Chapter 36

When Alpha woke up, he found himself lying on top of Eve, his face was resting on Eve's shoulder. Despite being taller than Eve, they were quite similar in height. The sky was still somewhat dark, and the birds had yet to start their morning songs.

Alpha tried to move, but couldn't because of Eve's tight grip around him. His eyes darted up at Eve's face, and even though he was still asleep, his face was alarmed. Alpha stared at his face for a while, feeling an emotion he couldn't quite understand, but it felt familiar, as if he had felt it before.

Something was different this time. For the first time, Alpha didn't feel the usual pain in his head after waking up, he wasn't shivering from the cold because of Eve's body heat that was keeping him warm, and he didn't feel like he was suffering or angry. Instead...

He felt at peace.

A peace that he never asked for.

And surprisingly, he didn't hate this peace.

He rested his head back on Eve's chest and listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Strangely, the more he listened, the faster his own heart started beating, as if it wanted to synchronise with Eve's. It confused him, it made him feel...sad.

Sad? Why? He didn't know. He just felt like he should be sad, like he should be punished, or even worse…he should be skinned off….he should be killed. But for what crime, he didn't know or maybe….remember.

"Mhm..." Suddenly, Eve made a noise and jerked slightly, startling Alpha. His eyes widened, and he quickly shut them tight, afraid that Eve would wake up and find him awake but still clinging to him. It would hurt his pride.

Fortunately, Eve stopped moving and remained peacefully asleep. Alpha let out a relieved sigh, glad that he didn't need to worry about leaving this intoxicated warmth just yet. He could take shelter in this peace a little longer.

For the first time, Alpha couldn't fully comprehend the peace he was feeling amidst the chaos in his heart. But did he like it? No. Did he prefer this peace? No. Because no matter how serene he felt while listening to the rhythmic beats of Eve's heart, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was doing something wrong—something he wasn't allowed to. Something his heart wasn't giving him the permission for.

So, he decided to snap out of this tender daze before he became too addicted. Alpha prepared to raise his head and separate himself from Eve. But just as he was about to make a move, a warm hand gently rested on his cold right cheek, sending a shiver down his spine. He froze, captivated by the sudden wave of warmth.

Eve stirred again, a soft murmur escaping his lips, unwilling to let his hostage escape. The said hostage considered protesting and telling him to let go, but his actions were the opposite of his words. Instead, he nuzzled even closer to Eve's neck, surrendering to the irresistible allure.

Alpha grumbled, unable to resist voicing his frustration. "Let go of me," he mumbled to the still-sleeping Eve, although he made no actual move to break free or push Eve away. Which he could have easily done if he wished.

Eve stirred once more at the voice, finally waking up. His sleepy eyes met with Alpha's, and it took him a moment to register their current position. Acknowledging their closeness, Eve quickly pulled away, a sheepish expression on his face. "Oh my god! I'm sorry!" he rushed his words, his voice slightly groggy from sleep.

Alpha remained silent, while glaring at Eve, as if the poor boy had committed a severe crime simply by waking up. He didn't like how his warmth pulled away from him.

"You really enjoy sticking to me, don't you, fat cheeks?" Alpha tried to act nonchalant as he stood up, pretending as if he wasn't the one who was reluctant to leave Eve's side. He straightened his clothes, giving them a quick brush to remove any imaginary dust before walking away, leaving a bewildered Eve behind.

Eve got up as well, he winced as his whole body was sore after bearing the stone ground underneath him and a heavy body on top of him, for the whole night. He followed Alpha closely. When they arrived at their dorm, they were greeted by Nick, who wore an angry snarl on his face. He glanced between Alpha and Eve, suspicion obvious in his eyes.

Nick's voice carried a tone of doubt as he questioned Alpha. "Where were you? And who's this guy?" He eyed Eve who flinched behind Alpha by the furious look in Nick's eyes.

Following Nick's eyes, for some reason Alpha didn't like Nick's attention on Eve. He stepped in front of Eve, shielding him from Nick's piercing gaze. An unexplained feeling of possessiveness took hold of him and he retorted. "It's none of your business where I was. And he's my roommate."

Nick's eyes burned with anger, and he clenched his teeth, struggling to contain his frustration. He spoke through gritted teeth, "It is my business. Anyways, don't be late. I'll pick you up at 4 am."

Alpha chose not to respond, but the intensity in his eyes conveyed his feelings more than words ever could. Nick glanced at Eve once more, but the look in Alpha's eyes made Nick take a step back. Sensing the danger emanating from Alpha, Nick sternly warned him in a slow voice. "No distractions allowed, Alpha."

