Crimson lies

Kael's hand gripped her wrist with an almost bruising force as he pulled her swiftly through the corridors, the sounds of the wild party and pulsating music fading with each step. The door to a small, dimly lit room loomed ahead, and with one swift motion, Kael shoved it open and thrust her inside, locking it behind them.

The muffled thrum of the music from outside was still there, but in the room, there was only silence—thick, suffocating silence. Kael's chest rose and fell with each breath, his pulse racing. He didn't know why he felt so unsettled with her here, so close. This wasn't just any girl—this was the girl from his past, the girl he had once saved from the very claws of death.

"What are you doing here?" Kael's voice was a low growl, his grip tightening on her wrist as if the pressure would somehow make the answers spill out of her. He could feel her pulse beneath his fingers, her heart pounding as fast as his own.

She met his gaze with calm, detached eyes, her face pale in the dim light. For a moment, there was silence between them. She didn't move, didn't pull away from him, as if she was too lost in the weight of the past to resist. Then, she spoke, her voice quiet, guarded.

"I think you've mistaken me for someone else," she said, her tone soft yet distant, as though the words were rehearsed.

"No," Kael's voice cracked with frustration. "It was you. I know it was you. That night, when the omega attacked. I saved you." His grip on her wrist tightened even more, a surge of emotion rushing through him. "Are you an alpha?" he demanded. The question escaped before he could stop it.

She didn't answer right away, but her eyes darkened, a flicker of something unreadable passing across her face. Kael's heart thundered in his chest as he tried to make sense of the feelings rising within him—rage, confusion, desperation—all tangled up into a single knot of uncertainty.

"Why did you do it?" Kael asked, his voice trembling despite himself. His eyes burned with unshed emotion. "You're the reason I lost my father. You're the reason I ended up like this, stuck in this twisted life. I want to know why. Why me?"

She was silent for a moment, as though her words were trapped inside her, unable to find their way out. Her expression softened for a fraction of a second, but then her gaze flicked to the door, her body tensing as she suddenly became alert.

Before Kael could react, the door creaked softly, a faint click of the handle signaling an intruder. Panic rushed through Kael's veins as he turned toward the sound, his instincts kicking into overdrive.

The girl's eyes widened, and she bolted toward the window, her movements so fast and fluid that Kael was momentarily frozen, caught off guard by her sudden change.

"Stop!" Kael barked, his voice low but commanding, but the girl didn't listen. She was already halfway to the window, her hands working swiftly at the latch.

"Don't do this!" Kael's voice was hoarse as he lunged after her, but before he could reach her, she was gone. She leaped through the window with a grace that made Kael's heart skip a beat. He rushed to the window, leaning over the sill to look down, but all he could see was the dark void below. The girl had disappeared into the night.

Kael cursed under his breath, frustration boiling inside him. He turned back to the room, every muscle in his body taut, ready for whatever came next. But before he could even take another step, a voice—cold and mocking—rang out from the shadows behind him.

"Looking for a way to escape, huh?"

Kael's blood ran cold. He didn't need to turn to know who was speaking. The voice—gravelly and laced with cruelty—belonged to one man. Garrick.

Kael's muscles stiffened as the air seemed to shift around him, growing heavier with each step that Garrick took toward him. Kael's instincts flared. He could feel the darkness of Garrick's presence like a suffocating blanket, wrapping itself around him, smothering him.

"I don't know what you're thinking, little boy," Garrick taunted, his voice thick with amusement. "But nothing is going to happen. You're far too weak for this." The words were spat out like venom, laced with mockery, but Kael knew the real danger lay beneath the surface of Garrick's cruel words.

Kael clenched his fists, a fire building in his chest, but he didn't speak. He didn't give Garrick the satisfaction of a reaction.

Garrick took another step closer, the shadows dancing around him like an extension of his own malice. "You know why I chose you, don't you?" he continued, his tone almost playful now, as if he were reminiscing about some long-forgotten memory. "It's because your mother was my mate. But she betrayed me. She cheated on me with your father."

Kael's stomach twisted at the words, his chest tightening as the truth hit him like a physical blow. "No," Kael's voice was a whisper, but the conviction was there, raw and certain. "It wasn't like that. You're the one who did that. My father saved her. He was the one who—"

Garrick's mocking laughter cut him off. "Oh, Kael, you're so naïve," Garrick sneered, stepping even closer now. "She'll come to me. Just like she always should have."

Kael's entire body burned with rage. He could feel the anger building, swirling like a tempest in his chest. How could Garrick say such things, twist the truth so effortlessly?

The door to the room opened just then, and a woman stepped inside, her presence commanding, calm. Kael didn't need to see her face to know who she was.

"Garrick, honey, you're here," the woman said softly, her voice smooth and comforting, but there was a sharpness underneath, an edge Kael could hear even now. "Everyone wants the omega to serve them."

Kael's eyes narrowed. He knew what she meant by "the omega." He was the omega in question—the one they wanted to break, to manipulate. He wasn't going to let them, though. Not now, not ever.

Garrick's eyes shifted toward Kael. "Yeah, he'll be there. Won't you, Kael?" he said, his smile mocking and cruel.

Kael didn't respond immediately. His mind raced, piecing together everything—the betrayal, the lies, and the twisted game Garrick was playing. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

He clenched his jaw and stood tall, meeting Garrick's gaze without fear. "I'll never be your pawn," he said, his voice cold and unwavering.

Garrick's smile widened, a dark gleam in his eyes. "We'll see about that."

As the woman behind him glanced between them, Kael knew one thing for certain. The storm was just beginning, and he was going to fight until the very end.