CHAPTER 40: NO ONE MUST HEAR OF THIS

Eliàn;

Bad things go away if you ignore them.

Well... not all things.

For example, bills. Those don’t go away. They just compound and cause bigger problems.

However, the issue at hand currently is nothing like that.

Last night is something I’m going to erase from my memory completely.

I just need to set new ground rules.

One. AVOID Alpha Zephan like a fucking plague. Two. NEVER go to my room alone.

Then, I’ll learn to mask my scent, and I should be fine.

Alana said Alpha Rhydian brought me to my room last night. That makes no sense, and I don’t intend to make sense of it.

He must have found me in that pit and decided to help.

The arrogant prick who hates omegas... the fool who’s the reason I was blind in one eye for an entire day... he helped me. Why??

Tch... Like I care.

I’ve come to terms with the fact that everyone here is a lunatic. I just have to pick the one closest to sanity and forget about the rest.

That’s exactly what I’ll be doing today. I’ll stick by Alpha Koda’s side the whole day. Hopefully, I’ll get to learn something valuable about him.

"Master Elian, why did you choose only black and grey clothes?" Alana questions as she dusts off wrinkles from my shirt, and I stare at her behind me through the mirror.

She’s in a purple dress today. Her hair is in one neat braid, and her eyes are bright as always. Under the morning light, her freckles are like pixie dust against her skin. Pretty.

How could her family treat her so badly? I wish I could teach them a lesson. She’s such a sweet soul. She didn’t deserve any of that.

Then again... bad things mostly happen... to those who don’t deserve it.

We’re always hurt for reasons we don’t know. Reasons we might never know. I look at my reflection in the mirror, and look away in disgust.

"Master Elian?" Alana’s voice calls again, and I look back up.

She tilts her head, and I smile when I realise that I haven’t given her an answer.

"Dark colours help me blend in. Bright colours are like neon signs." I explain, and her brows knot as she stares at me through the mirror.

"Neo... Neon signs. What are those?" She questions, and I pause.

Oh. Right... They don’t have those here.

"What I mean is, bright colours are like an announcement. They make me feel like I’m begging for attention." I explain, and her brows shoot up in realisation.

"Oh..." She replies, and now, it’s my turn to smile.

I turn to her and raise my hands proudly.

"How do I look? Do you think Alpha Koda will be okay with me following him around in this?" I question, and she chuckles before pulling my hands down.

"Even if you wore potato sacks, Alpha Koda wouldn’t mind as long as you’re around him." She says, and my heart skips a beat.

That wasn’t supposed to... Why did my heart skip a beat on hearing that? Why are my cheeks suddenly hot?

Alana smiles as she brushes my hair, and then she turns me back to the mirror.

"Ready?" She questions, and I take a deep breath.

All I have to do is control my emotions and learn enough about him to plot my next move. Shouldn’t be too hard.

"Ready." I reply, and she smiles.

"You’ve chosen a good day to be with Alpha Koda. He goes fishing in a few minutes. I think you’ll like..." She begins, but stops.

She raises a brow as she stares at me, and my brows knot.

She suddenly steps closer to me, staring at my face like she’s searching for something.

"You don’t plan on jumping in the river, do you?? That’s not why you suddenly decided to spend the day with Alpha Koda, right??" She questions, and my eyes widen.

"What? No. I didn’t even know he was going fishing today!" I retort, and she glares at me, not completely convinced.

"Really!" I add, and she pushes her lips forward as she stares at me.

"Hmm... I shouldn’t worry, though. You’re going to be with Alpha Koda. He’s usually always one step ahead of everyone. You can try whatever mischief you want today. He’ll catch you before you even land." She says rather proudly as she turns her back on me and starts picking up the clothes I littered all over the floor and bed.

"So now, I’m a mischievous child??" I question, and she shrugs.

"Sometimes, you act like one." She replies, and my jaw drops.

I march over to her and grab her shoulder. I turn her to face me, and she has a smug expression on her face.

"We’re agemates, you know that? You don’t go about talking like you’re older!" I snap, and she giggles.

"We are? Sometimes I feel like your elder sister. I’m sorry." She replies sarcastically, and I gasp.

"You..."

"I am nothing but your humble servant, Master Elian." She says with a dramatic bow, and I just stare at her in dumbfoundedness.

She drops all the clothes in a neat heap on the bed and walks back to me.

"Enough of that now. We should get going. Alpha Koda is probably waiting." She says, and I feel my left eye twitch as I stare at her.

"This isn’t over," I note, and she nods with a small smile as she begins to walk over to the door.

"Noted." She replies as she opens the door and stands by it.

I huff and head for the door, and as I pass her, I swear I hear a giggle.

Well, she’s in high spirits today... to be honest, I like it. Finally feels like I have a friend. My first friend in the tsunami of ’Just when you think you’ve seen it all’

********

Koda;

"The chaos in the West has drastically reduced. But our spies have noticed funny movements at Howleroot. Forgive me for saying this, but it seems Alpha Liandria has opened her doors to suspicious company. Just last week, three cloaked men were seen visiting Howleroot’s palace. Our intel says he has reason to believe one of them was Balinar." Rowan, my aide, explains, and I go rigid in my seat.

I look up at him, and he nods slowly.

"Are you sure of what you’re saying? You do know what you’re insinuating, right?" I demand, and he takes a shaky breath before nodding again.

"Yes, Alpha Koda. I know how this sounds, but I can assure you that the information is from a trusted source. Everything I just said is true." He replies, and I feel my heartbeat pick up in my chest.

I look back down at the coded letters our spies sent, and I can not bring myself to believe the messages in these letters.

If they’re right, that means there’s a possibility Rhydian’s mother is working with outsiders of Beastheaven to betray us.

Balinar is the ruler of Elkhorn, the Antler clan. Balinar is one of BeastHeaven’s biggest rivals. For years, he has sought for ways to pull down Beastheaven. He has tried to infiltrate our forces and break us apart.

And now... knowing that one of my brother’s mothers possibly housed him? Had a meeting with him??

This is trouble.

Alpha Liandria has been a troublesome woman for as long as I can remember. She’s always felt better than all of Father’s other partners because she’s the only Alpha he married. She thinks she’s better than my mother and Lioran’s father.

Even before Zephan and Zether’s mother died, Alpha Liandria was a headache to her, too. She’s always expected attention and favours from Father, but when she saw Father wasn’t going to treat her differently from his other partners, her jealousy spiked. So did her distance.

If Father gets wind of this...

"Would you like to investigate this matter yourself..." He begins, but the guard outside suddenly calls.

"Alpha Koda, your Omega is here to see you."

Rowan and I turn to the door, and Rowan steps closer.

"Should I go tell him you’re busy?" He questions, and I raise a hand as I stand up.

"Clear this table. No one must hear anything about this. We’ll attend to it when I’m done. For now, tighten the watch on Alpha Liandria. If we’re going to have to cause a ruckus between her and Father, we need to be absolutely sure." I order, and he nods.

"Yes, Alpha." He replies, and I turn to the door.

I walk over to it, and when I pull the doors open, I’m welcomed by sparkling red eyes, neatly combed brown hair that I’m sure would be its usual tousled mess in a few minutes, and a small frame once again dressed in all black.

"Good morning, Alpha Koda." He greets with a small bow, and I take a deep breath as his minty scent gently wraps around my lungs.

"Good morning, Elian." I greet in response before walking past him, and I listen to him silently follow.