Chapter 0003 Sparks and Clash

Iver gritted his teeth, against the pain he felt yet again in his heart, as his feet fumbled around.

“I…I…need to be excused…”. Iver rasped out, his eyes flickering to Faiz, but his facial expression bore nothing of everything he felt.

Iver scurried out of the field, his mind a jumbled mess, but he knew this bond would surely be the death of him.

Faiz's gaze lingered in the direction Iver left. Something in the way Iver had briefly peered at him, those few seconds before he had exited the arena, gnawed at his mind. As if those brown eyes judged him.

“It’s settled. He becomes the head warrior”. Monrique’s firm declaration broke through his thoughts. Faiz peered at the five elders, whose decision was already steadfast in making Iver the head warrior.

“I never objected to it”. Faiz finally muttered, as his eyes went again to where Iver had scampered to.

“He seems like an odd one, with a mystery”. Rae muttered, her voice bright and bubbly, a contrast to how Faz felt at that moment. “We should have a-”. Rae began to speak, but Faiz suddenly broke their contact.

“Next time Rae. I’ve got something to do”. He said curtly, not sparing her another glance, as he walked away. His mind lingered unwillingly on the guy whose presence bore something alien in him.

***

Although the sun had gone beyond the horizon, the day was already dark. Iver stood in front of the mirror of the room assigned to him, after he had spent the whole day running in his wolf form, far away from the palace grounds.

His heart ceaselessly heavy, from what he had denied, the first moment he had seen the Alpha king.

The hell, which he thought he had left behind after Tai’s betrayal, had tagged along with him, adding more layers of torment to his soul, and it was beyond devastation.

A faint sound from the door jolted him back to reality, and he exited the bathroom to discover what it was.

Faiz gingerly made his way to his room, without an escort, but just as the door was jammed shut, Faiz was hurled right back, at the hard wood, with an unnerving pressure.

Barely having enough time to react, Faiz was pinned in place, by a powerful warm frame. A toned arm, on the wall, at the side of his head, while the other, hovered at his throat. Shrouded in darkness the intruder’s face remained veiled.

The scent hit him first, like earth itself, crisp and clean, like a freshly dewed day, and disturbingly familiar that his thoughts wavered, into nothingness.

Faiz’s fist coiled, set to strike, but then the eyes…Auburn, deep, and fiery. Immediately the enclosed proximity, felt nothing like a threat to Faiz, but a storm he would rather wholeheartedly indulge in.

He shouldn’t be here.

Iver’s mind screamed again for the umpteenth time, the minute he realized the prowler was the Alpha king. The arm steadying his frame, quivered a bit, being that close to him.

Then as if someone awoke him from his trance, with a speed like that of a lightning, Faiz overturned their position, his face inches from him. Iver sucked in a harsh breath as he felt the warmth of Faiz’s breath fanning his face.

To steady himself his hands instinctively went to Faiz’s chest, the thumping of his heart against his palms. Locked gaze, Iver tried his best to ignore what his body did in response to their close proximity, his eyes prowling to his slightly parted lips.

“What is it with you and trying to always invade my personal space?”. Faiz asked, his tone calm, yet filled with every timbre of his authority.

“It is no one's fault that our presence always overlaps, but for all I know this quarter is specially for warriors”. Iver muttered lazily, masking his emotions.

Iver nudged him away from him, the little movement only caused an electrifying silver to dance between them.

Iver turned on the lights, while glimpsing at him, hoping for at least any reaction that indicated he also felt the bond between them, but he saw nothing…or either Faiz had done a good job in concealing it.

“Surely, you should have noticed the room belonged to another”. Faiz said, his voice down a notch, almost in a whisper.

“I should have, but even if I did, never in my wildest imagination, thought the Alpha king also stayed in the warrior's quarters”. Iver fired back, his tone harsh.

“Every part of this palace belongs to me”. Faiz said through gritted teeth, taking a step towards him. His stance was threatening. Every reaction of his confirmed Iver’s thoughts.

He picked up his small backpack, suddenly feeling beyond suffocated, realizing the cruel twist of fate the moon goddess had tied him to. Binding him, not just to anyone, but to the Alpha king, would never choose him.

Not ever.

Wordlessly, Iver stalked out of the room, and into the tall grassland, like one whose very existence was a burden. He clenched his fist, his nails biting into his palms, until he felt a sting.

He perceived the metallic smell of blood. He looked down. It was a thorn from a tall grass, but it was only a prick, compared to the gash in his heart.

