SEVEN

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Word Count: 1728

¬Avia

Tonight, I'm feeling brave.

I've noticed since I've arrived that no one hangs around past midnight, so instead of going back to the compound to see Kadrick and Malin, I'm going to explore. If I get caught, I'll just blame it on general curiosity, or perhaps I'll blame it on home-sickness that is making me want to learn the layout of this enormous manor so I can feel more comfortable.

Avoiding the Alpha's quarters, I begin my exploration upstairs. Most unmarked doors I avoid, worried I may open one and it's someone's room. So I just stride down the hallways, relying on the small amount of light coming from lights mounted on the walls.

Eventually I get curious enough to try a doorknob, but it remains locked. I try another, but it's also locked. Sighing through my nose, I continue my way down the stairs to the lower level. Not much is down here that I'm not already familiar with, until I find a door at the end of a stray hallway.

I pause, silently betting the door is going to be locked. Approaching it cautiously, my fingertips brush the brass handle, and sure enough, it turns fully, and the door opens slightly.

Don't do it, Avia.

Wincing, I push the door open fully, seeing nothing more than a dark mass and a vague view of the beginning of a set of stairs. I shouldn't go down here, not when I could be caught, but at the same time, I'm here to get information, and Zire's identity is the only thing I've been able to come back with to the compound that is of any value. And if I know Malin, she is going to start to get impatient.

Quietly, I pick my way down the dark staircase, my palms planted firmly on either side of me as I walk, patting the concrete surface blindly.

Eventually, I see light, the sound of something smacking a soft surface drifting up to meet me. Part of me wants to turn around and run back up the stairs, but a more overwhelming part of me wants to keep investigating. So sure enough, I keep walking, until I'm able to peer around a corner to see what's going on down here.

I've ended up in some kind of basement, the space small, but it's obvious it's someone's personal space, with their belongings strung about, including some articles of clothing. In the centre of the room, is Isaiah, utterly shirtless, punching a sort of makeshift contraption lined with padding, that looks an awful lot like a replica of a human body.

For a moment, I'm convinced he's dreaming. He looks beautiful, sweat glistening across his half-naked, muscles shifting magnificently with every strike he makes against the strange padded figure. His punches are aggressive also, filled with unrestrained anger that's been built up within him.

For a long moment, I just stare at him, before I finally decided it's time for me to interrupt. "Alpha...Isaiah, I mean."

He whirls around, looking at me, nestled amongst the shadows of his personal room, watching him tentatively. He looks momentarily shocked, and as the silence stretches uncomfortably between us, I wonder if I make a mistake announcing myself, but I figure I can't help myself but to initiate a conversation with him.

"Kenna. What are you doing down here?" he asks softly, looking over me with a gaze like molten lava. His green eyes are usually on the darker side, but now they are closer to black, like his hair that hangs down over his forehead, curling at the ends as it's plastered to his sweaty forehead.

"I heard banging," I say breathlessly, motioning back up the stairs. This is on an entirely different side of the estate, where I should be sleeping right now, but he doesn't seem to notice my strange excuse. "Just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

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