Hi Lovelies,

Chapter 10 is here and it's dedicated to @NewChange11 :D

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SLEEP:

A good night's sleep is essential to remain healthy physically and emotionally. For the past ten years, I had an uneven sleeping pattern and that too caused some health issues to me. I did not sleep for eight hours straight as is good for health. I slept for four hours in the night and two-three hours in the day :/ Please don't do that because ultimately it does take a toll on your health and once I got discharged from the hospital, I made sure to get a straight seven hours sleep every day.

A good night's sleep is vital because it improves your immune function and helps your body to fight back. Sleep puts you in a better mood and keeps your heart healthy. A good quality sleep makes your brain productive and improves your memory to help process things better which in turn improves your grades and spurs creativity.

Sleep can also help you maintain your weight as it is because it regulates the hormones that affect your appetite and reduces cravings for unhealthy high calories food. In addition to this, good sleep can also enhance athletic performance.

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"mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy"

― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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CHAPTER 10 – MISLEAD

"I found the proof you required," Miki said as he dropped a file on the coffee table of Xanthos's apartment.

Xanthos looked up from the tab screen and raised a questioning brow at his friends who barged into his apartment.

"Against Gideon" Grayson reminded as Xanthos kept aside his tab.

"I found the proof against him and I am just going to say it once, so I called them to come here" Miki stated and Xan nodded because it explained to him, why his friends were invading his place. "Well, it doesn't show he is working for Ash, but it has enough details on why he would be prepared to betray the king."

Xanthos picked up the file and opened it to stare at the reports and then the photos of Lysander and his family.

"The Zeke Princess. Minerva Zeke— she is his mate. The forever one. That kind of shit!" Miki revealed dropping to a single couch and picking up the single burger left from Xan's lunch.

"Mate? How did you find that out?" Xanthos questioned as he tried to make sense of that truth.

"I admit that was difficult at first. See, his closest friends and family obviously wouldn't share anything with me and neither would the members of his pack. So, I had to get the details from the humans. Those living in his pack territory only knows basic information about him and it wasn't much use until I decided to go backwards. Eventually, I came across one of his exes and I persuaded her to open up" Miki smirked.

"Her mouth or her legs?" Brody demanded and Xanthos frowned.

"Both and then she told me about Gideon. About how he went from being a player to a devoted boyfriend to a mystery girl. No one knew for sure, but she suspected it was their junior— Minerva Zeke. Back in college, Gideon would warn off guys trying to make a move on her" Miki shrugged.

"Mates? Really?" Xan was suspicious.

"Wolves aren't possessive unless it's their mate and for Gideon and his girl, there is a chance because his parents are mates and some say hers are one too" Grayson pointed out thoughtfully.

Xanthos stood up, broad chest expanding to strain against the material of his grey shirt. Stiff as a steel girder, he strode towards the floor to ceiling windows that led to the balcony.

His run-down looking double bedroom apartment was located at the cheapest town of Aelius. It might not have been the cleanest place but it was all Xanthos could afford at the moment and he was content to be living there.

The view from the balcony only showed the narrow streets, dirty grotty apartments and the garbage in the gutters. Or occasionally a gang fight in the street.

He wasn't interested in the view; never had been. What he was interested in was in the new information just provided to him by his friend.

"Wait... if Gideon is mated to Minerva, then does that mean Lysander and Ash are a team?" Brody posed an important question.

"I knew it" Miki gritted his teeth. "I always knew Lysander and Ash were working together and that old Zeke is intentionally misleading us by saying he has nothing to do with Ash!"

Miki had a hard time trusting people and so no one was surprised by the venom in his tone.

"If that were true, there's another possibility..." Xan murmured and his friends stopped arguing with each other and gave him full attention. "We could get Ash."

Their eyes brightened as Xan turned to face them, "Keep an eye on her— Minerva Zeke. She'll lead us somewhere."

"Please don't intentionally mess with Lysander's daughter. Anyone with eyes can see that Lysander's world revolves around his family, so I ought to tell you to be careful" Grayson suggested and Miki rolled his eyes.

"You are the one who has problems handling girls. I never did" Miki said smugly while Grayson growled.

However, Grayson's angry retort never passed his lips because the door to Xan's apartment was pushed open by Carlo, who worked as a bartender in the arena and lived in the same area.

"Did you get the message?" Carlo asked breathlessly holding up his phone prompting the others in the room to pull out their phones and open their inbox.

It had a single photo of Alex's dead body with his dick stuffed into his mouth.

"Well, that's disturbing" Miki commented as he put his phone back in his pocket.

"It's him again, isn't it? Ash?" Brody asked to no one in particular. "Did he send the body home?"

"No. The king received Alex's ashes along with this photo. That's what I heard so far!" Carlo stated grimly. "If he did this to Alex, I fear what he is going to do to Gideon?"

"Gideon? That bastard—"

"—will have to think twice before he attacks Gideon" Xan didn't let Miki finish his sentence as he broke in and affixed a firm glare on his friend.

Holding back his words yet again, Miki turned to stand in front of the window, all the while wondering why Xan prevented him from revealing Gideon's truth.

"Fingers crossed man, but I think he has also killed Gideon and is just waiting for a perfect time to drop the bomb" Carlo mused because the photo of Alex's body had gone viral and everyone had something to say about it.

"Why would Ash send the photo? He only ever sent Ashes" Brody said thoughtfully.

"Jimmy told me the photo came with a message for Ajax saying, 'I can't wait to meet you'" Carlo grimaced.

Grayson chuckled while Miki whistled impressively.

"Ash challenged Ajax?" Brody asked stunned.

"This is going to be fun. When Ajax is dead, I will believe Ash is everything he claims to be. For the first time, I desperately want for Ash to win. I hope he kills Ajax the same way he killed his brother" Miki smirked cruelly.

