Outcast: The Alpha King's Beloved novel Chapter 46

 Anthony's POV: For some reason, Austin asked me and Jennifer to stay for dinner.

It was unusual because, ever since our father passed away, I had never sat with him at the same table.

He was acting suspiciously.

I finally realized his intention when he started chatting with Jennifer on and off throughout the evening.

He was testing my relationship with Jennifer.

What was he trying to do? Did he want to use Jennifer to control me? He had no shame.

Fortunately, Jennifer cooperated with me by giving no hints that we were in a relationship.

I merely winked at her, and she realized that we were in a precarious situation.

So we both acted as if we were not interested in each other.

What I was not sure of was whether or not Austin bought our act.

I thought that our visit to the royal palace would end with dinner.

I had not expected Austin to ask us to stay the night.

I turned down his offer, using tomorrow's training as an excuse.

On the way back, Jennifer and I deliberately kept some distance between us.

When the car finally left the palace premises, I reached out for her hand, intending to twine her fingers with mine.

Unexpectedly, Jennifer brushed off my hand.

She crossed her arms over her chest and leisurely leaned back against her seat.

"You are not interested in me, right? So why are you trying to hold my hand?"

Jennifer asked teasingly.

I smiled, pulled her into a hug and sincerely apologized, "I didn't mean it, honey.I lied to Austin for a reason."

Pressing her cheek against my chest, Jennifer asked, "Do you have a bad relationship with him?"

"We have the same father but different mothers,"

I explained, hoping that Jennifer would stay away from Austin from now on.

There was a deeper reason behind my complicated relationship with Austin, but I thought it was better to keep that from Jennifer for the time being.

"He is slyer than you think.You should keep your guard up around him in the future," I told her.

For the sake of her safety, I hoped that she would never have any contact with Austin for the rest of her life.

"All right.I will listen to you."

Thankfully, Jennifer didn't question my request, but she promised to be careful.

She then settled her head on my lap and let me stroke her hair.

"There was one thing that felt off."

"What was it?"

I asked Jennifer.

Jennifer sat up and answered seriously, "When I went to the bathroom earlier, I saw someone in black.He seemed to be looking for something."

"Oh?"

I pretended to be interested, but I wondered if the person she saw was the attendant I had sent to search the palace for information.

"Did you see his face? What did he look like?" I asked.

Jennifer replied, "No, I didn't see his face, but he smelled familiar."

I briefly considered letting Jennifer in on my plan.

But after second thought, I decided it was safest for her not to know anything for the time being.

I decided not to tell Jennifer everything about me until she was strong enough to protect herself.

Before that, I had to find a way to ensure her safety.

"For now, go ahead and take a nap. I'll wake you up when we arrive."

I gently encouraged Jennifer to lie back down on my lap and told the driver to drive slowly.

I then caressed her hair to lull her to sleep.