CHAPTER 203: KEEPING SECRETS

Cael might have dropped the topic during the confrontation in the dining hall, since Felix had been bent on covering for Lyla, but that didn’t mean he let it go. On the contrary, it only made him even more determined to dig for the truth, as Felix’s attitude was... unexpected. Confusing.

Why would he want to hide the truth, when he was obviously a victim? It couldn’t be that he was so dense that he didn’t realize what Lyla’s intentions had been, or else he would have said the truth - not to incriminate her, but simply because he didn’t understand. Instead, he twisted the situation to make it seem like Lyla was simply unaware of his status.

Because Felix seemed to want to protect Lyla, bringing it up again during lunch would be pointless. They all ate together, Felix, Cael, Lyla, and her entourage, and the atmosphere at the table was... fake to the point of awkwardness. Lyla’s group pretended to chat happily, trying to engage Felix in conversation, to show that everything was truly ’fine’ between them... But Felix just ate his meal without reacting much.

He might have covered up for Lyla, but that was about how far he was willing to go! He wasn’t interested in her current fake kindness, since he knew it wasn’t going to last anyway.

Because he sat down first, and didn’t participate in the conversation, he was the first one to finish eating. He put his fork down and got up.

"I’ll be going now," he smiled at Cael, completely ignoring the rest of the Omegas, and went over to the counter to bring his tray back to the kitchen.

Seeing this, Cael rushed to finish his meal as well, and caught up to Felix just as the Omega finished wrapping Vivi in winter blankets and was about to leave the mansion to go back to his new workshop.

"Felix, wait!"

"Young Master Cael," Felix greeted Cael politely, but the Omega just waved his hand.

"Just call me Cael," he quickly corrected Felix. It was one thing to be called ’Young Master’ by Omegas like Lyla, but there was no need for him to exert his status with Felix. Not to mention, as Kade’s potential future mate, he might have an even higher status in the future, so how would that be appropriate?

Cael glanced around, and seeing that there was no one around, he asked, lowering his voice, "Why did you do that?"

There was no need to play dumb. Felix knew exactly what Cael had meant by that. He let out a sigh, and shrugged his shoulders. "What’s the point in exposing her? Do you think that would make them stop?"

"Kade won’t be happy about it."

"That’s even more of a reason to brush it off. I don’t want to make a big deal of such a trifle."

"You will be seen as a pushover," Cael pointed out. "If you let them walk all over you, they will never respect you."

"Will I?" Felix was unmoved. He didn’t care how those Omegas viewed him. Besides... "And if I tell on them, then they would?"

Then, without waiting for Cael to say anything, he answered himself, "I don’t think so. If they got in trouble because of me, they still wouldn’t respect me. Rather, they would come to resent me instead."

Cael couldn’t help but pause, staring at Felix with his eyes slightly widened. However, he quickly recovered from his surprise.

"I understand where you’re coming from... But I truly think you should make them suffer the consequences. If they had dared to go against you, even knowing that you’re with Kade, then they should have been prepared," he insisted.

Felix hesitated for a moment. Cael had known those Omegas far longer than he. He understood them better. Perhaps he was right, and that was the best course of action he could take with them...

In the end, though, he dismissed the idea. Cael was a Young Master in the Bloodmoon Pack. His status was high, and had likely been high ever since his birth. His situation couldn’t be compared to Felix’s. Thus, even if something seemed like a good method for him, it wouldn’t necessarily work the same way for Felix...

Felix would much rather trust his instinct. It shouldn’t be too late to take on Cael’s advice if he changed his mind later.

"Don’t worry, I won’t let it slide if they take it too far," he just said. "But for now... Please keep it a secret from Kade, alright?"

Cael twisted his mouth with a hint of displeasure. It was clear that he didn’t like how Felix was so determined to sweep it all under the rug... But eventually, he let out a sigh.

"Fine, if that’s what you want..."

"Thank you!" Felix bowed his head politely, exhaling with relief. Of course, there was still the risk that some rumors might reach Kade, as quite a few pack members witnessed the dining room’s scene... But Cael was the person Felix was the most wary of when it came to relaying any information to Kade. They were close friends, after all.

"But in exchange... If anything happens again, I want you to let me know," Cael said with a defeated sigh. "Even if you don’t want me to intervene, it would be best if I were aware of the situation, so that I will be able to help you if you need it..."

"That’s fine," Felix agreed without hesitation. "As long as it stays between us."

A hint of a smile finally appeared again on Cael’s face. "Good. I can agree to that. Now... Did you get my number yet?"

"No..." Felix shook his head, to which Cael rolled his eyes. Most likely at Kade. Then, he pulled out his phone...

And a moment later, the phone in Felix’s pocket started ringing.

"That’s my number. Make sure to save it! And contact me if you need anything!" Cael smiled at Felix, before walking away. Unlike some of the other Omegas, he probably wasn’t as idle, and had his own things to do.

That was fine with Felix. It wasn’t that he disliked Cael or anything... But he wanted to get back to his workshop, and have more time just to himself.

He stared at the screen for a moment. Cael had never asked him for his number... Which meant that he must have gotten it from Kade.

...Honestly, he should probably be angry at the Alpha, or at least annoyed, but he didn’t really feel anything. He just sighed, stuffed his phone back in his pocket, and left the main mansion, pushing Vivi’s pram ahead of himself.