Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose.

Kael.

"It’ll take some time but he’ll be fine." The female doctor, Ava, whose eyes never left Zevran’s face even for a single moment, said again and I nodded, even though I wasn’t quite convinced.

Merely looking at Caelum’s pale face made my chest hurt in ways I couldn’t even begin to explain. The corners of my eyes stung with tears and my limbs trembled when I tried to move.

"Kael, you look quite unwell. I think you should go home." Zevran’s voice seeped into my ears but I couldn’t bring myself to respond.

I simply nodded but I didn’t move.

Because I felt sad. I felt like shit. And I felt filthy. Filthy because even though my brother was in a critical condition right now, a part of me was still glad that Leilani wasn’t the one shot.

Filthy because even if we were to relive that moment for a second time, I’d still prefer if I was the one hurt, and not her.

Obsessed much? Maybe.

I looked up at that exact moment to find Zevran leaning against the wall. His hands were balled into tight fists and his jaw was set into a hard line. His eyes met mine, catching me staring; But he didn’t flinch. If anything, he squared his shoulders, looked me dead in the eyes and drawled;

"I need to know who that Keisha girl is."

"And here I am more concerned with the reason she’s after Leilani... and the fact that Leilani almost shifted right in front of us."

At the memory, I shuddered slightly, vaguely remembering the weird aura I’d felt from her and the way it had sent ripples of strange electric energy coursing through my body.

And I am an Alpha. A full blooded one. I’d met other Alphas too and had witnessed them shifting, but none of their auras compared to what I’d felt from Leilani earlier.

It wasn’t even close...

Zevran seemed to think about it too because then he snapped his lips together. His eyes darkened with an emotion I could barely name, and then he muttered; "That too."

"Which of the ’thats’?" I snapped impatiently as I began to pace around the room. "Are you bothered about what the Keisha girl wants with Leilani or the fact that she nearly shifted?"

"Both."

I stopped then and turned around to face him, my nostrils flaring in rage; But surprisingly, I didn’t know why I was mad. I didn’t know why I felt this tight feeling in my chest, and why I wanted to throw caution into the wind and go pull Leilani into a hug right now.

I was snapped out of these conflicting thoughts when Zevran pressed his hand against my shoulder, as if noticing my inner turmoil. He muttered; "Kael?"

"Huh?"

"You’re sweating... profusely." He said slowly, and when I still wouldn’t respond, he added; "I promise to find out why that girl decided to kidnap and hurt Leilani."

"And we should also find ways to protect her from the shadows... in case of another attack like this one." I answered, and when he looked at me strangely, I added; "She doesn’t have to know."

"Okay."

"Okay."

I patted him gently and walked out of the room with the excuse that I needed some air, but after walking for a few seconds, I realized to my utmost bewilderment that I was unconsciously walking towards Leilani’s ward.

And goddess, I knew that I shouldn’t do this. I knew that it was against the law especially since, you know, the restraining order; But I couldn’t help myself. My legs wouldn’t stop moving until I arrived right in front of her door and peeked inside.

When I looked in, I let out a sigh of relief when I found her sleeping peacefully. My hands hovered over the door’s handle... and Jesus, this was the part where I was supposed to turn around and leave.

This was the part where my curiosity should be sated and probably diffuse.

But I wanted to see more. I wanted to perceive her scent. To see her face more closely. Goddess, I wanted to know if she was fine.

So for this reason, I slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside, careful not to wake her up. I tiptoed close to her bed and my breath caught when my eyes landed on her smooth face.

And heavens, she is beautiful!

Her hair spread out behind her head like a veil and her lashes, long and full, fanned over her cheeks, making her face look more fragile... more mysterious... as if that was even possible.

I wanted to pull her into my chest; to protect her from the evils of this world— even though I was no better than the monsters I intended to protect her from.

My fingers subconsciously grazed against her hair, and I twirled a few strands between my fingers before whispering; "I wanted to be sure that you’re fine."

No response. Just silence, and the sounds of her soft snores.

"I’m sorry we didn’t come earlier than we did and that we weren’t there when you needed us the most. I’m sorry for all the times I hurt you in the past. And I promise that by the time you’re ready and willing to talk to me... to us... I’ll tell you about everything and why we treated you badly in the first place. I’ll also tell you about the video and about—"

I stopped talking when she suddenly tossed in her sleep and I scooted backwards immediately, retracting my hand quickly as if afraid that she would murder me if she woke up to find my hand in her hair.

But she didn’t murder me. She didn’t even wake up.

I couldn’t risk touching her anymore so I stood away from her and watched her sleep instead, my heart beating like a wild beast at the mere thought of being this close to her.

A few minutes passed and soon I began to feel tired so I quickly scribbled down a note that read;

I’ll be praying for your recovery.

And after placing it on her bedside table, I then quickly slipped out of her room, only to halt my steps when I ran into Zevran.

But he wasn’t alone.

Chalice was behind him.

Her eyes met mine, and she cocked her eyebrows in confusion before she turned to Zevran and asked; "Is that Caelum’s room?"

We both answered in uniform; "NO!"

—

"Then who’s in there?" She snarled, but the more I heard her speak, the more annoyed I became.

My hands balled into tight fists as I glared right back at her, my anger peaking when she tried to brush past me into the room.

"Chalice, I say... step back!" I growled, not realizing that I had used my Alpha voice on her.

My eyes widened when she took a step back with trembling legs and then fell to her knees. When her eyes met mine in that moment, I didn’t miss the rebellion in them... the anger and the embarrassment. But I was too annoyed to care.

"Kael, do you realize that I am your Luna and that this is a public space?" She asked tearily.

I shrugged. "And you should’ve known that before trying to defile my orders in the said public." I seethed, baring my teeth at her.

And as soon as I said that, her bottom lips trembled. She ducked her head and began to cry. But knowing her, I knew that this was all a ploy. It was her way of garnering sympathy from me... because I’m certain as hell that she wasn’t putting on this show for Zevran, who we all knew doesn’t care one bit about her.

When our altercation began to draw the attention of other people around us, I begrudgingly took her hands and helped her to her feet, my voice low but cutting as I whispered into her ear;

"Never do this again."

"I have no idea what you’re talking about." She rasped.

She tried to sound fearless but I heard the tremor in her voice. I could hear the steady thumping of her heart... and hell, I even smelled her fear.

Deciding that she wasn’t as afraid as I wanted her to be yet, I answered; "Then trust me, baby girl. You’ll know soon." I drawled, and with a colder voice, I added; "Or should I call you Candy instead? Seeing as you hate the nickname with a passion."

She froze.

Good.

I was just about to walk away when I saw Zevran lean close to her— so close that his lips brushed against the shell of her ear, making her tremble slightly. His fingers played with a few strands of her hair as he whispered quietly— but I heard him.

He said; "I think the name ’Candy’ suits you. Maybe we should start calling you that. But first, I’d love to know why you hate it."

The look on Chalice’s face was priceless. She looked like she was about to dissolve into the earth; and I knew that that was Zevran’s aim all along.

The absolute monster!