Help! Five Beast Alphas Want To Breed Me!!(BL)-Chapter 274: Permission

Elián;

I try.

I swear I try to stay in the room like Zephan told me to... for three whole minutes.

I pace, I sit, I stand...lie back down...

Stare at the door like it’s personally offending me by being closed.

How am I supposed to sit here calmly when Alana is finally here??

My Alana.

My comfort person. My big sister in everything but blood. The girl who knew me before I even knew myself.

How am I supposed to stay out and away from her?? All day, both brothers kept interrupting my time with her. I couldn’t tell if it was deliberate or not.

And now, Zephan—God bless his heart—is acting like keeping me locked away is the new law of the universe.

Like it’s an absolutely normal thing to do.

Since when did they start prohibiting me from stepping out of the room??

"It’s just for a moment, Elián," he’d said after they tucked me back into bed like a fragile pastry.

"Rest. Don’t leave the room. Promise me." He added while I just gawked at them.

Promise me.

He has no idea how much I hate making promises. I always break them. ALWAYS.

Just then, Elien’s voice floats into my mind, flat as ever.

"He told you to stay put."

"And I will stay put," I whisper back as I pull on a robe and glance at the door again, "just... not right now."

"That is the opposite of staying put!"

"Oh my God, Elien, please. I just want to go check if she’s settled in nicely. I’ll be back before he even notices."

"Famous last words." He sneers, but I pretend not to hear him and crack the door open.

Thankfully, Zephan isn’t there patrolling the hall like a worried father hen, and Zethar isn’t lurking around the shadows.

There are also no guards. Which is a relief. I thought, with how paranoid they were acting, I was sure they would have set up guards at the door. But thankfully, they didn’t.

Perfect.

I’ll just be a quick visit to Alana, and I’d be back before he can say my name.

I just need to be sure she’s properly settled in and all...

I slip out, quietly, and make my way down the corridor with my bare feet padding softly against the ground, and my heart pounding in my chest.

Nagari’s nighttime breeze twirls around me like a welcome as I move; I keep looking over my shoulders and stalking my surroundings to be sure I am not about to be caught...

I know Zephan won’t be happy if he finds out that I disobeyed him, but how can he blame me for this? Anyone else in my shies would do the exact same thing.

Every step I take sends excitement bubbling higher in my chest.

I still can’t wrap my head around the immense gratitude I’m feeling. Alana is here. She is safe, and we finally get to talk. We can catch up on old times, and she can fill me in about everyone at Gravemaw.

To be honest, I just want to hear about Koda. Know how she’s doing, how he’s holding up... Koda wouldn’t tell me exactly how he’s faring, but I can sqeeuze the truth out of Alana.

I’m just itching to be in her company. Maybe she’ll braid my hair again... maybe she’ll scold me for not eating enough.

She might even—

"Slow down," Elien grumbles, and it takes just that for me to realise that I’ve been speed-walking like a criminal.

"Sorry..." I whisper, but my grumpy other ignores me.

I keep walking in silence till I make it to the wing where her room is located, and it only takes a few minutes more before I spot her.

An excited smile explodes on my face at the sight of her, and I can bearly keep calm.

"Light! You’re a child!" Elien exclaims, but I ignore him.

I pause as I watch her. She’s on one of the high balconies overlooking the courtyard.

Her back is to me, and her soft rabbit ears are drooping slightly.

Like... she’s disturbed. That is something I’ve barely ever seen. Alana? The always composed and collected Alana... disturbed?

She’s holding the railing, staring down at—

I peek over her shoulder and see that she’s staring at Asa.

Why is she staring at her cousin with so much worry? Does she fear that the people after her would find her? The girl is safe here... We’ll... We’ll look after her. Zephan, Zethar, and even Queen Selthia... They’re all good people.

They’ll protect her cousin. She needn’t worry.

I stare back at the girl who’s sitting on a courtyard bench in the empty space. Moonlight has covered her dark skin, and her rabbit ears twitching gently as she looks up at the night sky.

She looks so gentle. Lonely... Too lonely.

I move closer to Alana, and her worried expression breaks me.

Her brows are pinched, her lips are pressed together, and her eyes look... heavy.

