Vayne's POV
"Sorry, Vayne. I thought something had happened to you when I saw your delayed response, so I took the liberty of barging in. I hope you don't mind."
Stepping into the room, Zed nodded towards me before inspecting his surroundings suspiciously.
"Alpha, thank you for your concern. Is there something important for your sudden visit in the middle of the night?"
Seeing Zed's expression slowly return to normal, I was instantly relieved. I just couldn't fathom how, in that short period, Talon unexpectedly lost track all of a sudden; it's a bit hard to believe.
"It's nothing, really. Today's events happened quite suddenly, and I just wanted to make sure you're okay."
Zed obediently sat down and looked up at the warmly colored light on the ceiling. The dim light reflected his handsome profile, freezing me for a moment.
"I'm sorry, Alpha. I wasn't doing my part, and I promise that anything that jeopardizes you in the future will never happen again."
I assumed Zed's late-night visit was to hold me accountable for my lack of protection this afternoon. To be honest, if Braum had been a bit more hard-hearted and chosen to go down with Zed, I would have been the guilty party of the entire pack.
"Come on, Vayne. I didn't come here to hold you accountable. I can perceive that the purpose of that group of people in the afternoon is not me. So, my life is not in any danger. On the contrary, their objective is to bring you back."
Zed lifted his head and looked at me seriously. His deep eyes gazed at me as if he were looking into my heart.
"Me?"
I couldn't help but frown.
"As you may have heard, they've been looking for a woman named Caitlyn."
Zed slowly got up and stood by the window.
"From what they're saying, it seems like the girl named Caitlyn is Talon's mate. But why would they think I'm Caitlyn?"
"It's just a scam on their part."
Zed's mouth lifted in a contemptuous smile.
"I'm sure you can see that the werewolf named Talon is actually an Alpha as well. While he may still have irreconcilable conflicts with the royal family, I'm afraid that with his current strength, he'll never be able to shake the king's position, so..."
Zed paused in mid-sentence, then twisted his head to look at me.
"So what?"
"So they found you." Zed lifted his finger and pointed it at me.
"Me? Why?"
"The potential in you, to be exact. No werewolf would refuse to make you his Luna because the potential in you is the richest treasure in the werewolf world." Zed's eyes widened, a hint of greed showing in them.
"So they deliberately concocted a poignant love story to try and sensitize you to follow them back. That way, you and Talon combined would surely give birth to a werewolf like no other." Zed looked excited and spoke at an unconsciously higher volume.
"But why would they find me? I've obviously never seen them before, but I still get a strange sense of familiarity when I see Talon today." I hung my head, not caught up in Zed's emotions.
"Because they've met you before, right before you lost your memory," Zed explained gently.
"Lost memory?" I mumbled the word softly, snapping to the realization that I did seem to be missing a long stretch of memories. Even my origins had been told to me by Zed after reawakening.
"It's just that you exposed your powers during a hunting match and were targeted by them for that, so they purposely designed such a trap." Zed slowly got up and prepared to walk towards the door.
"I just came over to give you a heads up. There's really nothing to worry about. After today, I'm afraid they won't have the guts to come back in the short term. It's getting late; you'd better get an early night."
"Okay, good night, Alpha." I stood up and saluted towards Zed.
"How many times have I told you, just call me Zed." Zed paused for a moment at the sound of my address, then stood in the doorway and waved toward me with a friendly smile.
"Hold on." Just as the door was about to close, Zed pressed his foot against it, as if he'd suddenly thought of something.
"Do you know what else Talon is called?"
"What?" I got a little nervous for no reason.
"Night King," Zed whispered before bursting into laughter and softly closing the door.
I stood alone, somewhat puzzled by Zed's cryptic words. Suddenly, a noise emerged from behind me, and when I turned my head, Talon reappeared in my room.
"You... you! How did you do that?" I exclaimed, my eyes widening in astonishment.
"Don't be surprised; it's nothing," Talon replied softly, though his furrowed brow betrayed a hint of weariness. As Talon finished speaking, he looked up at me, waiting for a question. It was evident that he, previously concealed in the shadows, had overheard Zed's earlier words.
"What are your thoughts?" Talon inquired when I remained silent for a while. Unsure, I hung my head, absentmindedly sliding my fingers over my shirt.
"Well... I don't know," I mumbled.
"That's okay. Given everything that's happened today, I'm sure you need your rest. I'll just..." Talon took a deep breath, mustering a small smile as he turned to leave my room.
"But I don't think you're the person Zed claims you to be. I can't explain it, but I feel... warm around you."
Just as Talon was about to leave, I found the courage to speak up.
"Well, no need to talk about it, Caitlyn. Oh, no, Vayne."
Talon beamed, but a trace of seriousness lingered as he mentioned my name.
"Get an early night; I'll come to see you again." He waved and disappeared onto the balcony without waiting for my response.
I stood on the balcony, gazing at his silhouette for a long time, unable to regain my composure.