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37. What we always do

“You made all this for us?”

The dining table is laden with food. The plates set and chairs set. Mac n’ cheese, sandwiches, tea and coffee, omelets, fruit salad and pancakes.

“Of course,” I smile brightly “We deserve a little appreciation for coming all this way, don’t we?”

Alpha Hugo and his beta, Johnathan exchange a look before the Alpha smiles at me.

“You’re right, Milady,” he says, then pulls out a chair for me “But you must join us.”

I hold back a relieved sigh at his compliance.

“Why not?” I smile and I sit down. I glance around the table “Everyone? Should we start?”

Ethan sits down across me, Tyler seats himself as well. Alpha Brennan and his companion, Warrior Isaac also join us. The lunch goes smooth as butter until someone decides to be smart.

“Where is Alpha Luke?” Alpha Hugo asks

Thank universe I planned this beforehand. With a sigh, I lean back in my chair, a glass of juice held in my hand as though its wine.

“Luke and I,” my eyes flicker to Ethan for a moment “We had an argument. He was being difficult for no reason.”

Alpha Hugo keeps looking at me for a moment, then at Ethan before saying “I see.”

The poor soul, he’s probably thinking our team coordination isn’t strong. Well… its not exactly a lie but when both of us want to win so badly, we can put our differences aside.

After lunch, Ethan accompanies me back to my room, awkward silence stretches between us until we reach the door of my room.

“Elise,” my hand stops at the handle

I turn to look at Ethan again, he’s staring straight at me, a determined gleam in his eyes.

“Just so you know,” he says, without breaking the eye contact, takes my hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze “I think you did the right thing. You stood up for yourself against all those higher ranks.”

He cups the side of my face and I blush like an idiot. Ethan’s features soften in a smile, his eyes clear as the sky.

“I admire you.” he says softly

“Heart-touching, really.”

I jump away from Ethan, face burning from embarrassment.

Luke’s unimpressed, slightly pissed face enters my vision. He’s standing with his hands behind his back, towering over Ethan by a good few inches, looking like some military general staring at a bug under his shoe.

“But I’m afraid you will have to put a leash on your feelings, Parks.” He says coldly “I have something to discuss with my partner.”

Ethan works his jaw hard, his eyes narrowed at Luke “Very well.”

But when he turns to me, he leans forward and presses a kiss to my cheek, leaving me frozen with surprise.

“I will see you in the evening, Elise.” He says before turning around and leaving

I blink, trying to piece together what just happened when Luke steers me away to his room, his face oddly taut. He slams the door shut once we’re inside, snapping me out of my thoughts

“Did you find a map?” I ask, getting my bearings together

“No,” Luke growls lowly “And I don’t think we will.”

My brows knit together “Why?”

Luke holds my gaze, his own reflecting a hint of discontent.

“Everyone’s maps are missing.”
 
My eyes widen, panic swirls in my head like a rough tide.

“Or at least it appears to be that way.” Luke says “I checked every inch of all of theirs’s rooms.”

“What are we going to do?” I ask, horrified

“What we always do,” He tells me “Find a way out.”

“How though?” I ask “What if whoever took it has already gotten rid of them? Burned them? Ripped them to shed? Ate them?!”

Luke drags a hand down his face, rubbing his jaw “I’m thinking.”

Silence falls around us as both of us rake our heads.

“Can you make a copy? You’ve looked at it a thousand time.”

“I can only make out our path, not the traps.” Luke says “With the new map we had, it was already hard enough to avoid them.”

I worry my bottom lip “We need help.”

“What?”

I level Luke with a steely glance “We need to form an alliance, somehow get someone to help us.”

Luke crosses his arms “Why would they?”

“Everyone is about to be shoved down the same hole,” I say “They won’t have a choice.”

“Who do you suggest?” Luke says “Parks and his beta, Anderson?”

I nod blatantly “Ethan will help, I know he would.”

“Because of you?”

I give Luke an applauded glance “Excuse me?”

