The Betrayal

Chapter Six

The scent of Damon still lingered in the air and I swiftly breathed it in, wanting to savor the smell. His smile replayed in my mind over and over again.

Samuel smiled at me from across the table. "You know he really does care for you, right?"

I sighed and gazed down at my plate. With my fork, I pushed around some of the fatty part of the meat. "I should get going back to the cabin. Valerio is probably waiting for me." I ignored his question, not wanting to admit my thoughts and feelings to him.

He stood and took my plate from me. "I know you don't want to talk about it now, but if you ever do, you can always talk to me."

I smiled softly up at him and nodded. Excusing myself from the room, I departed from the pack house and made my way down the dirt path. As I passed through the dimly lit grove, warrior wolves guarded the edges of the path and silently watched me. The dim glow of the moonflowers that snaked up the trees and along the path illuminated my way. Beams of moonlight shone through the crevices between the trees.

Walking further down the path, I noticed Luca whispering to the man and boy I saw earlier. The man caught my eye and immediately stopped talking and nudged Luca. My eyebrows furrowed together as Luca silenced and his head snapped to me.

What was going on with him? Luca waved me over and I hesitantly walked over to the men. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into a hug.

"Luca, what are you still doing here? It's getting late," I stated.

"I'm here to help prepare with the Ascension," he said. The man looked between us and shuffled uncomfortably. I wanted to believe him, but something inside of me stirred. I knew he was telling the truth to some extent, but by the way the men in front of me stopped talking so suddenly made me think there was more than what he was telling me.

"I know," I breathed, eyeing the man in front of me. The boy's stared intently at the ground as the man swallowed nervously.

"I was just talking to some members of my old pack. Mae, meet my beta, Steve," The man smiled at me and held out his hand. I took his hand in mine and shook it, studying him. "And this is one of my best warrior wolves, Kellian." Luca motioned to the boy and the boy's eyes immediately glanced up at me and he bowed his head.

That must be why the boy was able to be whipped over and over again and not seem like he was hurt one bit. He was a warrior. 

I nodded my head to him.

"Well, it's getting late," I stated. "I will be on my way."

Luca pulled me in for a hug and placed a soft kiss on my cheek. I weakly smiled his way and then turned to the path. I listened as I departed from them, wanting to catch a piece of what they were talking about, but they stayed quiet until I was out of distance.

Why was he acting so weird? The last thing I expected was for him to voluntarily work with Damon. I knew he told me he was going to do everything her could for the ascension but working with Damon took everything to a whole new level and I was beginning to question his actions. He hated Damon and Damon hated him. 

Once I entered the cabin, I peeked my head in Valerio's room to see him lying on his bed. The only light came from the moon shining through his window and the bright illumination from the hallway. Valerio's ankles crossed over one another and his fingers intertwined with each other, resting on his stomach. As he heard me, he opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"Valerio, could you do me a favor?" I asked. He sat up in his bed, leaning his bare bare against the bed frame. The blankets rolled off of his chest and onto his lap. "Keep an eye on Luca. I'm getting a weird vibe from him and I don't know what's going on."