| CHAPTER 41 : RIDE |
Once again, my body was sent flying like those in the movies when Sydney flung my body over his back causing me to land hard on the ground with a loud thud.
A groan came out of my lips.
"I think I cracked a rib." I groaned.
"The ground is fucking cushioned." Hans was close to face palming, as he glared at me.
Levi was pinching the bridge of his nose and the rest of the guys were either trying to look away or laughing, making fun of me.
Sydney offered me a hand and I took it, standing up. Sydney wasn't much of a speaker and always had a shy look on his face.
The rest of the guys were: Drake, Hans, Chase, Matt, Warrant and Fred.
I looked down at the ground which was covered with foam mats and looked back at the pissed-off Hans. His patience with me was done before I even started training.
Levi chose Sydney to be my practice guy since he's the "softie" of the group and won't hurl a punch in my face if his patience was worn off.
"I already told you, Ezzy. Do. Not. Blink." Levi directed, "A whole building can collapse within a blink, something can blow up within a blink, anyone can die within a blink."
"But my eyes were watering!" I protested.
"You'll have to try getting used to any type of environment," Matt spoke, cleaning a long blade with a cloth. "Sudden things need sudden adaptations."
"And if you don't adapt quickly then you're fucking dead." Chase made a neck-slicing gesture with his hands.
Fred laughed, muttering the word 'dead' as if finding it hilarious.
"Okay, back on track," Levi directed, looking sternly towards me, "Don't blink and try not to hit the ground all the time."
Fred laughed again.
I inhaled, turning to face Sydney. Don't blink and don't flinch. I raised my wrapped hands, "Okay, I'm ready."
Sydney was supposed to be attacking me while I learned how to defend myself. Levi threw commands at me on when to duck, how to doge and when to jump. Sydney went purposefully slow with me but even then I was finding it difficult to keep up with him.
Fred laughed once again when I accidentally slipped which startled Warrant who was eating a packet of biscuits.
"Ouch! My tongue, you sucker!" Warrant slapped the back of Fred's head.
Instead of hitting Warrant back, Fred laughed again. His laugh resembled a minion which was enough to throw me off focus.
I fell onto my knees with an 'oomph' when Sydney punched me in the gut, thinking that I'd defend myself.
His eyes went wide, "Shit, sorry." He bent to grab me by the shoulder, lifting me off the ground.
"I think we should take a break," Levi suggested, tiredly.
"Yes!" I exclaimed, "for the love of God, yes, yes, yes."
"We've only been training for two hours," Hans grumbled.
Levi gave him a look, before calling Matt's name who had fallen asleep on the bleacher.
When Matt didn't wake up, Hans pushed his side making him roll off the bleachers and land on the ground.
Matt woke with a jerk, springing up straight and erect, "Matthew Granson, awake and active, reporting from 1802, cabin 4." He fired off with a salute.
"This is not 1802, you snob," Chase soured, fixing his long golden curls.
"Go get food." Warrant said.
Matt gave an annoyed look. "You creatures woke me up just to get food?"
"Problem?" Warrant raised an eyebrow.
"You literally are eating biscuits right now!" Matt yelled.
Warrant shoved the rest of the biscuits into his mouth, "What biscuits?"
Matt rolled his eyes.
"Just go get the food, asshole," Hans said.
Matt gave us all annoyed looks before lazily walking out of the arena.
I unwrapped my hands of the bandages, dumping them on a near bleacher. I was wearing joggers and a full-sleeved t-shirt. I specifically remember waking up to no King Alpha this morning. Instead, in his place, a set of clothes and a note were left.
Good fucking morning, drool poodle.
Workout and train. Do only those. If I make a sudden check and see anything else, I'd castrate all of the warriors.
And wear only these clothes.
Fuck, I sound possessive.
Look at me! Writing a note. I'm getting cheesy.
By the way, you talk in your sleep, you know? You scratched me too. Someone trying to kill you in your sleep or rough sex dreams?
Anyways, PEACE OUT!
Or bye.
Whatever.
~ your only sexy beast ;)
"So why did King Alpha give you to us?" Drake appeared behind me, hands in pockets, "wasn't he the one giving private training lessons?"
"Sure, private." Chase grinned, hinting at something.
My cheeks flamed just a bit, "I have no idea."
"Sure it wasn't because you two humped instead of actually training?" Hans asked, moving closer to sit a few feet away from me.
"Hans." Levi's voice warned before turning towards me, "Don't mind him. He's always like that."
"Pissed off little fucker." Fred laughed, moving towards me and slinging a heavy arm around my shoulder, "Say, how do you manage to keep up with our King, huh? You live in his room, right? Does it get hot?"
"Yeah, how many times have you -?" Drake asked, forming a circle with two fingers and putting a single finger through.
My cheeks were definitely flaming red right now.
"I don't think King Alpha is the love, affection type of person," Chase spoke, fixing his hair again, "I bet he moaned out threats instead of your name."
Fred laughed, "I'm going to kill you with my joystick, Ezlynn. I'm going to ravage you till death until you can't walk." He tried mimicking King Alpha's voice.
