Charis
After we walked away from Slater, Kael suddenly stopped and tilted his head slightly as he turned to me.
"You were supposed to report for dormitory assignment and orientation briefing. You're approximately seventeen minutes late."
Any hope that Kael might be a genuinely nice person died immediately. I fought the urge to roll my eyes, instead lowering them to the ground in what I hoped looked like appropriate remorse.
"Oh," I murmured, "I'm sorry about that. I was going to come, but then Slater asked to see me."
Kael was quiet for a few seconds, his gaze never leaving my face. The silence stretched on for a few minutes until he finally spoke again. "Is he really your brother? Are you two even related? Because I see no resemblance whatsoever."
I felt my mouth go dry. For a few seconds, I was completely at a loss for words. My mind was scrambling to come up with a believable explanation.
"Wh—what!" I finally managed, the word coming out as more of a squeak than I'd intended. "Of course, we're brothers – I mean, stepbrothers. We have different mothers, but I think my mother's genes are… stronger, so Slater looks more like our father."
I was gaining confidence now, falling into the lie smoothly "Besides, I've never been close to him, I guess he was surprised to see me here."
Kael cocked his head slightly, a mannerism with him that seemed often. "But he clearly stated in the Assembly Hall that he has seen you only once."
I muttered a curse under my breath, wondering when the interrogation would stop. I forced myself to meet his gaze and plastered on what I hoped was a convincing smile.
"That's true, actually," I said, trying to sound casual. "All the knowing is from my side. Slater is the Alpha Heir and is quite popular within the pack. I used to see him at pack festivals and ceremonies, but it was always from a distance. His mother is scary…"
Kael studied me for several more seconds, his expression totally unreadable. Then, without warning, he raised his hands toward me.
Instinctively, I crouched down, my arms flying to cover my face and head. Every muscle in my body tensed, bracing for the impact I was certain was about to come. My breathing became rapid and shallow, my heart hammered against my ribs as I waited for the blow.
Seconds ticked by, and nothing happened.
Slowly, carefully, I peeked through my fingers and saw Kael staring at me with a genuinely puzzled expression. In his hands was a black wool coat – the coat he'd been wearing moments ago; apparently, that was what he'd been trying to offer to me.
For a moment, he looked like he wanted to say something about my reaction – ask a question, perhaps or make an observation, but he seemed to decide against it.
Instead of trying to drape the coat over my shoulders as he'd originally intended, he walked around behind me and gently slid the coat over my shoulders. Settling it properly across my shoulders and adjusting the collar.
When he came back to stand in front of me, he reached for my hands and pulled a pair of matching black gloves from his pocket.
My pulse spiked at the unexpected contact. Immediately, I withdrew my hands.
"What are you doing?"
His eyes flashed with irritation as they stared at me. Without a word, he threw the gloves at me. They hit my chest and fell to the ground at my feet.
"Acting like a weak person will not help you in Ravenshore," he said coldly. "If you keep up this fragile act, you'll become an object for constant bullying, and you won't last past orientation week. No matter what you've been through, you need to pull yourself together and stop advertising your suffering to the world."
"I'm not advertising my suffering to the world. Why would you even think that I'm doing this on purpose?"
"Aren't you?" he fired back. "You think because you're more disadvantaged than your brother that people here would pity you? Why did you allow him to bring you here, knowing he would bully you?"
"He didn't bully me," I said forcefully. "We were only talking."
"I know what I saw, Eamon. Don't try to defend your captor. I saw him dragging you around like some slave. You've got to change that mentality."
I stared at him for a moment, at a loss for what to say. Then slowly bent down and picked up the gloves. Without breaking eye contact, I quietly shrugged off the coat he had placed on my shoulders and walked over to him, draping it back across his shoulders.
"I didn't ask you for help back then, and now. I can take care of myself."
"You think?" he scoffed. "You won't last more than a week here; I promise you."
"That remains to be seen," I murmured and started walking away. He reached for my arm and dragged me back.
