LAURA’s POV:

I froze, my heart racing as I slowly turned around to face the speaker. My head was still covered by the hood and I raised it higher to look at who dared disturb me and was walking around in the middle of the night.

It was one of the pack's guards I wasn’t able to recognize, his eyes narrowed suspiciously as he held up his torch towards my face. I dropped my head even lower to prevent being seen.

“Answer me,”

"I...I'm just getting some fresh air," I stammered, trying to sound nonchalant despite my racing heart. I wasn’t sure why I was feeling fear in front of a guard I could just snap his head o and end him as easily as slicing through butter but that would trigger the whole pack house awake and those people under the rain would have gone by that time.

I was sure Sonia and Alex were one of them and even though I tried to smell the air for their presence, it was masked by

the falling rain.

“By 4 am?”The guard's eyes held disbelief and discontent as his eyes nickered to my hood. I knew what he was about to ask for but I can’t let anyone know I was the one. I knew I had to think fast. If he saw my face, he would recognize me as the Alpha.

And ending his life is not a choice as he was one of my pack members.

“Yes, sir. You’re doing a good job patrolling every inch of the pack house. I’m glad you’re taking your duties seriously” I said, trying to ease the tension with praises.

But the guard wasn’t having it. “I wasn't aware anyone was allowed out at this hour," he said, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

I hesitated, looking around to see if I could defend myself or escape this torture but there were only narrow walls and a re torch beside me. My mind reeled, trying to come up with a convincing excuse. But before I could speak, a figure

emerged from the shadows behind the guard.

"Let her go, Thomas," the figure said, their voice low and authoritative as the small light from the torch slowly illuminated their face.

The guard- Thomas, turned, and I saw a icker of recognition on his face before he nodded and stepped aside.

"Sorry, milady," he muttered, before turning and disappearing into the darkness.

I raised my head higher to face the figure, not caring if they saw my face, my heart raced with excitement. It was a girl, her face also obscured by a hood, just like mine.

"Who are you?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady. I only saw the small of their chin but from their nose upwards, we’re hidden by the hood.

I never knew how irritating it was talking to someone with a hood until I encountered someone like that. So this was what the guard felt when he was talking to me!

The woman pushed back her hood, revealing a face I knew all too well.

"It's me, Leila," she said, a small smile playing on her lips. "I see you're still as reckless as ever, Laura."

I smiled softly with narrowed eyes, unsure of what to make of Leila’s appearance.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to keep my guard up. “How do you know I was here?”

Leila chuckled. "Me? You’re asking what I’m doing here? I could ask you the same thing, Laura. What are you doing here?”

I didn’t answer her but covered my hood and left, going out of the pack house. Leila followed me, walking beside me.

“We don’t need to answer each other’s questions because we’re both after the same thing,” Leila spoke out, reaching for my hands.

I stopped immediately, realizing something as the dots came together. “Why were you following me?” I realized that from her words. The only reason she must have known my aim was if she was following me.

Leila stopped in shock before sighing in defeat. “Fine. I’ve noticed something different from Sonia and I watched her all this while. She has been planning with Alex to destroy you. That's why I’ve been always beside you, protecting you”

I listened to every word she spoke and couldn’t help but believe her. I knew she was telling the truth.

“I wasn’t following you tonight. I also noticed those people outside and wanted to spy on them. That’s when I saw you with the guard. I can recognize your scent anywhere. And that’s why I know something you don’t”

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite myself. "And what's that?"

Leila's smile grew wider. "The truth.”

“What truth, Leila. I don’t have time for this,” said I, as I used my wolf speed and reached where the hooded figure was. I bent down, concealing my scent from any of them and bending down beside the huge fallen tree. I recognize the tree as one that Ryker, the beast fell when his dark shadow engulfed it during one of our talks.

Leila appeared beside me as she let out a deep breath. “Gosh, you are fast. How did you do that? I barely saw you after that”

“What truth did you want to tell me, Leila?” I stretched my hearing, trying to pick up the echoes of the hooded figure's voice but paused at Leila’s words.

“That Maxwell was framed by Sonia. He wasn’t the one who poisoned you but Sonia sent Alex to do that.”

My eyes widened as my face paled. I turned to Leila, seeing her king shiny brown hair as it slowly fell together with her hood, her pale skin still shimmered in the night sky.

“What?”

Leila nodded. “They did that, I’m so sorry, Laura. I wanted to tell you but I didn’t know the right time to. I was waiting till tomorrow but seems like fate has a way of twisting things”

My mind reeled at the thought of what Leila just said. “Maxwell is innocent and I blamed and locked him in the cellar for something he didn’t commit”