The Forbidden Heiress At The All Male Alpha Academy-Chapter 162: What You Think Of Me

"So you can like what? Interpret dreams and stuff too?"

Ava silently laid back on the bed. There was a lot going on in her that even she didn’t understand yet. Being born blind, yet able to see the world from a different perspective than others.

"I just wanted Aurelius to know the decision he would have to make soon,"

"A decision that involves me. I’m the one standing in the fire, and he has to make a judgment on me," Theodora said.

The Journal was now sitting shut by the side.

"Is he going to have to sentence me to death, or what?" She asked.

"Theo, you’re linked to the Veil that exists deep inside that forest. There’s a reason why Cain wanted you here in the first place. I’m sure you already know this, but as long as you live, the Veil won’t stay closed for long,"

"So I’m guessing I’m going to be judged on whether I should be kept alive or killed?"

Ava nodded, "And that decision will be made by Aurelius himself. One of the most important moments of his life,"

This means the Argent Tribunal Pack will find out that the Veil exists and everything related to it. And since she’s to be married to Aurelius soon - if Cain doesn’t interrupt - they’ll get her hands on her. Logically speaking, the best decision was to kill her.

Cain’s plans would shatter, and the Veil would remain sealed.

"Is that why you gave him that letter?" Theodora glanced at Ava.

"To prepare him for what’s coming, yes,"

"It’s a probability, isn’t it? Whether the Argent Tribunal Pack or The Obsidian Crown Pack gets their hand on me first?"

"It’s not a probability, Theo," Ava stared her dead in the eye, "You WILL eventually get captured by both of them in the future, and you WILL face everything there is to come,"

Theo did not like the sound of that.

.

.

.

Before it got very bright, Theodora snuck out and left for her dorm.

She and Zeke had fallen asleep quite early last night and were awake before dawn, hence allowing her sneak to Ava’s place.

As she walked into the room, she was expecting to find Zeke lying on his bed as always looking impeccably handsome with those muscles sprawled over the bed - a very tempting invite she could never resist.

Instead, he had his back facing her.

The windows were wide open, and he was staring at it.

The way he stood, unmoving, as if he were holding his breath, told her something was wrong.

She walked in and closed the door behind her, her eyes never leaving his tense form, "Zeke?!"

Then, she looked down at his hand. He had an envelope clutched in one hand tightly, squeezing the paper. The moment she saw it, its familiarity struck her.

Heather’s letter.

He had seen it.

"This is not your handwriting," He began slowly as he faced her.

"It’s not," She replied tightly, "Someone asked me to give it to you,"

"Someone...," He murmured, then waved it between them, "The scent from the paper is familiar. This someone is a female, am I right?"

Silence carried over the room for a few seconds.

"Zeke, are you mad at me?" She finally asked.

"Should I be?" He took a step forward, squeezing the letter even more, "Someone asked you to give me a love letter and you actually accepted it? You didn’t think you should rip off her head?"

Theo exhaled heavily. Of course, she thought about that over and over again!

"It’s a long story, Zeke. I didn’t just accept the letter from her because I wanted to,"

"Thank Goodness it’s morning and a Sunday. We’ve got all day for you to tell me why you accepted it," He sounded really angry, but his voice came out controlled.

Theo sighed and let the truth come out, "Someone has been... stalking me since I arrived at Gravemont. Actually, they stopped for a while, but they resumed recently, and the stalker knows my secret and told Heather about it. Heather is head over heels for you, and she’s using my secret to blackmail me so I can link you guys up together. That is the letter she gave me to give you...,"

Zeke flexed his fingers, eyes furrowed with withheld rage, "All this was happening, and you didn’t think to tell me about it?"

"It’s because I didn’t want you to know!" She fired back, "You don’t...," She inhaled this time, trying to choose her words carefully, "You’re Hot-headed and you always lose your temper so easily. I didn’t want to tell you and then you’d barge out and the next thing I know, you’d threaten her or you’d hurt her or something,"

Hurt filled his eyes, and he let out an agonising smile, "You think I’m irrational, you don’t trust me,"

"No!" She cried, "It’s not that. It’s just...," She trailed away, not knowing what to say anymore. Guilt swallowed her words, because he was right. Maybe...she didn’t trust him with the kind of information.

"You wouldn’t have told me if I didn’t find this darn letter," He stepped closer to her and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into his dark eyes. He stared at her like he was trying to see past her skin, past the excuses, past the words she kept arranging so carefully, "You think I am what?" he asked quietly.

Theo swallowed,

"Dangerous," he finished for her, "Uncontrolled. Someone you have to manage instead of trust,"

"Zeke, that is not what I meant," Her throat burned.

"But it is what you did," he said, and released her chin slowly, like he was afraid of touching her any longer might snap something in him, "You decided for me. You decided I could not be trusted with your fear. With your safety,"

She took a step toward him, "I was trying to protect you,

He shook his head and turned away from her and walked to the window again, staring out into the grey light of early morning. His shoulders were tight, his back rigid like he was bracing for a hit that never came.

"I have bled for you," he said, his voice controlled to the point that strain broke through, "I have fought for you, I have respected your decision not to show public affection, and I have trusted you. I have trusted that you wouldn’t break my trust again, that you wouldn’t keep a thing from me,"

"I know. I know you have," Her eyes stung with tears.

"And still," he continued, not looking at her, "When someone stalks you, when someone threatens you, when someone uses you like leverage, you decide the real danger is me finding out,"

"That is not fair," she whispered.

"No," he agreed softly. "It is honest,"

He crushed the envelope in his fist until the paper bent and was now a ball, "Do you know what hurts the most," he asked, "Not the letter. Not that some girl thinks she can blackmail my mate. It is that you stood alone with this. Instead, you thought I would make it worse for you,"

She shook her head, the tears finally spilling, "I was scared."

"And you did not come to me," he said. He turned then, his eyes dark and wounded again. The last time she had seen him like this was when he had found out she was a girl, "Do you know what that tells me?"

She could not answer.

"It tells me that when things get ugly, you think I am part of the problem instead of your shield,"

"That is not true," she sobbed, "I just did not want to lose control of everything."

"I would have helped you control it," he snapped, finally letting the anger crack through, "I would have hunted whoever it is. I would have burned the fear out of them. I would have made sure no one ever thought they could touch you again," 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"That is exactly why I was afraid," She said weakly.

His jaw clenched, and he nodded slowly, like he was accepting a verdict he hated.

"There it is," he said, "You are afraid of what I am willing to become for you,"

Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

"I thought," he continued more quietly, "that when the world came for you, you would run to me. That is what mates do. They do not hide from each other,"

"Zeke, please," She reached for him, but he stepped back before she could touch him.

"No," he said firmly. "Do not,

"

That word landed harder than any shout.

"I would still protect you," The crack was bigger, deeper, "I always will. That is not something I can turn off. But right now, I need to be alone. I need to be away...from this, from you,"

He walked past her, opening the door. The cold air from the hall rushed in, stealing the warmth from the room.

She stood frozen as he stepped into the hallway.

Before closing the door, he paused just long enough to say, "Next time you decide whether I am safe enough to trust, remember this. I have never once failed you,"

And with that, he shut the door.

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Merry Christmas, Lovelies!