Chapter 5

Miguel

Halfway through unbuttoning my shirt, my eyes snapped to the door and collided with those spring green eyes sharp as moss. I had hardly registered things or questioned what Flynn Hitchcock was doing in this room when the door slammed shut and I could have sworn that I heard a muffled scream outside the door.

My eyes narrowed towards the door, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Before I could blurt out the big question that slipped through my mind, causing my heart to skitter to a stop, my best friend, Vernon—young alpha of the eclipsed shield moon pack—he gasped, pointing to the door. “Could it be…” He trailed.

Vernon shoved to his feet, tossed his dagger to the bed, his eyes widening with every second that he inched closer to me. “Is it just me or was he holding an envelope? If he came into this room, does this mean that you are roommates with Flynn? I mean we?”

A growl rumbled from my chest and I shot Vernon a glare that made him step back, raising his hands in defeat. Being roommates with Flynn? Such a mistake has never happened before and if it did, it meant that one of us wouldn’t be leaving the room alive.

And that person? Flynn Hitchcock.

So, Flynn coming into this room had to be a mistake, he wouldn’t even dare because he knew that crossing paths with me outside of the training ground spelled death for him. But—

My confusion intensified as my mind drifted to what had happened in the morning between Flynn and me. Before that, reliable news came from the spies planted in the Beastly Shadow pack, concerning the rumored death of Alpha Flynn. Father had thrown a party, because Flynn’s death meant that the sceptre could be hijacked.

We were just planning to launch an attack on the beastly shadow pack, I was ready to break the news about Flynn’s death only for the smile on my face to vanish when I spotted him leaning against my locker, a taunting smile on his face— The smile that proved he knew my darkest secret and could use it against me anytime soon.

I couldn’t believe I thought he was dead!

As if that wasn’t worse enough, thoughts about Flynn invaded my mind and I hated that it did because if there was one consistent fact, it was me not giving a hoot about him.

A groan slipped from my mouth as I shrugged off my shirt and tossed it to the bed, sauntering to my closet to get a towel. Vernon followed after me. “Is it just me but when Flynn came inside, I couldn’t feel that Alpha aura which is weird to me because Flynn would always make you feel it, even from a distance”

“Just to remind one that he could become the Alpha of all Alphas! Aside from you clashing with him, I heard rumors that Flynn Hitchcock gave snacks to almost everyone in the morning? Do you even know how silly that sounds? Everyone’s been talking about it because Flynn being nice? Unbelievable!” He huffed.

My eyes narrowed on Vernon as I tried to process his words. Now that I thought about it, there was something weird about Flynn.

When I stared into his eyes, that glint of arrogance wasn’t there anymore but instead, his eyes were soft, innocent, and enchanting. Those green eyes were like a magnetic pull, luring me into a rabbit hole I might never escape.

I shook my head immediately because who gave a fuck about his eyes or rabbit holes? Why would I even describe his eyes in that manner?

I harrumphed, removing the towel from my locker, fixing my eyes on Vernon. “Everyone’s concern is valid because when I searched his eyes, I couldn’t read his thoughts which is weird because I could do that easily just by staring into his eyes”

Vernon crossed his hands over his chest. “What you are trying to say is that you can’t read his mind anymore?”

I nodded.

He clicked his tongue. “That is indeed weird”

Not being able to read Flynn’s mind wasn’t even the issue right now. The issue was when I caught a whiff of his scent, something clashed. At that moment, it felt like something inside of Flynn was being suppressed.

I couldn’t describe what it was but something was really off with Flynn.

Vernon leaned against the wall, muttering incoherent words before his eyes widened—sparking with eagerness. He snapped his fingers. “If Flynn is going through such changes…”

My mouth parted as I completed his words. “Then he is now weak. He looks thinner, like he could drop dead anytime soon and all of this means that the six-month sickness had taken a heavy toll on him”

The corner of Vernon’s upper lip lifted in a smirk as he dipped his head before his eyes snapped back to mine. “And when an Alpha grows weak…”

I stepped forward, meeting his eyes as my fingers rested on his shoulder in a tight grip. “It means that the weak would be trampled on, taken out as the weak could never survive here”

Just then, the tension between us was broken when the door creaked open and a low growl vibrated through my chest as I cast a glance to the trembling figure standing at the door.

His grip tightened around the red envelope, his jaw tensed as he struggled to blurt out the words. He let out an almost silent cry.

I didn’t even bother asserting dominance over him. From the way he looked, he was weak—too weak— and he wouldn’t even last two days here.

“Alpha Miguel, Alpha Vernon…” His voice was barely a whisper as he adjusted his huge rimmed glasses.

“Sure you aren’t in the wrong room, kiddo?” Vernon taunted.

I shook my head, fingers leaving Vernon’s shoulder. “We take Flynn out during the first trial”

Vernon smirked, walking past me while sauntering to the boy who still stood at the entrance. Sadly, the boy caught his attention with his weakness and if there was someone who loved messing with extremely weak people it had to be Vernon.

He derived pleasure just from seeing them grovel at his feet.

While Vernon slipped a hand over the timid boy’s shoulder, I folded the towel in the rack before stepping into the shower. The cold haze settled on my skin, pulling me away from Vernon's shenanigans.

However, one name rattled consistently in my head like shackles bound to the wall. Flynn Hitchcock.

As water sluiced down my skin, I leaned forward, palm pressed to the cold tiled wall, eyes squeezed shut as I fought to silence Vernon’s taunting laughter that rang through my ears.

If I wanted to end Flynn, I needed to think Flynn.

The cold water settled on my back, that taunting smile on Flynn’s flashing through my head again and a groan slipped from my mouth.

That smile didn’t matter.

What mattered the most was that his weakness would hand me the sceptre— and wipe that mocking smile off his face forever.

How dare he mock me?

Flynn had done too much, he knew too much, and those who knew too much about me always ended up dead.