Word Count: 1771

~Akara

Tai didn't have much to say to me the next day.

I don't have to fake my mourning, even if it's not for the reason Tai thinks. I've decided not to tell them Marek is still alive, convinced he is going off to live his life elsewhere, away from us all. The thought of that digs a hollow pit in the bottom of my stomach, even if I know it's for the better. I'll let him have his freedom, the life he wants to live without involving everyone else in it.

Early this morning, Tai enveloped me in a long embrace, but hasn't offered any words to soothe me. He doesn't know what to say, since Marek and I's relationship is complicated. I don't resent him for it though, understanding that the supposed death of the Hunter is far too complicated to approach, and that promptly moving on is our best option.

And it's exactly what we are doing.

Opposite me, Nakoa sits next to Evolet, with Zavian and Tai on either side of me. Tai has summoned us all here into the formal dining room to discuss our next move. I'm far too focused on Evolet, who has been invited to take part in these sensitive plans, which I'm still unsure about.

At the very least, assessing the dynamic between Nakoa and Evolet has been interesting. The former hasn't so much as glanced at Evolet, let alone spoken a word to her.

"What's our move, now that Marek is confirmed dead?" Zavian asks, having already served himself breakfast, eating it promptly. I'm surprised no one asks questions about how he eats so much and yet doesn't gain any weight. His muscles have withered away, and he's looking uncomfortably ill. His addiction has stolen all ounce of health from him, but with everything going on, he's managed to soar under the radar.

"We invade tomorrow," Tai announces.

"We can't, not now that Kailor is dead," I cut in. If our timing is bad, we are done for. Marek may be out of the picture, but that doesn't completely eliminate the threat.

"It's the perfect time," Tai responds calmly, examining each person at the table in turn. As much as he tries to include me in his business, I can tell it irritates him when I try to prove him wrong, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stay quiet about this. "I've told people who attended that Kailor survived the attack by Evolet, and that he is in critical condition, but alive."

I don't know how any of them could believe that. He had his entire throat slit, having bleed such an amount that he wouldn't be able to come back from, even with Tani blood, but spreading doubt it better than spreading the truth.

"How long are you planning on lying to them?" Nakoa asks softly, twisting a finger through her ginger hair. "People around here talk."

"Not long. I just don't want Vaia thinking we are vulnerable," Tai admits grimly.

"She already thinks we are. She won't expect an attack tomorrow." Evolet picks at her fingernails casually, unbothered by all of this. She won't have to shoulder the consequences like Tai will have to, especially since she is still considered dead to the general public, most likely either would not have recognized her the other night, or were too busy concentrating on Kailor's dead body.

I shift uncomfortably, physically having to stop myself from biting at Evolet, wishing she didn't have to voice her opinion, even if it is valuable. "Do Kailor's troops trust you?"

"They do. They have been itching to deal with this for a while now," Tai answers.

"We have no idea what is there? We are walking in to an unknown situation," Zavian reminds us, sounding skeptical.

"Surely you saw something, right Akara?" Nakoa holds my gaze, which she is unnervingly good at. Of the three Nobles, she was the watcher, the one to garner information from people without saying a single word, picking it up from conversation and body language alone. "Like evidence of soldiers, maybe a discussion involving it..."

"No, nothing like that," I admit meekly. I was trapped within the manor, and from there, what I discovered was nothing of value when it comes to an invasion.

"I haven't seen anything about what really goes on within those walls and I've been watching her for months," Evolet sighs, nodding in thanks to a staff member who brings her in a tall glass of wine. I watch her drink from it carefully, her ability to melt back into her role in this estate impressive; especially since I still can't figure out where I fit in here.

Nakoa raises a skeptical brow. "Perhaps you have more to share then?"

"I've told Tai everything valuable that I have," Evolet dismisses, clearly considering Nakoa to be of no threat to her. "I know everything, including the layout of the entire place. But I don't know of any secret army she would use to defend against an attack."

"Then we are free to invade," Zavian decides. I itch to kick him in the ankle, to tell him not to be so careless with his words.

