The Lycan King and his Dark Temptation novel Chapter 424

KATHERINE

"Lavinia, sweetheart, keep playing with the girls!" I ordered my daughter, who disappeared down the hallway, giggling.

Gripping my skirt tightly, I descended the stairs, practically flying over the carpeted steps.

I could feel the tension thick in the air, the danger lingering in the atmosphere, so I hurried to intervene.

"Good morning," I greeted the elegantly dressed man as I came to stand beside Elliot.

In an instant, his possessive hand gripped my waist.

"My wife, the Duchess of Everhart," he introduced me, though my identity was already more than obvious given his blatant display of dominance.

"Darling, this is the palace inspector, sent by the Regent."

"Welcome to our duchy, Mr.…"

"Ambrus. Ambrus Max," he replied, extending his hand after giving a name I was more than certain was fake.

"DON’T TOUCH HIM!" The roar slammed into me through our mate bond, making me shudder.

"Oh, forgive my rudeness. I was just playing with the children, and my hands are covered in dirt," I said quickly, clenching my fists and tucking them behind me.

The arm wrapped behind Elliot’s back shifted subtly, my fingers tracing slow, calming circles over his coat.

If it weren’t for the fact that we needed to keep suspicions away from the palace and that this vampire likely had the missing piece of the map, his head would already be rolling across the carpet.

"Ah, no worries. I, too, have gathered some dust from the road," he replied smoothly, withdrawing his outstretched hand with a slight nod.

He quickly shifted the conversation, discussing the serious concern of a supernatural killer. Lying bastard.

If Elliot weren’t a lycan, we might have bought into his whole charade, truly believing he was an inspector.

How the hell did he manage to get that royal insignia he just flashed?

Either it was a damn good forgery, or he had stolen it—probably from the real Ambrus Max. The actual inspector likely was sent to investigate the killings… and had already been taken care of.

That would explain why he had been so brazen. He knew the palace would send someone to snoop around.

So, he had been waiting for it. Poor Ambrus Max. Who knows where his corpse was rotting now?

In any case, this game of deception wouldn’t last forever. We would need to act soon.

"Excuse me, Your Excellency, but there’s an urgent matter that requires both of your immediate attention."

Aldo’s voice rang out as his approaching footsteps echoed through the hall.

Bless Aldo! He must have felt his Alpha’s growing discomfort.

"I can wait…"

"That won’t be necessary," Elliot cut off the false Ambrus. We hadn’t even invited him into the drawing room.

"Since you are so eager and so concerned about these murders, you may accompany a personal escort I’ll assign to you and examine the testimonies, the bodies, and everything else."

Elliot’s voice was sharp as a blade.

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