*Danika*
For the umpteenth time that night, I tossed to my side to face the window where the sharp moonlight streaked in through the covered curtains, casting a murky shadow on the walls. I couldn’t sleep. The thought of what I saw the Alpha King do this morning keeps running through my head that I fear if I close my eyes I might relive it. Nothing scares me more than death.
Now facing the window, I could spot the silhouette of the trees outside the windowpane swaying to the midnight breeze, making me feel nervous, so I had to toss once more, now backing the window.
If only wishes were horses then by now I’m certain I would have been riding very far from this mansion to my safety-wherever that might be, because living in here was turning out to be more hell than I had envisioned. Not only do I have to deal with Alonso being cold to me, but I also have to find out he is a ruthless man, and not just him, everyone in these walls-including Alfred.
Totally hopeless.
I pinched my eyes closed and tried to will sleep to engulf me, yet, nothing happened. Angrily, I swung off the minty flora-coated quilts covering my body and left the bed. Locating my slippers, I walked to the closet to pick out my trainers. If I can’t sleep then I should get busy with the time I was wasting forcing myself to fall asleep.
Getting ready in my trainers, I picked up my water bottle on the vanity table and left the room. The house was eerily quiet almost making me run back to my room in fear, however, I decided to brave it for my training.
Firstly, I would get a glass of milk from the kitchen then I will make my way to the King’s gym room that Alfred had shown to me, to train till the wee hours, by then, I would certainly feel crushed that sleeping won’t be a problem. If I am planning to survive out there when I eventually leave this place, then I have to become very good with my fighting skills and power mechanisms. I am a Hybrid and the sooner I know how to control my strength, the better for me. I don’t necessarily need to hurt people with my powers, but I can save them with it.
What happened this morning, maybe I would have been able to stop it if I had my powers. Technically yes. If I was strong and was the Luna Queen, I would have tried making Alonso change his mind about it. Now, I couldn’t stop it due to I was technically not his mate. Just his play buddy.
The gym arrangement was the same as the day Alfred showed it to me. I stood at the door, my left hand holding my water bottle and the right nursing my glass of milk I collected from the kitchen.
“This is going to be a whole new level of amazing!” I whisper-yelled in excitement, moving forth into the room filled with different sophisticated training equipment situated at different angles of the space. I looked about, hoping no one sees me here. This is going to be my secret. I don’t know how they would feel having me snooping around the house while they slept-even though I was to train.
Since I came to live here from Lance’s quarters, it has been from my room to the dining and back, except for the few occasions like this morning when I had to go to the tea room and then the King’s study-unless you want to count the other times I sampled the dark halls in my lost moments.
“Muse what do you think?” I adjusted my fighting gloves standing in front of the punching duffel. I stretched my hands to my sides, hearing the crunchy muscle snapping sound within. I ached my back until I felt the pressure before returning to a better posture.
Muse didn’t respond. These days she hardly speaks to me and I know it’s as a result of the maltreatment of our mate. Normally, when one’s mate treats them badly, their wolves suffer and with time grow distant. I just hope Muse makes it through this just the way I am. I can’t afford to lose her.
“Just great!” I muttered, testing the punching duffels. I abruptly took the glass of milk and gulped the entire content down, prepared for my training session.
Two hours later, I was sweating profusely, all my muscles feeling rigid from the excessive exertion I had put them through. I limped forward to pick up the water bottle and chugged down a great quantity of water then went to sit down for a bit. I checked my phone, and it read 3:45 am. Awesome. I still have an hour of sleep to catch up on before going for my morning training with Alfred. Today at the infirmary would be exhausting owing to my overboard bodily drudgery.
I left the gym room and started striding through the hall that lead to the living room from where I will burst out to the lobby and head upstairs.
Just as I lifted a foot mindlessly to the first step-feeling pain shoot through my calves, I heard a sound. I waited while bending over to slightly massage my calves, straining my ears if I had heard wrongly or perhaps it was an exaggerated sound from my body- I didn’t hear anything.
I shrugged, choosing to believe it was indeed an exaggeration of my body sound. Another foot joined the first on the rungs, I heard the sound again, this time very loud and clear-and it was from down the hall that led to the King’s study-that Alonso had killed someone this morning. My body froze, a loud thud starting to erupt from my chest. What if the ghost of the spy Alonso killed has come to haunt us?