"She has to have something, she knows Kailor is strong. There is no way she would be so comfortable knowing her father is nearby," I bring up. Vaia hated her father, more than even Tai, and would be aware of how likely it is for Kailor to eventually take over the land he once occupied himself.

"Then we go in. Just us," Tai cuts in.

"I'm not following," I admit, lost on what he means.

"We go in, we kidnap Vaia and anyone else close to her, and take them back here and question them," he explains, gaining a few frowns and muttered protests from across the table. Even I'm confused by Tai's idea, especially when he is the careful, cautious one.

"Won't work. There are way too many things that can go wrong," Evolet dismisses.

Tai doesn't shake the determined look on his face. "Then we will question them in there."

"But if she knows we are looking for a hidden army, then it will ruin the element of surprise we are going for...It will give her time to prepare," Nakoa points out.

Zavian leans forward in his seat. "What if one of us distracts him while the others sneak around the estate to try to get some answers?"

I shake my head. "There's a chance not all of us are going to get out."

"We have to take that risk," Tai exclaims, looking at me with wild eyes. Now that he has latched onto this idea, there may be no tearing him away from it, which means he could get himself hurt. And he would too, if it meant keeping all of us safe, and the only way to really do that, is bring Vaia and her rebellion down. "That's the best idea yet."

"Tai and I distract Vaia, while you all do the rest?" Evolet questions, gesturing her hand across the table before she takes a long drink from her wine.

"Bad idea-" Zavian snaps before I can.

"Vaia doesn't care about the rest of you, she will just kill you on the spot," Evolet, rolling her eyes as if all of us collectively irritate her endlessly. It's easier for her. She doesn't care about us like we care about each other. "That includes you Akara. She isn't going to give you any second chances."

As much as she is true about that, I still narrow my focus upon her. "Why do you get to go with Tai?"

"Because let's be real, I'm the only one with the skills to get him out of there if something goes wrong," she retorts, quirking a brow. I have no idea what her skills are. Marek may have taught me basic knife wielding skills, but would it really be enough to get him out of an unknown situation?

My throat is dry as I swallow painfully. "How can we trust you?"

Evolet's eyes gleam, the slant to her lips making my stomach ache uncomfortably. "You have no other choice."

"Alright, I'm done with dinner," I mutter, pushing up from my chair. It's not an easy decision to make, to send Tai right into Vaia's hands. What if she just kills them both on the spot? I don't think I would be able to continue if I lost both Marek and Tai in such a short period of time. "We will talk more about this tomorrow."

Tai gets up, following me out into the hallway, where I dig my hands into my hair, tugging ever-so-slightly. I don't know what it is about Evolet, but I don't trust her. Something feels off about her, like she is keeping something from me, or is trying to lead me down another path that she controls. And the most frustrating thing is no one else sees it.

"I don't know if we can trust Evolet," I voice as Tai grabs my forearm, leading me up the stairs with him.

"We have to, Akara," he murmurs, glancing over his shoulders. "This might work. We might be able to go home."

I sigh through my nose, wanting to believe Tai knows best in this situation. "I know, you're right."

"How are you feeling?" he asks gently, opening his bedroom door for me to go into. "I know it's hard, considering what happened to Marek."

My heart sinks at the mention of his name. By now, he will be far out of the Territory and elsewhere, hopefully starting a new life with no one pursuing him. And yet when I think of him leaving, it doesn't make full sense to me? I can't imagine he would just leave like he did, when I'm still sick and Vaia is still a threat to us.

"I'll be okay," I assure him gently, even if I'm not sure I mean it.

💜••💜

If you guys want to read ahead, you can read more of KING'S SEDUCTION on Radish! It's chapters ahead of Wattpad (:

You'll will find it under KING'S POSSESSION on Radish, as season 2!

👻••👻

I'm officially rewriting Alpha Jasper's story now on Radish! It will be following the same storyline with the same characters, but with revised scenes and some new ones!

I love Jasper's story so much that I wanted to go back and rewrite it. I hope you guys will enjoy it, you can find it now on Radish (:

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~Midika 💜