Claimed By The Rival Alpha

Chapter 97: Chapter 97

Selena

I knew I was in trouble the moment the Hawthorne headmaid began speaking.

There was something about the certainty in her voice that made my stomach twist. She stood in the middle of the room with her hands clasped before her, recounting everything I had done at House Hawthorne as though she had memorized every detail.

"She came into the manor pretending to be a new maid," she said. "She claimed she wanted a change of environment from the castle, but that was only the beginning. She eventually found her way into the upper floors and attempted to listen to a private conversation between Lord Henry and Lady Sophia!"

The castle headmaid’s eyes slowly shifted toward me while I lowered my gaze.

"Selena?" I said nothing. "Is this true?"

My fingers tightened around the fabric of my dress. There was no point lying again. Not when the person standing before me had been the very woman who caught me in the manor.

The castle headmaid looked disappointed. "You told me you wanted to leave the castle because you were considering finding employment somewhere else."

"I did."

"Then why did you lie about where you were going?"

I swallowed. I had no answer that would make the situation better.

I could not tell her that I had been trying to gather information for a rebellion. I could not tell her that I had gone to House Hawthorne because I suspected they were involved in something far more sinister than ordinary noble politics.

And I certainly could not tell her that I had discovered an innocent girl being used as a substitute for the real Sophia Hawthorne.

I lifted my eyes and looked directly at the Hawthorne headmaid. "They’re trying to sell an innocent girl to the vampires."

Her expression immediately hardened. "What did you just say?"

"I heard Lord Henry talking about her."

"You know nothing about my masters."

"I know what I heard."

"You spent one day in that manor and suddenly believe you understand the affairs of House Hawthorne?"

"I saw the girl and she wasn’t Lady Sophia!" I said pointedly.

The woman’s lips curled into a scoff. "You have no idea what you are talking about."

"I do."

"Selena," the castle headmaid warned.

I turned toward her. "I am not lying about this."

"I didn’t say you were."

The Hawthorne headmaid stepped closer. "You cannot simply accuse a noble household of trafficking an innocent girl because you overheard a conversation you were never supposed to hear."

"I didn’t accuse them without reason."

"Enough!" The Hawthorne headmaid snapped at me.

The castle headmaid immediately stepped between us. "I apologize on behalf of the castle for her actions. I assure you, we will handle this appropriately. Please send our apologies to Lord Hawthorne."

The Hawthorne headmaid’s expression remained stern. "Luckily, Lord Hawthorne is not aware."

That caught my attention.

"Only Lady Hawthorne knows what happened," she continued. "And you should consider yourselves fortunate that it is so."

My heart beat faster as the castle headmaid asked, "What does Lady Hawthorne want?"

"She has demanded that the maid return to House Hawthorne."

I straightened. "What?"

"She is to resume her duties there."

The castle headmaid frowned. "There is no need for that. Selena is already employed here."

"My lady specifically requested her."

"She cannot simply take a castle servant." The castle headmaid argued.

"She can request that the matter be handled according to the law instead." The Hawthorne headmaid uttered.

The woman’s words sent a chill through me and I couldn’t help but ask. "What law?"

She looked at me. "The law concerning spies and unauthorized intrusion into a noble household."

My heartbeat became heavier. I had not thought about that.

I had been so focused on discovering the secret they were hiding that I had never stopped to consider what would happen if I were caught.

I looked toward the castle headmaid. "I can’t leave."

She studied me.

The Hawthorne headmaid raised her shoulders. "Then perhaps you should make your decision quickly."

The castle headmaid remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. "We will wait for the Alpha’s return."

The Hawthorne headmaid’s expression immediately changed. "That is unnecessary! Lady Hawthorne expects an answer."

"And she will receive one when Alpha is back."

"My lady wants her back today!"

"We cannot make this decision without the Alpha."

The woman shook her head before implying. "Perhaps the Alpha himself sent this girl."

The castle headmaid’s eyes narrowed. "That is precisely why we should wait! We cannot know whether Selena acted entirely on her own. Perhaps the Alpha knew about her visit. Perhaps he instructed her to go there. Or perhaps there has been a misunderstanding altogether."

The Hawthorne headmaid’s patience finally snapped. "My lady has no patience for such excuses."

She turned toward the door. "If you insist on involving someone with greater authority, then the Beta is here to fix the issue."

Almost immediately, the door opened and Beta Bastian stepped inside.

His gaze moved between all of us before asking, "What is going on?"

The Hawthorne headmaid didn’t hesitate. "It concerns this girl."

She pointed directly at me. "She entered House Hawthorne under false pretenses. She claimed to be a new maid, gained access to the manor, deceived one of our guards and attempted to eavesdrop on a private conversation involving Lord Henry and Lady Sophia."

Beta Bastian looked at her. "Are you certain she is the same person?"

The Hawthorne headmaid nodded. "I was the one who admitted her into the manor two days ago."

Beta Bastian’s jaw tightened. I could sense his frustration even though he didn’t say anything.

