CHAPTER 16: YEARN

I barely made it out of the hallway before I heard heavy footsteps behind me, slow and deliberate as if he wanted me to know that he didn’t need to run to catch up with me.

"Maeve"

That was enough for me to stop in my tracks, my back stiffening. The name rang out in my head, sharp and deep as he used the mind link again.

I didn’t turn around.

"Don’t you have better things to do than chase after a lowly Omega?"

I could hear Darek’s footsteps stopping behind me but he didn’t say a word. There was just silence as I waited for him to say something, anything at all to defend me, anything to make me feel that I wasn’t as pathetic as Rhea said I was.

I waited for an entire minute. There was no response, just the sound of our breathing. I sighed. He thought the same thing that Rhea had spat into my face. Why would I expect any different?

I charged forward again, determined to get away from this. I didn’t care what he would say about it, and he could kill me for all I cared, but I was going to leave no matter what.

Suddenly, I was yanked back by a strong grip as he twisted me around and pinned me against the cold, hard marble walls. His one hand pressed flat against my hip, and the other cupped one side of my face, and I got tempted, so very tempted to sink my cheeks into it.

His touch made me mad, so very mad. Reckless. Impure thoughts. My wolf was straining hard to be controlled.

And his scent. His scent was killing me now.

"Don’t misunderstand," he whispered. His hazel eyes with flecks of blue like the forest and the ocean all at the same time.

"Misunderstand what?" I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. I wanted to sink into his arms, I wanted him to make me feel safe, I wanted him.

I wanted him to accept me as his mate.

Would that be so bad?

His thumb brushed the corner of my lips slightly until all my senses narrowed to that single touch and then...it was gone. He withdrew his hands suddenly leaving behind only a whisper of already depleting warmth.

"Don’t misunderstand that you’re here because I want you to be my Luna. There’s something wrong with you, and I need to find out why, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves."

My stomach dropped as the one tear threatening against my lids finally slid down my cheek.

"You will be meeting Fowler tomorrow. We’ll decide what to do with you then."

I didn’t wait to ask who Fowler was.

I shoved past him, retreating back to my room before I had any more undeserving thoughts about him.

I couldn’t sleep.

The bed was too large, the sheets were too warm, the air was too lonely. That’s exactly what I felt. Lonely.

I don’t think I’d ever felt this lonely before even when I was scrubbing the shoes of the Lycan guards and being threatened with assault. At least then there was no reason for me to play pretend. And then being called out on playing pretend.

The next morning, a new bundle of clothes was already neatly folded and placed on my dressing table, probably because they didn’t trust my fashion choices anymore.

It was of black leather and skin-tight but comfortable. The kind worn by the Alphas but with less embellishment and without the Alpha insignia over the chest. This looked like it was made especially for agility and comfort rather than vanity.

When I finally stepped out, Darek was already waiting for me, dressed in black again as the Commander, his silver hair neatly combed and his usual stoic expression plastered on his face.

"Let’s go."

It was all he said before walking out. Not another look of acknowledgement. Just a single command.

Wouldn’t want me to misunderstand anything I suppose.

The halls of Parthenn shifted from the grand opulence when we reached the White Wing. Everything was sterile again. All white stone and walls lined with glowing panels and steel.

I didn’t think I’d be back so soon and that too in Alpha gear after I’d been cleaning those floors just recently as an Omega. The day I had met Darek for the first time. The day I caught his scent as his mate.

We kept passing sealed doors, some with ’Keep Out’ stamped in large bold letters. Scientists in lab coats kept moving and bustling around with tablets in their hands, some of them doing double takes when they saw Darek and then going back to murmuring between themselves.

The moment they saw him, every eye dropped down and moved out of his way briskly.

Finally, we reached the end of the hall we were walking in.

A large closed metal door loomed in front of us, covered in automatic locks on one side. Darek pressed his fingers to the panel beside the door and muttered something into the mic device that I couldn’t make out.

The locks suddenly disengaged one by one until they slowly hissed open, revealing a massive room. And it was busy. There were far more scientists in here, far more equipment and everyone seemed to be completely immersed in whatever they were doing. There were some Lycans too surrounded by the ones in lab coats and by tables covered in restraints and syringes.

I’ve always wondered what they did over here.

One of the scientists, a woman, was already walking towards us, her eyes fixed on Darek. Her black hair was tied neatly back and her lips were painted in the brightest red.

"Alpha Korvash," she said smoothly, her gaze flicking to me for an instant before going back to his. "To what may I owe this pleasure?"

He gave her the faintest nod. "Just wanted to follow up on what I’d talked about yesterday."

Her eyes snapped to me again, now giving me her full attention. She stepped closer, tilting her head as if to examine me.

"So this is the one, is it not? The Omega you were talking about?"

"Yes, pretty much," Darek replied flatly.

She smiled sweetly and extended a hand towards me.

"You must be Maeve Lester. Let’s see what’s wrong with you shall we?"