."

"I’m still trying to figure out why I just got dragged out of bed and handed a bow," she mutters, struggling to position her fingers correctly. "I mean, who wakes someone up and immediately asks them to shoot an arrow? Normal people say good morning first, Ronan, and maybe—"

"Shoot it!"

My command cuts straight through her rambling, and instinctively, her fingers release the string.

The arrow flies toward me.

Straight for my fucking neck.

My hand snaps up at the last possible second, my Alpha senses reacting fast enough for my fingers to close around the shaft mere inches from my throat. Roselle’s eyes widen in horror as she stares at the arrow in my hand, looking like she’s only now realizing she actually fired the damn thing at me.

"Oh my Goddess!" she gasps, lowering the bow immediately. "You told me to shoot you!"

"And you listened," I reply, unable to stop the satisfied smirk pulling at my lips. "Good."

She stares at me as if I’ve completely lost my mind. "You’re insane."

"Probably." I toss the arrow aside and walk toward her. "But you hesitated before you fired, and against a Lycan, that hesitation could cost you. You’ll need speed, Roselle. If something comes at you, you don’t stand there questioning yourself. You react."

Her expression grows more serious as she nods, and I take the bow from her hands before pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. "That’s enough for now. Stay close to Beau and Garrett, listen to whatever they tell you, and don’t try to be a fucking hero."

She raises a brow. "Says the man about to run directly toward an army of Lycans."

I pause. Fair fucking point.