Chapter 607: The Things Buried in the Dark

Chapter 606: The Things Buried in the Dark

That night, Orion didn’t sleep.

He stayed still for a while, watching Sophia as she rested beside him. Her breathing was slow, steady, almost too calm for someone who had spent half of the day worrying, yelling, and almost breaking apart.

Only when he was certain she had fallen deep enough into sleep did he move.

Slowly and carefully.

He slipped out of the bed and paused for a moment, eyes on her face.

She didn’t stir.

Orion pulled the blanket slightly higher over her shoulder, then stepped away.

He opened the bedroom door slowly without a sound and then slipped out of the house.

The compound outside was dim, lit by torches that flickered like they were too tired to stay awake.

Orion walked through it without hesitation.

His steps didn’t rush.

But he didn’t hesitate either.

He moved as fast as he could because he didn’t want to waste too much time. He walked towards the dungeons.

There were two guards stationed in front of Kairen’s cell. They were supposed to be keeping watch.

One was leaning slightly against the wall.

The other had his head tilted down, clearly asleep.

Orion stared at them for a second.

"...Seriously," he muttered under his breath.

He stepped forward and then pushed them, in an attempt to wake them up.

They immediately sat up, eyes snapping open as they straightened.

"Alpha—!"

"Shhh," Orion cut them off immediately, lifting a hand.

They swallowed hard.

Orion exhaled through his nose.

"Take a stroll," he said.

"Sir?" one asked.

"A stroll?" the other asked with a frown.

"Yes," Orion said flatly. "Before I change my mind and make it a punishment instead."

That was enough.

The guards didn’t ask anything else. They nodded quickly, and both of them left in a hurry.

Orion watched them disappear down the corridor before he reached for the keys.

He turned them once in his hand.

Then stepped forward and opened the cell.

Kairen was sleeping peacefully. It looked like he was made for the dungeons with how peaceful he slept.

Orion stared at him for a moment.

"...You really have no sense of timing," he said.

The sound of the door creaking open was enough.

Kairen stirred immediately.

His eyes opened halfway, unfocused at first, then sharpening when he saw who was standing there.

He blinked once.

Then slowly sat up.

"...Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

Orion shook his head.

"Not yet."

That made Kairen pause.

"...Not yet?"

Orion stepped inside and closed the cell behind him.

"I need something from you," he said.

Kairen rubbed his face slowly, trying to fully wake himself up.

"...At this hour?"

Orion didn’t answer that.

Instead, he asked directly.

"Do you know if Victoria has a child?"

Kairen’s brows furrowed immediately.

"...Victoria?" he repeated.

"Yes."

Kairen leaned back slightly against the wall, thinking.

"As far as I know," he said slowly, "she was never married. And she never had a child."

Orion didn’t react.

He just watched him.

Kairen frowned deeper.

"...Why are you asking me that?"

Orion didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he asked another question.

"When you were in the west... did you hear anything about her looking for someone?"

Kairen tilted his head slightly, his brows furrowed in thought.

"...That... wait," he said slowly, "I think I did hear something."

Orion’s gaze sharpened slightly, and Kairen exhaled.

"This was just a rumour, it wasn’t confirmed too, but there were sayings or gossips rather that Victoria was looking for someone. A girl, I think," Kairen told him.

"Did you know who she was?" Orion asked him.

Kairen shook his head. "Majority of us did not. Only a certain few knew who she was, and even then they didn’t openly talk about it. It was a well-kept secret in a way."

Orion’s fingers tightened slightly at his side.

"And you didn’t bother finding out," he said.

Kairen shrugged faintly.

"I didn’t think it had anything to do with me," he admitted. "And honestly... anything involving Victoria never ends well. I just chalked it up to the person signing a death warrant for having offended Victoria."

Orion let that sit for a moment.

"Was the search intense?" he asked.

Kairen frowned again.

"I don’t know," he said. "Like I said, only a few people knew Victoria was even searching for someone. It was hidden."

He paused, then tilted his head in thought.

"But a few months ago... this was what fueled the rumours, by the way. Victoria went on a killing spree. Everyone she sent on a mission who didn’t accomplish it ended up dead."

Orion nodded.

"...I see."

Kairen did not understand what Orion wanted to do with this information.

But he didn’t ask, even if he was curious to know.

Silence fell between them.

Then Orion spoke again.

"By morning," he said, voice calm but firm, "you’re going to the garden with some members of the pack."

Kairen nodded. Given how Orion had asked about the plant, he wasn’t surprised that the journey to the garden would happen soon.

Orion stepped closer just slightly.

"Keep your promise," he said. "Because if anything happens to my pack members... I will haunt you down myself."

Kairen swallowed.

"...Understood."

Orion held his gaze for a moment longer. Then he turned and left the cell.

He locked it behind him and then stepped out of the dungeons just as the guards approached him. He placed the key in their hands.

"Next time," he said flatly, "stay awake."

They nodded quickly, not daring to speak.

Orion turned and walked back to his home, the snow falling softly around him.

*That confirms our suspicions,* Noctis said to him.

Orion nodded.

Immediately he got home, he opened the door softly, removed his cloak, and then walked back into the bedroom quietly. Thankfully, Sophia was still asleep.

He slid back into bed, making sure not to wake her.

For a while, he just stared at the ceiling, willing for sleep to come.

He turned and then pressed a kiss to her forehead, holding her in his arms as he took in a deep breath.

No matter what happened, he was going to protect her.