Eleanor couldn't keep her heart from racing. She wanted to rush over to him and check his wounds. But she remained glued to the spot, staring at him. Her grip on the bowl tightened when she noticed Ruby holding his arm.
Connor followed her gaze and saw Zane and Ruby approach. He had a sly smile on his lips as he looked back at her. "You are so sweet," he said. "You brought this for me. Come on. Put it here." He pointed at the scar on his right cheek.
Eleanor shifted her gaze to him and noticed the deep and the unsightly claw mark. She stared at him, unsure of what to do.
"I am waiting," Connor added.
"Oh… I, um…." Eleanor instinctively took some paste on the tip of her finger and applied it to his wound.
"Uh… It's cool." Connor enjoyed the soothing sensation of the paste. He unbuttoned his shirt and showed her the several long and short claw marks on his chest. "Apply some here as well."
Zane paused, his eyes darkening. The rage started building up in his stomach. His wolf howled inside his head, impatient to come out. His rage was directed at Eleanor, not Connor.
She had not come to work here lately, but she showed up as soon as Connor returned from the battlefield. It was as if she couldn't wait to spend time with him. This notion was enough to drive Zane insane.
He approached them with his fists clenched.
"Sorry, I can't do that." Eleanor passed the bowl to Connor. "Do it on your own." She pivoted and ran out, her cheeks turning red.
Zane halted abruptly. He grew restless, watching her flee. He was about to call her when he heard Ruby's voice. "Zane… Where are you going?"
When he turned back, he met Ruby's scathing glare. The rage in her eyes only added to his annoyance.
"Can't I go out by myself?" He exploded. "Do you want to be with me all the time?"
Ruby kept her mouth open but said nothing. She couldn't tell whether he was going to Eleanor or not. His enraged expression frightened her.
"I didn't mean that," she explained slowly, her face turning solemn. She pretended to be hurt. Even tears welled up in her eyes. "Why are you getting angry with me? I only wanted to stop you from going out. Your wounds are not healed yet."
Zane's gaze softened when he noticed tears in her eyes. He didn't like it when she cried. "Don't be sad," he said in a gentle tone, caressing her cheek. "I shouldn't yell at you."
Connor smirked as he glanced back at them. "You should give Zane some space. Let him go freely. Don't always cling to him."
Zane moved towards him at breakneck speed, scrunching his face. He paused right in front of him when Ruby tugged on his wrist. He kept his burning gaze fixed on him, the hot air escaping from his nostrils.
Connor also gave him a challenging look.
"We don't need advice from someone who doesn't have a girlfriend," Ruby grumbled. She was already annoyed with him because her plan to murder him had failed. His remark fueled her rage. "You don't even know how to treat ladies."
Connor shifted his focus to Ruby. "I have a girlfriend," he smirked. "She is sweet and caring. She came all the way here to give me this." He held up the bowl.
"You like Eleanor!" Ruby exclaimed with disbelief. "She is wolf-less."
Not only Ruby, but Zane also gaped at him. He was surprised and enraged at the same time. Despite his warning, she dared to hang out with Connor.
'Why doesn't she take my words seriously?' He wondered, his expression turning ugly.
When Connor saw Zane's furious look, he grinned even wider. "It doesn't matter to me," he said flatly, shrugging. "She is pretty. That's what matters. Her sweet nature appeals to me. Besides, I am not the first one who has fallen for a weak member of the pack. Our Luna was an omega, if you remember. Don't dare bully her. She is under my protection."
He walked past them in a happy mood.
"Huh…" Ruby gaped at his retreating form, utterly bewildered. She figured out why Connor had shown up whenever she went to punish Eleanor.
'You are such a bitch, Eleanor. You can't get Zane, so you trapped Connor.'
"What a wonder!" She murmured dazedly. "I can't believe that Connor is in love with a humble maid." She turned to Zane, but he was not beside her. She was so engrossed in Connor that she had no idea where Zane had gone.
"Zane…" she called him, looking around the hall. "He was right here. Where has he gone? Zane…" She went out to find him.
****************************************
Lucas went to find Dimitri in the office after retrieving the blowpipe from the woods. He showed him the blowpipe along with a dart that he had found in the forest.
"A spy was trying to attack sneakily on Connor," he informed. "He was not a rogue. Unfortunately, I didn't get time to track him down."
Dimitri picked up the dart and checked it closely. "This type of dart is not available in our pack," he murmured. "A spy from the enemy pack is among us. Find out which pack made such darts and blowpipe."
"I am certain it is from the Bloodlust pack," Lucas stated vehemently. "Alpha Damien is after us. He certainly wants to take control of our pack. The Moon Keepers and their allied packs are the only ones in the valley who can stand up to him. His intention is to destroy the pack."
"He joined hands with the rogues to trouble us. The rogues carried out such a well-planned attack on us for the first time. They wanted to break the morale of the soldiers by killing our leader just before the battle. Fortunately, we were aware of their plans ahead of time. Otherwise, there would have been a massacre in the pack. Damien would then have arrived with his massive army to take control of us."
Dimitri listened carefully to him. He didn't know why he was not convinced by his explanations.
"Hmm…" He nodded slowly, picking up the blowpipe. "Zane claimed that something pricked his neck before he passed out," he murmured, peering through the blowpipe at the other end. "Someone must have used a weapon like this on him. What do you think?"
Lucas squinted at him, reflecting on his words. He couldn't figure out why Dimitri had suddenly brought up Zane's kidnapping. He wondered if there was a link between Zane's kidnapping and the sneaky attack on Connor.
After some consideration, he figured that a dart was used in both incidents.
He then remembered Zane telling him that the rogues had not kidnapped him. He became skeptical about his theory of Damien's involvement in the murder attempt on Connor. His doubt was directed at the Blue Moon Pack. However, his spy had not seen any suspicious activities there.
'Why would Alpha Gustav intend to kill Connor?' He wondered. He was not sure if Gustav had developed a sudden enmity towards Connor.
"Be careful with the dart." Dimitri's deep voice brought him back to reality. He saw him getting up from his seat.
"Send it to the alchemist for testing," Dimitri continued. "You give a nice explanation, though. But why would Damien send rogues over there if he knew our troops were waiting for them? To kill Connor sneakily, he wouldn't ask the rogues to jump into the pit of fire."
He came over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "He planned a sudden attack on us from two sides. I don't think the Bloodlust Pack or the rogues are behind the sneaky attack on Connor. Someone from the enemy must be among us. Find him out before it is too late. And yes…" he held up his index finger and added, "it is a great success of the pack. We should celebrate."
He went out of the office, leaving Lucas in a daze.