"Miki" Xan warned.

"What? You might be okay with them treating us like second class citizens. But I am not. I always hated those brothers and trust me; the world will be a better place without them" Miki growled.

"Careful. We don't want others to hear what you are saying" Carlo warned. "We may not like they Hynson brothers very much but the king does."

"It's because of the money the Hynson family has in abundance. They bring the highest income for the throne and the king has no option but to hold them in high position" Brody said defensively.

"This is his revenge" Grayson commented and everyone looked at him questioningly. "For the double murder case. I told you at the time that there was no way Ash would have harmed those girls. After what he had suffered in the prison, there is no way he would have inflicted the same horrors on others. It's something you wouldn't wish even on your enemies."

"You think the Hyson brothers had killed those girls?" Xan asked.

"I don't know. But they were the only ones who had enough means to completely shut the case once Ash was declared innocent" Grayson stated quietly. "You do remember the hype it had at the time and then, then there was no talk about justice at all."

"Yeah... we all forgot about it. Moved on!" Brody muttered guiltily.

"But as long as there is one person who still does remember the wrong, then justice will happen," Miki remarked and then asked, "What do we do now? Wear black and go to the palace? Quite honestly, I have difficulty showing my grief in my face, so maybe the colour will help?"

"Shut up man!" Grayson chuckled as Xan shook his head.

"The king needs us, so we will go there. But once we have completed the formalities, you keep an eye on the girl" Xan advised as he picked up his keys from the coffee table.

"What girl?" Carlo asked.

"Come on! Let's go" Brody distracted him and led him out.

Once they were out of hearing distance, Miki spoke again, "I will."

"Just be careful" Grayson warned and Miki rolled his eyes.

Gideon has betrayed the king and is now hiding somewhere, while the kingdom thinks their golden boy has been kidnapped by Ash. It's time they see the real face of Gideon Croft, Miki thought angrily for he desperately loathed these high class, blue-blooded wolves who thought he and his friends belonged in the gutter.

At least, they were loyal to the king and what did they get? Nothing. It's time these so-called high-class people see what one of their kind has been doing in secret.

Miki smiled for he had a plan and he knew exactly how to get Gideon out of his hiding.

•••

For the umpteenth time, Cyane lowered her hat so that her face wouldn't be visible. For some reason, she still felt that everyone in the room was looking at her.

Relax, it's all in your mind, she told herself as she tried to calm her taut nerves. She took a deep breath and then tensed further when she caught the scent of several wolves in the food court.

Wolves, that were under the command of the king.

She was in Perennial square, an urban area in the kingdom of Aelius. As it was the weekend, the food court was bustling with life. It was overcrowded and while some people were waiting for a vacant seat, others who didn't show the same level of patience preferred to stand and eat.

Her sense of smell was overloaded with the aroma of food that ranged from hot and spicy to cold and icy. There were several options to choose from and as she took a sip of her Oreo milkshake, Cyane studied the cuisine list.

Back home, the food was exquisite but she never had so many options! Besides, the chef's sole focus was on making the queen happy and since the queen hated spicy food, it was rarely cooked. Also, since the fairies of her clan were vegetarians, she had almost forgotten the scent of cooked chicken or egg.

Cyane looked around until she caught sight of Elliot, who was busy on a phone call. She picked her own phone out and noticed that she had no new notifications.

When she had agreed to Minerva's plan, it was purely based on repaying a favour. Min had agreed to help her search the woods and so, Cyane felt she had to do the same.

Min had shared with Cyane the details of Acheron's message and while Cyane had been unsure, Minerva had been determined. She was confident neither Gideon nor Ash would be here. She was also sure was that the wolves of the kingdom would be here and to threaten Lysander, Ash was purposely trying to bring Gideon and her relationship to the limelight.

But since Gideon was captured by Ash, Minerva had to pretend to be compliant so that she can take her time preparing for a surprise attack on Ash and his men. Which is where she came in, Cyane thought with a sigh.

She would pretend to be Min for a few hours, until which Min would launch a surprise attack on Ash's bolthole. It was all perfectly planned and Cyane seriously hoped everything went accordingly because from her recent experience she had learnt that things don't exactly go according to the plan when she is involved.

She took a long sip of the drink and as she munched the Oreo cookies in delight, she couldn't help but think about Ash.

She didn't know him and didn't believe that he had attacked her in the woods. It wasn't him because of the word 'creatures' used by Bardo's men still resonated in her head. She was attacked by multiple beings, not a single Ash!

Though Minerva kept telling her that Ash was trying to hurt her, Cyane couldn't believe it.

Ash might have a team but the majority belief is that he is a wolf and Cyane knew she had nothing to fear when it came to wolves. Besides, why would Bardo's men call their very kind as creatures?

Hence, she found it hard to believe Lysander's words. However, she also realized that Ash was being a real problem to Lysander and Minerva. They were already preparing to take down King Stanislaus and now, they had to take care of this Ash as well.

All in all, it only exacerbated her guilt because they didn't even have the support of Gideon.

It had shocked Cyane to know that the wolves who were in that building that day, except for Gideon and her, had all been killed by Ash. It had only piqued her interest in Ash and she was curious to know about him, but not as curious as she was in learning everything there was to know about the Iron Fort from Gian.

The power that helped King Stanislaus stay in the throne lay there and she had always been thought that when there is a problem, one had to cut it off at the roots and Cyane was sure that the root to all the problems lay in Iron Fort.

Her phone screen lit up and she looked down to see a text message from Minerva.

NOW!

That was all it said and Cyane knew what it implied. She looked at Elliot who nodded at her and as she stood up to leave towards the washroom, she knew he and his friends would keep an eye on her.

