~Brielle
Everyone emerges at once.
Lila and Esme come out from the bedroom, oblivious to what had happened, giggling and nudging each other as if they couldn’t believe they pulled this off. Mabel stepped out of the closet, a wicked smile plastered across her face. The moment I see it, I know for a fact she overheard what was said.
When Mabel grabs my arm, I know exactly what she plans to say. “Well well, who would have thought the Alpha’s little assistant was also the centre of all his affections. Actually, we all could have guessed it.”
Esme and Lila exchange glances, not quite catching on. They must have just been out of radius of the conversation.
“We should get out of here now before they come back,” I say quickly.
Knowing I’m dismissing her, Mabel’s grip on my arm tightens. Either I’m in denial, or not, but I’m sure Ren has no interest in me, and that girl was overreacting. She is just jealous and has no idea that what goes on between Ren and I is surely platonic. It won’t be easy convincing Mabel of that, though.
“You heard them,” Mabel says, unable to conceal the glint in her eyes. “She knows all the time you spend with Ren. She knows something is going on between you two. Why don’t you tell us all about it.”
My cheeks flush, reaching for an excuse. It shouldn’t be so hard to find. There’s nothing going on between Ren and I. All he wants is for me to work beside him. To help him.
Before I can say anything, Lila pipes in. “Are you trying to say the Alpha is into Brielle? Come, you’ve got to be kidding me. This shouldn’t even be something we talk about. I mean, no offence Bri, but he’s an Alpha and he will surely only want a powerful mate. Maybe you could be his mistress.”
Ouch.
I try not to let it get to me, as right as they most likely are. Mabel is only prying because she wants the Alpha’s attention over everyone else, and Lila is only being straight forward because she’s also interested in the Alpha. But they are right…
“None of this matters. They are going to be back soon and we need to get out of here. You know we will lose our jobs if we stick around,” I insist, motioning to the stairwell we should be going up.
Finally, they all agree, knowing we are short of time.
Wordlessly, we all stalk back up the stairs and out of the basement area, closing the door behind us. It was only when we were further down the hallway around the corner that I started to calm down. Maybe we had gotten away with it. Maybe we has seen what we shouldn’t have, but got to get away with our jobs.
I believed that until we turned another corner, Mabel and Lila gossiping and whispering about something - probably me - and we saw Ren walking toward us.
It all shocked us so deeply, we stopped dead in our tracks. If Ren thought we are suspicious for being up this late, this will only escalate it. As he approaches, I push Mabel’s back, trying to urge her to keep walking.
“You girls are up late,” Ren says lightly as he gets closer.
He’s still shirtless, and I swear that blue eye of his is so vivid and brighter than usual. Maybe it’s just the dim light, but there is something different about him. Maybe he feels most comfortable under a cloak of darkness, and the true him comes out. At least now I know what he is truly like.
“We were running a late errand for one of our leaders,” Mabel says quickly. At least her excuse skills are something to be admired.
Ren’s gaze flickers to me, and I cast my gaze down. He’s not interested in me, and I’m foolish to have that come to mind. He’s just wondering why I’m out here with these three girls, when I should be resting for all the work I have to do tomorrow.
“Is that right?” Ren asks, the tone of his voice accusatory.
“Yes, is is,” Mabel says firmly, sticking to her story immaculately. I’m glad she’s speaking up. She is the most confident. “It’s a laundry job. And your special little assistant Brielle is just escorting us.”
I glance back up to gauge Ren’s expression. He still looks skeptical, however, nods his head. The tension in my shoulders released. I’m not sure I like Ren at nighttime, and I don’t want to stick around any longer than I need to to witness anymore of him. Just seeing him shirtless is enough to stir up something within me.
“Okay, get back to your quarters,” Ren grumbles, his voice low and deep. Are none of the girls noticing how different he is, or do they not know him well enough to see such a difference between Ren during the day and Ren during the night.
When we go to walk past, Ren suddenly steps in front of me. “Can I speak to you alone.”
The girls keep walking, not wanting to get caught up between us. I pause, looking up at Ren. He even smells different. Earthier, his scent thicker and cloying.
“I’m sorry Alpha,” I excuse quickly. “I need to get back to bed.”
When I go to side step him, he matches it, blocking my way. Fear blooms in my chest, and all the words that girl said came back to my mind. Why does he have a mistress? The Ren I felt like I knew wasn’t like that. He was sweet and innocent. Maybe secretive, but I would have never guessed in a way like this.
“I thought we could have a talk while you’re here,” Ren offers, although it is more of a demand than an offer. My eyes keep watching as the girls disappear around another corner, hurrying back to bed. I can’t be alone with the Alpha right now. Not at night.
“I’m sorry Alpha, I need to get back to the room before they close the doors,” I say quickly, brushing past him.
Luckily, he doesn’t stop me, as I rush back down the hallway, hoping to catch up with the rest of the girls. Where surely, I would be safe. Before I go around the corner, I turn back around to check if Ren is still there.
And he stands in the same spot, facing me. Staring.
***
When I came back to the sleeping area, the girls were pressed up in a corner whispering to each other.
As I approach them, they all look up before giving me space to sit down. It’s then I see something lying in between them. A leatherbound journal which I immediately recognize as Ren’s diary. Everything within me goes cold. There is no way he is not going to know that is missing.
I swipe it up off the ground, pressing against my chest. Lila flinches as if she is going to grab for it too, but isn’t fast enough.
“You can’t be serious,” I growl. “Who took this?”
I already know who it is, but I want her to admit it. Lila’s jaw clenches for a fleeting moment before she looks down, meek and embarrassed. Earlier, I saw her grab it, but in the rush of almost being caught, I didn’t think about it and assumed she put it back. She must have swiped it up before she hid.
“You can’t tell me you don’t want to see what’s in it,” Mabel says, eyeing the journal with a hungry eye. I clutch it tight, refusing to let it go, shaking my head.
“No, this is personal,” I tell her firmly. “And contraband, might I add.”
Mabel rolls her eyes and Lila shakes her head at me, her mouth popping open in shock. As curious as I am, I’m not getting close to opening this, and there is no way Mabel and Lila are getting their greedy eyes on this. If Ren even gets a feeling we have this diary, we are all done for.
Mabel reaches for me but I push her away. “Come on Bri. Why don’t we all just have a look at the first page. It can’t be that bad. Maybe he’s talking about his mistresses…”
“Maybe he is,” I mutter, Mabel’s coy tone not working on me. “Doesn’t matter.”
Lila loosens a short sigh, and just as I thought she was about to explode at me, her expression drastically changes, and she looks around, looking as if she is missing something extremely important.
“Where’s Charlie?”
I blink a few times, looking around at the other girls who look equally confused. “What? Who’s Charlie?”
“Charlie! You know, the other girl who came with us. Didn’t she hide? Where did she hide? She never came out...Oh my God, what if she is still in there?” Lila says desperately, digging her hands through her hair.
Fear consumes me in an instant. I hadn’t even realised she was gone.
Lila looks beyond terrified. “Guys, Charlie is locked in there. What if Ren catches her?”