A gust of anger flashed across Alpha's face as he resisted not to behead his brother right there. He had always obediently followed orders, but this time he wanted to rebel. "Your duty is to keep an eye on me and report everything to the lab. Not to tell me what I'm allowed or not allowed to do. You can report my 'distraction' to the lab as well. I don't care."

Nick was shocked to see the absence of fear in his eyes at the mention of lab for the first time.

With those words, Alpha walked past Nick and entered his dorm, leaving Eve behind. Nick groaned in frustration, shaking his head.

His gaze shifted to Eve, who was surprisingly already glaring at Nick. Eve's eyes didn't waver and looked straight at him. Nick frowned but before he could speak, Eve silently walked past him and followed Alpha into the dorm, shutting the door behind him.

Inside the dorm, Eve found Alpha sitting on his (Eve's) bed instead of his own with a raging expression. Eve didn't understand the reason for Alpha's anger this time, but then again when doesn't he need a reason to be angry?

Curiosity got the better of Eve, as he cautiously approached Alpha and asked. "What was that guy talking about? And where are you going at 4 am?"

Alpha's gaze quickly turned on him with lightning speed, making Eve jump in fright. He feels so little under that soul-crushing glare, after a brief silence, Alpha smirked watching him practically trembling. "Is it your hobby to meddle in my matters?"

Eve felt flustered but answered his question with another question, his voice slightly shaking. "And…the lab, what's a lab?"

Alpha's face tensed, and he rose from the bed, slowly walking towards Eve, who instinctively took a step backward. The space between them diminished until Eve's back bumped against the large mirror behind him. Alpha smirked, placing his hands on either side of Eve's head, trapping him using his strong body.

Their eyes locked, and Alpha's voice turned low and dangerous as he warned, "Don't butt in the things that aren't good for you. There are many things you'll hear and experience in this place, but if you want to survive, it's best to keep your curiosity at bay."

Alpha searched for any changes in Eve's eyes but he all found them filled with innocence and fear. He still doesn't believe that Eve is not hiding something. He laughed in his head. Still trying to play cute.

His eyes unconsciously roamed across those soft features on Eve's face, and finally stopped on those chubby blushing cheeks. Eve sucked in a breath when Alpha suddenly leaned in and sank his sharp teeth into Eve's right cheek, biting it aggressively but not to the point of causing pain.

"Ahn!" Eve squinted his eyes at the embarrassing sound that escaped his lips. He tightly gripped the hem of his shirt, his heart pounding in his chest, when he felt something wet grazing over that bite. No…his t-tongue.

Alpha pulled a bit to whisper the playful threat into his ear. "Do you understand me?"

Eve's voice stuck in his throat, his response came out broken as he managed to reply, "Y-Yes."

Alpha finally released his hold on him, and Eve quickly fled away from his grasp. Moving further away from his devil of a roommate.

Alpha's gaze was focused on his own reflection in the mirror, his dead eyes staring back at him. A heavy silence surrounded the room as Eve stood awkwardly in the middle of the dorm, and Alpha observed him through the mirror this time.

Deciding to ignore the tension, Eve tried to divert his attention by taking out some clothes to change into. However, as he reached for the clothes, he remembered something important. Without turning around, he asked hesitantly, his heart still racing as his cheek throbbed. "Will you be there during the fight?"

Silence.

No answer. Eve waited patiently.

Then Eve frowned and waited impatiently. But still no answer.

After a long pause, a devilish voice echoed in the room. "Do you want me to be there for you, little lamb?"

Eve finally sighed and felt relaxed when he got the response. He couldn't understand why, but he found himself hoping for this egomaniac to be there to help him, just like how Alpha helped him before. Ignoring the silly name, he answered, "I do."

Again, the response from Alpha was delayed. But when it came, it sent a chill down Eve's spine. Because the voice didn't seem as if it came from behind him but from far away which made it echo throughout the dorm, giving a frightening feeling. "Well, then I'll be their little lamb, Just…for…you!"

Eve froze in place, the clothes slipping from his trembling hands. Cold sweat formed on his forehead as he slowly turned around with a thundering heart, and his soul left his body when he found the spot where Alpha was standing empty.

W-Where…did..where did he disappear?

He didn't know how long he stood there, frozen in fear. The disturbing silence in the room was heavy with a mysterious insanity that left him trembling, the only sound he could hear was his racing heartbeats.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Suddenly, a sharp knock shattered that silence, making Eve flinch uncontrollably. The sound rumbled through the room, Eve gulped but made no move.

The knock came again, this time more insistent. Eve's hands tightened around him. The door was locked from the inside, then where Alpha vanished inside a closed room, he wondered fearfully.

"Eve..." It was sage, his voice pierced through the door. Eve let out the breath he was holding clutching his chest. He used his wobbly legs and reached the door, unlocking it, he encountered a concerned face.

