Man behind the plan - Part 3

Dariel raised his head when he felt gazes on him again but did not dare to look at anyone in the eye. He was already in trouble for attempting to kill the Commander of Aranill and her warriors, albeit that not being his intention. He did not wish to add more to his worries, not when there was an enraged Alpha waiting to rip his head off.

Aylin let go of Azimir's hand when she felt him to have calmed down and faced Dariel again. "Dariel, did you wish to use this opportunity to frame the Alpha of Ideni?"

Dariel bit his tongue, unable to withstand his guilt. He did not even have the courage to speak. All he could do was nod in affirmation.

"Commander, you were right." Travis intervened. But this time, Azimir did not stop him for he already knew what the man wanted to say.

"Dariel wanted to frame Alpha Azimir for he was sure that we would suspect him first behind the attack. If not for your intelligence and experience, Commander, we would have wronged the people of Ideni."

Travis glanced at the man who was standing beside his Commander and he bowed his head at him, expressing his apology. Though he regretted suspecting him albeit silently, he still felt guilty and he did not mind apologizing to him for his mistake.

Azimir just nodded at him curtly, granting him his forgiveness and Dariel flashed him a smile of relief in return. Despite being delighted, he was still in shock to see the magnanimity of the young Alpha who was known for his ruthlessness, especially towards his enemies.

Aylin ignored Travis and frowned lightly. Her lips formed a thin line as she thought about all that Dariel had revealed to her.

"Dariel, who instigated you to go ahead and attack us?" Aylin questioned, observing the man closely. She watched a myriad of expressions passing through his face before they finally settled on anger which was utterly unexpected.

"Who was the person behind this plan?" She urged again and narrowed her eyes.

Even Azimir took a step forward as he scrutinized the man. Although he was certain that the man would not lie to them considering the situation he was in and the consequences he would eventually face, Azimir did not let his guards down.

Dariel closed his eyes while his lips quivered. "I do not know who he was, Commander."

"Was he not a resident of Renada?"

Dariel nodded his head and bit his lip in remorse. "I am unsure about it. But I feel so as I have never seen him before. He approached me when I was returning to the kingdom after a hunt."

Aylin was not surprised by his revelation. She had expected this situation for as far as she had seen, the people of Renada were selfish and greedy. But she did not sense any cruelty from them. During her stay in the kingdom, she had met all kinds of people. But none among them came off as vicious or brutal.

Dariel went silent immediately after and Aylin noticed the hesitation in his voice. It was as though he was hiding an important matter from them and her expression turned cold at once.

"You need to be honest with us, Dariel. If you wish to save your Alpha and the other people." She threatened and Dariel gulped in fear. But this time, he raised his head and looked at her in the eye.

"You are shrewd, Commander. I now understand why you were able to stay strong and maintain your position all these years even after having capable peers around you." Dariel's praise was sincere and he glanced at the men behind her who did not mind being led by a woman.

"I do not who that man was or where he was from. He was not from my kingdom and before he approached me, he had visited my Alpha in secret with the same plan." Dariel sucked in a deep breath, bearing with the pain in his jaw. He realized it was futile to hide the truth anymore.

"But my Alpha rejected his suggestions and even had him thrown out of the kingdom for his evilness."

Dariel hoped to alleviate the anger the Commander and Alpha Azimir had towards his Alpha as he attempted to prove his King's innocence. But he could not read their expressions whatsoever. Their thoughts were well hidden and he could only see was their stern gazes on him.

"It was then that he approached me and...and..." Dariel stopped speaking, not knowing what to say next.

"And you accepted to go ahead with his plan, modifying it so that it could benefit you the most. Am I right, Dariel?" Aylin continued and Dariel nodded in acceptance.

Aylin sighed. She still had her hands folded and she started to tap her fingers on her elbow as she thought about all that Dariel had revealed to him.

"Do you know the man's name?"

"Yes. He introduced himself as Maksim Berg."

"That might not be his real name," Azimir claimed and Aylin agreed with him. "Can you explain his facial features?"

Dariel shook his head, making Aylin raise her brows at him immediately. "Other than his eyes, I could not see anything. He had his entire face covered with a mask."

Aylin was taken aback by his words. Even Azimir could not conceal his shock and he gave him a perplexed look, one which Dariel could not understand.

Nobody spoke a word for a moment until Aylin let out a helpless chuckle. "I am unsure if I should punish you for your viciousness or scold you for your foolishness."

Her sarcasm was a serious jab to Dariel. But he did not retort, agreeing with all her claims in silence. He now felt how absurd the situation was. He had fallen for a stranger's trap even without finding out who he was and why he had even connived such a malicious plan.

"When did he approach you, Dariel?" Azimir queried. There were a lot of confusing details, and they were missing out on some of the important matters. But Azimir could not make out what.

"He approached me the night before Commander Aylin departed from Renada."

"What was his original plan? Surely, it must not be just for you to attack Commander Aylin and her warriors. Am I right?"

"Yes, the man had another plan altogether. His target was Commander Aylin." Dariel answered honestly.

"What do you mean?" Aylin's eyes narrowed until they turned into slits.

"I do not know the reason but he approached me with the plan to kill you, Commander."