Faiz, now alone in the room which had been his secret hideout for years suddenly didn’t feel like that anymore at Iver’s absence.

He shouldn’t feel bothered by it, but he did. He clenched his jaw. All these made no sense to him, yet it angered him.

***

Morning came with a tinge of gray sky and silence... In his study, Faiz’s eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. His gaze fell on the document he had left unattended due to the previous day’s event.

The document entails the rundown of Locke’s activities, his previous head warrior, before his death.

His death still a mystery he had to uncover, regardless of the physical evidence that he might have committed suicide. Locke wasn’t just his head warrior, but had been his friend, and one night had changed everything.

The door was pushed open, and Ilias walked in. His expression blank, as he plopped on the empty set opposite Faiz.

“You were right”. He said, as he dropped a small sketch on the desk, which Faiz hadn’t realized he came with. “They found a small stab wound at his back piercing to his heart, which had led to his death, before he had died of drowning”. He continued, as he pointed at the sketch paper.

Faiz picked it up, his face scrunched in confusion, at what was drawn on it. “What’s this for?”. He asked.

“The type of knife assumed to have caused the stab wound. The shape odd, one of a kind”. Ilias muttered, indicating at the blade of the sketched knife.

“I’ve asked Rocky to trace its origin. It will be useful information to link the person involved in the murder”.

Faiz nodded his head, glad he wasn’t wrong sensing something was fishy about Locke’s death, but now he was plagued with the motive behind the murder.

“You are to address the warriors to-”.

“That’s your line of duty not mine”. Faiz interrupted him, as he picked up the sketch once more, his eyes keenly on it, but mind somewhere else. He had barely slept, with the intrusion of Iver’s face haunting his dreams.

“I thought you would want to do that, since we have a new head warrior. It’s right you addressed them, before I do”.

“At last I get to see you!”. A relieved voice came through, as soon as the door was pushed yet again. Loa waltzed in, Faiz’s mother.

Donned in her graceful royal robe, she halted in front of the desk. At her piercing gaze, on him, Faiz sighed, knowing what would come next.

“You shouldn’t have bothered, I would have come to you”. He said calmly.

“Well I’m here already”. She huffed, and folded her hands. “The elders are getting impatient. The throne needs to be-”.

“... stable and it depends on my duty to take Rae as my Mate”. Faiz completed her sentence, standing up suddenly.

“Then we need to finalize the date of your marking ceremony”. An edge to her tone, her firm eyes meeting his.

“I’m all aware of, but if you would excuse me, I have a meeting with my warriors”. Faiz said, heading for the door, while Ilias stared at him, surprise etched on his face.

Faiz knew his role, to marry Rae was inevitable, but a little escapism to where that bore his recent conflicts, wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

A few steps before Faiz could get to the training field, where the warriors were awaiting his presence, his feet moved at a slower pace, as if dreading one’s presence.

He knew quite well what made him avoid meeting with the warriors in the first place, yet as his eyes scanned the expanse of the wide field, scrutinizing each face, he couldn’t find the one he wanted.

The meeting had been scheduled an hour ago, and Iver not being present only meant he never wanted to be here.

An emotion he wasn’t quite familiar with, arose within him, but he watered it down as he began addressing his warriors. A little while later, Ilias reappeared at his side disrupting him.

“We have a situation”. He muttered low enough for only his ears.

“What is it?”. Faiz demanded, feeling a slight pounding at the side of his head.

“One of the night sentries was found dead”.

Faiz whipped his head to face him. “Another murder?”. He asked calmly, hoping vehemently that it wasn’t.

“Yes, exact pattern as Locke’s, a clean stab wound”. Faiz didn’t say a word as he thought hard about what Ilias had just said to him. Two deaths in less than a month weren't just ordinary deaths, but meant something more.

“There’s more. A guard swore he had seen someone leaving the area, and he described a tall bulky male with long hair”. Ilias said.

Faiz froze, as his mind went blank for a second. His eyes went back to the field, observing the faces of his warriors, while assessing their frame.

He didn’t want to jump into conclusion yet, but the description fit only one man, whom he had had the chance of being in very close proximity with.

Just then, he felt Iver’s presence, even before he saw him, standing at the entrance of the field, the air around him darker than usual.

As if also drawn by his odd timing Ilias gaze settled on him, calculative then his spine instantly straightened, as it met Faiz’s eyes, a realization deep within them.

With that expression on his face Faiz already knew what his beta was about to say even before the words came out.

“It can only be him”. Ilias muttered, his eyes hard on Iver.