~Kezziah
Understandably, Alden looks confused.
It slipped out of my mouth before I had time to go over it in my head. Beforehand, I had planned to walk in and approach this casually. Now I’ve stunned Alden, and left me raking my mind for a way out of this. I’m unsure of how I’m going to take a few steps back from what I’ve already said.
I shouldn’t have come up here...I shouldn’t have thought it would be a good idea to approach Alden with this idea. I shouldn’t-
“Could you say that again?” Alden asks. The creases in his forehead that have suddenly appeared show me enough how little he understands the situation. His eyebrow is raised, his shoulders taunt. I don’t think he likes being interrupted.
My knees feel as though they are about to collapse. “Can we sit down?”
Alden seems wary of doing anything I say, however, graciously leads me into his living area, letting me sit down. While he is occupied, I use the time to run through my mind quickly, looking for a reasonable excuse. Nothing seems to come to mind, so when he sits down, I let him speak first.
“Sorry, I’m confused,” he tells me, to which I wince within the privacy of my mind. “What did you say about the mate bond? Something about me and Time?”
Did he not quite hear what I said? Was he that distracted by the strange girl named Melia? There is no way I could get that lucky, so I smoothly play it safe, hoping it wouldn’t come off too suspiciously.
“Sorry. I was flustered. I didn’t mean to interrupt you and your friend,” I say.
Alden blinks a few times, as if he’s trying to make sense of it in his own mind. I feel foolish for lying to the Alpha of Wisdom. Surely it will come out soon, but I can’t help the embarrassment that hangs over me. What if he isn’t my mate? He would never look at me the same, nor feel comfortable helping me.
But what if he is my mate? The idea scares me so much, I don’t even want to consider it. There is no way I could handle an Alpha as my mate.
“Oh, Melia? She works for me,” Alden explains, to which I nod blankly. He seems truthful, but it didn’t take the strange feeling in my chest that crept in the moment I saw he was alone with a female. I feel guilty for feeling that was, after all the fear at the idea of him being my mate.
“Whoever she may be, I didn’t mean to intrude,” I insist, getting ready to stand to leave. The quicker I get out of here, the less questions he will be able to ask.
Alden holds out his hand before I make it anywhere.
The way he looks at me pins me to the seat, all hope of escaping washing away with his demands. “Is everything okay? I highly doubt you would just stumble up here so late at night for no reason. Are you worried about your mate bond with Time? I promise you, I’m doing all I can…”
I take a deep breath, steadying myself. Guilt runs thick through my veins from hiding this from him, but I’m unsure what the consequences will be if I speak. Right now, he’s completely unbeknownst.
“Thank you for helping me,” I say quickly, “I should go. I didn’t mean to disturb you, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, if you would like to see me.”
Once again, Alden stops me from standing.
I’m not sure how he manages to give me a single look that has me questioning everything I thought I know. The large window lets in a brilliant amount of light from the winking stars and the blinking lights from apartment complexes nearby. It reflects in the darkness of his navy eyes and steals the shadows that lurked around his features.
“Is everything okay?” he asks gently. “For real?”
Everything comes out of me in one short breath. “Time infiltrated my room again. And he told me things, bad things which I’m sure are lies to manipulate me. I promise I’m not foolish enough to truly believe him.”
I leave out the fact that this has haunted me all night, and I have in fact considered it over and over in my head as if I believe it.
Alden looks stunned for a moment. “Okay, what did he lie to you about?”
He clearly looks skeptical, however, I know he trusts Time about as much as I do. Less, in fact. When he hears what I have to say, he is going to deny it right away, knowing it is as ridiculous as I think it is. For all I know, Alden could already have a mate that no one knows about, and I will look even more foolish.
However, there is no escaping this situation now. “He proposed that we are mates. I know, it’s crazy, and I don’t believe it either. I think he is trying to take away the trust between us, so we fail to remove the bond.”
Silence.
The fact he doesn’t respond immediately makes me nervous. He stares at me blankly, making no visible sign of how well he is taking this information. Clearly, he is still trying to process it, so I linger in my spot, waiting for him to burst out into laughter. That’s what I want him to do. To deny it as much as I am.
He doesn’t do that, though. Instead, he swallows uncomfortably, and looks at me so intensely, I almost squirm in my seat.
“Well, it’s not that hard to figure it out,” Alden murmurs, to which I physically blanch. He notices, jumping in quickly. “I mean, what do we have to lose? I don’t understand why it would be a bad idea.”
With that, he holds out his bare hand, palm up.
It would be so simple. To slip my hand into his to either prove Time’s lie, or to prove Alden is my mate, and I’m stuck to him for life. I don’t want that. Not right now. Not when I’m forced to be bonded to an immortal. The last thing I need right now is an Alpha as my mate to also deal with.
Noticing my hesitation, he reaches for me. Before he gets anywhere close to me, I hop from the couch, backing away from him. My mind is trying to tell me this isn’t a big deal, but I couldn’t handle finding out if he is my true mate.
He follows my rush toward the elevator. He doesn’t follow me in, just stands in the hallway and watches me.
“Don’t you think I deserve to know?” he asks.
I can’t take my eyes off him. He stands there, vulnerable for the first time ever that I’ve witnessed. It’s so strange, seeing an Alpha in any other position other than forcing power, that I almost reconsider. However, the doors begin to close, and for a moment I comfort myself. It’s safer this way. I won’t get hurt.
“I’m sorry,” I breathe.
Alden looks beyond betrayed. “You can’t bring this up and not tell me. Not give me a chance to know. Time might be lying, but I want to know for sure. We have nothing to lose, unless…”
He draws off, and I know what he is going to say before he even has the chance to. I look to my right and press a random button. The elevator takes its time to close.
“Unless you’re scared of me,” Alden breathes.
When I don’t reply, his expression falters, and I see a look of pain flash across. More guilt floods me. I am scared of Alden. I’m scared of what a relationship with him, with any Alpha, would be like. I just can’t get the words out to say it.
“Are you scared of me?” he asks.
Before I could give any answer, the elevator doors glide shut, taking him away from my sight. The moment he’s gone, I collapse onto the floor.
What have I done? I’ve taken all Alden’s trust away from me, without even touching him to see if we are mates. Time wanted this. He knows I don’t want an Alpha as a mate, or at least I don’t think I do. He wanted me to act this way, and I’ve fallen right into his intricate trap.
I hate him. I need to get out of here.
The elevator brings me to the bottom floor. The carpark. When it open, I can hardly believe what I’m seeing. It seems like a trap, for a moment, however, I do remember Sermon muttering about how security guards slack off at night when everyone is locked in their rooms.
I step out, not seeing a single car anywhere. I don’t need one, and I wouldn’t have stolen a car from Alden. It would give him all the more reason to follow me. To chase me down like all the times he already has.
Instead, I know I need to escape on foot. Bury myself in the crowds and try get out of the Wisdom Pack undetected.
I don’t know if it will work, but I have to try.