"Everyone," he said, "come with me. We’re going to my study." Nobody argued as we all followed him out.

We had barely gone halfway down the corridor when the castle headmaid reached over and pinched my arm. I winced.

"What were you thinking?" she whispered.

I rubbed the spot. "I was trying to help."

"You lied to me. You lied about leaving the castle and you went into a noble household and got caught."

"I know." I muttered.

She stared at me. "You don’t even sound sorry."

I lowered my voice. "I regret my methods but not my actions."

She narrowed her eyes at me then sighed. "I knew you were trouble the moment I met you."

Despite everything, I almost smiled. Almost.

We finally entered Beta Bastian’s study.

The Hawthorne headmaid stood before him and explained everything once more. She also told him about Lady Hawthorne’s demand.

"My lady has offered an alternative to pursuing the matter under pack law," she finished. "She wants the girl returned to House Hawthorne as a maid."

Beta Bastian leaned back in his chair. "That isn’t Lady Hawthorne’s decision to make."

"She has the right to seek punishment."

"She has the right to report an offense. She doesn’t decide the punishment." Beta Bastian pointed it out.

The woman’s lips tightened. "She would prefer to settle the matter privately."

"And what does she intend to do with Selena?" Beta Bastian asked with creased brows.

"She just wants her to continue working at the Hawthorne manor."

Beta Bastian stared at her for a moment then his gaze shifted toward me.

He remained silent for several seconds while my heart began pounding loudly.

Finally, he spoke. "You can take Selena back to House Hawthorne."

My head snapped upward. "What?"

The castle headmaid spoke at the exact same moment. "What?"

Beta Bastian raised a hand. "Both of you, leave me and Selena for a moment."

The two women looked at him. Then the castle headmaid gave me one last worried look before following the Hawthorne headmaid out.

The door closed and I immediately turned toward Beta Bastian. "I can’t go there."

"You can."

"No, I can’t."

"You can, Selena."

I shook my head. "The group needs me."

"They don’t."

"They do." I stepped closer to him. "Our meetings, our plans, everything we’re trying to accomplish depends on me being around. If I disappear into House Hawthorne, who is going to organize everything?"

Beta Bastian’s expression remained calm. "You’re looking at this the wrong way. I’m not sending you away from the group."

"Then what are you doing?"

"I’m sending you directly into the place where we need information."

I stared at him as he continued. "You wanted to know what House Hawthorne was hiding. You wanted to know who that girl really is. You wanted to know what happened to the real Sophia."

"Yes." I nodded.

"Now you have a reason to return."

I slowly understood. "You want me to go back in there to investigate."

"I want you to observe." He emphasized the last word. "Listen. Watch. Learn. Find out what you can. If you discover something useful, bring it back to us."

I frowned. "But Lady Hawthorne knows who I am. She already sees me as a spy."

"You won’t be spying this time."

I gave him a skeptical look. "Then what will I be doing?"

"Working! While you’re there, you will have legitimate reasons to move around the manor. You will be a servant. Nobody will question why you’re carrying something upstairs or entering the kitchen. Nobody will question why you’re speaking to another servant."

He paused. "And if you use your head, nobody will suspect what you’re actually doing."

I exhaled slowly. There was logic in his words but still, there was one problem.

"We don’t know what Lady Hawthorne plans to do with me when I return."

"Pack law protects you."

"How?"

"Anyone who isn’t the Alpha or myself cannot pass an imprisonment or death sentence to anyone."

I blinked before asking. "So she can’t lock me away?"

"Not legally."

"And she can’t kill me?"

"Not legally."

"That word is doing a lot of work."

Beta Bastian almost smiled. "You’ll be fine."

I folded my arms. "You’re very confident about this."

"You survived far worse than Lady Hawthorne." Beta Bastian said with a shrug.

"That doesn’t mean I want to walk willingly into her house."

"No. But you’re going because it gives us an opportunity."

I sighed. "What if I get caught again?"

"Then don’t."

I stared at him in disbelief. "That is your advice?"

"Use your head."

"I was subtle the first time." I pointed out.

A dry chuckle escaped him as he lifted one hand and gestured toward the door where the Hawthorne headmaid waited outside.

I followed his gesture and my shoulders dropped. "Fine. I wasn’t subtle."

"You were caught almost immediately."

"Eventually." I sighed. "All right."

Beta Bastian’s expression softened. "You’ll have to be more careful this time. Do not rush. Do not confront anyone. Do not reveal what you know."

I nodded. "And what about the girl?"

"We’ll find a way."

I looked down. I still hated the thought of leaving the castle but I could not deny that Beta Bastian’s plan made sense.

If I returned to House Hawthorne, I might finally discover where the innocent girl came from, what had happened to the real Sophia, and what the family intended to do next.

Beta Bastian uttered again. "Once Alpha Kael returns, we might not even need to sneak around to save the girl."

I looked at him for a long moment then I nodded.

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