They look sad, Worried... almost scared.

I finally step beside her, deciding to break her out of her thoughts.

"Alana?" I whisper, and she jumps a little as she whips around to look at me.

When she sees me, her whole face lights up, but the worry doesn’t fully disappear.

"Master Elián," she breathes, as she bows deeply, and I pout.

When will she learn to stop with the formalities?

"You scared me. What are you doing out of bed?" She questions, and I huff.

"I escaped," I confess proudly, and her ears flick.

"Master Elian..." She begins, and I raise my hands to stop her.

"I know, I know—’rest, don’t walk, don’t move, don’t breathe’—but I missed you," I speak honestly as I lean against the railing.

"What’s on your mind?" I question, and her gaze drifts back to Asa.

There’s silence. A long silence, and finally, she speaks.

"I’m worried," she whispers, and I swallow.

"About what?"

"About Gravemaw." She replies, and I blink.

"About... Alpha Koda." She adds as she turns to look at me, and this time, my blood freezes in my veins.

Koda? My Koda?

"What happened?" I ask in worry with my voice instantly thin.

Then, Alana’s fingers twist together nervously.

"Since you left... he hasn’t been well." She whispers, and my breath catches.

"What do you mean? Is he sick? Hurt? Did someone—"

"No, no," she shakes her head quickly,

"not physically. But mentally... something isn’t right." She adds, and my jaw drops.

Huh??

She turns toward me fully, and this time the sadness in her eyes hits like a punch to the gut.

"He’s been having episodes. Panic. Breakdowns. Sometimes he just... sits and stares and won’t speak. Other times, he trembles like he’s in pain but insists he’s fine." She begins, and my stomach twists as I listen in silence.

"W-What? What triggered it?" I whisper, and her gaze drops.

"You leaving... The fear of failing his people... His being away from you..." She begins, but stops to sigh.

"It’s like everything he held together for so long just... cracked." She adds, and suddenly, I can’t breathe.

Koda always acts like the strongest in the room. The unshakable Alpha.

An... immovable mountain.

But he... he was just good at hiding the cracks.

My chest aches as I think about how much pain he must be in

"I should have—"

"No," she cuts me off gently, placing a hand on mine.

"You were in danger, Master Elián. You had no choice." She whispers, but the guilt doesn’t loosen.

"But Koda—"

"He needs someone," she cuts me off, and I blink.

"And right now... I think I’m the person who understands how to reach him." She adds, and my brows crease.

"I want to stay with you," she says quietly, 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"I really do. But I can’t." She adds, and my heart sinks.

"I need to go back to Gravemaw. I need to help him. He won’t let anyone else close— not even Alpha Rhydian. But he trusts me." She continues with her voice breaking.

"He looks so... lost, Master Elián." She whispers further, and I press my lips together, eyes stinging.

Koda...

My big, terrifying, precious idiot.

Breaking??

That too, because of me???

Alana squeezes my hand gently, and I look back at her with vision now blurred with tears.

"I need something from you, Master Elian." She then whispers, and my brows crease.

"Tell the Nagarian Alphas that you ordered me to go back." She says, and my heart skips a beat.

"Why?" I ask, confused.

"Because if they think I left on my own, they may distrust Asa. And she needs safety more than anyone. Just say it was your decision. They’ll obey you." She says, and I stare at her.

She looks at me with pleading eyes, and I swallow.

"Please, Master Elián. Let me go help him." She begs, and a tear escapes my eyes.

Koda needs her.

Alana needs permission.

Asa needs protection.

And I...? I need to breathe through the ache in my chest.

I nod slowly, and her eyes widen with joy.

"Okay," I whisper.

"Go to him."

Alana exhales shakily, relief flooding her face as she hugs me tightly. I hug her back with all the emotions in my heart.

"I’ll miss you," she whispers, and I laugh weakly.

"I’ll miss you more,"

But then... Elien speaks again. The same thing he’s said earlier.

"Something is wrong."

I pull back slightly, glancing between Alana and the courtyard where Asa is sitting like a quiet shadow.

Wrong?

What does he mean wrong?

"Elien? What do you—"

"Be careful."