Chapter 156

Gavin was surprised to get an invitation to a private meeting with Laurel. Didn't the girl have any sense? Inviting him to tea was like asking him to poison her outright, or at least giving him a chance to whisper into the ears of the people that she surrounded herself with. With Adolph gone and her so far along in her pregnancy, she was uniquely vulnerable.

Anything could happen.

When he arrived at the palace, was escorted to her private parlor and smirked down at her as she sat quietly, already sipping tea. Well, she wasn't so stupid as to make him wait. That was something.

He sat down and shook his head, "If only my Olivia could see-"

"She'd probably be pulling her hair out in frustration," Laurel said. "How could a poor country girl be the true mate of the Goddess-Blessed King when she was just his wife?"

He scoffed, "A second mate at best. My Olivia-"

"You can drop the act," Laurel said, swirling her tea. "Adolph told me everything about her pining away for him during the war. How they had only a few days together Please save your rosy tales for your grandson and whoever else will listen."

Gavin narrowed his eyes at her. Had Adolph told her everything? He hadn't even known that Adolph knew about Olivia's melancholy and love for him, one-sided and fanciful as it was. He should have pushed her harder to make him fall for her, then they probably wouldn't be in this situation.

Olivia might still be alive.

"Of course, the king would want to reassure his young bride"

Laurel chuckled, "You are more transparent than I remember, Gavin."

Gavin sneered, "So it's true. You are Laura."

"Laura?" Laurel asked, mocking confusion. "My name is Laurel. I know you didn't hold the former luna in many regards, enough to incite her parents into that mad ploy but have some respect for your current luna and the dead. At the very least, you should pretend to care about either of them."

Gavin eyed her. What was she playing at?

"I only brought you here to discuss what will happen going forward. As you cannot be trusted to provide decent servants or care enough about the kingdom to ensure that its heir is properly educated, you will not have any contact with my child. You will not be attending ministry meetings going forward either."

Gavin sneered, "You can't do that."

"Oh, I can," she smiled plainly. "As soon as the search surfaces proof about your plots against the throne."

He froze, "What?"

She laughed, "You didn't really think that I invited you here to speak with you did I? I just needed you out of the way."

Gavin glared at her. She could be lying, but his stomach churned with nerves. He couldn't afford for her to find anything. He kept everything in a secret safe. No one but Basil would have known where it is.

Had he told them? The boy wasn't smart enough to lie about the smallest things. What reason would he have to think to lie about any secret safes? Did Basil know where the safes were? He couldn't recall ever telling him and the few times that Basil had been in his office for various things, he didn't remember opening them.

There was the heir's book which Gavin told him to read. It contained the code to the logbooks and all the details of where the safes were, but he didn't recall Basil reading it. He didn't even think the boy had taken it with him when he moved back into the palace.

"You won't find anything."

"Oh," Laurel chuckled, "I doubt that's true. I mean it's not hard for a werewolf to break open a plain metal safe, now is it? Not to mention whatever journals or letters between you and Olivia regarding her pursuit of Adolph from years ago You strike me as the type of man to keep such things in case of blackmail."

Did she know or was she baiting him?

"Blackmail? Who?" Gavin laughed, "You're ridiculous."

Laurel lifted her shoulder, "I know how proud Adolph is and I know how much he'd invested in Basil's happiness. The lie about Olivia and how deep your treachery went could destabilize everything Your part to play in Basil's choice of wife"

Gavin swallowed. She didn't know everything, but she had pieced together enough to have a potential case against him. Where had she heard all of this from?

"Old oil paintings don't cover the smell of iron, you know?"

He growled at her. How had she known they were iron safes? Why reference oil paintings? His largest safe was behind the portrait of an ancestor inside his office. She knew. Basil had told her.

"And the drafts through secret rooms would be easy enough to detect for someone trained in infiltration," Laurel sipped her tea.

"You have no right to search my estate!" Gavin hissed, "You have no right! This is against the law!"

"As I recall, I am luna," she smiled. "In the king's absence, I have the right to do what must be done to safeguard the kingdom as it is and as it will be."

She placed a hand on her stomach meaningfully as she glared at him.

"You have meant no good to any luna since Olivia's death, Gavin You haven't even done right by your grandson. Why would I ever believe you would do right by me?"

He growled and jumped to his feet. He wanted to leap across the table and strangle her, but that would cost time he didn't have. He hurried out of the room and down the corridor, calling for his carriage and for servants to get out of the way. When he got into the carriage, he ordered the driver to go as fast as possible back to the estate.

If she had sent people to the estate the same day he'd received the invitation, then they had likely been searching the estate since then. Depending on how many people she'd sent, they could have already found the safe.

Then, what? She was right. His safes were all plain iron and tin. It wouldn't take any time to get through them for a battle experienced werewolf. The carriage ratted, bumping down the road as fast as the horses could manage and Gavin resented more than anything never learning how to shift.

He could have outstripped the horses by now and been at the estate already, he was sure of it. Had the Mirabelle family not lost their ability to shift through the years, Gavin might have been a warrior in another life.

None of that matters now. It was hours before he saw the manor. Dread filled him as the carriage slowed to a screeching halt. He jumped out of the carriage and rushed inside expecting panic and terror, his staff being arrested and his crimes dragged into the light.

Yet, there was nothing by silence.

"Servant!" He hissed. "You! Where are they?"

The man looked startled and confused, "Minister what are you talking about?"

"The men that witch sent to search the manor!"

He blinked, "Minister, no one has come to the manor since your birthday."

He blinked and blinked again before letting out a screech of fury.

That little witch had tricked him! To what? He tried to turn over the conversation, but he hadn't given anything crucial away Just enough to be suspected.

Just enough to have a basis of suspicion. She could take their conversation to the council and put forth a motion to have his estate searched based on their conversations.

He groaned, rubbing his head.

Damn her. He was too old to be played by a teenage girl! She'd pay for it one way or another. He sunk into his chair and poured himself a drink. He needed to calm down before he made another mistake. He'd need to come up with some red herring for the council in case she decided to bring the motion forward. Construction was the easiest, but that was only delaying the inevitable.

Gavin finished his drink and went to start planning. He sent a few letters with messengers to his contacts in the neutral zones to gather a large enough force of rogues. The last time, he hadn't timed it properly, but this time Adolph and his men were nowhere near the west border, and everything would be fine.

Raven laughed as Laurel told her the way Gavin rushed out.

"What I would have given to see his face!" Irene cackled.

Raven chuckled, "It would have been a sight, but he's furious now. No doubt he'll be itching to push his plans up for the insult."

Laurel expected as much. Gavin had taught Basil to be prideful because he was the same way. She had meant to be as mean and as cutting as possible when they met.

"What do you think his next move will be?"

Raven shrugged, "Something reckless, probably."

Laurel hoped so. Otherwise, the surprise for Adolph's return would be ruined.