Chapter 108: The Perfect Lie

Annelise didn’t take her eyes off the coffee-haired woman sitting above her.

She wasn’t dressed in her usual feminine noble attire. Instead, she was dressed like someone who was out to hunt.

Her hair was tied into a ponytail, and she was putting on trousers today.

"Honestly," Beatrice continued, her voice carrying as though this was just another ordinary day to her, "Why would you choose to make yourself a traitor? Why would someone intentionally choose such a life for themselves?"

Annelise couldn’t help but panic even more.

The women sitting up there sounded so calm that it had Beatrice thinking that Della might just be in danger right now. She needed to get back to the cottage!

Beatrice noticed the direction her gaze had glanced upon, and that scheming look crossed her eyes again, "Oh, don’t worry. They won’t be rough with her,"

Annelise’s tension skyrocketed.

"I told them to be very gentle with my dear sister," The Sarcasm in her voice wasn’t hard to miss.

Annelise looked at Beatrice again, who only looked like a broken, diseased doll in her eyes. She’d met enough people and treated enough disease to know when someone had a loose screw in their head with one glance, and this one in front of her literally had one eye constantly twitching.

It’d always been obvious to her.

When Annelise had first seen Beatrice back at IronRidge from a distance, she’d caught her attention because not only was she the wife of Alpha Leopold, but she was also the sister of someone pure.

Unfortunately, she was the exact opposite of Della.

And she might have succeeded in fooling everyone with her charm and grace and softness, but Annelise had noted the constant strain in her voice as though she was pushing herself against who she really was, and how she stared at everyone around her when no one was looking.

Like a maniac.

"Lady Beatrice," Annelise whispered, taking another slow step backwards. She thought of engaging her in a fight, but Beatrice was an Alpha’s daughter, and Annelise would be making a bad decision fighting against someone who had snuck in on her without giving a single breath away.

"Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you," Beatrice stated, then she kindly gestured in the direction of the house, "And of course, you can run back and help her. It’s not too late,"

Annelise’s eyes narrowed.

This had to be some kind of trap.

"Don’t look at me like that," She continued, letting out a small, empty laugh that didn’t reach her eyes, "I mean, if you really wanna help her I don’t wanna hold you back," She reached up and gently patted her chest, "I still have a heart, you see,"

"There has to be a catch!"

"There’s none, Annelise," Beatrice said, raising both hands to indicate surrender, "I swear on my husband’s life, that there is not a single catch. I’d just like to sit here and feel the breeze on my face while you leave,"

Annelise took another step away from Beatrice, still watching her carefully. She couldn’t sense any hostility in her voice, and her muscles weren’t locking in even the slightest to give her the indication that she was going to move.

"If that’s the case, then why are you here?" Annelise asked, "Why didn’t you just send the men? Why’d you come here yourself?"

"Because...," Beatrice chuckled soundlessly, "This is wilderness. I plan to hunt down something later,"

"Something?" Annelise asked.

Beatrice leaned back on the tree and shrugged.

She pulled up a leg, taking in a deep breath before closing her eyes.

Annelise was still very wary.

Beatrice had lots of screw loose. She could be faking all this. She could attack her at any moment.

Which was why Annelise didn’t turn her back on her. She stepped backwards, her steps slow and careful. She didn’t blink. Didn’t take her eyes off Beatrice. Till she was far enough. Till she felt the distance between them was enough for her to turn around and run.

Run and help Della.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Beatrice’s loud, sudden voice had her halting halfway before she could turn around and run.

Beatrice’s eyes were open now, and she still looked as calm as ever, "Moira was declared a Traitor’s Mother yesterday and would be beheaded before sundown tonight," Beatrice’s eyes travelled to the basket, "Though I guess you have more important things to worry about,"

The basket almost slipped from her hands, and Annelise blinked, thinking she’d heard wrong, "What?"

"Your mother, Moira," Beatrice’s expression didn’t change.

"No...," Annelise shook her head, "Alpha Malachi would never do that to her!"

"It wasn’t Alpha Malachi’s decision, it was the council’s," Beatrice spoke with the same casual tone she’d used when discussing the weather. "Apparently, raising a daughter who willingly ran away with the Rotblood is enough to make the council believe she must have been involved somehow."

Anne’s lips parted.

No way!

Her mind kept rejecting the words before her head could process them.

"You’re lying,"

"Why would I lie?"

"Because you don’t want me to go back to Della,"

"Fine. Let’s assume I don’t want you going back to Della," Beatrice smiled, "But you going back there or not wouldn’t change anything, Anne. You know what would change lots of things? Not going back to Eclipse Crown because you thought I was lying and having to later find out that I wasn’t. Where would you like to place your bets?"

"Stop it!" Anne growled.

"Ouch!" Beatrice gasped, pressing a hand over her chest dramatically, "That’s what I get for telling you about your own mother? I probably should have just let you find out some other way,"

"My mother is fine! She’s the best Healer there is! No one would punish her for someone else’s choice!"

"The council doesn’t believe a word she’s been saying, unfortunately," Beatrice shook her head again, pitifully, "You know how the wolf realm has been trembling ever since Della awakened. Right now, they aren’t just trying to get rid of her, but anything that might be connected to her," She placed a hand on her chest again, looking awfully serious, "I was a target too. My family here at IronRidge were also targets because we are related to her. The only reason I came here to find her was so I could prove to them back at Eclipse Crown that she’s no longer my sister!"

Anne couldn’t breathe.

She couldn’t even think straight anymore.

As much as she was trying to convince herself that Beatrice was lying, it could also be very true.

The council were deadly. The wolf realm was even more deadly.

And her mother could be in trouble right now. She could be tied up right now, half beaten to death and being interrogated on things she had no idea about.

"You’re... lying," Anne said, but she was unable to recognise her voice again.

Her knees were weak, and all she could think of was how her actions had put her mother in grave danger.

"If you transform into your wolf right now, you can make it back before she gets killed. You could...save her, who knows?" Beatrice shrugged again, then went back to her former position.

She could literally taste the storm clashing in the healer’s heart, and she could tell which storm was winning.

A light smirk touched her face, and it was gone just as quickly.

By the time she opened her eyes again, the basket and herbs were all over the floor and Annelise...was gone.