Min was already in the washroom, holding a bag.

"Did you find anything suspicious?" Cyane demanded.

"I felt like I was being watched" Minerva confided, "What about you?"

"So far... nothing" Cyane shrugged.

"But I am not ready to leave any chance" Min swore and Cyane understood why this was important to her. "This one's empty" she pushed open a door and taking the bag from her, Cyane entered the cubicle.

There, she first changed skin to that of Minerva's and then began undressing.

"I thought bright colours aren't your thing" Cyane murmured as she wore the top which had Minerva's scent all over it. She knew Min disliked bright colours just like she disliked jeans. Cyane felt weird in the skinny jeans she wore.

"It stands out and right now that's all I want" Min pointed as she changed into Cyane's clothes.

Pulling at the sides of her jeans, Cyane stepped out of the cubicle. "Wow" Min whistled and Cyane smiled at Minerva's reflection with a smile that was so similar to Minerva's.

"I look pretty when I smile" Min commented and Cyane chuckled.

The washroom door opened and two girls stepped in. They didn't bother to hide their surprise when they saw the two lookalike girls in the room.

"I have never seen a set of twins with so much resemblance" one of them commented when Cyane raised a brow. "It must be difficult for your family to tell who's who."

"It is. But it often works to my advantage" Min said and then dragged Cyane to a corner.

"Now remember, all you have to do once you step out of this room is to walk around the area with a suspicious expression. The clothes have my scent in it and when they are distracted by you, I will move out of the building. Elliot has your back and he will ensure you are safely taken to home" Min said and then held Cyane's hands. "Nervous?" she questioned.

"A little bit. I don't like plans" Cyane smiled. "There's no one coming here to hurt you right?" she had to ask because she feared for Minerva.

"Not me. But I suspect someone might come here to hurt you" Min stated and Cyane resisted an urge to roll her eyes. Again, with the Ash thing!

"Then I will show them what a true Lycorian does to their enemies" Cyane smirked.

"You don't have to do anything because I will handle them. That's the plan" Minerva reminded. "Ash is a software genius and I am pretty sure he has all the cameras under his control, which is why he needs to see us coming here. Now, he has seen you enter the cubicle and I will be the one stepping out as you. He will keep an eye on me, dressed like you and if he keeps an eye on you, then don't worry because we have your back."

Cyane paused for it took her some time to understand what Minerva said. "That was confusing. But I think I got what you meant" she said to her friend, who simply chuckled. "What if you are attacked?"

"If it's Ash then I will take the blow, just so that he can somehow lead me to his place. If you are attacked, then we will capture him immediately, although, I highly doubt he is that stupid. But rest assured my father's men are here and they will protect you" Min assured her. "I will be there too. I will follow you, so you needn't worry. I want you to be a cover-up and you have no idea how thankful I am that you agreed to do this for me."

"I owe you" Cyane whispered.

"No. You don't! What happened that day isn't your fault." Min shook her head before adding, "Your phone is with you right? Call me if you find anything suspicious and I mean anything."

With that reminder in her mind, Cyane walked out.

Elliot and his friends were stunned to see Minerva at first, but when she faked a smile at them, they understood who she was.

Sighing, they walked back to the dining area and this time, Cyane sat in one of the stools at the far end and scanned the area.

Her phone buzzed again and she unlocked the screen to read a message from Minerva: I just stepped out. Be careful. Several rogues are here.

Frowning, Cyane looked around and when her gaze met with unknown wolves, they growled at her menacingly and she frowned until she realized they were growling at her face, which at the moment, was that of Minerva's.

Suddenly, a woman screamed and jumping, she ran away from her seat. It was followed by another woman screaming and the commotion increased.

"There's a rat. There's a rat" someone shouted and almost everyone started running around. To Cyane's horror, she watched when few of them slipped and dropped to the ground. She stood up worriedly until she saw several marbles scattered on the ground.

As one glass marble rolled towards her, she bent and picked it up.

The screams echoed around the building as people struggle to get up and failed. Those who tried to help the ones on the ground ended up joining them. The screams increased ten-fold when the rats ran and jumped over several people who were already down on the ground.

Some ran out of the food court, while others stood on the tables. Women and children screamed while some men shouted for the security guards.

Cyane narrowed her eyes and found the little creature running under the tables and chairs, while the security guards tried to catch it vain.

She thoroughly disliked rats and other rodents and felt her skin crawling when she saw the creature running helter-skelter.

Her phone buzzed and she picked it up but couldn't hear anything because of the people screaming. Some had rushed to where she had been sitting and they would scream and jump in a panic if they saw the rat coming in their direction.

Unable to catch Elliot's voice from the other end, Cyane moved away from the chaos towards the elevator.

"Elliot. I cannot hear you" Cyane covered her left ears with her palm to block the sounds, while she pressed the phone closer to her right ear to catch Elliot's voice from the other end. She winced when she heard some more screeches both from the phone and the crowd behind her.

She asked Elliot to speak louder, but then when she didn't get any response, she looked at the phone and noticed that he had cut the call. Her phone pinged and unlocking, she opened the message.

However, before she could read it, she felt a piece of cloth being pressed against her mouth and nose by a large hand. She elbowed the person and stomped him in the foot, hard, causing him to groan in pain and remove his hand from her mouth.

The cloth had some unusual, rotten scent and while the person pulled their hand from her mouth, she noticed that the cloth had black powder spilt on it.

Silver sulphide.

Her abductor had used silver sulphide and of course, it affected her because she was the daughter of a wolf.

She turned to face her abductor and attack him but her head felt heavy and everything turned dark around her. Before she could let the darkness overcome her, a cloth sack was thrown over face and she was completely lifted off the floor.

