Alpha Kael

~Jada

The night came by quickly.

Kael went back to his own manor, leaving us in temporary housing for the night before we would be shipped off elsewhere in the morning. Ace and I returned to our rooms after we were fed dinner in the Silent’s building which had once been where the trainers resided. It was beyond awkward sitting with them all.

They talked between themselves about things I wasn’t clued in on. Ace kept to himself on the other end of the table and I did the same. I kept my head down, eating my dinner quickly before running back to my room.

Axel, or Blue wasn’t at dinner. Naturally, I’m assuming Kael has found out and is sending him into the depths of prison right now. Or something like that.

I really really hope that’s not the case.

Once I made it back to my room, I closed my door and fell onto my bed. Today has been a long day. I found out I won this entire competition right next to Ace, and that an old friend of mine is here for me. Why exactly, I still need to find out. Not knowing the details is getting under my skin.

I might sneak out tonight and try find him if I can. It doesn’t seem like anyone is monitoring us here, and Ace won’t miss me if I slip out for a few moments. Then Axel and I can finally talk in peace.

As I was lying there, unsure of whether I should fall into sleep or not, when something sitting on my desk caught my eye. A slight silver glint under my lamp light.

I reach for it. It’s a note and a ring.

When I pick up the piece of paper, the ring falls into my palm. It’s a thin, simple silver band with something etched into it. When I look closer, scrutinizing it under the light, I see it is a very small S. Quickly I unfurl the note, wanting to see who had given such a beautiful gift at such a random time.

Jada,

Welcome to our family. I hope the other Silent’s make you feel at home. If you ever need anything, don’t be afraid to ask. I will always be happy to help. Enjoy this ring. I hope it makes you feel truly at home.

Kael.

The note is simple and to the point, and I’m sure Ace received the same thing, but regardless, it felt special and personal. Pressing it against my chest, I crawl back onto my bed, feeling oddly happy with this basic gift. And the ring fits perfectly, too.

Someone knocking on the door makes me jump.

Maybe it’s Axel. For someone reason I’m urged to shove the note under my pillow to hide it, as if it’s a secret love note. Feeling stupid, I leave it on the bed, brush my fingers to answer the door. I hope it’s Axel. I could do with an explanation right now, otherwise I might struggle to fall asleep tonight.

Instead, when I swing the door open, I’m looking back at the eyes of Ace. Black and round, looking to suck in my soul with just one glance.

“Oh, hi,” I say, surprised to see him visiting. I was hoping to continue avoiding him.

My mind goes back to what he had said only yesterday to me. That morning, he had told me he thought I was pretty, which I assume was just a tactic. I guess it all worked out for him. Now I’m unsure of where he stands with me. All I know is that he still makes me feel uneasy.

“Hi,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I know this is a strange time to show up here, but I thought maybe we could have a talk.”

I blink a few times, before standing back to let him in.

He’s dressed as I’ve always seen him. Heavy dark clothing, as if he’s afraid to show any other inch of his skin. I’m curious about what he is hiding, but I try to ignore it. I have to work with him from now on. I cannot break his trust like that.

“I see you got the note,” Ace mentions, motioning to my bed. My heart falls. It was special for a few minutes. Now he’s confirmed it, there’s no room for my imagination.

As he takes a seat at my desk, my fingers catch sight of his ring. We both match, sealing our Fate as winners of the competition. Only last night we were getting ready for our next challenge. And unless I decide I don’t want to be a Silent anymore, I’m stuck with him for most of my life. That thought is scary.

“Did you see this coming?” I ask him, sitting on my bed to face him.

His face twists, his eyebrows furrowing. He seems as confused as I am, which I’m glad about. At least I’m not alone in this. Even if Ace makes me nervous and I haven’t decided whether I can trust him or not.

“No, I didn’t. And even if I knew someone would win, I didn’t know it would be us,” he admits, clasping his hands together. “I mean, me at least.”

I pull my legs up onto the bed, crossing them. “Part of me still think this is a test.”

“To be honest, I’m not surprised he picked you. We all thought something was going on with you that we couldn’t figure out. At least that’s what everyone used to talk about,” Ace tells me, shrugging his shoulders. “Personally I assumed you had something going on with Kael. Someone once saw you and the Alpha on the field late at night.”

I wince, able to pinpoint the exact night that that happened. When I was taken back after following Kael into the forest. I can’t believe someone saw that, although I’m not surprised by that.

“Nothing is going on between us,” I tell him firmly. I don’t want him to spread that rumour to the other Silent’s. It seems like they already don’t want anything to do with me.

“I’ll believe that.”

As I look at him, the lamp light glowing against his smooth, delicate complexion, my mind went back to this morning. “You called me pretty. Were you trying to further in the competition by appealing to me? If you had a feeling something was going on between me and the Alpha, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

I didn’t mention that I already assumed this. Ace loosens a sigh, but not a guilty one. He looks more flushed, and I don’t think it’s from the heat in the room. In fact, it’s quite a cool night tonight.

“No one is going to argue that you’re pretty,” Ace says, picking his words carefully. “I mean, did I want to get on your good side? Yes, of course. But not for my own gain in this competition. I may have done bad things in my time, but I wouldn’t do that.

Pushing down on my embarrassment, I concentrate on what else he had said. “Bad things? Bad things like what, Ace?”

Right away, there’s a shift in his mood.

Before I have time to question him anymore, he glances at the clock. I follow his gaze, noticing that it is late – past midnight. Ace quickly gets to his feet, fixing the coat that hangs over his body. I know immediately that he is trying to escape without telling me anything. Without opening up about his past.

“Sorry, I should go,” he excuses, walking toward the door. “It was nice to talk. See you tomorrow.”

I’m still sitting on the bed, dumbfounded when he closed the door behind him and left. It left me with more questions than answers, however, I doubt I will ever get the answers out of Ace. He seems suspiciously secretive. I decide to keep it to myself.

With tiredness approaching me, and considering how late it is, I decide to scratch going to find Axel tonight. I need sleep. Tomorrow we are travelling, so I will need all the energy I can get.

It didn’t take me long to find sleep.

Nightmares plagued me that night, though. Tiredness, or maybe the stress of everything, but it became so bad, waking up and falling asleep so often, I almost couldn’t tell the difference between reality and dream state. Especially when they twisted into darkness, lavender colours mixing in with the ebony.

Finally, they formed into eyes. Sinister eyes. Eyes belonging to an immortal I have met myself. Sinful.

As I tossed and turned, the threat of him never left. His warning, to stay away from Kael, and to not involve myself in his business. And as night wore on, I started to wonder whether he was right.

Kael is hiding something. And Sinful doesn’t want me to find out what it is.