"Take the coat," he said. "I won't have you staining my impeccable record in this school.
He shoved the coat and the gloves into my hand and started walking away. When he was a few feet away, he stopped and turned to me.
"Hurry up, Riggs, we don't have all day."
Swallowing my pride, I shrugged into the coat before walking briskly to join him.
We walked past the assembly hall, moving deeper into the academy's compound. Finally, we arrived at a large stone building where a group of students had gathered, mostly newly admitted like me. They were rubbing their hands together or stamping their feet in an attempt to ward off the cold.
Kael moved to stand in front of the assembled students, who stopped talking as soon as they saw him. I lingered at the back of the crowd, staying where I was less likely to draw attention.
I pulled the borrowed coat tighter around myself, thankful for its warmth.
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around my shoulders from the side, jolting me and making me nearly jump out of my skin.
I turned and blinked in surprise when I looked into Rhett's hazel eyes.
"There you are," he chirped. "I was wondering where you'd disappeared to."
He held a cardboard carrier in his free hand, which contained two steaming cups of coffee.
Before I could say a word, he pressed one of the cups into my hands.
"Drink up before it gets cold," he instructed with a smile. "Trust me, you'll need all the caffeine for what's coming next."
"Thank you," I managed, accepting the cup gratefully. I took a sip and had to suppress a moan of pleasure. It was perfect – rich, hot and exactly what I needed.
I turned my attention back to Kael, who had already begun to address the assembled students.
"I will now call out your names and dormitory assignment. Each dormitory accommodates a minimum of four students and a maximum of six students. You're responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and organisation of your living spaces. The cleaning staff would only take care of your bathrooms and common areas." He paused to consult a clipboard.
"You will find duty rosters and study schedules posted in your dormitories for each occupant. Find your name and follow it accordingly.
"Are you alright?" Rhett asked, suddenly leaning closer to me.
I turned to look at him, startled to find his face was mere inches from mine. If I were to lean forward a bit, our lips would touch.
The thought of it sent heat flooding through my cheeks, and I quickly pulled back, lowering my gaze as that same strange emotion settled in my stomach.
"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" I stammered, taking another sip of coffee to mask my nerves.
Rhett chuckled and then sighed with what seemed like relief. "I'm glad to hear that. I didn't think the Beta Prime was a stepbrother to anyone. He rarely talks about himself or his family."
"That's how he's always been," I said quietly. "But, what's he like here?" I asked tentatively. "Slater, I mean."
Rhett shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. "Reserved. Keeps a lot of himself. One of the reasons he rose to his current rank so quickly, especially for a first-year student, was how composed he always seemed to be. Nothing ever seemed to rattle him, and the school likes that. The colder you are, the more you get their attention."
"How do you know all these? Are you two friends?" I asked.
"I'm not sure your brother understands friendship. But we stop and chat now and again. I guess we're cool."
I frowned. "Stop and chat now and again? But weren't you just admitted? When would you have had opportunities to chat with him?"
He grinned sheepishly. "I'm actually repeating first year. Kael and Slater were originally my classmates. We all started together last year."
"Wow!" I nodded. "That explains the familiarity between you and Kael. But why did you repeat? I thought you said your family were founders."
The playful smile on his face suddenly faded. I watched as his eyes turned to cold slits. His hand dropped from my shoulders as he took a step back.
"I think that's enough socialising, Eamon. I was hoping you were not one of those mean Alpha sons. Guess you've proved me wrong."
Crap!
"I'm sorry," I called after him. "I didn't mean to intrude."
"Not everything can be solved by simply saying sorry. You have to learn not to get on the wrong side of people here. It could get you in a lot of trouble." He turned and threw his empty coffee cup into a trash can, making a perfect shot.
When his gaze met mine again, his eyes were not as cold, but he was different from the Rhett from moments ago, who had brought me coffee.
"See you around, Eamon," he said coldly.
Without a backwards glance, he turned and walked away.