I forced my erratic breathing to steady, common sense telling me to flee the spot to my room and lock my latches properly. Still, the inquisitive part of me wanted to see what indeed was making that noise-even if it was a ghost.
Talk about curiosity killing a cat.
I limped down the tiled floor and faced the direction that leads to the King’s study, noting the dim light it was spotting. At least I could see a bit in case a need arises to defend myself.
I matched half-boldly, stretching my senses to pick up any foreign unwelcoming scent in the direction I was headed. Nothing. Just the usual. Right now I may not be able to make out scents properly because I have exhausted my energy, am fatigued, and my mind is clouded.
Getting to the doorstep of the study, the sound was apparent now, all of a sudden it stopped and feet began shuffling to the door just as I stretched my hand to turn the doorknob. I could hear it clearly now because I was closer and the scent I perceived already informed me who it was. I should have just climbed up, ignoring whatever alien I was expecting it to be.
My heart pounding I wedged myself by the door prepared to get berated for my actions of snooping around in the dead of the night instead of sleeping, plus my body was delineated suggestively in the very tight trainers, due to the sweat I had acquired.
The door swung open and the dark cautious orbs of Alonso focused on me from the brightly lighted room. His scent was prominent now as his bulky self, blocked the entrance, seemingly imposing to anyone who saw him now.
His eyes searched behind me as if confused about my being present, at the same time fighting to hold back from lashing at me for my errant behavior. “What are you doing here? You should be sleeping,” he confirmed as if I were a child that needed to be reminded.
I rolled my eyes in my head. “I… I heard a sound and decided to check it out,” I said, raising my hand in a failing gesture.
My cheeks heated up with the way he was checking me out like I was a hot mouth-watering dish placed before him to sample. I blushed, instinctively folding my hands on my chest, my water bottle dangling between my chest.
“You don’t look like you came from your room. Or you were sleeping either.” He nodded to my garters, dragging his fingers through his tousled hair. “Were you training?”
I blinked severely, stepping back-becoming very conscious of the very fact that he just caught me. And this was supposed to be a secret. “I just-”
“Don’t forget I can smell your lies,” he said, this time sounding tired. It was then I really took a closer look at him, noticing he wasn’t looking very bright. I know he is often scowling, and never smiles-except for the day in the forest, still, I just knew something was wrong. Why is he awake by himself in his study? His shirt was unbuttoned halfway, his hair tousled recklessly unlike him, he hasn’t been sleeping properly-if the huge bag under his eyes is any indication.
“You can come in or you go to your room,” he commanded and turned his back on me, walking back. I looked back from where I came, wanting to forget the oaf and go to sleep, after all, I have just a few minutes to catch some sleep before dawn. Yet, this gnawing feeling pulled within, causing my reluctant feet to move inside the room, shutting the door behind me.
“What is wrong with you?” I asked mildly, looking around the cleanly arranged room, save for his desk that had things scattered around, also a bottle of a brown substance I could tell he was drowning himself in. There was absolutely no indication in the room that someone had been brutally murdered earlier this morning.
The thought twisted my gut to an extent making me want to flip him off and go to bed, but I couldn’t leave him by himself. Not now. I am not that kind of person.
I noticed him placing away something into the chest, which I didn’t see, so I didn’t put my mind to it. Maybe a project he was working on that was giving him trouble.
“Just go to bed. I can handle myself.” He waves me away, picking up the bottle and drinking directly from it, seemingly dismissing me.
I shook my head and boldly walked toward him, dragging the bottle away. He glared at me, followed by a guttural growl. I wasn’t moved. Slowly, I was beginning to think, with me, he was all barks and no bite. “What’s the problem? You just have to share instead of drinking. Come tomorrow you find yourself going through same cycle. Drinking doesn’t solve any problems,” I said.
His blue eyes were fixed on me, his mouth opening slightly as his tongue shot out and slid over his luscious lips, almost making me go back on my word and throw myself at him.
“What if I tell you that maybe, just maybe you are the cause of my problems?”
“Me? How?”
He sat up from his chair, ready to tell me.
…