Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Apex's hidden mate: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

Caspian’s POV I sat on the edge of her bed, elbows on my knees, just... staring. Aria. Still unconscious, but breathing steady. Chest rising and falling like nothing happened. Like she hadn’t just nearly torn the world apart. Her hair—gods, her hair. It wasn’t black anymore. Silver. Purple. Like storm clouds right before lightning cracks the sky wide open. The strands shimmered even in the low light, like they were humming with energy that hadn't quite settled yet. "You're seriously trying to kill me with all this hotness, aren’t you?" I muttered under my breath, brushing a piece of hair off her cheek. She didn’t move. That scene behind the clubhouse… hell, I still wasn’t sure it had actually happened. I mean, I’ve seen crazy things. Done crazy things. But this? She’d been floating. Floating. Hair whipping around like it had a life of its own. Bursting with raw electricity. And those masked bastards? The Skull Syndicate? They weren’t prepared for it. Not even close. Honest

Aria’s POV Quin didn’t answer. She just pulled her arm from mine I stared at her, stunned. Frozen. It was her. The face. The eyes. It was all Quin. But everything else… wasn’t. Her gaze was cold. Focused. Void of warmth. This Quin was like steel. Like something sharpened in a place no light ever touched. She turned and started to walk away. “Quin!” I stepped after her. “Stop! Talk to me!” Nothing. Just the sound of her footwear on concrete floor. I moved faster, falling in step beside her. “What’s going on? Where are you going? Quin! Are you seriously just walking away?!” She finally spoke, voice low and flat like it’d been scraped clean of anything human. “You’re not part of my mission, miss. You shouldn’t have followed me.” My stomach sank. “Your mission?” I asked, heart pounding. “Quin… are you the one who killed them? The masked men in the cells. Was that you? Why would you—” She didn’t answer. Kept walking. “Quin, stop!” I moved around her and stepped in her path,

Aria’s POVEver since I stepped back into the academy, everything had changed. The looks were different. I was the Omega who dared to think she belonged in spaces reserved for Alphas and Betas. The girl who had the audacity to form a team for the intrahouse games when even Deltas scoffed at the idea. Now they stared like I was some kind of legend. Some watched me with wide-eyed admiration, others with thinly veiled envy. Most just looked confused, like they couldn’t piece together how the same girl they used to mock was suddenly the one the Headmaster publicly thanked on the official academy group chat.The rumors that followed after was diabolical. One said I charmed the headmaster. Another said I performed an act. And there are other things I won’t like to mention. I ignored most of it. But the weight of it followed me anyway as I made my way toward the school field. I sat on the bleachers, letting the sun warm my skin. Tyla flopped down beside me, grinning like she’d just wo

Aria’s POV I blinked, unsure I’d heard him right. Extra ears? Since when did Kaid need “extra ears”? It wasn’t like him at all. Was this… about what I said to him? What I said to all of them? That they were incompetent? That they were letting the Skulls Syndicate slip through their fingers while they played at politics and power? But Kaid wasn’t the kind of man who could be moved by harsh truths. Or so I thought. Still… I wanted to hear what Selena had to say. She wouldn’t have made her way into the penthouse unless she believed she had something real. Or wanted Kaid to think she did. So I shrugged. “Sure,” I said simply. “Why not.” That’s when Selena’s voice cut in, all breathy and wrapped in a ribbon of false sweetness. “Why is she part of this?” she asked Kaid, like I couldn’t possibly understand real information. “Bringing a complete stranger to this discussion isn’t a good idea.” Kaid didn’t even look at her. He didn’t answer her. He just walked out of the penthouse.

Aria’s POV “It’s not up for debate,” I snapped, squaring my shoulders, locking my gaze on his like I could force my will into him. The others stayed quiet. That told me everything. If they wanted me to stay behind, they’d have backed him up by now. Thane finally broke the silence, his voice calm, thoughtful. “I have a much better idea.” I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not sitting back here like some helpless—” “You won’t be.” **** Thirty minutes later, I was standing in a room I’d never seen before. It looked like something straight out of those spy movies—walls covered with massive screens, machines humming quietly, the faint buzz of power thick in the air. “This is our security room,” Thane said, moving to one of the sleek consoles, fingers already flying over the keyboard. I crossed my arms. “This is so cool. How come I don’t see any security men?” “Because no one comes here.” His eyes didn’t leave the screens. “Aside from routine maintenance, no one steps foot in this place