•••

"What are we going to do now? We don't even know who she is."

"We'll apologize and drop her to her home. What else can we do? We have to hope she doesn't report us."

"You messed up badly this time. You had one job and you couldn't even do it?"

Cyane scrunched up her face in irritation at the sounds of the heated arguments coming from a distance. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and noticed a white wall, devoid of any pictures.

This wasn't her room in Yolanda's house or the hospital. Where was she?

Startled, she got up and looked around in doubt. She was in a room that had minimalist things. A table with laptop, pen-stand and two notebooks beside it. A teak wood cupboard on one side of the wall and a traditional cabinet beside it. There were three doors, one of which led to the balcony and Cyane was sure the other was to the washroom.

The room was immaculate and Cyane blinked repeatedly in confusion until she heard the voices again, coming from outside the third door that was left ajar.

"I thought it would bring Gideon out of hiding" Cyane stiffened the moment she heard Gideon's name. She caught their scent and recognized that the men outside were not only strangers but also wolves.

It all came flashing back then and she remembered what had happened in the food court. She got kidnapped... again!

As a trained fighter, Cyane felt disappointed with herself for letting it happen. She needed to be careful and be more vigilant because she had underestimated the wolves. They came in packs and they were stronger when they were together.

True, that she was taken by surprise in both times but it only reminded her that she had to watch her surroundings carefully. She couldn't just trust anyone here.

"Why did you agree with his plan?" a voice demanded. Cyane hadn't heard that voice before, she was sure of it.

Who had kidnapped her? What did they want? Did Ash and his team kidnap her? Does that mean Lysander and Minerva's suspicions were true and she was wrong?

They weren't aware that she had woken up and so, sitting stiff as a rod, Cyane listened to their conversation only because they spoke about Gideon and because she wanted to know why they wanted to kidnap Minerva.

It was obvious that they were planning to kidnap Minerva because she was in a different appearance when the abduction had happened and now, she had changed back to herself.

"As he said, it would have brought Gideon out of his hiding and he would have been exposed as the traitor he is," another voice said defensively. "I didn't know the plan was to kidnap. I thought we were only going to scare her a little and get the truth from her."

Cyane's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hands. Theos! These people knew about Gideon and Minerva. They knew Gideon was Minerva's mate and was loyal to her and Lysander than the king. Which meant, the people who kidnapped her were loyal to King Stanislaus.

"Did you not see who you were kidnapping? Or did you just see a pretty girl and picked her up?" the same voice that had spoken earlier asked angrily.

Whoever this guy was, he was pretty angry with the others in the room and right now, Cyane guessed there were four of them because she could catch four different scents.

One particular scent was intoxicating and Cyane was allured to it!

There were a loud growl and some movement, "I do not force girls. Never have, never will. They come to me willingly because they want to. So, don't you dare accuse me of that!"

"He is right Brody. You went too far with that accusation. Apologize to Miki."

So, it was Brody guy who was angry and Miki guy who wanted to kidnap Minerva. The third guy was the one who was talking. Well, then who was the fourth guy?

"I am sorry for thinking the worst of him, but how can he do such a terrible mistake and kidnap someone randomly? We are messed up, yes! But we aren't so messed up that we kidnap women and bring them to our place" Brody guy continued angrily. "The whole kingdom thinks the worst of us and now, you did this. Do you have any idea, what is going to happen if this news gets out?"

"It'll get out only if this girl lets it and we won't allow her to do that," the third voice said.

"What do you mean?" Brody questioned.

"We will make up a story. Apologize and safely drop her to her home. What else can we do?"

"Or maybe, I can tell her I kidnapped her because she kicked me in the face that day and now that we are even, she can go." It was Miki who spoke and Cyane furrowed her brows until realization dawned on her.

The names, Miki, Brody...

Theos! These were the guys Minerva had shown her just a couple of days ago and these were also the guys that she had encountered in the woods that day.

Her cheeks heated up immediately and her heart thudded when she recalled him... Xanthos.

He was here. Outside!

His friends were the ones who wanted to kidnap Minerva.

Cyane was disappointed, but what else did she expect? He was a criminal and so were his friends.

Still, her heartbeat increased a notch and there was a funny, fluttery feeling inside her stomach that she could neither call nervousness, nor excitement. It was weird and it annoyed her because this guy, with his intoxicating scent and neatly sculpted body, brought out such feelings from her.

"Yeah! Right! Have you not caught her scent yet?" Brody asked with a humourless chuckle.

"Yes. It's weird" the third guy said. "I am sure she isn't a wolf but her scent isn't like that of a human."

"She is a half breed. Only one of her parents is a wolf and she is not. She knows about our kind, which means she has someone, somewhere related to or associated with the King. We are doomed" Brody groaned.

"Why do you assume the worst? Don't worry. Once she gets up, I will talk to her and explain, then I will drop her to her home. Although I must admit, I wanted to get back at Lady Tarzan for kicking me and now, I think we are even."

The third guy groaned again, "Miki, please don't mess this up then it already is. Please just let her go without screwing anything up."

"Alright, spoilsport" Miki agreed and then, there was complete silence for almost five seconds before Miki spoke again, "Xan, you have nothing to say?"

Cyane held her breath and patiently waited for Xanthos to say something, but no word came out of his mouth.

"Really? I found that hard to believe, considering you had stopped us from attacking her last time" Miki questioned.

Cyane remembered the way, he had stretched his strong, muscular arms in a firm way to prevent his friends from attacking her. They had been furious when she had kicked Miki in the face and even more furious when they had lost their food, who was her friend Mr Black.

These guys weren't the good guys and she needed to get out of here... fast!

