CHAPTER 162: UNWANTED SURVEILLANCE...

Kael

I sat quietly in the library waiting for my tutor.

Yesterday, I was supposed to meet her, but Peter had cornered me with his blackmail scheme and I’d missed the appointment altogether. All I knew was that she was a girl with good grades who’d volunteered to help failing students.

The academy was also paying them on our behalf.

The library was mostly empty this time of day. Most students were either in class or back at their dorms. I picked a table in the back corner where we could work without being disturbed. But my mind wasn’t on tutoring or homework.

Peter’s words kept playing over and over in my head. Arms dealing. Human trafficking. Black market operations. He claimed my master was running all of it under the cover of legitimate rescue work.

I’d been trying hard not to think about it, but lately I’d started noticing things that didn’t add up. The organisation was bringing in more money than usual. Way more than we’ve ever brought in the past.

I was one of the people who started whatever the organisation is today, and I know how difficult it was for us in the beginning and how we have built it into what we have today.

Of course, our income flow changed, and we started charging more, but last month alone, my salary was triple the normal amount, and when I asked about it, my master said it was a bonus to boost my morale.

I’d known for years that our organisation was dangerous, but I had told myself that I was just a fighter, a soldier for hire and nothing more. Bonuses didn’t exist in our line of work.

So, where was all this money coming from?

Most of our jobs were one-time payments from people who needed help: missing persons cases, protection details, rescue operations. Donations from regular people primarily funded the charity homes and NGOs that belonged to us. None of that explained the sudden flood of cash.

Every job was a one-time payment. No one was ever generous for no reason.

What if Peter was telling the truth? What if the rescue missions were just a cover for something darker? What if all those girls we were supposedly trying to save were actually being sold to the highest bidder?

The thought made me sick. I’d dedicated my life to this organisation because I believed we were helping people. If that was all a lie, then what did that make me?

Someone dragged the chair across from me and sat down. I looked up, expecting to see my tutor.

Instead, I found myself staring at a girl I recognised but didn’t really know. She was wearing a Ravenshore uniform, but I knew her face from the organisation. She was one of the female agents, though I’d never worked with her directly. I tried to avoid the women in our group when possible. They made me uncomfortable in ways I couldn’t explain.

Seeing her here, in my school, set off every alarm bell in my head.

I immediately stood up to leave.

"Leaving already?" she said in a calm voice. "We’re just getting started."

I turned back to face her. "Whatever this is, I won’t be part of it. How dare you come here to watch me?"

She rose to her feet slowly, a smile on her lips that didn’t reach her eyes as she smoothed her skirt.

"Like you, I only follow instructions. Our master thinks you still have a lot going on mentally and should be watched. Besides, we need to make sure you stay long enough in Ravenshore to finish your mission."

My hands clenched into fists. "And what? You’re the one sent to spy on me now? Our master no longer has trust in me?"

"I don’t know," she shrugged. "But from now on, I’ll be in charge of your schoolwork. You only need to show up to the tutorial classes for appearances. I’ll do everything else for you."

I scoffed and turned to go. This was precisely the kind of thing that made me question everything about the organisation. They wanted to control every aspect of my life, even my academic performance.

Before I could take more than a step, she grabbed my hand. Her grip was surprisingly strong, and when I tried to shake her off, she held on tighter.

"I was also given instructions to meet all your needs," she said, her voice dropping to a seductive tone. "From now on, I’ll do anything you want."

My stomach turned

I yanked again, harder and finally managed to rip my hand from hers. I took a step back, glaring down at her.

"I don’t need anything from you."

And without another word, I spun and stalked out of the library, boiling with anger. First Peter with his blackmail, now this. It felt like everyone was trying to control me, to use me for their own purposes.

As I walked toward the library exit, I wasn’t watching where I was going. I bumped into someone coming through the doors and nearly knocked them over. My reflexes kicked in, and I caught them before they could fall.

It was Charis.

For a moment, holding her steady in my arms, everything else faded away. The anger, the confusion, the doubts about my mission. All of it disappeared, replaced by the overwhelming relief of touching my mate.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" I asked, scanning her body for any sign of injury.

She shook her head, flashing me a quiet smile. "I’m fine."

For a moment, it felt like only two of us existed. Her hair brushed my hand, and her scent...god, her scent filled my nostrils, making my lower body move instinctively. I settled her on the ground and was about to ask her where she was heading when I heard footsteps behind me.

"Babe, you forgot your phone."

Charis left my arms, peering over my shoulders to look at the newcomer while I half-turned. It was the female agent, and before I could react, she slipped her hand through mine and moved into my arms, placing her other hand on my chest.

"Wait—" I started, but the words didn’t have a chance to leave my lips before her mouth covered mine.

I stiffened instantly and tried to pull back, but she held me in place, and at that moment, I hated myself. To anyone watching, it looked real. It looked like I was kissing her back, and worst, Charis was watching.

When she finally pulled back, she turned to Charis while staying in my arms. It looked like I was hugging her from behind.

"Hi," she said to Charis with a bright smile. "I’m Sandra, Kael’s girlfriend. Who are you?"

Girlfriend? My mind reeled. This was all part of their plan to keep me under control. To give me a handler disguised as a romantic partner.

I looked at Charis, expecting to see hurt or confusion or anger. Instead, there was an amused smile on her face.

"I’m no one important," Charis said lightly. "Just someone who was leaving."

She stepped around us and headed into the library like nothing had happened. Like seeing me with another girl didn’t bother her at all.

But I caught the flash of something in her eyes as she passed. It was gone too quickly to identify, but it definitely wasn’t indifference.

As soon as Charis was out of sight, I grabbed Sandra’s wrist and pulled her hand off my chest.

"Don’t ever do that again," I growled.

She laughed softly. "Do what? Act like your girlfriend? That’s exactly what I’m supposed to do."

"I didn’t ask for a girlfriend."

"You didn’t ask for a lot of things, but you got them anyway. That’s how this works, Kael. You follow orders, just like everyone else."

I wanted to argue and tell her exactly what I thought of her and her orders, but causing a scene in the library wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Charis.

"Stay away from me," I said instead.

"I’m afraid I can’t do that. But don’t worry." She reached up and straightened my collar, like a girlfriend would. "I’ll try to make this as painless as possible."

With that, she walked away, leaving me standing alone in the library entrance, my mind spinning with everything that had just happened.

Sandra was here to watch me. To control my academic life and probably everything else. The organisation didn’t trust me anymore, which meant they suspected something about my loyalties.

And Charis had seen it all. I saw myself with another girl who claimed to be my girlfriend. She has seen me fail to push her away or deny the relationship immediately.

I ran my hands through my hair, trying to think. This was getting complicated fast. Peter’s blackmail, Sandra’s surveillance, and my growing doubts about the organisation’s true purpose.

And underneath it all, the constant ache of wanting to be honest with Charis about everything. About who I really was, what I really did, and why I was really at this school.

But how could I tell her the truth when I wasn’t even sure what the truth was anymore?