Levi face-palmed himself before stepping in and pulling me out of Fred's grip while the rest of the guys laughed.
"Don't listen to them," Levi spoke, "they've been shameless bastards since birth."
"Oh come on, love," Drake spoke to Levi with a smirk, "we were just trying to get to know our Queen better."
"Queen." Hans scoffed.
"Oh right, our Queen," Chase said, his eyes wide. Then he raked me down with his eyes, "Sure you aren't too skinny to be a queen?"
"What does my body shape have to do with being a queen?" I asked, frowning.
"Oh nothing," Chase waved off, "just thought you might want to look sexy and thumping while being crowned."
Warrant who fished out a lollipop from his pocket, spoke, "Shut up, dumbhead. It's a grand ball. Not a club."
Chase raised his hands in defence, a mirror now in his hand, as he looked at himself in the mirror.
"Where's the food, you loser!?" Warrant yelled.
Matt appeared at the entrance, his eyes narrowed, strolling in a cart filled with food that almost fell off the brim.
"Patience, my guy." Drake spoke to Warrant, "Our loser has brought us food."
Matt flipped us all the bird before dropping on the nearest bleacher and closing his eyes.
The rest of the guys didn't wait, marching over to the cart and digging in. I picked a cup of ramen.
The training after that went as usual. The guys tried teaching me stuff one by one.
After five hours, I was done and allowed to go back to my room with aching muscles and a new pounding headache.
Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to King Alpha's room which usually laid empty, now had three women standing in the center. They all wore casual t-shirts and jeans.
Their eyes snapped to me, and they immediately perked up.
"Umm, who are you people?" I asked with a frown.
"We're here to take your measurements." One of them spoke.
"Measurements?" I questioned.
"We have to stitch your dress for the ball."
My eyes widened, "A dress is being stitched for me?"
"Oh yes, one of the best. You'd look absolutely gorgeous in it."
"Now, please step here so we can measure you."
I reluctantly stepped closer to them, and they wasted no second pulling out a measuring tape and wrapping it around my body.
"Which colour would you prefer, Lady Ezlynn?" One of them asked.
"Oh um, I don't know," I responded as they measured my height. I was normally pretty tall than most girls at my school, "I normally wear band or dark vintage t-shirts."
"I think the colour blue would look good, what do you say?"
The girls started a conversation within themselves deciding which shade of blue would look good with my black hair and warm blue eyes.
After being done with the measurements for almost an hour and studying my body shape and face, they finally left, promising to make one hell of a ballgown.
I called Griselda after a while, asking her for more food.
After eating, I was exhausted like a pregnant lady and collapsed onto the bed, feeling tiredness wash over me.
༺═──────═༻
I woke with someone beside me on the bed.
A yelp almost escaped my lips when I saw King Alpha sleeping soundlessly beside me on the bed. We were face to face. His eyelids were shut with long lashes touching his cheek. His full pink lips were parted open, revealing that crooked tooth which made him look extra adorable when he smiled – rarely.
I had been asleep for half the night so there wasn't any pillow barrier between us.
He was lying on his stomach with his hands under the pillow. Strands of caramel brown hair fell on his forehead, looking soft. I forced myself to not reach out and run my fingers through them.
An involuntary sigh came out of my lips as I lay silently in my place, watching him sleep.
There was a certain calmness about him while he slept but even then he looked like he might snap awake and pounce at me anytime.
I wanted to know so much about him. Even if it was none of my business, I was so intrigued and compelled by his life and his past. I wanted to ask him so many questions, wanted to know so many dark secrets, wanted to get inside his head and learn everything.
Where did you come from King Alpha? What happened to you? Who made you like this?
Getting direct answers from him was absolutely impossible. He'd never let me too near to get even the slightest peek.
Looking at him calmly sleeping terrified me. It reminded me that his calmness was temporary and will last only until his eyes opened.
Every person has this certain someone who pushes them or directs them on a certain path. Let's call this person...Ride.
Every person has a Ride who directs them or forces them onto a path. No matter how alone you are, no matter how disconnected you are, no matter how solo you are, there's always a Ride.
A Ride can guide you to the path that makes you the best person alive, the person who's always polite, who's always happy, who's always optimistic and succeeds in every way possible.
And a Ride can also drive you to the path of destruction. The path where you first start losing yourself, the path that leaves you alone, the path that completely destroys you until you're on your knees; weak, gasping and submerging in darkness. This path can tear you down in pieces, this path can force you to do things that one may never imagine possible. This path can make you hurt yourself to the point where you don't feel it anymore.
You don't feel the pain anymore, so you stop feeling anything at all. You stop your emotions from getting out, you stop letting yourself feel, you just stop it all. You stop it until there's nothing left of you. You stop until you're that one hard being with a broken, damaged soul.
I want to know who Elias's Ride was, that led him to the path of destruction. I want to know who led him to ruins. I want to know who guided him to the darkest road.
And I want to be his next Ride to lead him out of it.
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Date: 23 August 2021