chapter 11
1076 Words
AVELORA
The silence that followed the dull thud of my foot hitting his thigh was deafening.
It felt like time was crawling, no, it felt like time had stopped. My heart which had been thumping with adrenaline felt like it had abruptly came to a halt. I looked down at my foot, still touching his expensive training gear.
Every story I had ever heard about disrespecting an Alpha came rushing back at once. Wolves who spoke out of turn. Wolves who questioned an order. Wolves who simply stood too close when the Alpha was already in a foul mood.
His punishments were not gentle.
My throat went dry as my gaze slowly and painfully rose to his face.
He didn’t move or flinch.
Khyrix looked down at the spot where I’d struck him. His eyes lingered there for a moment, then he looked back at me.
His expression was unreadable.
"You kicked me," he said.
His voice was dangerously low, like the word tasted sour on his tongue.
"I...” My voice came out thin and shaky. “My leg moved on its own," I stammered, scrambling backward on the mat until my back hit the cold wall of the gym. "It was a reflex, I promise.”
Khyrix took a step toward me.
Then another.
The distance between us felt impossibly small.
"A reflex," he repeated, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across his lips. "Every wolves in this pack would lose a limb for even thinking about raising a hand….” His gaze flicked briefly downward, “…or a foot to their Alpha."
Great.
He is going to use me to set an example.
I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the punishment, anything.
Instead, a hand wrap firmly around my ankle.
My eyes snapped open.
He had caught my leg, lifting it slightly so I was off-balance against the wall.
“Hey…”
I grabbed the wall behind me, trying not to fall. My other foot slid slightly against the mat, and for a second I thought he might actually flip me over.
He didn’t.
He simply held my leg there.
The heat of his hand seeped through the training gear.
My pulse thundered in my throat.
He leaned closer and closer until his face was inches away from mine.
His scent filled my lung, making my head spin.
"Good," he whispered.
My breath hitched. "Good?"
My brain struggled to catch up with what was happening.
"The Sovereign doesn't need people who follow rules, Avelora." For a moment, we just stared at each other.
Then he let go of my ankle.
My foot dropped back to the mat but he didn't move away. He stayed in my space, his scent still surrounding me.
I blinked, my confusion overriding my fear. "You're not... you're not going to punish me?"
"Oh, I am.” For a split second, his eyes flashed a very light shade of gold, I flinched.
“Tomorrow, we start at 4:00 AM.” My stomach sank
“And since you have so much energy in those legs,” he added, a faint hint of amusement creeping into his voice. “we’ll start with the forest run."
I groaned, my head hitting the wall with a soft thud. "I hate the forest.”
When I first got the scholarship, we had to pass tests to stay, The school heads had locked us outside the academy forest then released wolves to hunt us.
We had no weapons, no way to defend ourselves.
The rules were simple. Just survive till morning.
By the time the gates opened at dawn, we were all scarred forever.
"If you say 'bad back' one more time, I’ll completely break it." he threatened, though his tone had lost its edge. He reached out, his thumb brushing the heated skin of my cheek where I’d turned red earlier.
“Go shower. Your things are in my room. Don't be late for dinner."
I hesitated.
Now that I was his mate, did that mean I still had to eat in the public cafeteria?
Because right now, stepping into that room felt like volunteering to be eaten alive. Half the academy already wanted my head.
And the other half would probably kill me just for the drama.
“Can I eat inside the room?” I asked instead
Khyrix paused at the doorway, looking back over his shoulder. The sunlight from the windows illuminating his face.
"You are my mate, Avelora” he said, his voice carrying easily across the room “You eat at my table.”
Then he left before I could get another word out or argue.
I looked at my hands, they were still shaking. I took a deep breathe and hurried after him
“I can’t…”
The word died in my throat. When I stepped out of the gym he was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, I was met with the silent of the dark hallway and a pair of eyes staring back at me with disdain.
I froze.
The hallways light barely made it to that corner leaving in shadows.
The eyes blinked slowly.
I leaned forward slightly, squinting, My mind screamed at me not to investigate.
I had never been a curious person. Curiosity got people hurt in places like this. Still, something about those eyes felt strangely inviting. Like they were calling to me.
I slowly moved towards them, my heart beat slowing down as I closed in on it.
Just as I got close enough to make out a vague shape behind the shadows, the eyes suddenly retreated.
A slow tap followed.
I hesitated.
Every sensible instinct told me to leave, but my body kept moving forward anyway.
Then something jumped out of the shadows.
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach and I fell backwards, my legs giving out.
“Oh…!”
The shadow landed directly in front of me.
A small shape.
A very fluffy shape.
“Oh… hi kitty.” I muttered weakly once my brain caught up with reality. The cat blinked at me.
It meowed and walked towards me before climbing straight onto my lap as if that had been its plan all along, it curled up against me and began to purr.
“Oh… hi.”I said again, letting out a shaky laugh as I scratched behind its ears.
Then someone cleared their throat behind me.
The cat immediately jumped out of my lap.
- Writer
