THIRD PERSON POV:
A week had passed since Bella arrived at the pack. Herald had loosened up a bit, mainly because Hazel was around, and he knew it was almost impossible for them to do anything out-of-order if Hazel was there.
Today, he decided to focus on the pack's problems, so he spent hours in his study going through the pack's budget to make proper allocations.
A knock came at his door, causing him to look up. There, he saw one of his guards standing.
"You have visitors, sir." When the guard said this, he knew who it was at once, so he got to his feet, making his way out of his study.
He rushed downstairs and made his way to his visiting chamber, where he saw Scarlet and the nameless witch standing.
"Scarlet," he called out as he walked into the room.
He hadn't forgotten about their agreement, but he was skeptical because of Bella's behavior. He didn't know how to say it to her, and he could bet on anything that Bella wouldn't follow him to a witches' coven even if he asked politely.
"Alpha Herald, it seems you have forgotten our agreement," Scarlet said to him, and he shook his head. "Then why have we not seen the princess?" she asked, raising a brow.
"We hear she has been in the pack for over a week now, or do you no longer trust us?" she asked, and he walked over to his seat, making himself comfortable.
"I know that you have good thoughts for my daughter, but she seems okay to me, and I have to be sure the rumors about her in Frost Pack are true. I mean, her friends are here, and they do not seem scared of her."
When he said this, Scarlet looked at the nameless witch.
"I thought you put a spell on him?" she whispered, and the witch nodded.
"I told you there is something off about this house. I think a powerful witch is here, probably the Baudelaire witch, and her magic must have weakened ours. He is half sane, but not totally."
"No whispering in the alpha's chamber!" Herald said, slamming his fist on the arm of the seat, causing both of them to go mute.
"Pardon us, Alpha," Scarlet said with a bow, then she glanced at the nameless witch, who gave a bow too.
Both witches mind-linked themselves at once.
"This is futile, and if we want to kill that girl, then we have to do it without his help. Who knows how long she has to stay here, and we cannot go to the Frost Pack because of the spell Halle Baudelaire put on it," the nameless witch said, and Scarlet nodded.
"Is there something else you would want to say to me?" Herald asked, drawing Scarlet's attention.
"No, my king. It is in our best interest to help the princess, but we will wait for the right time, which is whenever you are ready," she said, giving a bow.
Herald felt a relief in his heart. He couldn't tell why a part of him wanted to hand Bella over at that moment for her to be cured, but the other wanted her to live her authentic life.
"I am glad we have an understanding," Herald said to her, then she turned to leave at once. "I am going over the budget, and your coven will get what it deserves," he said, and she paused briefly.
"Thank you, my lord," she held the hem of her skirt, giving a curt bow.
Then she walked away with the nameless witch.
Hazel and Bella were in Bella's room, lazing about as usual. Bella lay on the bed with her head facing the headboard while Hazel lay in the opposite direction. She had been uneasy the moment the two witches walked into the house, and now that they were leaving, she felt the energy intensify as they walked into the room beneath Bella's room.
"Is it just me, or is the energy in this house unbalanced?" she questioned, and Bella, who was on her phone, glanced at her.
"I have felt a lot of off energies lately, but I haven't really cared," Bella said with a shrug.
Hazel tried to forget about it, but her mind bugged her so much that she got out of bed, rushing down the hall, following the strength of the energy until it led her to the window that faced the entrance of the mansion. There, she spotted the two witches walking out of the gate.
"Boo!" someone said, causing her to yelp in fear as she placed a hand on her chest.
Then she turned to see Ryder standing behind her.
"Not funny," she said, rolling her eyes while Ryder cackled loudly.
Hazel turned to the window to discover the witches had vanished.
"That is strange," she voiced out loud, and Ryder glared at her, wondering what she was up to. "Did you see two women walk into this vicinity?" she asked, and Ryder shrugged.
"I have been in my room all day."
She sighed, knowing this was almost fruitless. Even though it seemed like no one would believe her, she knew better than to let her guard down. So she smiled at him and walked away.
"I have to do something," she said, rushing to the room that was assigned to her.
If there was one thing she learned from Halle, it was never to let her guard down, and that a witch's instincts were barely wrong. As soon as she was in her room, she rushed to the closet, pulling out her bag. Then she searched for her spell book.
She flipped through the pages quickly until she found a protection spell. She recited the spell, setting up a shield around the house. After that, she dropped the book and walked out of the room to Bella's room like nothing had happened.
Without knocking, she opened the door to see Ryder and Bella lip-locked, causing them to pull away at once. "I'm sorry," she said, shutting her eyes. Then she shut the door at once, walking away.
She made her way down the hall, wandering into Kai's room, who was busy on his phone. She tried to remain neutral because she had no clue if it would anger them.
Quietly, she sat on his bed, trying to concentrate on her phone, hoping he wouldn't notice her, but she was no ghost. "Where is Bella?" Kai asked, and Hazel pretended she couldn't hear him.
He reached for her hand at once, causing her to turn around.
"Have you seen Bella?" he asked, and she shook her head.
"I have been in my room, and everyone seems to be in a corner of this mansion that I cannot find," she said to him, hoping he would buy the lie.
"Finn went for a walk, and I saw Ryder wandering about earlier on," Kai said, then he lay back on his bed while Hazel breathed in relief.
It was a normal thing for them to have sex, but it couldn't be loud for the fact the alpha frowned upon it. For the first time in her life, Hazel preferred Evelyn to someone. She understood Herald's perspective because Bella was the typical daddy's girl.
Hazel was about to lie down to relax when she spotted Herald walk past the room. Her eyes widened at once, and she texted Bella hurriedly and put up a call. Then she got to her feet, rushing out of the room.
"Alpha Herald," she called out at once, then he came to a halt, turning to face her.
"I was wondering if the water in the pool will be changed today," she said, then she noticed the call had ended.
She put her hands backward, then clicked the call button again.
Bella had already gotten the call. Both she and Ryder were hurriedly putting their clothes on, but the fear, accompanied by shaky hands, was slowing them down. Ryder knew Herald would kill him if he knew he just had sex with his daughter.
"Sure, Hazel. I will get someone to change the water," Herald said, then he turned around.
He turned around at once, and Hazel called out to him again.
"Can I get a swimsuit? I forgot mine, and I kind of have nothing to use in the pool," she said, and Herald nodded.
"Everything you need will be provided."
He sensed she was trying to delay him, so he quickened his pace to get to Bella's room. Quickly, he opened the door
to see Bella sitting on the bed with Ryder, who was on his phone. He surveyed the room like a hawk, while Bella stared at him with a brow raised.
"Is there a problem, Dad?" she asked, and at that moment, he knew something went down.
If Bella was innocent, she would start yelling and throwing a fit, but she seemed calm, like she was trying to conceal
something.
Herald shook his head, then he glared at Ryder.
"How about we test out your fencing skills now?" he said to Ryder.