CHAPTER 29: SOMEONE TRIES TO TEST HIM

At the dinner table, Leia simply stared at the array of dishes laid before her. The room was quiet, and she was the only one present in the grand dining hall. Despite the delicious aroma of saffron and smoked paprika in the air, her appetite remained elusive. Ronan, who had promised to join her for dinner, was nowhere in sight. Neither were the other two brothers.

Just as she was about to push her chair back, a warm hand landed gently on her shoulder.

"Take a seat," came Kieran’s voice from behind as he pulled out the chair beside her.

She turned slightly and saw Ronan and Lucien entering the dining hall as well. Relief flickered across her face, and a radiant smile bloomed on her lips as she finally sat down.

"I thought none of you were coming," Leia said softly.

"We were hungry," Kieran replied with a faint smirk, setting a steaming bowl of saffron paella in front of her. The golden rice shimmered under the light, studded with tender chicken and spicy chorizo. Beside it, he ladled another serving, this one rich with plump shrimp and mussels, glistening from a drizzle of olive oil and lemon.

"Eat," he added, handing her a spoon with gentle insistence.

Leia gave a small laugh and finally took a bite, the flavors melting on her tongue. Her gaze drifted to Lucien, who sat at the far end with a half-full glass of deep red Rioja wine in hand.

"Shouldn’t you eat first?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Then, glancing toward Ronan, she added, "And you, did you plan to stand me up after all?"

"I don’t lie," Ronan replied as he took his seat beside her.

Kieran raised a brow in amusement. "You two on speaking terms now?"

"We never really weren’t," Leia said, reaching casually for the wine bottle near Lucien. "Things were surely tense in the beginning. But we haven’t argued after that day."

Before she could pour herself a glass, Lucien swiftly intercepted, wrapping his fingers around the neck of the bottle.

"You’re not drinking that," he said firmly, his red eyes meeting hers. "It’s stronger than it looks, and I don’t want you wandering tipsy around the mansion."

Leia blinked, surprised by his sudden protectiveness. "I can handle a glass."

"No, you can’t. You can’t handle the liquor well," Lucien refused.

"Eh? How do you even know that?" Leia narrowed her eyes at Lucien, suspicion flickering across her face.

"I know a lot about you," Lucien replied smoothly, his gaze locked onto hers as he took a slow sip from his glass.

Kieran noticed the way Lucien spoke as if Leia already belonged to him. That subtle claim bothered Kieran more than he cared to admit, but he said nothing.

"Kieran," Leia said, setting her spoon down gently, "are you also helping Lucien in the war effort?"

"No," Kieran replied. "I had an urgent meeting to attend. I had to leave early, sorry I didn’t tell you."

Leia nodded, accepting his explanation. "Lucien’s agreed to let me work with you," she added. "You can assign me any office work you need help with."

Lucien cut in. "We’re having dinner. Let’s not bring work to the table."

Leia rolled her eyes. "You’re so boring," she muttered under her breath, then added with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "When your grandmother gets here, I’m going to make sure she gives you a proper scolding."

Lucien raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Grandma adores him the most," Ronan said with a shrug. "She might scold you, but never him."

"What?" Leia frowned. She dropped her gaze to her plate and focused on eating, choosing not to argue. The warmth she had felt moments ago now flickered out like a dying flame.

She quietly finished her meal, set her spoon down, and rose from the table.

"I’ll head out first. You three enjoy the rest of your evening," she said curtly, not waiting for a response as she turned and walked away from the dining hall.

But instead of returning to her room, Leia stepped out into the cool night air, letting the garden’s stillness calm her restless thoughts. Moonlight spilled across the stone path, silvering the dew-drenched grass.

"Zei," she murmured inwardly, reaching out to the presence that always brought her a strange sense of peace. "Do you want to go for a run?"

"Why not?" her wolf answered with eager energy pulsing through her veins.

"But we can’t run too far," Leia said softly. "And what about the clothes? I really don’t want anyone seeing me naked again."

"Then let’s run when no one’s around," Zei suggested playfully. "Preferably when the three brothers are out of the mansion."

Leia let out a faint chuckle. "Maybe tomorrow," she murmured.

She wandered deeper into the garden. Reaching out, she gently brushed her fingers over the delicate petals of the flowers.

’Delia betrayed me again,’ she thought. ’Ronan said I shouldn’t have trusted a witch... and maybe he was right. But why did she do it again? Why did she have to tell another pack’s alpha about me? I never did any wrong with her.’

"You were supposed to be in bed, Leia."

Kieran’s voice cut through, halting her wandering thoughts. She turned and saw him approaching her.

"I wasn’t sleepy," Leia replied softly, folding her arms across her chest. "Besides... I can’t really go out anymore, can I? More and more people are starting to find out who I am."

Kieran stopped a few steps away. "You’re free to go wherever you want, Leia. Just because they know who you are doesn’t mean they can touch you. Lucien’s name is enough to terrify the alphas from the other packs. Did you not see that he even decided to wage a war? That is what he does when someone tries to test him."

"Yeah, I saw that. Lucien is persistent to destroy that pack and their alpha," Leia murmured. A strange feeling occupied her heart. "No one ever has gone to such lengths for me like Lucien did."