Upfront

Ashlyn's POV

I stood by the window watching the Games about to take place. Since Lucifer forbade me from going outside to see it, this was all I could do.

I had felt his aura around while I was in the bathroom and I believed he must've passed by. My heart clenched at that point.

I sighted him immediately walking out of the house in a long stride.

He was cladded in the outfit I had kept beside him and this made me beam.

Then I saw him standing and speaking to Stealth and while he was speaking, he looked up at my window and his eyes connected with mine unwavering.

Still speaking with Stealth, he did not stop looking at me neither did I break the connection on my part.

'You look quite beautiful today.' He said in my head.

'Uh?' I said foolishly unable to believe he just said that.

'I'm not repeating that.' He said with the faintest smile on his lips. This was unbelievable. The cruel rogue could smile and not smirk?!

'I heard that.' He said and I placed my hand over my lips like I had said it out loud.

He chuckled and then looked at Stealth engrossed in the conversation. A little frown appeared on his face and then he shrugged as two other alphas appeared.

Then I saw Sofia leaving the house with her bags. Finally! I almost exclaimed loudly. No more taunting from this petite French woman.

But she did not look so happy about it. Neither did Lucifer spare her a glance. Just then I heard the door open and I turned to see Catriona walking into my room.

"Milady..you sent for me." She said with a curtsey.

"Yes I did.. but I go into why I called for you, I'm curious to know, why is Sofia leaving?" I asked her.

"Oh, that?" She said with a sigh. "You did not hear the arguments?" She asked.

I shook my head. The sounds of loud chatter from outside did not let me know something was going on outside or perhaps I was too engrossed in my early morning thoughts.

"The alpha had Sofia thrown out." She said.

My eyes widened in surprise. He had his very own French wanton thrown out? What happened to the special bond they share? I sneered.

"Why? What transpired between them?" I asked her.

"I believe the alpha found her to be guilty of what happened yesterday at the events. Remember someone yelled out ' someone is touching the Laird's mate?" She said and I nodded. "She did it. Confessed and got thrown out." She said and stifled a laugh.

"Come sit down with me," I said smiling as I walked towards the bed she came to, and together we sat down.

I giggled. "How was her expression?" I asked her.

"She was too shocked to believe the alpha would do that. I watched it all from the kitchen door." She said giggling too. "Alpha Hawking also got a taste of the alpha when he tried to intercede on her behalf." She said and we both erupted into laughter.

Good for the damned womanizer.

"That aside," I said after we had our moments of mocking Sofia and Hawking. "I called you here for a purpose. I hope you'll be able to give me some answers?" I asked her.

"Whatever the Lady wants shall she get." She said and I smiled.

"You're part of the Lycans clan init?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yes but not this clan but from another." She said.

"This may sound very wrong or offensive but permit me to ask why you're a prisoner here instead of being in your clan?" I asked her and she got up worriedly.

"What is it? Was the question offensive?" I asked her.

"No milady," she said shaking her head. "The thing is we're not allowed to talk about it." She said to me.

I got up to my feet too. "But I do want to know and I'm not going to meet Lucifer about it. I just want to know." I said to her.

"Milady," She began to protest.

"Please." I pleaded with her. I was so inquisitive to know what was going on in this house.

She was hesitant but I persuaded her. Reluctantly, she sat down on the bed.

"It was a coup de tat," she began and I paid rapt attention to her. "My clan the Howl Moon pack joined other clans in trying to overthrow Lucifer and the entire Saunron family from power." She said to me and I stared at her in surprise wondering why.

"What prompted them to do so?" I asked unable to hold back my curiosity.

She sighed. "According to each of the rebellious clan leaders, the reins of supreme authority have stayed too long in the Saunron household and they were tired of taking orders from a mere boy." She said.

I raised a brow. "How old was he then?" I asked.

"Seventeen." She said and I calculated his age to be twenty-eight soon. Turns out he was just five years older than I am. I shrugged. Well, this was not the moment to know who was older and who was not.

"What happened next?" I asked her.

"They planned the coup years before the alpha was sworn in. They had thought since his father king Charles was weak that they'll be able to win against him but then some of the Minor and Major clans wanted the alpha sworn in immediately not caring if he was yet to be eighteen or if his father was still alive, he was sworn in." She said and then looked down at her fingers. "Few months after being sworn in as the supreme Laird over all creatures on four hind legs and the meetings that took place, the rebellious clans could not withstand a youngster sitting at the head of the table not to even speak of a Saunron." She said and I was waiting to know how it all ended. How it became this way.

"He was impatient with all their lapses and found some to be unworthy of being alphas of their packs. He punished the corrupt ones and those who steal from the lesser packs to enrich themselves, he relieved them of their positions. In those few months, the hatred for Alpha Lucifer Saunron ran deep in their blood and they thought they could overthrow him. It was a bloody battle. He had gone against his father's command that there shouldn't be a war and he'd done the opposite. They were shocked to see how such a youngster carried so much vigor in him. He killed like he was bloodthirsty. He and his clan did not want to wipe out entirely all the rebellious clans and he asked them to surrender." She said and paused.

"Did they?" I asked her.

She let out a dry laugh. "They refused to surrender or accept they were wrong to try to seize power from the rightful heirs. He took the rest of the clans as prisoners. He said we were all learning a lesson for going against the Supreme Laird's reign." She said.

"But you were not part of the war," I said narrowing my brows.

"But I was part of the clan. It did not matter who was in the war or not. As long as it's your clan, you're taken as prisoners." She said rising to her feet.

"My brother was part of the coup, I told him to surrender but he refused. I could not leave him all alone in a dungeon, so I decided to sacrifice my freedom to be in his situation with him. I was his only family." She explained and I marveled at the love she had for her brother. It made me remember Darius and how I miss him so much.

"Lucifer as the support of many clans," I began and she nodded.

"Especially the minor clans." She said.

"If his reign is so brutal, I do not think it will be so," I said to her.

"It's not. The Majors were just dissatisfied with the same family as rulers and the exposure of their acts worsened it all. He's a god before minors. Protecting them from the claws of the Majors." She said and I understood it all. I was beginning to think he was not as cruel as he made everyone believe. Perhaps there was more to this man. What was it? Just then my ears picked up sounds from outside and I could feel Lucifer's sudden change of emotion. I could feel his anger and it was threatening to consume me. Why I was suddenly feeling his emotions surprised me. Was it my werewolf mate bond with his Lycan doing this?

I walked towards the window to find Lucifer in a heated argument with Rage.

"What's going on?" Catriona asked coming beside me and looking down at the window too.

"Something is amiss," I said to her, and without further explanation, I raced out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the house.