“I see the way he looks at you, Hazel.” Luke says, a muscle in his cheek twitches “Hell, he makes a great show of it.”

For a moment I consider hitting him on the head for being so idiotic. Alright, maybe Ethan likes me but I’m dead sure he considers the Hunt more important.

I keep my eyes on Luke, trying and failing to piece together why he’s so irritated about it.

With a sigh I walk over to him. Unthinking, my hand reaches up to rest against his cheek.

“What is wrong?” I ask, my brows furrowed “So Ethan likes me, why does it matter?”

“And you?” Luke asks “Do you like him?”

“I told you, he’s my friend,” I say, dropping my hand from his face

Luke catches my hand in his own, searching my face “That’s all?”

I cant help the laugh that escapes me while taking in his worried look, as if I’m about to proclaim my undying love for someone I barely know.

“Yes, that’s all.” I say, chuckling

Luke doesn’t find it mildly amusing. He stares straight at me, I hold his gaze, patiently waiting for him to confirm that I’m not about to elope into Ethan’s awaiting arms.

Finally, Luke’s shoulders relax, he lets go of my hand only to hold my face in both of his. His forehead falls against my own, making me stare at him, wide-eyed.

Luke takes a deep, deep breath “Good.”

For some reason, my heart flutters in my chest, my skin tingling. I like it. I like how his hands feel on my face, how his scent is enveloping me, how I can see every angle of his face clearly. Something tugs at my heart, a desire to be closer still.

Then Luke straightens, letting go of me “Lets go make some deals.”

…

“We don’t have our map either,” Tyler says, eyes wide in shock

Luke and I are currently in Ethan’s room, telling them to check if they have their map since we cant find ours.

“Oh Goddess,” I pretend to be horror-struck

“That confirms it,” Luke says “We’ve been ambushed.”

“By whom?” Ethan says “This is neutral territory.”

“All the more chance to get us to lower our guard.” Luke says

“We need to report this,” Ethan says

Luke raises his eyebrow at him “What proof do we have that someone stole our maps? By complaining we will only be pointing fingers at the Alpha Supreme’s hospitality. I cant see how that ends well.”

“I might know what to do.” Tyler says, surprising us all “Stone was telling me about shifting our weapons and some things to the top floor of the main castle building. Somethings regarding the hunt from the Alpha Supreme’s main office.”

“It might have this year’s Hunt map!” I say

“Or it might not.” Luke pops my bubble of optimism “But its our best bet.”

Just then, the door knocks and a maid comes in. she offers us a small bow before saying;

“The party is about to start, we request all of you to come to the main castle building.”

She turns to focus her eyes on me “Come with me, Ms. Attwood, we need to get you ready.”

I look down at my attire “I am ready. This should be enough, right?”

“Nonsense, Miss.” She takes my arms and starts pulling me forward “Come along.”

An arm warps around my waist and tugs me back, making her hands fall off me.

“I will be at her room to pick her up,” Luke says, his voice mildly threatening “How long until you’re done?”

The maid swallows thickly “Not long. Only a few hours—

“Thirty minutes.”

“T-Thirty minutes?” the maid squeaks out, her green eyes the size of the moon

“Is that a problem?” Luke growls lowly

“N-No.” the maid shutters, then turns to look at me in a whole new light “Come along, Miss.”

She hurries out of the door. I look at Luke, trying to hold back my smile as I give him an unimpressed glance.

“You really want me to look hideous, don’t you?” I ask

Luke leans down so only I can hear him “We don't know what might be going on, keep your guard up.”

“Miss Attwood?” the maid peeks in again “Hurry, please.”

“Coming,” I say, unwrapping Luke’s arm from around me and hurriedly follow her

Ginny, as the maid told me her name, helped me get ready in record time and just as thirty minutes were over, a very familiar bossy Alpha entered my room, ready to beat someone into pulp.

“I’m alive,” I say, getting up from in front of the dresser “You can stop glaring.”

“This is what my neutral face looks like,”

I cant help but laugh a little. Since when did Luke become funny? I have no idea. Maybe its just the fact that I have nothing better to laugh about and my nerves are skyrocketing.

