Chapter 119 - 3.59 Devil Incarnate
Warning: description of gore
There was something off about him, Oliver knew as soon as he heard the Alpha talk. From such a close distance, their bond strengthened and Oliver realized that Lu Yizhou was deliberately suppressing his feelings. He detached himself from every single emotion until all Oliver could feel was voidness that squeezed the air out of his lungs. However, now that Oliver was here, he radiated...restlessness?
Oliver’s tongue felt heavy in his mouth and he swallowed thickly. "Altair..." He took in a few gulps of air, the smell of blood thickening around them. "Are you injured?"
"No," the Alpha’s voice was raspy. "Go back, Oliver."
Oliver clenched his fists. Why? Why was he not allowed to get close? He pursed his lips and felt tears welling up in his eyes. He was very, very upset. Seriously, why was he feeling like this? It wasn’t like the Alpha repelled his existence. He merely told Oliver to go back and wait for him. He would be back. He would definitely return to Oliver’s side. So why did he feel so aggrieved? "I can’t stay here with you...?" He asked in a small, vulnerable voice that he knew would always work in his favor against the Alpha. And true to his hope, Lu Yizhou paused as if he was rendered speechless.
For a while, the atmosphere was so heavy and tense that Oliver could hear him sigh. That meant he could also pick up...a very, very faint uneven breathing of the second person near the Alpha.
Oliver’s breath hitched in his throat. "Altair..." It was too dark. Even as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, all he could see was Lu Yizhou’s tall silhouette. "Is there someone else with you?"
"No," Lu Yizhou replied but his lie was promptly exposed by a tiny, hoarse laugh that sounded as if it was strangled out of a choked throat. It was so brief that Oliver almost doubted his own hearing. "Oliver, go back. Now." There’s an undeniable command in his tone now that made Oliver flinch. Then as if realizing that he was too harsh, he added with a softer voice. "I will join you in a minute. I swear."
Oliver pursed his lips. "Alright..." He trusted Altair, Oliver told himself over and over again. Even though the situation was dubious, with all the corpses outside and the amount of blood on the floor, Oliver chose to trust his Alpha. Despite the blatant lie he told, despite the fact that he was clearly hiding something here. Something that he didn’t want Oliver to know. Oliver tightened his jaw and forced himself to turn around and walked away. From the shuddering sigh behind him, Oliver knew that the Alpha could sense how upset he was through their bond.