Chapter 6

Delaney POV

"A mandatory run? You've got to be kidding me!" I facepalmed, gathering my confidence after seconds of opening and closing my mouth without a word. I followed Kai behind, swallowing every pain that shot up my leg with every hurried step I took.

"I just fell over from my balcony, for goodness sake, got kidnapped by you and your brother, and now you expect me to attend a run the first day of this forced stay?" I threw my hands in the air, my voice rising an octave. Kai remained silent, his broad shoulders visibly tense beneath his black shirt.

"And whose fault was that? It's been almost 3 hours now, Delaney; surely you have healed by now," Ronan chimed in, following behind. Our footsteps echoed on the polished marble floor, lower than our voices as we spoke.

"And tomorrow will be your second day in our home, not your first," he added smoothly. "How did you even get into college if you can't count from one to two?" His words stirred a boiling feeling inside, one that was crawling up my body first. I whirled around to glare at him, something I had done a lot since meeting him.

"Soon I won't be able to say the numbers at all, because you and your brother ripped me away from home, from college," I replied in a low voice, my teeth pressed together as I attempted to control a boiling feeling in my stomach. Then I spun back, attempting to keep up with Kai, who was winding up the wide bifurcated staircase that separated at the landing.

I used the handrails made of polished brown wood to support myself as I climbed up, admiring the railings made of intricate wrought iron that brought an ancient feel. At the top, Kai took the right flight of stairs that veered to what I assumed was the right wing.

"Hey Alpha Kai," I called, my patience thinning. "If you haven't been listening for the last few minutes, I said that I am not going to go for that run tomorrow," I repeated, pronouncing each word slowly and loud enough for him to understand. Down the hall was a young man dressed in blue-washed jeans and a black t-shirt approaching, smiling at obviously the two twins.

"Alpha Ronan, Alpha Kai," he bowed slightly when we met halfway, right outside an intricate wooden double door.

"You must be Delaney," he sidestepped Kai, stretching his hand towards me, his eyes lingering on me a little too long for my comfort. I looked at both twins, wondering how a man I was meeting for the first time knew me.

"This is Elias, our cousin and the head of every staff member in this estate. He will show you to your room. You should be settled by dinnertime; I expect you to get down to the dining room before 6." Ronan explained while Kai pushed the door open and disappeared inside.

"What's the time? Did you even carry my phone?" I asked, realising that I had been so caught up in their forced stay that I totally forgot about my phone.

"Should be in your bag. I am sure your stuff has been safely put in your room as we speak. See you at dinner." With that, Ronan followed Kai, leaving me with a total stranger and a million questions, complaints and obscene words.

"Right this way," Elias directed, giving me a smile that I wanted to slap off his face. What was good to smile about?

"Alpha Kai never changes his mind when he decides something," he spoke after some time as I quietly followed him in the dimly lit hallway.

"Huh?" I asked, glaring at the back of his head.

"I heard you telling him that you were not going for tomorrow's run," he clarified, leading me to another set of stairs at the end of the hallway that led to the second floor.

"And how is that your business?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes when he chuckled in return.

"Is something funny?" I asked.

"It's just that Ronan warned me that you were a handful when he called to have your room prepared," he answered as we got to the second floor. The hallway here was much wider, and the air smelt of lavender.

"Is that so?" I pressed.

"This wing belongs to the alpha kings entirely. No one is allowed up here except me, the housekeeper, and occasionally Alpha Ronan's fu-friend." The moment he mentioned that, my mind took me back to the woman who practically threw herself at Ronan.

"And Alpha Kai's?" I pressed, even though I wasn't sure about whether I needed an answer.

"He hasn't brought a woman here since their ma..." Elias trailed off, standing in front of a dark oak double door that had intricate patterns and gold accents that looked quite old.

"Here you are," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"You were saying something about Kai," I pressed, curiosity rising.

"Don't let him find you digging up stuff about him." He opened the door, revealing a stunning room that had a high ceiling, a king-size bed with blue and white bedding, and large windows that were framed by white sheers. My duffel bag was placed on the floor by the foot of the bed.

"This leads to the walk-in closet and that," he pointed at a door at the furthest corner, then added, "leads to the bathroom."

"And that?" I pointed at another door, raising my eyebrows when he looked aside.

"It leads to the balcony, but I was instructed to screw it in," he muttered.

"Then open it."

"I can't; I was told you have history with balconies," he explained, fighting off an amusing smile. There was a short silence between us, as I tried to fight insults that were bubbling at the tip of my tongue.

"You'll find essentials in the closet," he said after a while, moving to open it.

"There are mostly clothes, selected specifically for you by the housekeeper, and..." He paused, eyeing my clothes with a smirk on his face. "A little more tailored to the Alphas' taste than yours."

I narrowed my eyes, peering into the closet. Heels, silk, lace, leather—great, so I basically had nothing comfortable to wear. "This is their taste?" Elias nodded.

"Are they expecting me to walk in lingerie and heels?" I shook my head, stepping away from the closet door.

"I wouldn't put it past them," Elias said, his tone firm, expression serious.

"Fantastic," I huffed and spun back toward the door again. "And whose room is to my left?"

"Kai's," he answered, then gestured to the door across the hall. "And that's Ronan's, so you are basically in between them." So it was their plan all along to situate me between them.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" I peeped at the hallway to check whether the coast was clear, lowering my voice.

"Sure."

"There was a girl who threw herself at Ronan when we arrived..." I trailed off, not entirely sure why I had this strong urge to dig up info about her.

"Uh, yes, Chloe. Listen." He stepped closer, looking straight into my eyes.

"If you want a nice and smooth stay in the capital, stay away from Chloe and her minions. She is not someone you want to be friends with or against. I'll come pick you up in a few hours for dinner." He left after that, leaving me to my thoughts.