"I stopped you because I didn't want to scare her." His voice was modulated and clear. A kind of voice, Cyane knew would never grate her ears. "She had seen me shifting back and she knew what I was. She seemed scared and I wanted to calm her."

She could imagine him shrugging and one corner of her lips tilted up.

"Scared? Really? Lady Tarzan didn't hesitate while kicking me, throwing fruits at me or stealing my food" Miki said tautly and Cyane frowned at his nickname for her.

"Yeah. She wasn't scared alright?" The third guy spoke. Cyane couldn't remember his name. "Despite knowing what we were, she decided to attack us."

"Attack us? She only threw some fruits" Xanthos spoke again and this time, his voice was laced with amusement.

"And kicked me in the face" Miki stressed and Cyane rolled her eyes. She hadn't made her presence known to them, but she intended to.

"I don't see any scars," Xanthos pointed out and Cyane tucked her lips inside her mouth to suppress a giggle.

"Why the hell are you defending her?" Miki was outraged.

"He has got the hots for her" Brody murmured and as Cyane grasped the meaning of the term, she turned scarlet to the roots of her hair and held the mattress in a tight grip.

There was a low, warning growl but then a louder growl overpowered it.

"No," Miki said. "No. Not for her. Anyone but Lady Tarzan. What the hell is wrong with you? You cannot fraternize with the enemy."

"How is she the enemy?" Xanthos questioned and Cyane's heart just skipped a beat.

"How is she anything but? What do you know about her other than that she likes to kick people in the face?" Miki snapped and Cyane wanted to throw something large and heavy at him.

"What's your problem?" The third guy demanded.

"I don't trust her. She seems fishy to me" Miki answered.

"Oh please! You messed up and now you are passing the blame on to her?" Brody said tautly.

"No. I am telling you. I was following Minerva. I watched her go into the washroom, come out and go the corner. I also saw her going towards the lift. She was completely alone" Miki growled. "I knew what I was doing. There was no way I could have been confused."

"What colour dress was Minerva wearing?" Brody questioned.

There was a pause before Miki muttered, "The same as Lady Tarzan."

"There you go! That's how you got tricked."

"I was watching Minerva. Only her. Grayson distracted the crowd by letting loose those rats, but I had my eyes on her."

Oh! These guys! Cyane wanted to hit all of them but she was glad Minerva's plan worked. The exchange helped or else it would have been Minerva, who would have been trapped here. Now, Minerva could safely go to the island where she was sure Gideon was kept.

All Cyane had to do was keep these guys distracted until then. She had a plan and she knew what she had to do. With that thought, she got off the bed and moved towards the door.

"Your plan backfired. In the chaos you kidnapped someone else" Brody said flatly.

"I did not. I was—"

They all stopped talking and Cyane didn't realize why, until she slowly peered through the door.

Four pair of eyes were fixed on her and her heart thudded in her chest when she felt his gaze. She didn't look at him. Instead, she looked at the friendliest looking guy in the room.

It was the third guy. He didn't have a criminal record and he wasn't in Minerva's list either, which meant he was different from his friends. His eyes were the colour of tiger's eye and he had caramel brown hair. He was of average height and lean and was giving her an encouraging smile.

Since Cyane didn't feel like smiling, she didn't smile. However, she slowly pushed the door open and stepped into the living room.

The living room was the same as the bedroom, filled with minimalist things— a couch, a coffee table, a television attached to a wall and a small round dining table at one corner. Though it had four chairs around it, Cyane found it hard to imagine four people comfortably eating in such a small table.

A growl caught her attention and she looked at the Miki guy, who was openly glaring at her.

Yes! He was the guy she had kicked in the face. With eyes that was a lukewarm carnelian shade, he was tall, well-built and had a very pretty face that was now scowling at her. There was a thick mop of dark curls on his head, that only added to his good looks.

Uncomfortable with his frown and feigning ignorance to the reason behind it, Cyane let her eyes drift to Brody.

His eyes were like black onyx and unlike his friends, he didn't seem to have an air of confidence around him. He wasn't very tall or good looking, but he had a body that was every gym goer's idea of perfection.

Brody didn't smile or scowl at her, but he was watching her as she slowly stepped into the room to stand in front of the four guys. Two were seated on the couch and two others were standing on one side.

She still hadn't met his gaze, but she could feel it running all over her frame and even though it should make her uncomfortable, it didn't. She would have found it creepy had it been anyone else, but he made her feel all hot and bothered.

Slowly, hesitantly, she raised her lashes and when her eyes clashed with his icy ones, she remembered the sapphire stone she had once seen in the palace museum. Raw and uncut, the large stone had been described as the colour of earth from the sky. His eyes were like that stone, the only difference that instead of being embedded with the rock, they were covered in ice.

He leaned back in his seat and she noticed that he was fully clothed this time in faded blue denim and a khaki coloured shirt that clung to his wide shoulders like a second skin. Cyane knew she ought to be grateful that he was fully clothed; however, she found that a wicked part in her wasn't. She had liked him naked and she very much preferred to see him naked again.

Disturbed her inappropriate thoughts, Cyane inhaled sharply and focused on Xanthos's features, like the rugged jaw, a formidable mouth that rarely curved unlike the dark blonde eyebrows that she felt was always curved and pensive. His fine golden-brown hair was neatly cropped short at the sides but lay tousled and spiky on the top, making him look sexier like the male models she had drooled over on the internet.

He might not talk much, but he thought a lot and he also seemed to be very cold, clever and cunning. Though she liked clever individuals, she shouldn't have been attracted to cold and cunning ones, but strangely she was. Her heart found his unsmiling face attractive and now that the decision had been taken without her mind's consent, nothing could stop the butterflies from taking a turbulent flight in her tummy.

