Chapter 15
"Your Highness, I swear that I would never do anything to hurt you! I only came here to deliver a message. You have to hear me out! I did nothing! I swear, please!"
Walden turned a deaf ear to Stanley's cries as he was being dragged away by the guards. They beat him up badly before taking him to the dungeons in a prison van. Walden couldn't care less about anything Stanley said. He only held Samara in his arms with sweet tenderness as she rested her head on his chest.
Sandy had already dismissed her troops. The training was called off early because of what happened with Samara. She had watched how Stanley was treated before being taken away, in contrast to how Samara was carried into a vehicle that would drive her back to the pack-house. She was carried like a tender egg. After everyone had left, Sandy and Walden remained in the fields, and when she could not hold it in anymore, she burst out.
"I can't believe you could do such a thing, Walden! You could have at least heard the poor guy out first!"
Walden looked up at Sandy, astounded by her reaction, "Who do you think you are to speak like that to me? Have you lost your sense of respect?"
"Respect is the last thing I care about right now, Walden! When I saw the way you treated that poor young man just now, it made me feel so bad for what you had become! All of this because of Samara!"
"How else should I be treating someone who tried to kill me? You speak of Samara as if she is the bad one. If it weren't for what she said―"
"How are you sure of what she said? Why do you always believe anything that comes out of her mouth, even when the truth is right in front of you?!"
"So you're trying to tell me that Samara is lying?"
"How do you know she isn't? I mean―"
"Enough! I will not listen to you while you disrespect her like that! You better watch your mouth, Sandy. Don't make me do what I will not want to do to my younger sister!" Alpha Walden warned.
Alpha Walden was her brother, and she had known him her entire life, so no words of his could ever make her back down or frightened. No matter how stern he sounded or how much he had changed, she was not scared of him.
"Do to me whatever you wish, Walden, but I will only tell you the truth. You are an Alpha, and you should never make decisions based on what people tell you, but rather, on what you see and hear and what your conscience tells you."
She did not wait for him to respond. She walked away, leaving him behind to ponder on her words.
Sometimes, Alpha Walden did not know what to do about his dear sister.
***
"Are you sure you're alright, Milady? At least let me examine you to ensure―"
"I said I am fine!" Samara snapped at the Night Shadow healer, who kept trying to offer his aid.
"I just felt very weak for a moment, which was why I fainted. But now I feel much better, so there's no need to worry. Nothing is wrong with me. Now, get out!"
The healer gave up and packed up his physician kit. "As you wish, Milady," he bowed before leaving her room.
As soon as she was all alone, she let out a sigh of relief. Oh, how much of a splendid actress she was! She had everyone fooled back there! Making them dance around as she pulled them like strings at her fingertips, heeding to her beck and call, she felt like such a star for this clever stunt she had pulled. Walden would execute the messenger, and she would not have to worry about anything anymore. She would not have to worry about the Lotus Princess ever coming back!
She was dancing around in her room, celebrating her victory, when she suddenly heard a knock on her door, prompting her to behave herself as she quickly ran to her bed and lay on top of it. She then grabbed the sheets to cover her body as she pretended to be weak again.
"Come in," she responded after tucking herself in.
The door opened, and Walden walked in.
Time had passed since the incident at the field, but the look of worry hadn't left him at all.
"Are you all right, Samara? How are you feeling now?"
"A bit better than I was before. Thank you so much for your help, Walden. It means a lot to me knowing that you care so much about me."
"Of course, you've always known that I do, dear. But there's something I'm worried about―"
She raised a brow, "What is it?"
"I just spoke to the healer now, and he told me you wouldn't even let him examine you. You claimed to be feeling much better in front of him. He believed it because you even found the strength to yell at him, but here I am now, and you're weak again. What is happening to you, Samara?"
"Oh, Walden, what are you saying now? Are you accusing me of lying to you? Do you actually think that all that happened to me at the field today was just pretense?!"
"Samara, I didn't say that. You and I have known each other since we were kids. I don't want to have any reason to think that you'd be lying to me, but is there, I don't know, probably something you're hiding? Is there anything I need to know?"
"Why would you say that, Walden? Don't you trust me anymore?!"
"Of course, I trust you. That's why I've never been hard on you because you've always remained loyal to me, but if there is something you're hiding from me that I ought to know about, then I think it's better that you tell me now."
There was a moment of awkward silence before Alpha Walden spoke up again.
"I'm waiting, Samara."