CHAPTER 64: ALNITAK! I NEED YOU

(Alnitak)

Zevran has left everyone stunned by licking Amaia. Wolves only lick their mates, and here he has been constantly howling in my head after Alnilam took her away, and I had to transform so TJ could take a look at my wounds.

"You are lucky, no deep wounds but a lot of scratches so rest up for the night." TJ cleans up my wounds but doesn’t apply medicine, letting my fast healing do its magic.

He leaves me some apple juice. Picking up the glass I begin to drink.

My mind is still whirring with thoughts of Amaia and how she had stood her ground and handled the fight. The respect and whatever pull I feel for her has increased tenfold.

I want her, desperately and by every fucking means. No longer do I care if she left her mate or whatever the truth is.

"So what’s up with Zevran? Does he like Amaia?" Kacir questions, pacing the room TJ has put me in. Mintaka is reposed on the empty bed beside me, his desperate eyes focused on Kacir.

"Yes, he is pretty much obsessed with her. He is the one who refused to believe what Alnilam told us about Amaia and thinks there is another side to that story," I explain, taking another sip of the tasty juice.

TJ does make killer juices, I need to get the recipe.

"Another side? She left her mate for greener pastures who then rejected her because of the shame she brought him. What other side is there?" Mintaka lazily says and Kacir’s eye focuses on him. He barely acknowledges my brother or even spares him a glance but today he does.

"You will believe a random stranger over our guildmate? Why didn’t he mark her in the two years she was with him? Why didn’t he make her his Luna when he ascended the throne? You know the bond can be broken from the one-sided rejection but the mark doesn’t disappear. She has no mark on her neck," he seethes out, making Mintaka go extremely quiet.

Now, this is going to be awkward.

"...I just....never mind," Mintaka tiredly sits up. "Look man, I know you hate me..."

We are interrupted when Rahria enters my room.

All heads turn towards her and the tension just reaches the roof. She freezes, seeing that Mintaka and Kacir are about to have a conversation.

"I just wanted to check in on Alnitak. Are you good?" She reluctantly asks. I pour the last of the juice down my throat and give her a thumbs up.

"I am leaving. Have to check up on Amaia. Good night, Alnitak," Kacir tightly says. I can see how rigid his body has gone.

"Kacir, listen..." Mintaka reluctantly begins again.

All that relaxedness has evaporated from his body. I know and I feel the guilt dripping from him. It feeds the bond we share, almost clogging it. My heart hurts for my brother.

But Kacir doesn’t stop, he brushes past Rahria who watches him with equal guilt.

Mintaka takes his face in his hands and rapidly rubs it in frustration. His long hair is held up in a bun.

"I will talk to him. One day, he will listen," Rahria says, and Mintaka shoots her a look.

"If only you had a tiny amount of shame and would really talk to him instead of threatening him. None of us will be in this mess," Mintaka bursts out at her, making her flinch and take a step back.

Rahria hardly ever shows remorse. She is the kind of girl who grabs what she wants and we all knew she had always wanted us both. I had shut down her advances from the start because she never interested me. But Mintaka hadn’t been so successful and that led to him losing his best friend.

"I said, I will fix it. It will take time, but Kacir is my mate, and I am not losing him, especially to that girl." She grinds her teeth, pushing back her hair from her shoulder.

I let out a snort. "I didn’t take you to be this stupid."

She sends a glare my way, obviously taking offence from my words, so I elaborate for her tiny brain.

"Can’t you see why he stays with Amaia? Can’t you understand why he is protective of her? If you can’t, you are the stupidest girl." I don’t hold back and she bristles.

"Says the man who can’t even control his wolf from licking her in front of everyone and making a mockery."

"Mockery? At least I am not ignoring my mate and sleeping with someone else, bringing him pain." I blatantly say and her mouth opens. Her eyes and cheeks turn bloody red from the humiliation.

She glances at Mintaka as if he is going to come to her rescue but he is lost in his own thoughts.

Twirling around with a reddened face, she opens the door and exits.

Silence follows and I just drop myself on the pillow.

"What a mess and you are heading into another one," Mintaka warns me, throwing himself back on the bed too and arching his arms underneath his head.

"We shall see. Are you ready for the trials tomorrow?" I changed the subject. Both of us were on the college team for Moonball. It’s a game played between two teams having 5 players each. The Moonball is a cantaloupe-sized enchanted white ball which is passed between the teams and made to score like the old basketball.

The catch is that one can’t touch the other players, and the ball has a mind of its own; it speeds up, slows down, and sometimes even disappears. The use of powers is allowed, which makes it even more interesting. But each player can only use his or her power once during the whole game.

"Yeah! Let’s get some sleep." He turns the other way and drifts off while I stay awake, thinking about Amaia. The way Alnilam has taken her away, I know she could be in trouble.

The next day, TJ discharges me, and due to limited time, I change into our guild track suit and head out for trials with Mintaka.

The game’s trainer Ipian Haze and seniors are impressed by our skills and powers and both of us are selected on the team with three seniors.

Strangely, I didn’t see Amaia. So after our trial, I met up with Kacir. He has just finished his chess trials. The man is a genius when it comes to chess. He has been unbeaten for years.

Kacir is carrying a plate stocked with food. "Hey! Have you seen Amaia?" I question and he lets out a sad breath.

"She is in bed. Last night I found her in a vulnerable state, and today she said she is not well. I am just taking some food for her. She hasn’t eaten anything."

Zevran painfully howls inside my head, hearing that. I take the plate from Kacir.

"I will take this to her."

With understanding, he nods at me. I head over to Amaia and Kacir’s room and quietly knock. No sound comes from inside. I wait but then getting impatient, I slowly open the door and peek inside.

I make out her body on the bed, curled up under the blanket. Quietly I enter and place the food down on the table, before leaning against it.

Silently I watch for a few moments, the blanket rises and falls with her shallow breaths.

Gently I call her and she flips the blanket from her face. Her eyes open, leaving me horrified.

They are swollen and red from crying. Her hair is in disarray and I feel great distress radiating off her.

So I ask why she is crying and then she stuns me with her painful words.

"Alnitak! Stay with me. I need you."

Fuck everything.

Fuck every rule.

And fuck whatever her past or complicated life is. I can’t see her in this state.

I move faster than lightning and lift the blanket to climb into the bed with her.

I gather her in my arms and she clings to me as if her life depends on it.