Word Count: 1574
~Brielle
I've never been so intimidated.
There isn't a single person in this room who doesn't have their eyes on me. If I didn't care about my job so much, and didn't want to get on the bad side of Ren, I wouldn't have stepped toward him. In fact, I probably would have run out of the room to cower back in the sleeping area, refusing to speak to anyone until the next day.
However, my feet step on in front of the other, coming to stand beside Ren. My cheeks are heated beyond belief, and the hands I hide behind my back are quivering. Hopefully no one is noticing.
Ren looks up at me, that cool icy blue eye on the left side is unnerving as ever. A part of me has a feeling those strange eyes of him allude to his secret.
"Brielle, what's your opinion on this?" Ren ask. "Should we end Alpha meetings?"
An answer doesn't come out of my mouth immediately. Grayson is looking at me as if he is contemplating how to get me alone so he can keep me quiet forever. Those silver eyes, like sleek reflective metallic are almost unnerving as Ren's left eye. Almost, but not quite. I doubt Alpha Grayson has as much to hide as Ren seems to.
I glance down at Ren, who is looking at me expectantly. Do I upset another Alpha with a lot of power behind his name? Or do I upset the Alpha I work for, who also has a lot of power behind his name? It still doesn't seem obvious.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I know enough about it to say anything," I say quickly, trying to seperate myself from this conversation. The Alpha's think low enough of me as it is.
I wait for Grayson's reaction.
Ren's come first, though, cutting Grayson off before he can say anything. I'm glad for that small mercy. I don't know how many of these Alpha's would protect me if Grayson decided to take his anger out on a weak citizen like me. At least in comparison to him. I'm not pretending I can't see the muscles under his shirt.
"That doesn't matter," he says smoothly, only irritating the Alpha of Freedom more. A few lines crease on his forehead. "I want to hear your opinion from what you've heard. And I think a few others agree."
There is no way out of this, so I just speak what comes first to my mind. "I don't think you should give up your meetings.
Grayson chuckles. "Well of course you would say that."
Silence follows after my words, no one voicing their support for either more or Grayson. My eyes wander down to the ring on his finger. Myth and legend that used to be spread when I was a young girl suggest without it, he turns into pure evil. That's not something I feel like exploring.
"Well, that's enough for me," Ren says lightly. "The meetings stay."
I don't think there was single person in the room other than Ren who isn't stunned by his decision. Grayson looks dumbfounded before his expression morphs into amusement. He looks around the table, seeking support.
"Come on, you're not being serious. She works for you, that's it. She isn't able make a decision for all of us," Grayson says, almost stuttering over his words.
All of me wants to agree with him, but speaking will only make everything worse. I want to be mad at Ren for dragging me into this, not knowing why he would want to involve me, however, I know arguing against him isn't going to get me anywhere. In fact, is will probably get me fired.
"Why don't we all vote," Faye says suddenly, casting all attention to her.
Promptly, she lifts her arm, signifying her vote. Ren follows, and almost immediately, everyone else's arm raises too. Aside from Alpha Grayson, who kicks his chair back and leaves without another word said.
It left me breathless.
No one spoke much after that. Alpha Malik made some joke about loving to irritate Grayson since he doesn't get enough, and that was that. The air cleared and I quickly snuck back into the corner as everyone left, keeping my head down. Of course, I couldn't escape without Ren approaching me once everyone left.
"I'm sorry about that," he says, coming to stand in front of me. There is no apologetic tone in his voice. He did it for a reason. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot and frighten you like that."
I glance up from where I was staring at my plain black shoes - required within the uniform I was forced to put on this morning. Ren has his hands tucked behind his back, standing a few inches away. He looks warm, happy with what just happened while I'm frankly mortified.
I don't say anything.
He sighs deeply, running his hands through his hair. I watch it fall against his forehead in soft wisps. "Look, if it means anything to you, I knew everyone would agree with me. Grayson can be irrational sometimes-"
I cut him off, turning away to walk out of the room. I may have disrespected my Alpha and my employer, however, at this moment, I don't care.
I walk away, and I don't regret it.
***
That night, no one let me get any sleep.
The girls decided with the last night having the Alpha's in the room, they wanted to share stories about what they have seen over the past few days. I sat with them, enjoying watching them speak as if being in the presence of the Alpha was the highlight of their entire life.
I didn't dare say anything about my experiences. Luckily, the few girls that witnessed tonight were busy still cleaning up with the kitchen staff. So I'm safe. For now.
"So is no on going to talk about that girl that was found in the hallway and acted as if she didn't see anything?" one girl brings up once the conversation had settled about Alpha Isaiah's abs. "Like, she still has no idea what was wrong. She thinks it was a nightmare but I know she saw something."
Lila - the girl bringing up this past experience - seems to love spreading rumours. She hasn't yet targeted me, which is a blessing. However, she does like to feed into some of the girls fears that this place is haunted and Ren is a secret demon.
Ridiculous.
Lila tucks a loose strand of blonde hair behind here ear. "Here's what I think. She saw something. Something bad, and to do with Ren. And he told her to keep quiet."
When I look around, I seem to be the only one raising a skeptical eyebrow. As much as Ren unnerves me, and I swear there is something he is hiding, I highly doubt it has anything to do with being a demon. However, I find myself listening closer to Lila's strange ramblings.
"There's no way we can prove it," another girl says, sounding more like she wants to convince herself than anyone else in the room. I want to support her but defending Ren will make everyone here suspicious.
"That's why we have to find out," Lila says, excitement dancing across her face like the dim lamp light. "And if we do, we will tell everyone. Warn the Pack."
I have to swallow my concern.
"What if we find something bad and he kills us? Or tortures us or something?" one girl says. I'm surprised she had that guts to speak up. Lila looks to delighted at the idea of finding out Ren's little secret to pay mind to any cons that might come from it. Even if it means death, which I know is unlikely.
"I'm just hoping to see him shirtless," another girl adds, to which a few others chime in with their agreement. "Or naked."
I wince, while others giggle and Lila rolls her eyes. "I'm trying to solve crimes and all you are sitting here making jokes. This is serious. We could be living with a real life demon that is plotting to kill us all!"
Finally, I decided it was my turn to join in. "We have no proof just assumptions. He's our boss. We should just get on with it, and write that night off as a nightmare. That's what the girl said. She had a history of sleepwalking."
Silence.
"Anyway, we should at least try something," Lila says, dismissing me completely. "Like right now. What time is better than at night? We have to work tomorrow, and every law of myth says everything scary comes out at night. Once we see it, we have to tell someone right away."
I roll my eyes so everyone will see, however, no one bothers looking at me. They don't have reason to trust Ren like me. They just want it to be true so they are famous for something. Or maybe they hope to be compensated.
Either way, as they get up to plan their mission, I find myself follow along.
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Want more of Ren!? On the site Radish, Ren is considerably ahead, so go check it out (:
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I've also just posted the second novel in the Immortal series (in no way in correlation to book one which is Fate
It's Time!
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Instagram: Sophie_Midika
~Midika 💜🐼