Alpha Kael ✔️

Chapter Twenty Three

Word Count: 1536

~Jada

I'm terrified of where this is going to lead.

Kael doesn't turn back to look at me, simply leading me away and out of the gym. I stare at his back, wishing I could turn and run away from the situation I'm being lead into. I'm afraid he's going to drag me into a dark room and force me to admit to sneaking into his room a few nights ago.

Each muscle under his shirt seems to shift and move under his reasonably tight shirt, like some kind of taunt.

I don't know what we are doing, all I know, is I have to get through it. I'm here to win, and as much as I've been lead off track knowing Kael is busy trying to find his lost mother, I want to get through this.

I want to be a Silent.

Kael leads me into a corridor off the side of the gym. Still, he doesn't say any words, not even checking to see if I'm following. Of course, I do follow. Right into relatively large room with soft mats on the floor. The colour of ruby red, like the blood I assume has spilled many times here before.

Finally he turns around to address me. "Welcome. I thought here we could do a few basic training exercises. So I can get a feel of you, you know?"

I'm assuming he means my level of fitness, but it still makes me shiver.

Nodding in agreement, I look around. There doesn't seem to be much to this room at all, which I'm grateful for. It means no work with weapons, which isn't my strongest suit. Back at the institute, we were never allowed near anything that could be perceived as a weapon. Only the most delinquent get their hands on weaponry enough to train with it.

"Anything you want, Alpha," I murmur, trying not to seem as suspicious as I feel. If he truly had his memory wiped, the last interaction we had would be from the letter I sent him about removing contact outside of the competition.

Was the conversation we had that night real? Did he truly enjoy talking to me, I did he just feel sorry for me?

Either way, I have to continue.

To begin with, Kael had me doing some basic fitness warm ups. Each I did without question, wishing I had trained and readied myself for something like this early. Sweat began to build on my brow, and the more I lost my breath in front of Kael's watchful eye, the more ashamed I became. Does he think I can actually do this?

Finally, when he called me to finish, I stood in front of him, hoping I don't look as much of a mess as I feel. My hair is plastered against my seating forehead, my cheeks are flushed bright red and all my clothing is clinging distastefully to my body.

"How badly do you want this?" Kael asks, expression stern it leaves no room for error. I swallow anxiously. How badly do I was this?

There is no sign of the calm, sweet Alpha I met all those times outside of this competition. He isn't giving anything away about seeing me as anything other than a competitor wanting to serve their Alpha. It's unnerving, but I should have expected it. I'm not here to get special treatment. Kael would never react to coercion.

"More than anything," I tell him firmly.

It's true, and I hope he can look into my eyes and see that. He seems doubtful, however, as if I didn't just run back and forth in this room for the past twenty minutes under his instructions.

Without a word, once again leaving me with more questions than answers, he leads me out of the room again. He leads me out back into the hallway, then much further down into restricted areas. No one is around, which only increases my concern. I'm trusting he's not leading me to an area to charge me with conspiracy and have me dragged to the gallows like my parents were.