Chapter 180: Barron’s Trap
{Third Person}
Barron stepped forward and pulled out one of the chairs for her. The gesture caught her off guard.
She had expected many things from a werewolf noble. Gentlemanly behaviour had not been one of them.
"Thank you."
"You are welcome."
Once she was seated, Barron took the chair beside her.
The night air was cool and pleasant. Above them, the sky was unusually clear. The stars seemed brighter than usual, scattered across the darkness like countless tiny jewels.
Lila found herself relaxing despite herself. The silence was unexpectedly comfortable, but Barron broke it after a while.
"Do you like fireworks?"
The question stirred an old memory, so she turned to him. A small smile appeared on her face before she could stop it. "I used to. I loved them when I was younger."
The memory felt distant now.
"So what changed?"
Lila laughed quietly. "Life." The answer came more honestly than she intended. "At some point, there was always something more important to do."
Barron nodded as though he understood exactly what she meant, then he lifted his gaze toward the sky. "Look up."
Lila followed his gaze. Right in time, a brilliant explosion of gold burst across the darkness. The sound echoed through the night.
Lila’s eyes widened as another followed immediately after, then another. There was a mix of blue, silver and crimson.
The sky suddenly came alive with colour.
Reflections of light danced across her face as she watched one explosion after another bloom overhead.
In this moment, she totally forgot about the banquet. She forgot about Amara and didn’t even remember Zarek.
Even the resentment she had been carrying all evening seemed to fade beneath the spectacle unfolding above her.
A genuine smile slowly appeared on her face.
Beside her, Barron leaned back in his chair and watched her reaction rather than the fireworks themselves.
The sight amused him very much because, unlike Lila, he knew what this night was all about.Top of FormBottom of Form And he appeared content to let her enjoy the spectacle.
Then, after a particularly impressive display lit up half the sky, he rose from his seat.
Lila immediately turned and looked up at him. "Where are you going?" There was a hint of surprise in her gaze.
Barron smiled, but it was a wicked one he made sure she wouldn’t notice. "I will only be gone for a moment."
The answer immediately made her less comfortable. Now that she thought about it, they were quite far from the banquet hall.
The palace noises barely reached this part of the grounds, and the corridor itself was empty.
Lila was not in any way pleased to be left alone here, but more especially, here at night, in an environment she wasn’t used to, and in a kingdom that wasn’t hers.
No matter how much she wanted to associate with someone of Barron’s calibre, she didn’t have the nerve to be left alone.
Perhaps noticing her hesitation, Barron chuckled softly. "I will be back in two minutes."
Lila glanced around before looking back at him. "You’re leaving me here alone?"
"There is nothing to worry about." His tone was calm and reassuring. "You wouldn’t want to miss the best part of tonight’s show."
Her curiosity was instantly caught. "The best part?" she asked.
Barron only smiled. "You will see."
Before she could ask anything else, he turned and disappeared into the building behind them.
---
Lila remained seated for a while after Barron left.
At first, she was content to watch the fireworks. The display was beautiful enough to hold her attention, and she kept expecting Barron to return at any moment.
However, as the minutes passed, she gradually became aware of how quiet the area had become, and even the sounds of the fireworks seemed strangely distant.
When she glanced toward the doorway through which Barron had disappeared and still saw no sign of him, a small frown appeared on her face.
She shifted in her seat and looked around. The corridor was empty. No servants passed by. No guards were stationed nearby. The realization made her slightly uncomfortable.
Although she would never admit it aloud, she disliked being alone in unfamiliar places, especially at night.
Just as she was considering whether she should go looking for Barron, something caught her attention.
The movement was brief. So brief that she almost convinced herself she had imagined it. Yet she was certain she had seen a dark figure pass beyond the far end of the corridor.
Her first thought was that it must be Barron. After all, nobody else had any reason to be here. Curious, she rose from her chair and began walking in that direction.
"Lord Barron?" she called, but no answer came.
The silence that followed only deepened her curiosity. She continued forward, convinced that he would appear at any moment and explain whatever surprise he had planned.
Instead, she found herself moving farther away from the viewing area and deeper into a quieter section of the palace grounds.
The further she walked, the more uneasy she became.
The path ahead was dimly lit, and the trees surrounding it seemed darker than before. Even the fireworks no longer felt comforting. Their flashes of light illuminated the landscape only briefly before everything returned to shadow once more.
By the time Lila finally stopped walking, she was no longer thinking about surprises or pleasant evenings. She was thinking about turning back. But suddenly, a rustling sound came from somewhere among the trees.
She froze.
For several seconds, she remained completely still, staring into the darkness. Her heart had already begun beating faster, but she tried to convince herself that it was nothing.
A bird perhaps. A small animal. The palace grounds were large enough to contain all sorts of harmless creatures.
Then the sound came again, this time it was much closer. The reassurance she had been trying to give herself immediately disappeared.
A low growl rolled through the darkness.
The sound was unlike anything she had ever heard before. It was deep and powerful, carrying an unmistakable warning that sent a chill racing down her spine. Every instinct in her body screamed at her that something was wrong.
Slowly, almost reluctantly, she turned her head toward the source. At first she saw nothing, then she saw the eyes.
They gleamed from the darkness ahead, reflecting the faint moonlight. The sight alone was enough to make her stomach drop. She had never seen eyes like that before. They did not belong to a servant, a guard, or any ordinary animal she knew.
Then the creature stepped forward. Moonlight spilled across dark fur and revealed a massive wolf emerging from the shadows.
For a moment, Lila simply stared. Every story she had ever heard about werewolves returned to her at once.
Growing up in the Human Kingdom, she had listened to countless tales describing them as violent beasts barely restrained by civilization. She had never believed half of them.
Now she found herself wishing she had.
The wolf continued watching her without moving.
Lila instinctively took a step backwards. The wolf immediately took a step forward, then a terrified sound escaped her throat.
Another growl followed, lower and more threatening than before. Panic seized her completely. Right then, without wasting a second, she turned and ran.
Branches brushed against her clothing as she fled along the path. Her breathing quickly became ragged, and every sound behind her convinced her that the creature was about to pounce.
The fear was so overwhelming that she no longer cared about dignity, appearance, or anything else. She only wanted to escape.
Unfortunately, no matter which direction she chose, the wolf always seemed to appear ahead of her.
Whenever she thought she had found a clear path, she would suddenly see the enormous creature standing there waiting.
It never attacked. It never rushed toward her. It simply appeared, forcing her to change direction again and again until terror consumed every coherent thought in her mind.
By the time she stumbled into a small clearing, tears were already streaming down her face. Her legs felt weak beneath her, and her chest burned from exertion.
When she looked up and saw the wolf emerge from the shadows yet again, she felt the last of her courage disappear.
The creature took a single step toward her.
That was enough. The world spun violently around her, and darkness rushed in from all sides. A second later, Lila collapsed onto the ground.
Several moments passed before Barron emerged from the shadows in his human form.
He approached the unconscious woman and stared down at her in silence. The expression on his face gradually shifted from satisfaction to disappointment as he realized the lesson had ended much sooner than he intended.
"That’s it?" he muttered.
He had expected resistance. He had expected tears, screaming, perhaps even a desperate attempt to fight back. Instead, she had fainted before he could properly enjoy himself.
Barron rubbed his forehead and released a long sigh.
For a brief moment, he considered carrying her back and ending the matter there. Then he looked down at her again, and a thoughtful smile slowly appeared on his face.
"No," he said quietly. Then, his smile widened. "I don’t think we’re finished yet."