Alpha Kael ✔️

Chapter Twenty

Word Count: 1577

~Jada

The moment he opens the door I regret everything.

What am I thinking? Alpha Kael trains Silent's, and here I am, trying to distract him with cupcakes while Jake sneaks in. There is no way this is going to work. Not when he in no way wants to see me, and I've snuck out. No matter how I rationalised this in my mind, seeing him makes this all seem incredibly foolish.

He appears at the door himself, not having anyone else to do his bidding. Either he doesn't have staff here during the night, or at all. He seems to prefer solitude, and with all his secrets, it makes sense.

At the sight of me, he looks visibly startled. Either I woke him, or he was about to sleep, with his shirtless torso and loose pants. Even his hair is mussed. As much as the sight of him elicits some feeling within me I refuse to dwell on, I know I need to appear cool and calm, the script I created still prevalent in my mind.

"Hello Alpha," I say quickly, interrupting him before he can question me, or perhaps send me back right where I came from.

I thrust the tray of cupcakes at him.

He looks down at them, inspecting them. And not in a way of appreciation, or excitement. I'm not sure why he would be excited about a rather messed up looking batch of cupcakes. I was under a time stress, and I've never been that great at cooking. But stupidly, it was the only way I could think of to distract him.

"Jada," he says slowly, as if he can't believe he is looking at me right now. "What has brought you to my door at this time of night?"

"I thought I would bring you something to apologise for everything recently," I say.

My excuse isn't completely ridiculous considering what I've discovered in relation to Kael. It might seem overzealous to bring both cupcakes and write a letter to apologise, but it was the only excuse I could conjure up this evening. Jake seemed skeptical, but only because he doesn't know what has gone down between me and the Alpha.

"Oh," is all he says, eyes narrowing slightly on the tray of baked goods. The balmy evening has already started melting the icing, making them look less and less appetizing as time passes. I can only pray they are enough to let me get let in.

"It's stupid, I know," I say, using my self deprecation as a tactic.

It seems to work, as Kael clears his throat, trying not to look pitiful. "Such a nice gesture. I assume you're using the cover of night not to get caught sneaking out. Did anyone else join you this evening?"

I shake my head, a little too quickly. He doesn't seem to notice, though. Jake will start his entry once I've stepped inside Kael's estate. That is, if Kael even invites me in in the first place.

"Just so you know, this isn't some kind of assassination attempt," I chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood.

Kael smiles tightly. "Never crossed my mind."

He trusts me, at least. If he was poisoned at my hand, I wouldn't get away with it. Maybe that's why he is so confident, as he takes the tray from my hand. I doubt he is going to eat one willingly, but that's not what I made them for. All I need is to get into his house without seeming suspicious.

"I came all this way so we could talk," I say firmly, hoping it would be enough for me to get an invitation. And it seems to be, as he steps back, motioning for me to step inside. My entire body almost collapses with relief.

"Maybe we can enjoy one of these cupcakes," Kael says, looking over his shoulder to smile at me as he leads me inside.

Surprisingly, he walks me past the foyer, where I assumed he would bring me. Aside from going up to his office, I haven't seen much else to his manor. It's strikingly beautiful, I realise, as he leads me down a hallway, ignoring every door I'm curious to peak behind. Luckily he decided not to go upstairs where Jake will surely be beginning his investigations.