Chapter 82: I Will Protect You
Rhydian;
The back of my finger gently traces down his warm, soft cheek.
I stare at his shut lips. And then my eye travels up to long lashes.
I pause when I remember the sight of him when I stepped into that room.
More specifically... the sight of his eyes.
White eyes... Why did he have white eyes?
Those weren’t the eyes of prey. They were something else... something that an omega shouldn’t have.
And everyone thinks I saved him. That I killed those men... but I didn’t.
There was no sign that anyone had broken into the room either. Elián was alone with those six men. And when I got there, Elián was covered in blood, and all of them were dead.
Does that mean he killed them?
No. That makes no sense.
He has no beast core. Those men looked like they’d been mauled by some beast. And that’s not Elián.
I really wish he would wake up and tell me what happened. I’m so worried I haven’t been able to take my eyes off him.
The door opens, and I listen to Alana’s footsteps as she walks in.
Calculated but a little bouncy as usual.
She soon appears beside me, and when I look up at her, I find a tray of fruits in her hands.
"For Elián?" I question, and she nods.
"He likes fruits a lot. I thought it would be nice to have them ready for when he wakes up." She informs and my eyes flick back to the tray in her hands.
I stare closely at the fruits and a troubling thought comes to my mind.
"Where did you get them?" I question, and Alana pauses. Confused by the question before responding.
"...From the kitchen, Alpha Rhydian. I went and told them I needed fruits for Master Elián, and they gave me these." She says and my eyes narrow.
"Throw them away," I order and her brows crease as she looks at me.
"Throw them?" She questions and I sigh.
"Yes, Alana. Thrash the fruits." I reply and she blinks at me, still unable to understand me.
"So... we... shouldn’t give him fruits?" She questions innocently as I sigh.
"Alana, now is a delicate time. I do not trust my mother. She may have ordered the workers to hurt Elián. So, from now on, his care is upon us personally. What he eats, drinks, wears, and even where he goes. It’s our concern. No one else should be left to care for him." I explain and realisation floods her face.
"I’m sorry, Alpha Rhydian. I didn’t think of that." She quickly apologises and I nod.
"It’s okay. I know you don’t intend to hurt him." I reply and she nods.
"I’ll go to the garden and get fresh fruits myself." She replies and I nod as my gaze returns to Elián.
"Good. If anyone bothers you, tell them I sent you." I instruct as I hand her my seal, and she takes it with yet another bow before turning around and walking away.
As the door opens, the spicy scent of my aide hits my nose and I turn to look at him. I’ve been so busy since I got here, I forgot to pay attention to him.
I set him on a mission and didn’t even bother to check for updates. However, now that he’s here, he probably has news for me.
"Alpha." He greets me as he bows in front of me and I nod.
"Ishu," I call in acknowledgement and he stands straight.
"Have you found anything?" I question and he takes a deep breath before dropping his voice to a whisper.
"As you instructed, I did some digging." He notes and I listen curiously.
"And?" I question and he loves closer.
"I found that Alpha Liandria has long been receiving strange guests. Never in public, and never during the day. These visits started about three months ago. Although no one is certain of anything and everyone fears for their heads, there are a few rumours which claim that Balinar has been seen within these walls quite several times and then he just vanishes like he was never spotted." He explains, and my heart skips a beat.
Balinar...
Could Father’s doubt be right?
Is Mother truly working with our biggest enemy??
"I also heard from a source that Balinar might reappear soon. His rumoured visits are always around this time." Ishu adds, and I stare at him in silence as my mind races.
I open my mouth to speak, and just then, Elián stirs in his sleep.
He groans and I look back up at Ishu.
"Keep investigating. Let me know as soon as you find something new." I whisper, and Ishu nods.
"N...no. Stay away..." Elián’s scratchy voice suddenly croaks and my eyes dart back to him.
"Leave," I order Ishu and he obeys after a curt bow.
"I don’t want to... Stay away!!" Elián cries again with his voice more frantic in his sleep and my heart squeezes as I watch tears escape his shut eyes.
"Elián?" I call as I grab his shoulders and try to shake him awake.
He slowly pulls his eyes open and before they even open fully, he starts fighting against my grip.
"Let go of me, you bastard! You’ll regret this. Don’t touch me!! I don’t want to... please..." he starts screaming and begging as tears escape his eyes and my heart shatters.
He’s dreaming about them!??
I pull him to myself and wrap my arms around him even as he scratches and fights against me.
"It’s just me, Elián. It’s Rhydian. No one else is here. No one’s going to hurt you. It’s just me." I speak in one breath as I tighten my hold on him, and slowly his struggles reduce.
"Rhydian?" He calls in a voice so small and scared, it pierces through my heart.
"Yes. It’s me." I reassure him, and to my surprise, he wraps his arms around me.
He buries his face in my chest and lets out a torrent of tears while I just... hold him with guilt bubbling up in my chest like bile.
"Where were you?" He croaks, and my heart skips a beat.
"I was so scared..." He adds, and the mere fact that he admitted out loud how scared he was breaks me.
It breaks me because it proves just how horrifying the whole thing must have been for him. My selfish mother was about to alter his life in such a crude, wicked way.
"I didn’t know what to do... and they... I don’t want to be in such a position ever again..." he cries harder as his grip on me tightens and I shut my eyes as I hold him closer to myself.
"I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. I’m so sorry, Elián. I promise, I’ll do better from now on... I promise."
I whisper as I gently kiss his hair and silence falls upon the room, only interrupted by his sobs and occasional hiccups.
My mother almost destroyed him.
Yes, he’s stubborn, and nothing like the majority of the submissive omegas, but he has a pure heart.
Deep down, he’s... just a timid kid who uses humour to hide his pain and... That innocence was almost stolen from him.
I slowly pull him away from me as his hiccups cause his body to jerk.
He avoids eye contact with me, ashamed of me seeing him cry, and I can’t help my smile.
At least some of his usual self is still present. I don’t think he’s losing that sass anytime soon.
I wipe his tears with the pad of his thumbs and only then does he look up at me from under his lashes.
His nose is red like the rest of his face and he can’t stop sniffling.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He questions with a small pout and I brush his hair away from his forehead so I can see his face properly.
"You’re very brave," I say and he eyes me suspiciously.
"No one’s ever spoken to my mother the way you did," I add and he scrunches in disgust as he looks away.
"How would anyone? I only spoke like that because I didn’t know how deranged the witch actually is. She set me up and then ordered that I get raped. Even criminal masterminds wouldn’t have seen that coming." He spits and pauses.
He looks up at me with wide eyes.
"I... I didn’t... I didn’t mean that." He stutters and although it hurt to hear someone talk about my mother like that... I have no right to complain because I know he’s right.
My mother is a monster and she deserves every ounce of hate he has for her.
"It was a slip of tongue, Alpha Rhydian. I didn’t mean..." He begins again and I cut him off.
"Glad to see you’ve still got an edge to that tongue of yours," I reply and he smiles at me.
The room feels quiet for the first time in hours... just then the door slams open.
"What can I say? It’s a gift and a curse." He replies and despite his joke, I can still hear the fear and trauma in his voice.
He’s still shaken but as usual, he’s trying to play it off... again.
The door to the room suddenly bursts open and I turn around in alarm when Ishu stumbles in.
"Alpha Rhydian, you need to see this!! It’s Bram!"