"Everyone is waiting for you. It's time, what were you doing Eve?"

Eve's heart sank further at Sage's words, and he paled. He thought his time had come. Sage pitied him seeing how scared he looked. He spoke softly. "Don't worry, we'll be there for you. River and I won't let anything happen to you, alright? Just don't look so scared."

Eve's trembling lips curved into a weak smile, a feeble attempt to show his gratitude. He even forgot about the shower he had planned to take, knowing that he would soon be covered in dirt and blood anyway. Reluctantly, he released the breath he had been holding and slowly walked out of the room, every step felt heavy, as if he was walking towards his own death. Which he probably was.

As they walked side by side, Eve's voice quivered with anxiety. "Sage, what if I... lose? What if Marco claims me as his prey?"

Sage halted abruptly, his gaze locking onto Eve's petrified face. His own fears were trying to show up on his face but he quickly composed himself. Placing a comforting hand on Eve's shoulder, he tried to ease him rather. "Even if that happens, I promise you, I'll ask River to help you. He's powerful. He will put Marco in his place if he tries anything."

Sage's thoughts raced as he made that promise. He couldn't bear to see Eve suffer, not again. But he couldn't bring himself to tell him the horrifying truth about the Night Hunt. The chaos, the brutality. How the yellow batch holders got assaulted, and even the weaker red batch holders were not safe. Because what matters is who is more powerful and who can defeat whom.

◾◾◾

"Greetings whores and enemies, I, a ten, welcome all you fives to an outlandish event!"

A tall boy with deep freckles started as he stood on the desk while making the announcement as the students quickly sprinted through the doors since no one was allowed to hide. "As you already know why we gathered here. Yeah, that's right to encounter the fight of the century. I have never seen a fight as mismatched as this in my whole life, so you better laugh while you're given a chance because small things could give big pleasures."

"Ira! Fucking get down before I sort out your guts," Jaxton yelled pulling on Ira's leg who scowled and kicked his hand away before going back to his anchoring.

"On one side we had our self-appointed heavyweight champion of Sunford. Watch him puff out his chest like a peacock, and struts around thinking he's equal to Alpha. Pft! It's like watching a blowfish trying to intimidate a shark. Isn't it hilarious?!"

Marco glared at him sitting on a desk while thinking he was sitting on his throne. The students burst into laughter while Jaxton tried again to shut his overhyped roommate before rubbing his face where he was given a taste of a kick.

"Ira, step down before he turns your face into an ugly dildo!"

Ira's eyes landed on Sage and Eve who just entered. His eyes lit up as he quickly jumped off the desk and ran towards them.

"And on the other side, we had this timid weakling, he looked like he would trip over his own shoelaces hahaha!" He laughed even though he clearly looked like a kid in front of Eve due to their height difference. Sage's face twisted in disgust as he gave him a dirty look. He tiptoed to pat Eve on the head. "Aww, it looks like even life has forgotten your existence. It seems like instead of giving you lemons to make lemonade, life squeezed them into your eyes."

He used his fist as a mic to interview Eve. "So, tell us what plans you have after you lose….SHIT!" But lost his voice when River suddenly appeared behind Sage.

"Ouch!" Ira got a whack on his head and got pulled behind Jaxton who appeared beside him out of nowhere. He met River's glare. "Sorry, I'll take my idiot away!"

Seeing them entering, Marco smirked. And before he could say anything River announced to everyone. "The fight will go on for five minutes. If the opponent couldn't get up after five minutes he would lose. So, without fucking wasting your breaths just start because I want to leave."

He grabbed Sage's hand with a grumbling expression and stood to the other side. Everything was silenced as they watched the two opponents come standing in front of each other.

Eve and Marco faced each other. Marco smirked, and raised a mocking brow. But Eve remained emotionless, and didn't respond to his provocation. The students silently watched them, some were waiting for them to quickly finish it so that they could leave this hall before the Night Hunts started, and some were waiting for a blood bath.

"Any last words, weakling?" Marco taunted with arrogance. He was in his own world of vanity where he was the boss, clenching his fist he was dying to end Eve's life.

But to everyone's surprise, Eve stepped forward, closing the distance between them slightly. He didn't look scared or nervous, even though his face couldn't be read.

It was a great shock to those who gasped heavily at his daring. While River, standing with Sage, frowned in confusion as he observed the sudden change in Eve. He didn't understand whether Eve was playing it tough intentionally, or if he was trying to be stupidly brave. Still, he couldn't hear the murmurers going on between them.

Instead of responding, Eve stared into Marco's eyes and whispered. "How about I tell you a story instead?"