"It's like we don't exist!" Cyane heard the disgust in Miki's voice and blinking, she looked away. Since she had pale skin, it didn't take much to turn them red and she felt that her cheeks were a bright shade of red at the moment.

"If you are done swimming in the depths of each other's eyes, let's focus on the main issue" Miki growled and Cyane looked at him questioningly.

The third guy slapped him in the chest and stepped forward to stand in front of Miki, "Hi, I am Grayson" he introduced himself and extended his hand.

Cyane stared at him suspiciously and then at the outstretched hand but didn't bother taking it.

"Okay," Grayson said uncomfortably and pulled his hand back. "I understand. You must be thinking about why you are here, right? Well, it's a... it's a funny story that Miki is going to explain." With that said, Grayson stepped back to his earlier position.

"Right. Thanks for that" Miki said sarcastically and then glared at her. "You kicked me in the face that day in the woods and as revenge, I drugged you and brought you here. No, I didn't hurt you. No one did and also no, I am not sorry. You fucking kicked me in the face and stole my food. I would have forgiven you for the kick, but I will never forgive those who steal my food and you stole a big, fat bear from me."

Cyane wanted to laugh. She wanted to throw her head back and laugh in a very loud, un-ladylike manner; but years of practising of polite, polished behaviour in public, she knew how to hold herself back.

Xanthos made a scoffing sound and Cyane turned to look at him. His gaze met hers and before she could drown herself in it again, she looked back at Miki and shot him a confused look.

"What the hell kind of reaction is this? Why is there no reaction?" Miki asked loudly, pointing at her.

"Uh... you don't have to be scared. No one is going to hurt you. We sincerely apologize for our friends mistake and I am ready to drop you home if you could just share your address with us" Grayson said unsurely.

Cyane maintained the same impassive face and Grayson furrowed his brows, while Miki growled again. "That didn't sound creepy right?" He looked at his friends.

"Ask her if she speaks English" Brody suggested.

"You don't speak English?" Grayson demanded, shaking his head.

As part of her act, Cyane pressed her index finger against her mouth and then shook her hands.

"Shit!" Grayson paled as he realized what she meant and Cyane felt bad for pretending to be mute until she realized that she shouldn't because these guys were planning to kidnap Minerva and who knows what they might have done to her.

Though from their comments earlier and now, she realized that they weren't the ones who would ever physically hurt a woman.

Still, she couldn't trust them not to go after Minerva and hence to keep them distracted, she had to fake being a mute, who also couldn't understand their language.

"She is mute?" Brody whispered the last part. His eyes softened a bit and then flickered towards Xanthos.

Grayson looked aghast, while Miki was watching her suspiciously. "You don't speak at all or you don't speak English?" Miki asked, making weird funny gestures with his hands.

Cyane didn't speak at all... just stared at him.

"Can you write?" Grayson asked her making the hand gesture and Cyane nodded.

"God Damnit! Get me a paper and a pen" Miki snarled and Grayson, quickly fetched a pen, while Xanthos passed a rough sheet.

In the paper, he wrote in bold letters, ENGLISH?

He passed on the pen to her and taking it, she looked at Xanthos. His eyes seemed to see through her façade and unable to bear it, Cyane lowered her lashes and knelt on the ground, to write on the paper placed in the coffee-table.

She grew up bilingual and Greek was her mother-tongue, but her clan had Scandinavian origins. Before they wiped out the entire Harpy species, before their blood got mixed up with angel blood and long before they moved to the Sylvan mountains, her clan members spoke the Norwegian language. It wasn't the official language and it wasn't considered a mother-tongue anymore; but because it was their native language, it had its respectful place and every fairy born in the clan was compulsorily taught the language.

Which is why she wrote in Norwegian in the paper. It was one of the many languages that she had learnt.

"What language is that?" Miki asked perplexed as Cyane dropped the pen on the table.

"Translate it," Grayson said.

When Xanthos leaned forward, she slammed her hand on the paper because what she had written was meant for Miki.

Icy blue eyes met hers and he raised a questioning brow. Cyane gulped but refused to move her hand away even when he tried to tug it. Narrowing his eyes, he roughly yanked the paper and Cyane gasped.

Her ears felt hot when he gave her a long, hard stare before turning his head to read what's written on the paper. He pulled out his phone and took a snap of her words.

When their gaze met again, there was a slight twitch in the corner of his mouth and Cyane knew, he figured out what she had written. "Norwegian" he muttered a few seconds later.

"You are kidding me" Miki snatched Xanthos's phone and when he looked at the screen, his shoulders dropped.

"What did she write?" Brody was curious.

"She is saying we made a mistake" Miki mumbled, passing the phone back to Xanthos.

"More like, you made a mistake," Brody said tartly. "I can't wait to hear you explain your reasons to her in Norsk" Brody mispronounced the Norsk while he was being sarcastic.

"Xan please do something. Get rid of Lady Tarzan! She is danger" Miki begged helplessly.

Elbows rested on the handle of the sofa and long fingers placed contemplatively under a firm chin, he moved them upwards, to cover his lips. However, his eyes betrayed his amusement at the situation.

"Who speaks Norwegian here?" Grayson mumbled. "Ask her where is she from and if she is a tourist?"

"Right, she had come here to visit the forests and protect wild bears," Brody continued being sarcastic.

Grayson growled at Brody while Cyane ducked her head to hide her smile.

"What does she mean we made a mistake? Who is she? Why did she write that?" Grayson was agitated.

"Go home, Grayson. Your brother will be back from his coaching classes" Xanthos advised and Cyane tried not to purr like a hungry cat when she heard that voice.

