CHAPTER 155: SEPARATION OF LOVERS

Inez stiffened, and so did Selene. The two women turned sharply and looked at the guard who had spoken, and when they saw that the man was coming out of Inez’s lodge, their tension heightened even further.

Especially Inez, who clenched her fists so tightly that she nearly pierced through the skin of her palm. She could feel her heart jumping to her throat as all sorts of thoughts started to run through her head.

Maybe she should just make a run for it? But would she be able to run past these many shifters? Inez knew that she couldn’t. She, who was a latent, could never outrun these many shifters. So what was she going to do? Stay here and watch herself get caught? That was not something that Inez was willing to do.

However, just as she tried to turn on her feet, Killian squeezed her hand. Startled, she raised her head and looked at the man who very subtly shook his head.

’Stay put.’

She heard Killian’s voice in her head through the pack bond, and so did the rest of the pack, but they didn’t take it to heart, as they thought that Killian was only saying those words to them because he wanted them to stay steady.

Only Inez knew that the man wanted her to stay calm and keep her heart steady.

She pursed her lips, not understanding what Killian was trying to do by stopping her. Couldn’t he see that the guard was heading straight towards them? What if the man wanted to entrap and imprison her? However, her siren seemed to trust Killian, and somewhere, Inez did too.

So, even though her heart was about to burst with nervousness and worries, she was willing to trust him. With bated breath, she watched the man getting closer and closer, and as the guard was just a few feet away from her, she lowered her head. It happened instinctively as she feared being tackled to the ground.

However, the impact that she was waiting for never happened. The guard walked right past her and came to a stop in front of Noah, where he said to him, "We found the siren but..."

"But?" Noah prompted as he looked at the man impatiently. He said to him, "Go on and tell the truth. No one is going to say anything. I would like to see how anyone would put in an objection." As he spoke, he gave Killian a rather nasty look, which was enough to show that the two men had their differences, and these differences were substantial.

The guard lowered his head. Sucking in a breath, he said to Noah, "However, the siren was caught living outside the territory. It seems like she has been living there for a while now."

Noah’s face turned grim upon hearing the remark of the guard, and Inez knew why. The man had come prepared to send Killian to prison, but now that it was proven that Killian had never given shelter to the ’siren’ that they were looking for, his plans seemed to have been interrupted.

"It seems like you troubled us for no reason, Noah," Killian remarked with a slight push of his heels as he leaned forward.

The man stayed quiet for a while before saying in a clipped tone, "Nonetheless, the siren is near your territory. You should know about it, right?"

"Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I do not have the habit of poking my nose in the business of other people," remarked Killian while staring at Dominic, whose gaze turned slightly sinister when he heard the man’s remark. However, Killian didn’t seem to be bothered by it.

He looked at the man with a hint of calm before stating, "Now are we clear of the suspicion?"

"No. Not yet," responded Noah. "You might have cleared up your suspicion regarding the siren, but you are yet to explain the matter regarding the halfling. Whether she was a pure-blooded witch or not, it doesn’t matter. The fact that you killed her has hindered the investigation of the council."

"I apologize" Killian bowed his head as if he were genuinely sorry for what he had done. However, as he stood up straight, there was a witty smile on his lips. He said to Noah, "I really had no idea that the council was so dedicated to protecting the shifter and safeguarding our lives."

"The next time something like this happens, I will definitely make sure to send a message to the council and will wait for your prompt response, even if it takes a week or two, like always. Hmm?"

It would have been better if he hadn’t said anything. The second he finished speaking, Noah’s face turned even uglier. He gave Killian a very angry look and then turned to walk down the slope.

Inez watched him leave and heaved a sigh of relief. However, as she turned to look in the front, she noticed Dominic eyeing her with interest. There was something unfathomable in his eyes, which made Inez truly nervous. She immediately looked away without bothering to hold his gaze.

Sure, the man might think that she was a coward for doing that, but Inez couldn’t be bothered.

"Something the matter, Alpha Cherith?" Killian asked when he noticed the pointed gaze with which Dominic was looking at Inez.

Dominic turned his head slightly. His gaze flickered to Killian’s, who smiled at him, but his smile never reached his eyes.

"Nothing." Not wanting to ferment their rivalry even further, Dominic turned on his feet and headed after Noah.

Once the two men were gone along with their guards, Inez and Selene heaved a sigh of relief. The two women turned to look at one another and smiled subtly.

"Let’s follow them," remarked Morrineth, her eyes shining with a look that made it clear that she was eager for the gossip. If there was anything that the woman loved more than boasting about her daughter, who was no longer alive, it was gossip.

Thus, it was not a surprise that Morrineth chased after the council guards, hot on their trail, wanting to see who this siren was.