chapter 96: not convinced

Elias sat on the edge of the bed, the tension still coiled in his limbs long after the soldier's footsteps had faded down the corridor.

The man's words clung to him, a quiet warning wrapped in mock amusement.

I wonder how long you can keep up this act.

Elias exhaled sharply through his nose.

He was acting. He had been for years. But here, under the Alpha's scrutiny—under the watchful eyes of men like that soldier—he was being forced into a far more dangerous game.

His usual tricks wouldn't work forever.

He had to find another way.

Outside, the torches lining the courtyard flickered in the wind, their light casting long shadows against the stone walls. The night was alive with distant murmurs—soldiers talking, boots scuffing against stone, the occasional clang of metal as the night guards rotated shifts.

Elias ran a hand over his wrist absentmindedly. His skin still tingled where the Alpha had gripped him earlier. Not from pain.

From something else.

Something unsettling.

He hated it.

The Alpha was too sharp, too interested. He had seen something, and he wasn't going to let it go. And now, Elias had to deal with that soldier too—though he still brushed him off as nothing more than one of the Alpha's favored men, toying with an Omega simply because he could.

Still, it left him uneasy.

Elias needed to disappear again. To slip back into the background, let their interest wane. But could he? Now that the Alpha had moved him to the west wing—now that his movements were being watched so closely?

His fingers curled into the fabric of his tunic.

The rules had changed.

And Elias wasn't sure if he could keep up this act long enough to survive.

---

The next morning, the tension in the air was palpable.

Elias walked through the hall with measured steps, his presence ignored by most but not by all. The guards stationed at his door straightened as he stepped out, falling into position behind him without a word.

A reminder.

A cage.

Elias kept his gaze forward. If he had to endure this, he would do so with quiet patience. The moment he let frustration show was the moment he gave them more to work with.

The training grounds were already filled with soldiers when he arrived. Today, the drills were harsher. Strikes landed harder. The atmosphere was heavy with something unspoken.

The Alpha was there.

Elias spotted him easily, standing at the edge of the sparring ring, arms crossed over his chest. His expression was unreadable, but Elias knew that gaze was on him the moment he stepped into view.

The other Omegas were gathered in a separate space, doing light exercises. They weren't expected to fight.

But Elias knew today wouldn't go as expected.

"Elias."

The Alpha's voice cut through the air like a blade.

Elias stilled.

Slowly, he turned, keeping his expression carefully neutral. "Yes, my lord?"

The Alpha gestured toward the training ring. "Join them."

The soldiers in the ring—men who had spent their lives honing their skill in combat—turned their heads, a few exchanging glances.

A murmur ran through the group.

An Omega? Training with them?

Elias kept his shoulders loose. This is a test.

One he couldn't afford to fail.

He stepped forward without hesitation, slipping past the line of soldiers and into the ring. He felt the weight of their gazes, the amusement and curiosity radiating from them.

"Pair him up," the Alpha said lazily.

One of the men stepped forward—broad-shouldered, a cruel glint in his eye.

Elias recognized him.

One of the soldiers who had mocked him days ago.

The man grinned, rolling his shoulders. "This'll be over quick."

The others chuckled.

Elias merely offered a small, nervous nod, keeping up the act.

The Alpha watched from the sidelines. Waiting. Measuring.

The soldier lunged.

Elias had seconds to make a choice.

If he dodged too fast, if he countered too well—he would reveal too much.

So he let the blow glance off him, staggering back just enough to make it believable.

The soldier smirked. "Pathetic."

Another strike. Elias avoided it, but just barely.

He played his role well. Clumsy, but not too clumsy. Enough to make them believe he had no skill—just an Omega thrown into a fight he had no hope of winning.

The Alpha's gaze burned into him.

Elias felt his heartbeat steady.

He had to convince him.

So when the final strike came—one meant to send him to the ground—Elias let himself fall.

Dust kicked up around him as he hit the dirt, breath leaving him in a forced gasp.

Laughter rang through the air.

The soldier stepped back, shaking his head. "Told you it'd be quick."

Elias pushed himself up weakly, head bowed in defeat.

He could feel the Alpha's stare.

He waited.

Waited for the judgment, for the command that would either confirm or dismiss the Alpha's suspicions.

And then—

"Again."

The laughter stopped.

Elias looked up.

The Alpha's expression had not changed. But his tone had.

He wasn't convinced.

Elias felt his stomach twist.

This was only the beginning.