Chapter 38


    Chapter Thirty-Eight It had Alpha Tytus written all over it. He had ‘coincidentally’ chosen a night my


    father was out of town and my mother was shifted t o work at the hospital. This meant it would be just


    me… and Aleric. It seemed I had assumed incorrectly that Tytus was done trying to y matchmaker


    with us. When I had been epted as a probationary Beta heir, naturally I had thought the surprise


    dates woulde to an end. Did he think I was going to fail in my endeavour to best Alexander? Or was


    his idea that I could be persuaded to drop out of the running for the title if I fell for Aleric?


    Putting all of that aside, I now found myself with less than seven hours to get the entire house ready.


    To have the Alpha or Alpha heire for dinner was considered a high enough honour already, but


    hosting Aleric would just make things more difficult. I‘d never found him an easy person to please in my


    past.


    I worked tirelessly, from the moment I found out he wasing, to organise everything down to the most


    minute detail. From briefing the attendants on behaviours to avoid around him, to creating a menu for the


    cooks so they could prepare Aleric’s preferred foods, nothing was left to chance.


    By the time I was finally finished organising, I found I only had an hour for myself to get ready and


    dressed.


    And then, finally, the time came.


    As Aleric entered the house, I saw him pause a moment to take it all in. I wondered what was going


    through his mind and couldn’t recall if he‘d evere here before. But judging from his face, he didn’t


    remember either.


    “Greetings, Alpha heir,” I said, bowing my head.


    “Evening, Ariadne,” he replied.


    I looked up and saw him staring at me strangely already. Had I done something off? I wracked my brain


    but couldn‘t think of anything.


    “It‘s an honour to receive you tonight,” I continued. “If you‘ll follow me to the parlour, we can sit there


    while we wait for our meals to be ready....”


    We walked into therge sitting area with two couches. I stood at the doorway, allowing him t o move first


    to choose where he would sit. When he‘d made himselffortable, I purposely sat on the opposite


    couch with just enough distance. Close enough to not be rude, but far away enough that I didn’t have to


    worry about flinching at any of his sudden movements.


    “So, how have you been, Ariadne?” he asked finally, after several moments of silence had passed. “It’s


    been… a week since ourst meeting?” “Yes, Alpha heir,” I said. “I‘ve been well. Yourself?”


    “I‘ve been good...,” he said, his face turning that same odd frown again. “You can call me Aleric, you


    realise? You’re a Beta heir now. The formalities aren‘t required.” Oh… so this was why he’d given me


    that look at the door. I’d found it easier to call him Alpha heir thesest few months, the sound of his real


    name on my lips always leaving a bitter taste.


    I clenched my jaw, preparing myself to force to words out. “Apologies… Aleric.” He regarded me warily.


    Obviously, something else was still bothering him that he hadn’t mentioned.


    But he didn’t end up bringing it up as, not long afterwards, one of the attendants came in to announce


    dinner was ready. I breathed out a sigh of relief. At least having food in front of me would give me an


    excuse to not keep the conversation going. We sat down in the dining room, Aleric at the head of the


    table, myself to his right; just as it always had been. I could feel the anxiety begin to creep into my chest


    at his proximity, knowing I was within arms reach of him at any given moment. But I pushed it aside. I


    was stronger than that now.


    The food started toe out then and I was grateful everything had been prepared exactly the way I had


    instructed. The spread was diverse enough for even four people, but I hadn’t wanted to leave anything to


    chance. I looked up to check on Aleric, to gauge his reaction, but he seemedpletely fine; this being


    at least onefort to my anxiety. I knew I’d never know for sure though since he was impossible to


    read.


    “Is everything to your liking… Aleric?” I asked.


    “Yes, it‘s all great,” he said. “Thank you.” That didn’t tell me much but at the very least he hadn’t hated it


    right away.


    And with that, we both began to eat.


    However, several minutes in, I realised he still hadn’t said anything… and I was beginning to worry I’d


    done something wrong. I cleared my throat. “So… how was your exchange?” He looked directly up at me


    as he spoke, and I tried not to jump at the sudden eye contact. “It was good. I went to a northern territory


    called the Opal Tide. It‘s the central pack for the region up there.” I wasn’t overly familiar with them but I


    knew they were a fairly powerful pack. Aleric had spared them during his tyrant years. I guess now I


    knew why. “That‘s... good,” I said before taking another bite of my food.


    “Ariadne…,” he said, trailing off. “Yes?”


    He looked confused, as if he wanted to talk about something but wasn’t sure if he should.


    “Nevermind.”


    to the airport


    He clenched his jaw and went back to eating his food. A part of me was curious and wanted to know


    what he’d wanted to say, but I thought better of pushing him for answers.


    We ended up eating the rest of our meal in silence after that. I wasn’t sure what to talk about o r whether


    I should even try to start a conversation or not, and so I let him be.


    When he was finally done, he ced his utensils on the table. “That was delicious, thank you. Please tell


    the cook they did a great job.” “I’m d to hear that,” I said, genuinely relieved everything had gone as


    nned. “Do you think I could trouble you for a cup of tea?” Oh, he wanted tea? I suppose I could make


    him some. I stood up and began walking to the kitchen. “Ariadne, what are you....”


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    I stared at him confused. He said he wanted tea? I was getting him tea....


    “…Nevermind,” he said again, leaning back into his chair. I paused another moment, still unsure over


    whatever that was, but proceeded on my way to the kitchen anyway. I asked the attendant there to boil


    me some water as I prepared the tea leaves. They, too, gave me an odd look that I still couldn‘t decipher.


