Chapter 47: The Quiet Enemy

Liora’s POV

I knew something was wrong the moment Ivy walked into the room, and it had nothing to do with what she said.

It was the way she carried herself.

There was no tension in her shoulders, no lingering fear in her eyes, nothing that suggested she had spent the night worrying about what could have happened to me. After everything that had happened, the attack, the blood, the chaos, she should have looked shaken, or at the very least unsettled.

Instead, she looked composed.

Too composed.

"You’re awake already?" she asked, stepping closer to the bed with a soft expression that would have fooled anyone who wasn’t paying attention.

I shifted slightly, letting my movements stay slow and careful, not entirely pretending this time since my body still felt heavier than it should. "I couldn’t really sleep," I replied, my voice quiet, like I didn’t have the strength to speak properly.

Her gaze lingered on my face, studying me in a way that felt less like concern and more like quiet observation. "You still look pale. You should be resting."

"I feel worse than I look," I said, and that part at least didn’t need effort.

She sat down beside me without hesitation, her hands folding neatly in her lap as she leaned slightly closer. "Did you hear what happened?"

I tilted my head just enough to look confused. "No. What do you mean?"

"Lady Isolade," she said, lowering her voice as if the walls themselves might be listening. "She’s gone."

I let a pause settle between us, just long enough to feel natural, then repeated softly, "Gone?"

"The guards said they never left her door," Ivy continued, her brows pulling together in a way that almost looked convincing. "But when they checked this morning, she wasn’t there anymore. No broken locks. No struggle. Just... gone."

I lowered my gaze to my hands, letting the silence stretch again, though my mind was already moving faster than my body could keep up.

So she was gone.

Not escaped.

Helped.

"That’s bad," I murmured, keeping my tone uncertain.

"It’s more than bad," Ivy said quickly, leaning closer. "It means this place isn’t safe anymore. If someone like her can disappear without a trace, then what does that say about the rest of us?"

I didn’t answer immediately, but I could feel where she was going with this.

"You’re not safe here, Liora," she added, her voice softening.

I looked up at her slowly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said," she replied. "You were attacked , and now the person behind it is gone. That doesn’t just disappear. It gets worse."

Her words were careful, measured, not rushed. She wasn’t trying to scare me. She was trying to guide me.

"You saw what happened to Kael," she continued. "Even he got hurt trying to protect you. He can’t always be there."

My fingers tightened slightly around the blanket, though I kept my expression steady.

"You should leave," she said.

That made me pause just enough to look hesitant. "Leave?"

"At least for now," she added quickly. "Until everything settles down. You don’t have to stay here and risk your life when things are clearly falling apart."

I watched her carefully this time, not just listening to what she said but how she said it. There was no panic in her voice, no urgency that came from fear. Instead, there was a quiet certainty, like she had already thought this through long before saying it out loud.

"I don’t know if I can just leave," I said slowly, lowering my gaze again as if I was unsure.

"You can," she insisted gently. "And you should. There’s nothing here right now except danger."

That wasn’t true, and we both knew it.

But I let her believe I didn’t.

"You really think it’s that serious?" I asked, keeping my voice soft.

"I know it is," she replied without hesitation. "And I don’t want something to happen to you again."

Again.

The word settled heavily in my chest.

She reached for my hand, her touch light and careful, like she was afraid I might pull away. "You trust me, don’t you?"

I looked at her, really looked this time, taking in the softness in her expression, the steadiness in her gaze, the way her voice carried just enough warmth to feel real.

Too real.

"I trust you," I said quietly.

Her shoulders relaxed in a way she probably didn’t even realize.

"Good," she murmured. "Then listen to me. You shouldn’t stay here."

I nodded slowly, as if I was agreeing with her, even though something inside me had already shifted completely.

"I’ll think about it," I added.

"That’s all I’m asking," she said, standing up. "For now, you should rest. I’ll bring you something to eat."

I nodded again, watching her as she turned toward the door. She paused briefly, like she wanted to say something else, but then she left without adding anything.

The moment the door closed, the room fell quiet, but it didn’t feel peaceful anymore.

It felt like something had just revealed itself, and I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t seen it.

I stayed still for a few seconds before pushing the blanket aside and standing up carefully. My body protested immediately, but I ignored it and moved toward the window instead.

From there, I could see part of the courtyard, where guards moved as usual and servants carried out their duties like nothing had changed.

Everything looked normal but It wasn’t.

Then I saw her. Ivy wasn’t heading toward the kitchen. She wasn’t carrying anything. She was walking in the opposite direction.

I stepped back from the window immediately, my pulse steady but focused, and moved toward the door. This time, I didn’t hesitate.

I followed her.

Not too close, just enough to keep her in sight without drawing attention. She didn’t look back once, which made it easier, but it also told me she didn’t expect anyone to question where she was going.

She turned into a quieter corridor, one that wasn’t used often during the day, and something about that alone made my chest tighten.

I slowed down before reaching the corner, careful not to make noise, and stopped just short of turning.

Voices.

I leaned slightly, just enough to see. Ivy stood there, facing one of the guards. At first, nothing seemed unusual. Until he shifted.

And I saw his face clearly.

The recognition was immediate. He had been there that night, among the wolves who surrounded me. Among the ones who were supposed to kill me.

I didn’t move

"You should have finished it," Ivy said quietly.

Her voice had changed. There was no softness in it anymore, no trace of the concern she had shown me earlier.

"The Alpha intervened," the guard replied. "We didn’t expect him to arrive that fast."

"You should have," she said, her tone sharper now.

"He’s already suspicious," the guard added. "And now Lady Isolade is gone. Everything is unstable."

Ivy exhaled slowly, but there was no frustration in it, only calculation. "Then adjust. That’s your job."

"What about the luna?" he asked.

There was a brief pause before she answered.

"We’ll try again."

The words settled into me quietly, without shock, without panic, just a clear understanding of what they meant.

"Next time," she continued, "make sure there’s no one to stand in the way."

The guard nodded.

"I understand."

I stepped back before they could notice me, moving carefully, making sure my footsteps stayed silent until I was far enough away.

By the time I returned to my room, my breathing was steady, my hands still, and my thoughts clearer than they had ever been.

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it for a moment, letting everything settle.

"She’s not just lying," I whispered under my breath.

"She’s trying to kill me."

The words didn’t feel dramatic. They felt real.

And for the first time since all of this began, I didn’t feel like I was the one being cornered.

I pushed myself away from the door and walked slowly back to the bed, sitting down carefully as my body finally reminded me how tired it was.

But my mind didn’t slow down.

Not anymore.

Because now I understood something I hadn’t before.

The danger was never just outside the fortress. It had been right beside me.

And this time, I wasn’t going to wait for it to strike first.