The Alpha King's Mistress Chapter 56: Sleep

“I can carry that” I snapped, trying to grab my bags from Nicholas, but he smoothly dodged my attempts, keeping them just out of reach.

Turning his attention to Clifford, Nicholas gave him a nod.

Clifford respectfully bowed before following Layla and Gayle, leaving Nicholas and me alone.

As I watched Layla, Gayle, and Clifford leave, unease settled within me. I don't want to be left alone with him for the time being. And why does he always seem to be on my business every day?

I turned to Nicholas, irritation clear in my tone. "I can manage on my own, you know."

"I know, but it's late," he replied calmly, taking my wrist gently but firmly, and leading me toward his waiting car.

I looked at his hand on my wrist, contemplating whether to pull my hand or not. But his skin was warm and oddly soothing so I allowed myself to feel it for a moment longer. Just for a moment.

I found myself walking beside him towards the car.

As we moved towards the car, Nicholas broke the silence, "So, how was your day?"

I am not sure why he was asking that all of a sudden. Maybe he just got frustrated at the silence. With that thought, I hesitated for a moment before replying, "Um, it was... fun”

I felt obligated to ask the same thing, so I cleared my throat, “Yours?"

"It was quite busy, to say the least. I had a lot of meetings. My last meeting for the day ended just 20 minutes ago”

“Did you come here as soon as it was done?” I asked, frowning.

“Yeah,” he said, shrugging.

Like an instinct, I blurted out, “You should have rested first! Why go here in the first place? You should have eaten something or slept. For goodness sake!”

Unexpectedly, he burst into laughter.

His laughter... It was unexpectedly charming. His deep, rich voice was just... something else.

“What's so funny?” I pouted, now focusing on the sand at my feet.

“Nothing, don’t worry. I’ll get my rest later,” he assured.

…….

The air between Nicholas and me felt heavy. Silence enveloped us, and the only audible sound was the somber hum of the radio playing softly in the background. I stole glances at Nicholas, but his gaze was fixed ahead, distant and unreadable.

As we arrived at my cabin, I stepped out of the car, followed closely by Nicholas, who was carrying my bag.

“Thanks,” I said curtly, wanting to get away from him as soon as possible.

I tried to take the bag from him. But just as I reached out, his hand wrapped around mine, causing the bag to slip and tumble to the ground.

I froze, caught off guard by his sudden gesture. Looking up, our eyes met under the soft glow of the lamp outside my cabin. At that moment, illuminated by the dim light, I saw something different in Nicholas's expression – weariness etched across his face, shadows of exhaustion visible around his eyes.

His grip on my hand was gentle. For a brief moment, time stood still as we locked eyes.

I blinked, trying to break the awkward moment, "You... you should get some rest,” I mumbled, attempting to pull my hand away.

But then he leans his head on my shoulder.

My breath caught, and my hands clenched the hem of my shirt tightly, “W-what are you doing?”

He spoke, his voice soft and pleading almost, "Please, just for tonight. I am not sleeping very well lately. I am too troubled with my thoughts. Having you around helps calm me down."

"I... I’m not sure,” I stammered, “Aren't you supposed to be at your place, Nicholas?”

I heard him sigh before he raised his head, looking straight at me, “I just need 4...no 2 hours. Just let me sleep on your couch for 2 hours. I just need to satisfy my wolf”

His tired eyes and the dark circle under his eyes made my heart waver like always when it came to him.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to look away from him. Honestly, he owns the cabin, he can stay however he likes and I am just his mistress. He can just order me and use that word so I cannot turn him down but he still asks for my permission.

“Two hours,” I said coldly, “staying here to rest was far from what relationship we had. It is most suitable for the relationship you and……..Samantha has”

I didn't wait for his reply and made my way inside the cabin, sensing him following behind me.

“What event caused those dark circles under your eyes?” I quipped, shaking my head as I made a beeline for the kitchen and grabbed a mug.

Trying to be hospitable, I offered, “Want some milk? Might help you sleep.”

He nodded, settling onto the couch. I sighed and started preparing the milk, aiming to get this over with quickly. But his next question froze my hand as I was adding the milk powder to the mug.

“Ever heard of the Swiftmane Pack?” he asked, fatigue evident in his voice.

I swallowed, trying to gather my composure, “Uhm…not really. Are they a popular pack?”

“Unfortunately no” he sighed, “They are a small pack and very secluded”

“What happened to them?” I prodded further.

“They got wiped out.”

Classic move by Austin and his crew, probably burning the place down when they left. Real predictable.

I glanced at Nicholas, pretending surprised while he had his eyes shut. Spying requires some top-notch acting skills—I could audition for Hollywood at this rate.

“That's… horrible,” I feigned shock. “Who would even do that?”

“We received enough information that he met several times with suspected members of the Madcrest Pride '' Nicholas explained.

My fists clenched as I stirred the drink, “Madcrest Pride… that some kind of group?”

“Hmm. They are a pack of rogues. They experimented on their kind so they can develop a—”

“Perfect creature” I finished before I could think of. Shit.

“Yes,” he replied, his voice carrying a tinge of anger.

Handing him the mug, I muttered, “Here, drink up,” and hurried back to the kitchen, pretending to busy myself with the dishes I'd left earlier.

“Thanks,” he called out.

Honestly, I didn't want to be doing this, but I needed more info from Nicholas.

“Must have been tough investigating the Swiftmane incident,” I tried to sound sympathetic, “Explains the dark circles.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, but it was worth it. We found out there was a survivor.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine. I forced myself to continue washing, “Really? That’s something... But, uh, how sure are you that she was from Swiftmane Pack?”

I heard him place the mug down, adjusting the pillows on the couch. “We are. My men were able to retrieve a file that confirmed she was a member”

I bit my lip, trying to contain my emotions. Darn it. Darn it. My thoughts were racing with questions, my hands growing colder as I continued scrubbing. I needed to wrap this up. The more I asked, the more suspicious I’d appear.

“Is it okay you’re telling me all this?” I asked casually, masking any sign of concern. Years of experience came in handy to mask my emotions.

“Hmm,” he replied.

Glancing at him, I saw he had closed his eyes. Within seconds, his deep breaths indicated he was already asleep.

Hurrying, I finished the dishes and made a beeline for my room. My gaze fell on the blanket on my bed. I sighed, realizing I had no choice but to give it to him. I didn’t have a spare, and starting laundry wasn’t on my agenda.

Grabbing the blanket, I returned to the living room and draped it over him. I couldn’t help but glance at his peaceful face, long eyelashes touching his cheeks, lips slightly pursed. Without thinking, my hand lifted, almost reaching his cheek before I abruptly stopped myself, stepping back.

With a shake of my head, I went to my bathroom. I face the mirror, looking at my reflection.

“I didn't know his trackers would be able to do that, '' I murmured.

Being able to track Sarah—damn, he has good trackers. They are sure that the survivor was a member of the pack because of a file. Nevertheless, I was thankful since Sarah might be in the North now—with Percival.

Then realization sank in.

“Then it is…the profiles—fck”

The files they are able to retrieve must be the profiles of the members of the Swiftmane Pack. Every pack has it. And how unfortunate that I am also there.

Think, think.

My fingers tapped the sink anxiously. Nicholas seemed normal, not suspicious. His body language didn’t hint at anything. Maybe he hadn't seen my name yet. I might still be safe. It means that the files he might have only seen didn't include my name.

Yet.

“I still have time,” I whispered. “I don't have time to dilly dally. I need to make a plan”

My fist clenched as I stared at my reflection, resolve dancing in my eyes.