    Several momentster, I was on my way back with his tea in hand, walking straight up to him.


    I was about to ce it on the table in front of him when suddenly his arm shot out towards me.


    I jumped, not expecting him to have moved so quickly, and dropped the teacup...


    …Right onto his leg.


    He stood up immediately and cursed in pain. I realised toote that he had actually just been reaching


    for the cup in my hand, but I hadn‘t expected it. I hadn‘t thought he would move so abruptly. “Oh,


    Goddess, no...,” was all I could say. Instinctively, I had already begun pacing backward until I found


    myself up against the wall. “Please… no, I’m so sorry.” He was patting at his leg with a napkin, wincing


    from the pain, when suddenly his eyes looked up to meet mine. I had messed up. I had messed up so


    badly. “I’m sorry, please, I’m so sorry,” I kept repeating, my body beginning to shake. “It‘s fine,” he said.


    But I could barely hear him as I was so scared over whatever he would do to me.


    He saw how I was, how my face hadpletely paled. “I said it’s fine, Ariadne,” he repeated with a tone


    of irritation now. And then he started walking towards me, looking unsettled by my reaction as I continued


    to


    apologise over and over again. “Are you not listening to me? What’s wrong with you?” I recoiled away


    but there was nowhere to move. I was already trapped by the wall. And then finally he’d had enough.


    “Why do you always have this reaction to me, Ariadne?” he snapped, frustrated. “I don’t get i t! What


    have I done to you? What could I possibly have done to always make you fear me this much?”


    I stared at him mutely, unable to find my voice.


    “Before you became Beta heir, we literally had only spoken maybe five times growing up. So, what the


    hell did I do?”


    And then I saw him. Really saw him for the first time sinceing back.


    This wasn’t the adult man who had gone on a killing spree. This wasn’t the man who had trapped and


    used me. This was a teenage boy who was probably still learning who he was himself. He had the same


    midnight curls and green eyes, but his face didn’t have the same lines from battle he’d acquired over the


    years. He was younger, purer. I’d been so caught up in the past that I’d been unable to look at him in the


    present.


    “Help me understand, Ariadne, because I can’t take it anymore.”


    He looked at me then with a sad desperation, as if this had been something piling up inside him for a


    long time now. “Because whenever I look into your eyes, all I see is a reflection of myself, seen in the


    form of some kind of monster. And it makes me feel sick. Like I need to be apologising for something


    when I don’t even know what I’ve done wrong.”


    I wanted to say something, to give a usible exnation for why I was so scared of him. But there was


    no good reason I could think of that didn‘t involve mentioning my past life. What could I possibly tell him?


    Because he res at me in meetings? Because he was sarcastic at me that one time? Because he gets


    angry when other men carry me off?


    “Ariadne! Please, talk to me,” he said and grabbed at my arms gently. “Help me understand what it is I’ve


    done. I’m sick of having to feel so disgusted by myself whenever I’m near you. What did I do, Ariadne?” I


    couldn’t focus, I couldn’t think anymore. My head was spinning... and my vision was beginning to blur.


    And I realised then what was happening… but it was toote. This wasn’t trauma anymore.


    No… now, I was having a vision.


    I clenched my teeth to hold it off as long as possible. I knew I couldn‘t let him see me when I eventually


    appeared to pass out. Too many questions I didn’t want to share answers to. “Ariadne?” he called again,


    still waiting for me to reply. He didn’t even realise anything was off about me. Aleric probably just


    assumed I was ignoring him. so


    many great But I could barely see him now, struggling against whatever it was that caused the visions. It


    was pushing at me, trying to overpower my body, but I held on as much as I could. I shook my head. It


    was the only thing I could muster as there was no way I could reply with actual words. Not now anyway.


    He sighed in annoyance, finally letting me go.


    “I don’t know why I even tried to organise dinner,” he said before I heard his footsteps begint o leave


    Aleric… organised the dinner? Not Tytus? I didn’t get time to think on it further though, as suddenly I felt


    myself falling, and my eyesight evaporated. …And then… there was blood.


    So much blood. All over me.


    I couldn’t see it but I could feel it. The hot sticky sensation on my hands I knew could only be one thing. I


    was sure that if I looked down that I would find it everywhere.


    But that wasn’t all. I was standing with the weight of someone leaning against me, their neck against my


    shoulder. I couldn’t see their face, or even their head, but I could feel they were heavy.


    And then I realised this wasn’t like any other vision I’d had previously. No, I wasn’t watching i t happen to


    someone else this time. I was here, present at that moment. This was happening in my future.


    But it was strange though… it was like my vision was frozen, a snapshot in time, allowing me a moment


    to get a grasp on what was happening. I couldn‘t move or speak and everything around me was eerily


    paused in motion.


    I tried to keep calm and looked around, hoping to figure out where I was, but I didn‘t recognise the area


    at all in the dark. I could only see the tree line of a forest and a pathway leading from a dimly lit area at


    night. None of this was helpful. Suddenly, the person against me groaned out in pain and everything


    began to move again; time resuming.


    They grabbed at my shoulder and pushed themself off me, falling to the ground in front of m e. And it


    was then that I realised what was happening. What my vision was showing me.


    Because in my hand was a knife. A hot, sticky knife that had caused the source of all the blood.


    …And in front of meid a dying Aleric, slowly bleeding out.


    I understood why I was here this time, why I was a participant and not a spectator. …Because I was


    going to kill Aleric.