Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 290

"What does that even mean?" I ask. Did somebody let her in? Is that what he's thinking?

Before I can say anything, she blurts out, "I followed the car in."

"The car?" I raise an eyebrow.

She doesn't change her answer.

That's oddly specific. "The car?" I repeat.

"A car," she corrects.

Axel and I exchange glances.

He clears his throat. "So you were just waiting by the border for an opening?" Each word comes out as a question.

"No." She waves her free hand. "I was just... The car was there, and it... Well, it just happened."

There goes 'the' car again. This girl can't lie. "So you've seen the car before?" I ask.

She pales. "I mean a..." She sighs, nodding reluctantly. "Yes."

"How many times?" Onai asks.

She doesn't answer. I take it to mean more times than we'd like to hear.

Axel brushes over it. "So you saw the car when you were watching the border?"

"I wasn't watching the border," she says.

I furrow my brow. "But you definitely saw the car?" We're going in circles.

She nods. "Yes, in passing."

"And you've seen it before?" Axel asks.

She nods.

It's Onai's turn. "Does it come at a specific time?"

"No," she says. "Not to my knowledge."

We all exchange a look. I may not have mindlink, but I don't need it to understand the holes being poked in her story.

Axel puts our confusion to rest. "So the car comes at random times... And you just happen to be there..." His eyebrows knit together. "Every time?"

"Yes." She looks so relieved that he finally gets it.

Onai glares at her. She jumps.

"Did you honestly think we'd believe that?" he asks.

Her eyes fall. Then they do something I haven't seen before. They narrow. "I'm sorry, do you want the truth? Or should I just say something you'll believe?" Her voice gets quieter and quieter, but her eyes stay strong.

Onai sits up straighter.

He doesn't touch her. He doesn't grab her. He doesn't even try to move her. He just watches her, catching every movement she makes. "Here's what's going to happen." He kneels to the floor, looking up into her eyes, and my heart stops. "I'm going to assume that everything you said was a lie, because you attacked the Farmer's Market," he says.

"I needed a specific herb." She tries to move back, but the couch won't let her.

I can't watch this. She's trapped. I see a flash of color in her eyes, but she closes them the second it happens.

Before she can say anything else, someone knocks on the cottage door. They let themself in.

It's Nurse Janice.

She looks uncomfortable. Her eyes scan the cottage as she carries her supplies in, one wary step at a time. "Who's my patient...?" Her eyes land on Fei in Shen's arms. She takes a step back. "No."

"Close the door behind you." Axel gets up from his spot on the floor.

She doesn't listen. "Why are there Dawn werewolves here?"

Silence.

"You let her in?" She gawks.

Axel closes the door himself. "We'll answer your questions when the others get here." His voice is quieter than usual. Calm, calculating. I feel like he's trying to convince her, but it's only for her sake. Whether she cooperates or not, she's not leaving.

That doesn't mean she won't try to though.

"Please." He gestures towards Fei. The sleeping girl wheezes, filling the silent room with every sad sniffle and labored breath. "I know what you're thinking, but..."