The Desert Alpha's Mate

CHAPTER 39-ARMIN

SAHARA CAPITAL

A silhouette was lurking in the shadows at the corner of the dilapidated tavern that was located at the far edge of the capital of Sahara. He followed Ashraf there, as he saw him walking towards the tavern and he stayed there enough to hear a plan that he wasn't supposed to hear. Shivering in the shadows, he slowly moved away from where he was hiding. He heard enough to fear for his life if Ashraf and his accomplice found him eavesdropping on them. With a calculated swift movement, he got out of there.

His stride was long and swift, hurrying to be far away from the place as soon as possible. He was still carefully looking over his shoulder to check if there was someone who noticed him walking out of the comfort of the shadows beside the dilapidated tavern or if someone was following him. His heart was thumping wildly inside his chest and he could almost hear its beating through his ears. He was shaking, and his mind was continuously repeating the words that he had heard. "You need to remove Lady Eleanor from the Prince. If she isn't by his side, it will be easy to get what you want in the palace..." Those words kept ringing in his ears. They were planning something to harm Lady Eleanor and the Royals. He shivered at the thought of the plan that they were talking about, adrenaline was rushing over him. He could hear the voice of a lady speaking to Ashraf, but whoever the lady was, he didn't have any idea.

As he reached the center of the capital, he blended into the crowd of busy people. Nearing the crossroads, he let out his breath that he was unknowingly holding for a while. He slowly breathed in and out trying to calm the wild pounding of his heart. It beat so loud that he thought his chest would burst. When he saw a familiar stall on the other side of the street, he crossed the road. Upon entering the stall, he immediately went to the window facing the road and scanned the streets. When he confirmed that no one was on his tail, he let out a sigh of relief.

'Why did I need to hear those plans? What was I thinking? Why did I follow Sir Ashraf? My nosiness will be my doom. What should I do? What should I do!? he thought while still looking out the window, checking each person that was passing by. Unconsciously, fidgeting and shifting his weight on his feet.

"Are you waiting for someone?" a voice near him made him jump. He held his hands to his chest when he noticed the man who spoke behind him.

"U-Uncle Hassan! H-How long have you been there?" he exclaimed, heaving. His eyes were almost bulging out from their sockets.

"I was already here when you entered. But it seems you never even noticed me," Uncle Hassan stated, looking at him quizzically.

"Y-You scared the hell out of me, Uncle!" he complained, breathing in and out, catching his breath, trying to calm the wildly pounding of his heart.

"Mind your words, Armin," Uncle Hassan said to him with a glare.

"I'm sorry, Uncle. It's not my intention to ignore you. I was just preoccupied, sorry," Armin apologized to the old man. When he recovered from the shock, he bowed low in greeting to the old man. Then he reached for his Uncle Hassan's hand and kissed his knuckles.

"What brings you here, Armin? It's not yet time for Lady Eleanor's ration of bread, is it?" Uncle Hassan asked, but he wasn't looking at Armin. Instead, he was looking at the window where Armin was looking earlier. His Uncle's eyes swept the scene in the street before he looked back at him with a questioning look in his eyes.

"I was in the area, doing errands for the lady. I decided to stop by," Armin explained, which earned him one eyebrow raised from the old man. His uncle didn't seem to believe his excuse. Shrugging his shoulders, the old man returned behind the counter where he arranged his display of all the bread.

"You are not in trouble, are you?" the old man asked Armin, while he continued to arrange the bread.

"W-what? No! No! I'm not, Uncle," Armin answered immediately. When the old man looked at him with a knowing look, Armin realized that he had answered too soon. He scratched the back of his head and avoided the gaze of the old man.