Noah.
Curiosity got the absolute better of me in the end, so I had no choice but to silently turn around and follow her down the winding stone corridor.
Something was definitely up with Anabel. I had long taken her as my one and only sister, protecting her and holding her close to my heart, so I really couldn’t afford for her to be uncomfortable or distressed in any form whatsoever.
I picked up my pace, walking quickly as I tried to catch up with her retreating figure, but Anabel was strangely walking much faster than usual, her quick, hurried footsteps echoing off the walls as if she were desperately running away from something—or someone.
Reaching the end of the hall, she immediately entered a secluded room by the corner and jammed the heavy wooden door shut so hard behind her that the frame rattled from the impact.
I stood there in the quiet hallway, thoroughly puzzled by her erratic behavior.
I waited a few silent moments outside to let her settle down, and then I slowly reached out, turned the iron latch, and pushed the door open.
The exact moment Anabel’s wide eyes locked with mine, she froze completely in place, looking like a caught prey trapped in the corner of the dark room.
"Anabel, relax!" I said softly, stepping across the threshold as I raised both of my hands open in front of me, trying to signal to her that I meant no harm. "What exactly is going on with you?" I asked, my voice heavy with a mix of genuine concern and burning curiosity.
"It’s none of your business, Noah!" she snapped the moment she regained her footing and pulled her panicked composure back together. "You can leave the room right now." She added a sharp gesture, stretching her hand outward as she pointed a trembling finger directly toward the open door.
Okay, that was it!
Something was definitely, horribly wrong with Anabel.
Hadn’t she been staying over in the Lycan Prince’s dangerous territory?
And hadn’t she been specially invited by Vincent himself to attend the grand event?
If that was the case, how on earth could she have arrived back here at the pack house long before us—unless, of course, she had secretly fled and left the territory long before the wedding had even taken place?
"You know you can always talk to me, Anabel," I said gently, my voice dropping to a quiet, reassuring murmur as though speaking any louder might shatter the fragile silence hanging between us.
Without waiting for her permission—or acknowledging the sharp, unmistakable dismissal in her earlier words—I took another slow, deliberate step deeper into the room.
My movements were cautious, almost hesitant, yet unwavering, each measured stride making it painfully clear that I had no intention of leaving her alone, no matter how desperately she wanted me to.
My eyes never left her face, silently searching for even the smallest crack beneath the wall she had built around herself.
For a long, heavy moment, Anabel simply stared back at me, and then, a low, humorless chuckle escaped her lips.
The sound was bitter, cold and utterly devoid of amusement.
As the hollow laugh faded into the suffocating silence, her hands slowly slipped away from where they had been clenched, falling loosely to her sides. At the same time, every trace of vulnerability vanished from her expression, replaced by a cold, mocking look that hardened her delicate features.
"Talk to you?" She repeated the words with open disbelief, one dark eyebrow arching high while the other followed a heartbeat later.
Her narrowed eyes locked onto mine with an intense, unreadable stare, as though trying to see through every lie I had ever told.
"Would you ever actually do anything I say, Noah?" she asked quietly.
I swallowed hard, the heavy silence in the room pressing down on my chest like a weight.
Shit! I had almost completely forgotten—Anabel was still not over me.
Was this dramatic episode just another desperate attempt of hers to grab my full, undivided attention?
The loaded question she had just thrown at me felt like a subtle hint, a calculated prelude to pushing her luck and trying to force me into fulfilling whatever demands she had conjured up in her head at this moment.
’How on earth do I turn the tables around here?’ I thought frantically to myself, my mind racing at top speed as I cracked my brain to find a smooth, delicate way out of this trap without causing a scene.
But just before I could formulate a careful response, Anabel let out a short, hollow laugh that lacked any real humor.
"Never mind, Noah," she suddenly said, her voice dropping into a flat, eerie calm. "There is absolutely no need for you to bother yourself with my personal affairs." She added the words firmly, turning her shoulder slightly away from me as if shutting down the conversation entirely.
I raised my brows immediately, a prickle of confusion washing over me.
Perhaps my initial suspicion was completely off the mark. Looking closely at her tense posture, that subtle play for attention didn’t seem to be what was driving Anabel right now at all.
There was no usual spark of flirtation or manipulate intent in her eyes. Instead, a thick shadow hung over her. Something truly terrible must have happened to her while she was away, and from the haunted, anxious look written across her features, I could tell in my gut that she deeply, painfully regretted whatever it was.
What on earth had she gotten herself involved in this time?
"Anabel, do not forget that we used to be so close..." I paused, letting the memory of our shared past linger in the quiet air between us. "...I know you, and I can definitely tell that something is very wrong with you right now."
I took another slow, deliberate step closer toward her, refusing to let her hide behind her cold facade.
"Tell me," I asked softly, my voice laced with a sharp, protective seriousness, "what have you done?"
Instantly, the faint color left Anabel’s face, her skin turning completely pale as if I had just voiced her absolute worst nightmare.
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