Chapter 271: Chapter 271

The knock came just as the candles burned low. The faint orange light flickered against the stone walls, and I looked up from the map spread across my desk. I had been staring at the same line for nearly an hour, trying not to think about the silence that had taken over since I heard that Luke was on his way back to the palace.

Another knock. This time, softer.

The door opened, and Luke stepped in. His head was bowed, hands behind his back, his voice steady but quiet. "Alpha."

"Luke," I said, sitting back in my chair. "You took long."

He walked closer, stopping just before the table. "I went to see Damon as you ordered."

My heart tightened. "And?"

He hesitated. I could see it in his eyes, the thing he was about to say wasn’t good.

"Speak, Luke," I said, my voice sharper now.

He nodded quickly. "Damon said he wasn’t ready to meet with you today. He asked that you come again next time."

My brows furrowed. "Next time?"

"Yes, Alpha," he said quietly.

I stared at him for a long moment. The silence between us stretched, thick and heavy. "And what else did you find?"

Luke’s eyes flickered, just for a second. "I tried to find out what’s going on inside the palace," he said carefully. "The guards were tense. The servants wouldn’t talk. But there’s one thing I did hear..."

I straightened. "Say it."

He swallowed hard. "They said the girl, Lisa, she’s no longer in the palace."

For a second, my mind went blank. Then everything inside me snapped.

"What?" I said in a low voice that didn’t sound like mine.

Luke kept his head bowed. "I’m not sure where she went. Some say she left in the night. Others said she was taken. No one really knows."

I stood up so fast that my chair fell backward with a loud crash. The sound echoed through the room, and before I knew it, my hand had grabbed the vase on my desk and smashed it against the wall. It shattered into pieces, the sound slicing through the air like a scream.

Luke didn’t flinch. He just stood there, quiet, waiting.

For a moment, I just stood there too, breathing hard, my chest rising and falling. I pressed my hands against the edge of the table, staring down at the broken pieces on the floor.

"She’s gone," I said softly, barely above a whisper.

Luke stepped forward carefully. "Alpha..."

"Don’t," I said sharply, raising a hand. "Don’t tell me to calm down."

He didn’t answer. The silence stretched again.

After a moment, I let out a long breath and ran a hand through my hair. "They think they can hide her from me," I said quietly. "They think they can play me for a fool."

Luke shifted uneasily. "Alpha, we don’t know what truly happened yet. Maybe she left on her own."

I turned to face him, my voice low but firm. "Lisa wouldn’t just leave. Not without reason. Not without a word. I saw the fear in her eyes the last time I was there."

He hesitated. "Maybe... maybe she wanted to escape, Alpha. She was..."

"No," I cut in. "If she wanted to leave, she would’ve left that night. I think they are purposely hiding her from me."

Luke looked at me quietly. "What makes you think so?"

I didn’t answer. I turned away, walking toward the window. Outside, the night was cold and silent, the sky heavy with clouds. The wind moved through the trees like whispers of something I couldn’t reach.

Luke stepped closer. "I know, Alpha. But we must be careful. The triplet Alphas aren’t men to be crossed. If we act without thinking, we might lose more than we gain."

I turned back to him slowly, my eyes narrowing. "If they won’t let me in their palace, then I’ll go through their walls."

He looked alarmed. "Alpha..."

"I mean it," I said. My voice was calm, but it carried the edge of steel. "If they think they can keep her from me, I’ll make them regret it."

Luke took a deep breath. "Please, Alpha. We don’t have the strength to go against them. Damon, Rowan, and Kael, they’re not ordinary Alphas. You know that."

I stared at him for a moment, then looked away, my jaw tightening. "I know exactly what they are," I said. "And I also know they’re hiding something."

Luke shook his head slightly. "If we go against them now, they’ll crush us before we even reach their gates."

His words were reasonable, but reason didn’t matter when anger burned through your chest like fire. I clenched my fists.

"They’ve left me with no choice," I said quietly. "They’ve made the choice for me."

"Enough, Luke," I said firmly. "I’ve tried being patient. I’ve tried peace. I’ve tried meetings and messages and polite words. And where has that gotten me? Nowhere."

He sighed heavily. "What would you have me do?"

I looked at him, my expression cold but tired. "Get the men ready."

Luke blinked. "You mean...?"

"Yes," I said. "All of them. If they won’t let me walk into their palace as an ally, I’ll walk in as their enemy."

He lowered his eyes. "Alpha, please..."

"Don’t argue with me, Luke," I said. "This isn’t just about me anymore."

Luke sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. "You know they’ll see this as war."

"Then let it be war," I said, turning to face him. "I’m tired of pretending peace exists."

For a while, neither of us spoke. The room felt colder now. The broken vase lay in pieces on the floor, and the smell of smoke from the candles filled the air.

Luke finally bowed. "As you command, Alpha."

He turned to leave, but before he reached the door, I spoke again. "Luke." Official source ıs novel_fіre.net

He stopped and looked back.

"Be ready," I said quietly. "But don’t tell the others yet. Not until I say so. I need time to think, to plan. We won’t attack like fools."

He nodded. "Understood."