"I can't just leave her here. What are we going to do with her? We cannot let this get out... everyone already thinks the worst of us and if they find an unknown girl with us, we are doomed to a life of shame" Grayson's tone was anxious and Cyane felt bad for putting him through all this, but then she reminded herself to be strong because he had helped Miki in kidnapping Min and if Min had been here, they wouldn't have shown her the same mercy that they were showing her.

That reminded her that she had to contact Minerva. Theos! Yolanda might be worried. How long has she been out for? She looked at the clock, placed high on the wall and noticed that it was 7:30 p.m.

Ugh! Too long. She had to find a way to contact Yolanda. Where was her phone? She couldn't feel them in her pocket.

"Looking for your phone?" Miki questioned and it was hard for her not to glare at him. "Mobile?" he made a calling gesture near his ears. This time, Cyane glared at him. "You dropped it in the mall while I brought you here."

Some filthy Greek words were playing on the tip of her tongue and with herculean effort, Cyane held it in.

"Not Sorry" he shrugged and Cyane yanked the paper from Xanthos's hands and wrote again— Dra til helvete.

"What did she write?" Miki was right in being suspicious.

This time the amusement was very visible in Xanthos's eyes as he passed the phone. "You go to hell" Miki snapped at her after reading the message.

"Miki enough!" Grayson growled at his friend. "She has a right to be angry with us. Here, take my phone and contact whoever you want. Tell them you will be home soon. Xan, please let her know what I just said."

Xanthos used a translating website and showed her the message.

When Grayson passed her his phone, Cyane took it.

"Take a seat" Brody gestured and Cyane sat in his place, next to Xanthos. He turned his head to look and Cyane felt her breath hitching in her throat. Theos! She needed to get a grip on herself. She couldn't let this criminal affect her to this level. It was unhealthy.

Holding the phone closer to her chest, she dialled Yolanda's number, until she realized that not only was she pretending to be a mute but also someone unknown. These guys were working for the king and if they found out she is with Yolanda and others; they were bound to get suspicious.

No. Cyane couldn't contact Yolanda. But, how could she send her a message? Another idea struck her head and she decided to use it. She had to keep these guys distracted for a day or two. As long as it would take for Minerva to rescue Gideon.

Once Gideon was out, she would escape from here. However, until then, she had to stay here. These rogues cared about their reputation and to protect it, they would very surely try to hide her and in doing so, their sole focus would be on her and not on Minerva.

It meant she had to tell some more lies and Cyane winced because she did not like lying and now that she had started, she was getting delved in her web of lies.

She erased Yolanda's number in one go and instead keyed in Gian's number. He would cover for her and he would convey her message to Yolanda. He would find a simple way.

She typed her message in Norwegian to Gian, knowing full well that he would recognize it and translate it.

The phone rang, she cut it off immediately and then let him know where she was. He replied to her in Italian and Cyane knew Italian too because her grandmamma had wanted her to learn her fiancé's mother-tongue.

She asked him to forward her message to Lysander, which he would find in his contacts because she had first called him with that phone. He promised her he would and asked to be safe. He didn't add any further information and Cyane was very grateful to that.

Deleting the entire conversation. She began again in Norwegian and as planned, Gian replied to her this time in Norwegian.

She made a troubled face and looked at Grayson, whom she realized was the most sensitive of the lot. He would buy her fake sob story very easily and he would convince the others of the same.

She showed him the message and he looked at Xan. Cyane passed her phone to the man seated beside her but refused to look him in the eye because his gaze bothered her. It stripped her bare and she didn't want to expose herself to that level to him because she didn't trust him. How could she when he worked for King Stanislaus. The same king whose son had kidnapped and assaulted her?

Xanthos leaned forward in his seat and once again she could feel his gaze on her. "Well, what does it say?" Grayson asked anxiously.

Cyane turned her head to look at Xanthos with sad, puppy eyes, hoping he would buy her story. His brows were slightly furrowed and when he saw her face, he blinked, shook his head and looked away.

"Give me the phone" Miki barked but Xanthos passed it back to Cyane.

Sighing, he stood up and when Miki moved forward to snatch the phone from Cyane, Xanthos placed his palm against Miki's chest and pushed him back with a growl.

Stunned, Miki blinked at his friend. "Don't hurt her. As long as she is here, no one will touch her" he said fiercely.

"What do you mean as long as she is here?" Miki questioned angrily.

"She is a camper. She has come here with her selfish brother and his girlfriend. They often abandon her to spend quality time alone. They have gone trekking on the Sylvan mountains which means she has no place to stay until they come back" Xanthos shared.

"No way. There is no way you are going to let her stay here, right? Right?" Miki chuckled and Xanthos growled lowly his whole posture tense. "No. I won't allow it. She cannot stay here."

"This is not your place. You don't get to decide" Brody reminded unkindly.

"Well, this is my friend's place and I do get to decide" Miki argued.

"She can stay at my place if you don't want her here" Grayson suggested.

"What is wrong with you people? Why the hell should we put up with this—"

It was Xanthos's furious growl that stopped Miki mid-sentence. He leaned closer and stared his friend down. Miki stepped back and Cyane fidgeted in her seat when she saw the scene unfolding in front of her eyes.

She had heard about some alpha type wolves who loved showing dominance, showing their power. Cyane didn't know the alpha kind, she wasn't very good in noticing their power but she had felt that powerful aura around Lysander the first time she had met him. He had been standing with four other people but Cyane had noticed him first because of the way he stood out, because of the power he emanated. Later, when she came to know who he was, she wasn't very surprised to learn that he was of royal blood. She had seen traces of that same kind of power around Minerva and Gideon.

Xanthos was not an Alpha, but he had a certain influence in this group that made him a kind of leader within his friend's circle. They looked up to him more than they feared him.

"Xan" Brody called tersely and Cyane noticed that he had stepped closer to Xan, most likely to prevent him from attacking Miki.

