Chapter Sixteen: Supervisor

My breath hitched when he introduced himself. Claude Hackworth? So that is his true name?

I couldn't believe it. Claude was just right in front of me. My wolf was howling again and again upon seeing Claude.

Our mate has come to see us! she said, jumping in joy.

I cut her off and ignored her joyous whims. I shivered as I felt Claude's wolf trying to make contact with us. I could hear the soft purring of my wolf that I tried to ignore.

Sir Abraham cleared his throat to focus our attention on him. "Rachelle," he called.

Hesitant, I stood up. My eyes were locked with Claude but I looked away. I focused my eyes on Sir Abraham.

"Y-Yes, sir?" Shit! I freaking stammered.

He glanced at me. "We have already helped Sir Claude to stroll around inside the perimeters of the palace. Since you are the leader of the night watchers as well as one of the Commanders, I need you to help Sir Claude to tour around the whole palace and how our military works. Help him to familiarize the place for a week."

"What?" I looked at him, horrified. "A week?!"

Sir Abraham furrowed his forehead, confused at my sudden loudness. "Is there a problem?"

"It seems like Commander Rachelle doesn't want to work with me."

My ears painted with what I heard from Claude. I shot him a glare. I saw how he was trying to complicate things with Sir Abraham and me.

"Is that so, Commander Rachelle?"

I panicked when we heard his growl that made an explosive series of expletives. "T-That's not what I mean. Y-You know how busy I am with training with my soldiers and my colleagues' soldiers..." I paused, trying to send a despicable message to Sir Abraham.

He knew that I was always busy. The other Commanders trusted me on the way I trained.

"I see." He nodded which made me relieved. "General Benedict."

"Yes, Fleet Admiral?"

"I want you to assign someone here in replacement of Commander Rachelle to train our soldiers. I want you to supervise this person under your care. I want Commander Rachelle to guide Sir Claude on this matter."

"What?" My voice was inaudible, couldn't believe what he had just said.

"Noted, Fleet Admiral." I turned at Benedict and slightly shook my head, telling him not to choose anyone here in replacement for me training the soldiers around the palace. Benedict gave me an apologetic gaze before he roamed around his eyes to pick the person who will be under his care. "I chose Captain Pavia Colette. Since Commander Rachel's one of the captains is here, I will choose her. I know that she knows how her Commander works on training soldiers."

I clenched my hands, glaring at Claude, who had a triumphant smile on his lips, the moment I heard Benedict choose Colette and his reasoning for choosing her.

I took a deep breath before looking at Sir Abraham. "Yes, Benedict made the right decision. Colette knows how I work." I turned at Colette, wide-eyed. When she looked at me, I gave her a meaningful smile. "Please take care of them, Captain Pavia."

"B-But Commander—"

"Then it's settled. Captain Pavia will temporarily take over the Commander position."

My knees were wobbled so I slowly sat down, sighing. I heard another word from Sir Abraham.

"Starting from today, Commander Rachelle will be a temporary escort of Sir Claude for a week. Captain Pavia will be a temporary Commander of Commander Rachelle's platoons for a week. Meeting adjourned," he said with finality. "Rachelle, you stay here."

I huffed and pursed my lips into a thin line. I already turned my back on them but I had to go back. Sighing, I faced and approached them, straight face.

"Your orders, Fleet Admiral?" I asked, remaining stoic expression as my eyes were fixed on Fleet Admiral Abraham.

He sided his head so I had no choice but to spare a glance at Claude who was giving me an intense gaze. "You know what to do with your colleague. In hopes, you will work with him."

I nodded. "Sir, yes, sir." I looked at Claude with so much hostility. "Come with me." I turned my back and started sprinting, keeping a distance away from him.

"Shouldn't we walk together?" he asked after we went outside from the dungeon.

I stopped in my tracks and hissed silently. Then I shot him a glare. "Why don't you just hurry up from walking? You walk like a turtle!" I almost snapped.

"Okay, okay. Relax, my mate."

I growled at him which made him stand on his ground. "Don't call me that," I said, faintly feeling familiar with these words I spouted.

But Claude just grinned. "You can't still ignore the fact that I am still your mate and I have an effect on you."

"Effect? You wish!" I snorted, rolling my eyes.

"Want me to prove?" He stepped forward and made my system alert.

My wolf got excited from the proximity of closeness from Claude. I stepped backward not to fall from his bait as I could feel my heart hammering in my chest. "C-Can you s-stop?!" I asked, almost shouting, half-annoyed.

But Claude being a jerk just smirked at my reaction and stopped from approaching me. "You can't deny the fact that I can hear how your heart is pounding so fast when I am near."

I just squinted my eyes on him and looked away. "Are we going to just walk together so I can stroll you around and keep your mouth shut or I will leave you behind and go back to my post?" I am starting to get irritated by his presence. How on earth did it come to the point that he is my supervisor?

Claude just chuckled and motioned his hand insisting me to start walking. He walked beside me. I maintain my composure as tried my best to tranquil my wolf as well as my heart just as how near Claude was. I maintained a solemn attitude while we were strolling around outside the palace.

We went to the training grounds where some of the soldiers were already resting from the training and some were still training. I spotted my soldiers and they were trained by Furgoson right now. As we were passing by, Furgoson waved his hand at me. I smiled and waved back.

"Take care of my soldiers, Furgoson!" I shouted.

He winked and made a thumb up. "Sure!"

I chuckled. When I looked at Claude, his face looked darker and he was pursuing his lips into a thin line. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"What's up with you? You look like you want to strangle someone," I exclaimed.

Claude released a warning growl at me that made me stop in my tracks. "You have many men companions," he said, gritting his teeth.

I was confused by his words. "So? What about it?"

"I don't like it whenever there were men who were surrounding you and you were close with them."

"Then what?" I approached him and came near to him, challenging him. "Are you going to make a ruckus here? Like what you almost did to my comrade." I lowered down my tone which only the two of us could hear. I wouldn't want to make a fuss over this but I just want to threaten him a little.

Instead, he wouldn't be thrilled, Claude just formed a smirk and gave me an alluring smile. "I wouldn't have second thoughts of doing the same thing to your other comrade, Rachelle. So better distance yourself away from them."

I smiled wryly at him, hiding the shivers I felt from his words. "Do that and I will reject you so we both die," I warned.

His smirk slowly disappeared. He displayed a hurt expression that made my heart pricked a thousand times. I turned my back on him so I couldn't look at his painful expression.

We just both continued and none of us spoke. I bit my lower lip as Claude remained silent the whole tour.

I stopped before I could get near the antechamber. "The tour ends here," I said, breaking the silence. "I can't tour you inside the antechamber."

"Why?" There was a dejected tone laced on his voice that made my forehead creasing.

I looked at him, unbelievable. Is he serious? "Are you seriously asking me that? You know that a lower rank like me is forbidden to enter the antechamber. We are not allowed to see what's inside there."

"So, you haven't seen who my Fath—G-Grand Alpha King's children and what they look like?"

I shook my head. "They haven't released the photo of the newly crowned Alpha King and even the crown princesses."

I was expecting him to keep on knitting his forehead but the next thing he did was flashing a meaningful smile.

"That's interesting..."