Alpha Charming | Rheon

SIX

The pitter-patter of rain woke me up. Cracking open one eye, I observed the downpour outside the window. Opening both eyes, I studied my surroundings; I'm in my room - well, not my room but the room I was assigned to in the castle. Someone had the decency to carry me up the stairs and even tucked me into bed.

As that thought crossed my mind, my heart missed a beat. In one move, I yanked the covers off myself and uttered a breath of relief; I was still in the same clothes as earlier.

My whole body stiffened when flashes of what happened in the lobby came dawning on me.

I was on my way out when that wolf appeared out of nowhere and turned into Clemmy right before my eyes. That couldn't be real, right? It's impossible! Reyna must have spiked my coffee this morning, or maybe the chocolate cereal has gone bad because I had no other way of explaining it. I had to be hallucinating.

Four knocks at the door jolted me back to reality.

My head jerked towards the door but nothing else moved. Common sense told me if I kept still and held my breath, then whoever's on the other side will believe I'm still asleep and will eventually leave.

"Ashlyn?"

Shit, that's Rheon's voice.

Keep still, don't breathe...

"Ashlyn, I know you're awake, I can hear your heartbeat."

Common sense told me it's impossible for a human to hear another person's heart beating from so far away, but then again, I did see a wolf turn into a teenage girl. Who was I to say what is impossible? Cringing, I hit my head against the headboard. How bad can one person's luck get?

"I'm coming in - please don't throw something at me again."

I watched the door handle jiggle with an upheld breath and shrunk back into the covers when Rheon entered the room. There was not a single trace of evidence that he's been covered with flour a few hours ago. He wore a clean suit, and his hair was back to its original dark brown color. Was it wrong for me to think he's handsome after being locked in a pantry and only recently finding out werewolves are real?

Our eyes met and for a split second, I imagined him running his hands down my sides and legs, setting my skin ablaze everywhere he touched...

I forced myself out of that fantasy when he sat at the edge of the bed near my feet. In his eyes, I could see a storm raging. It reminded me of the story of Atlas, the Greek Titan who was condemned to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders for eternity. Whatever Rheon had on his mind weighed more than the world.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way - about us," he finally said.

It took me a second or two to realize he was referring to Clemmy being a wolf. Or was it a wolf being Clemmy? Am I sure it was even a wolf at all? I shook my head to rid it of those thoughts. Hell, I was already questioning everything I know.

"Just... be honest with me," I clutched the blanket to my chest as if it had the power to keep me safe, "Was that real? Did Clemmy..." I couldn't even say it out loud. It was too absurd.

He nodded.

"I still find it hard to believe."

He exhaled sharply and rose to his feet, towering above me. "Then tell me how this is fake."

Before I could even mentally prepare myself for the worst, his face crawled and altered. I felt the color drain from my face when he tilted his head upwards to look at me.

The white behind his striking blue eyes has turned completely black. His brows were arched unnaturally high, pushing inward to create a deep, menacing frown on his once perfect face. Thin, black veins branched from his eyes down his cheeks, and through his parted lips I could see a pair of inch-long fangs gleaming. Rheon turned his head from side to side, allowing me more glimpses of the sideburns protruding from his jaw, and the sharp tips of his ears.