CHAPTER 71: EMERGENCY RUSH I

Charis

I was curled up on Kael’s bed, watching him at his reading table with growing curiosity and lazily tossing popcorn into my mouth.

It was his idea for me to stay on his bed; he wanted to be sure I was in his line of vision, and I thought it was funny.

It was nearly 9 pm, and he was hunched over his textbook, but I noticed he was barely turning the pages—the same observation I’d made in the cafeteria earlier. That small notebook from before was positioned next to him, and every few minutes, he would glance between it and the textbook, tracing words with his finger like he was trying to decode some secret message.

Several times, I wanted to walk over and ask if he needed help, but something held me back. Even I could tell something wasn’t right, and with the way he was trying so hard to look focused, I suggested this was deeply personal territory I shouldn’t intrude upon without invitation.

Or maybe because my mind had been drifting back to Rhett—and the kiss.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The softness of his lips, the way he cradled my body like it was the most precious thing he’d ever held. The way his desire had pressed against my thighs and how he’d groaned in response when I kissed him back.

The kiss had warmed me up in ways I hadn’t expected, and surprisingly, I didn’t feel guilty about it. Not for that kiss. Not even for the one with Kael. Or Slater. I’d kissed three Alphas in less than three weeks, and yet, instead of shame, all I felt was...warm. Wanted.

Like, for once, I wasn’t just a pawn.

While I was still lost in these thoughts, Kael stood up from his desk and came to where I sat on his bed. I looked up and flashed him a smile.

"Hi," I waved playfully.

He dropped onto the space next to me with a heavy sigh. "I’m exhausted," he said, reaching into the bowl of popcorn beside me.

"You look it."

He gave me a side glance, chewing slowly. "What were you doing?" he asked, settling back against his pillows. "You had this weird smile."

"Nothing, just thinking."

"About what?"

I looked at Kael and felt a little reckless. Maybe it was the memory of Rhett’s kiss still lingering on my lips, or perhaps it was the comfortable intimacy of being alone with Kael in his room or maybe the fact that my heat would be a few days from now, and I’m always pesky around that time.

"I was thinking about the kiss we shared—"

Kael stiffened instantly, and before I could finish, he raised a hand. "I don’t want to talk about it," he said flatly.

"Why?" I pushed, leaning towards him. "You seem to like to put your lips on mine, even in public."

"That’s because you always have that look, and I can’t help it. You’re making things so hard for me..."

"You mean..." My eyes strayed to his lower body. "Hard?"

"Don’t, Eamon!" he shot me an exasperated look. "I’m going mad from being so attracted to a boy. Don’t make it any worse. I don’t want to talk about it."

Amusement flickered in my eyes as I shoved more popcorn in my mouth. "Of course, you don’t. Coward!"

We didn’t say anything to each other, and for some weird reason, I was annoyed. I continued eating my popcorn, painfully aware that he was staring at me. After a while, he reached out and placed his hand on my arm.

"I’ve never been called a coward, ever in my life, but I’ll gladly accept that role until I figure out this."

"Good luck to you then," I said dryly.

"How was life for you growing up?"

I raised a brow. "That’s random."

He shrugged. "I’m trying to understand you, Eamon," he said quietly. "You’re the most complicated person I’ve ever met."

A humourless chuckle left my lips as I shoved more popcorn into my mouth. "Life for me? Let’s see..." I paused, suddenly feeling that old familiar ache settle in my chest. "It’s a sad story, Kael. I have a sad story, I’m afraid, and it’s too painful to talk about."

Kael shrugged with acceptance. "Fair enough. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to"

Then he asked, "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

I stared at him. "Seriously?"

His ears turned red as he shrugged again. "All the boys seem to have had some sort of experience with women."

I smiled and shook my head. "No, Kael. I’ve never had a girlfriend. Not that it’s any of your business."

"Really? Never?" He seemed genuinely surprised. Totally ignoring my sarcasm. "You seem like you’d be popular with girls."

"I guess I’m just indifferent about relationships," I said, finding his assumption amusing given my actual situation.

"What about crushes? There had to be someone you were interested in at your old school or your pack."

"Not really," I replied honestly. "I was more focused on... other things."

"Like what?"

"Surviving, mostly."

His expression grew more serious. "That bad?"

"Let’s just say my family situation wasn’t exactly nurturing."

He nodded with understanding. "What’s your favourite thing to do when you’re not in class?"

"I like reading," I said, glancing pointedly at his abandoned textbook. "Though some people seem to find it more challenging than others."

If he caught my subtle hint, he didn’t acknowledge it. "What kind of books?"

"Adventure stories, mostly. Fantasy. Anything that takes me away from reality for a while."

"That makes sense," he said quietly.

"What about you? What do you do for fun?"

"I like working with my hands. Building things, fixing things, fighting. It’s... peaceful."

"What’s with the Q&A?" I asked, eyeing him.

"Nothing," he shook his head. "Like I said, you confuse the hell out of me and I want to get to know you more."

"Why?"

He stared at me for a moment and then looked away, swallowing hard. "Aside from how you’re a pain in the ass, I don’t know why."

"Glad to know I’m consistent," I said with mock sweetness.

He opened his mouth, maybe to say something else, when there was a rapid knock on the door that made me jump. Kael immediately crossed the room and opened it to reveal Slater standing there, looking breathless and panicked."What’ss wrong"" I asked immediately, already on my feet and my heart already racing at his expression."It’ss Rhett"" Slater gasped.""He had another crisis, and this timeit’s’s severe. Right nowhe’s’s being rushed to the hospital outside of Ravenshor"."