“I thought this was middle era thing,” he says, raising an eyebrow at my dress

“Ginny said I’d be more comfortable in this,” I soothe the non-existant creases on the pale gold dress I’m wearing

I walk over to him, surprisingly well balanced in my heels. Luke is dressed simply in a plain white shirt, dark jeans and a jacket. Hmm, I wonder why they had us dressed in modern cloths.

“And the fact that I look hell-hot doesn’t bother either.” I give him a bright smile

“You’re certainly easy on the eyes,” I expect Luke to offer me his arm but instead he wraps an arm around my waist and starts walking “A little too much.”

“What now?” I ask, trying to ignore how my heart beats faster due to our proximity “How do we reach the top floor?”

“Tyler is up to that,” Luke says “He’s going to check if there’s anything useful there.”

“And if there is?” I ask, we decend a staircase and I feel my eyes widen
“Then we take back what’s been taken from us.”

Clary was right when she said there’s a party here. The ball room in front of me has been converted into some kind of club. Lights flashing, music pulsing, the smell of alcohol already thick in the air.

I feel Luke tense beside me “Stay close.”

I open my mouth to tell him to stop being such an old man and let me have some fun when I see Ethan walking over to us.

“Anything new?” Luke asks him, I notice how his hold on me tightens. Jealously alert!

Ethan notices it as well, but says nothing about it “There are guards at the floor entrance.”

“Couldn’t he have taken them out?” Luke’s eyes narrow

“Five armed men against one who cant even access his wolf?” Ethan gives him a hard look “by all means, Winters. You can go and try.”

Luke’s eyes flicker to me for a bare second. I take his arm off my waist. There are better things to do then keeping an eye on me.

“You go ahead,” I say “I can handle myself.”

Luke looks around the club like ballroom, determination embedded in his voice when he says; “I’m not leaving you here.”

“You cant be thinking of taking her up there,” Ethan says

Luke narrows his eyes, glaring daggers at him as he takes a step forward but I act before he could start a brawl.

Of their own volition, my feet hold themselves up on their toes, my hands wrap around Luke’s arm and my lips fall on his cheek.

“I can handle a party,” I say in his ear, over the blasting music “And you can handle five armed men. Lets not die by not doing what we do best.”

I let go of him, grinning at his surprised face and then promptly make my way through the crowd.

Time to have some fun.

I reach the DJ and manage to get a word in his ear. He grins at me, his teeth too bright against his tan skin before he puts on my song.

“Elise!” Ethan barely catches up to me

“Come on!” I grab his arm and drag him to the dance floor

“You really want to dance right now?” he asks, a surprised laugh follows

“You cant expect me to face certain doom without having a little fun,” I laugh

“And the fact that your partner is on his way to get beaten up doesn’t bother you?”

I huff “Luke is probably going to do all the beating there.”

“You think so?” Ethan raises an eyebrow

I shake my head and grin “I know so.”

For a short while, we stay on the dance floor but then the stupid heels start hurting my feet. Ethan and I walk over to the food tables and I slump down in a chair, taking off my heels.

I look at the entrance, eyebrows furrowed.

“What’s taking so long?” Ethan says what was thinking

“Maybe we should check.” I say, getting to my bare feet

“You stay here,” Ethan says “I’ll go and see.”

“But—

“Stay put, Elise.” And he’s gone

I stomp my foot on the marble floor before I promptly sit back down in my chair. Yeah, just leave me here to be eaten up by worry!

“Elise!” I look up to see Clary

“Hey,” I smile at her “What’s up?”

“Nothing much,” Clary shrugs “Want to hang out with us?”

“Us?” I raise my eyebrow

As if on cue, three other girls come there. One of them, a girl with a blond pixie cut smiles at me warmly.

“You must be Elise,” she says “Clary told us about you. We’re going over to the pool side, wanna join us?”

“There’s a pool?!” I stare at them wide-eyed

Clary grins “I’ll take that as yes.”

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