"Miki, go home or go to the arena. We'll handle everything here" Grayson said pleadingly. He was a genuinely nice guy and Cyane kind of understood why he wasn't tagged as a criminal yet. Though a part of this group, he was very different from the others.

"Fine. But I don't want her here by the time I am back" Miki growled.

"That's rich coming from you. You created this whole scenario and now that we are trapped here, you don't want us doing anything to mitigate it either" Brody retorted.

"I told you to leave her wherever she wants to go" Miki barked.

"She has no place to go. Did you not hear what Xan said? She would have gone with her brother, had you not brought her here" Brody countered in frustration.

"If she was with her brother, she must have been staying somewhere right. Some hotel where she must have kept her luggage? Ask her, where it is and I will drop her there" Miki told Xanthos.

It was Grayson who typed the message and Cyane gave her reply very quickly. "They are on a road trip. Her luggage is in her brother's car and he drove away to the summit" Grayson sighed.

"There is no other option. We have to let her stay here" Brody sighed.

"He's right. If we don't want to create a scene, we must have her stay here, quietly" Grayson muttered.

Miki snorted, "I understand you guys want to do the right thing. I get it how important that is to you, but what about her? Does she want to stay here?" Miki pointed at her and three pairs of eyes followed his gaze.

Cyane gulped and lowered her head. She didn't like the fact that she was causing a rift between the friends. However, she consoled herself by repeatedly saying that she was doing all this to protect Minerva. Her intentions were good and so, she hoped God Supreme would forgive her for all the lies and deceit.

She clutched the edge of the sofa in a tight grip when a shadow fell over her. Tilting her head back, she looked at Xanthos and found that he was watching her with that unsmiling face that had the power to spike her heartbeat. It made her want to know how he would look when he smiled, a genuine smile.

He passed the phone to her and she took it, careful not to brush her fingers against his.

Quickly typing her answer, she passed the phone back without looking at him. It was only when he turned away that she raised her head again.

"Well?" Miki prompted.

"She agreed. On the condition that you don't stay here," Xanthos said to Miki.

Cyane's eyes rounded because she hadn't typed that.

Miki was outraged, "Why that little—"

"He is joking. He is messing with you" Grayson held Miki back before he could launch himself at her. "She didn't say that!"

Brody laughed and Cyane lowered her head to hide her smile. So, Xanthos had a sense of humour.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Her eyes widened and she gritted her teeth. He is a criminal, she screamed in her head so that every part of her brain remembered that bit and made it a priority over the intensity of his eyes or his sense of humour.

"Fine. Since she has no place to stay, she can stay here. But I want her gone the moment her brother comes back in town" Miki stated flatly.

"Well, look at him, dictating and shit as if he owns this apartment. Look around you, this is Xan's place and he gets to decide how long she wants to stay here. Although, by the way, he is behaving I can assure you it'll be a long, long time" Brody mumbled the last bit but she heard it very clearly. Everyone did.

Grayson laughed and Miki growled but Xan remained impassive.

"Right. She can stay here as long as she keeps her mouth shut. I mean, she should tell no one that she has been kidnapped. Ask her to agree to this" Miki stated and Grayson nodded in agreement.

Sighing, Xanthos asked her the same and Cyane replied with a nod.

"If that's all, you all can leave" Xan stated.

Brody whistled suggestively and while Cyane frowned at him, Xan pushed him by the arm. He was a big guy so he barely stumbled. After smiling at her, he turned to leave.

"You can handle her right?" Grayson asked Xan, who just shrugged. "Call me if you need anything."

Miki glared at her and pointed an accusing finger, "Just so you know, I don't like you Lady Ta— Wait. What's her name? Does anyone know her name?"

"Right, we forgot to ask that. What's your name?" Grayson chuckled.

There was no way Cyane would have shared her real name with these criminals, so she held her hand for the phone.

Miki was the first one to read it and he laughed out loud when he read her name. "Lady Tarzan is way better than Cookie. Who the hell names their daughter Cookie?" he said in between laughs while Cyane scowled at him. "I am going to call you Lady Tarzan from now. I can't... I just cannot call you that."

Cyane's palm itched and she wanted to give a good slap to this jerk, just to stop him from repeatedly making fun of her.

"Careful man, don't let that innocent face distract you. She is an enemy and if you want help in getting rid of her, call me," with that unwanted piece of advice, Miki closed the door behind him.

"How can you say that about her?" She could hear Grayson asking from the other side of the door.

"What? She is a snake. She already spewed her first drop of venom on us. I don't like her and I don't trust her" Miki's angry voice faded away.

The scowl that hadn't left her face since Miki started laughing, was still there when she moved her gaze towards Xanthos, who was silently watching her.

The oddity of the situation hit her then and she inhaled sharply when she realized that all his friends had left, leaving her alone in an apartment with him. Her pulse rate spiked up under the intensity of that gaze. It was like he was almost touching her.

He moved closer and step by step, anticipation built inside her.

How could he do this? How could he affect her so much without words, without even a hint of a smile on that beautifully sculpted face?

He paused and so did her breath, "Hungry?" he questioned reasonably.

She let out the breath she had been holding and nodded her head.

One corner of his lips twitched upwards again. It wasn't a smile because there was no softness in his eyes but it still made her cheeks burn until she paled and realized her mistake.

She gave a reply to his English question.

****

Wow! That went fast! Last chapter Cyane had just found out his name and now she is in his apartment. Do tell me what do you think is going to happen next? Will Xan figure out she is faking?

Please share your views :D

Next chapter on June 27th! Long I know... but that's the weekend I will be free as I have work next Saturday ☹

Since the Govt has eased lockdown norms everywhere it's on us now to stay safe! So take care lovelies!