Chapter 87: The Alpha Gathering
Evaline:
Saturday mornings usually meant exhaustion. At least for me. But this one came with a different kind of weight in my chest. It wasn’t quite dread, not quite curiosity... just a tense anticipation as I made my way to the Council headquarters for my internship shift.
A whole day under River’s eye wasn’t how I would like to spend my weekend. But I had no other choice. And after how strangely decent he had been last time, I wasn’t able to help but wonder what version of him I would be getting today.
When I arrived, he was already in his office, going through a thick stack of reports. The moment his gaze landed on me, I braced myself... only to be thrown off once again.
"You are early," he said simply. "That’s good. Punctuality is a virtue."
I blinked and waited for a sarcastic jab or some cryptic remark, but none came. He was civil. Maybe even, dare I say it, pleasant.
The first half of the day passed in a strange blur. He assigned me tasks without the usual cryptic instructions. He answered my questions. Gave guidance where needed. And never once raised his voice or looked at me like I was an inconvenience.
Everything was going fine. Way too fine.
By the time lunch passed and I returned to the office, I almost... almost... allowed myself to believe the rest of the day was going to remain peaceful.
But then...
"You’ll be accompanying me to the Alpha Gathering tonight."