Chapter 6 Chapter 6

Elorai.

With a sigh, I glance at the door. A part of me wants to stay in this room and never get out, but I don't want to give anyone the satisfaction of feeling that I'm afraid of them.

So, I walk out the door.

The hallway is empty. That's expected, but I still move anyway, taking the route we followed when they took me to my room.

I soon hear voices and follow them.

I arrive at the dining area, all the alphas discussing amongst themselves.

They see me and stiffen, eyes and noses flaring slightly. The temperature in the room drops several degrees and I shiver.

I linger at the entrance, torn between walking in and going back into my room.

Lucas is the first to react. "You're in time. We are just about to have dinner. Have a seat."

Knox is too busy leering at me, dark interest in his eyes, jaw clenched.

I swallow the lump in my throat, taking slow steps into the room and sitting across from them.

"You're integrating well," Ronan murmurs, his gaze still narrowed at me.

I glare at him.

"What would you like to eat?" Lucas asks, breaking the tense silence in the room.

"Crackers and peanut butter," I answer without missing a beat.

"Crackers?" Knox repeats.

"You'll have steak," Lucas deadpans, and turns towards another door. Andre walks out of it, much more composed.

"Serve her steak," he orders. The latter bows and disappears into the kitchen.

It's at the tip of my tongue to refuse, but I've never tried steak before, so I keep mute.

Within moments, my food is brought before me and the smell wafts up my nose. My mouth instantly waters, my stomach growling louder than I've ever heard it.

I grab a fork, dig into the chunk of meat before me, and shove it into my mouth.

My taste buds explode.

It tastes delicious.

Eyes widening, I barely chew before I swallow the chunk in my mouth, taking a bigger bite.

The men just keep watching me as I scarf down what’s in front of me, till the plate is empty.

They both stare at me, intrigue written on their faces.

“Would you like some more?” Lucas asks, and I nod, doing my best to keep my eagerness down. He waves Andre over, and the latter presents me with another plate of mouthwatering steak.

I immediately start eating.

Ronan is about to speak when a sound cuts through the silence. I tense, unfamiliar with it, but Lucas frowns.

“We’re not expecting anyone,” he growls under his breath, alarm woven into their features.

“I’ll go check who it is…” Andre offers, hurrying out of the dining area. They all watch him go, but I return my attention back to my food, quietly enjoying it.

Footsteps approach, and Andre shows up with a beautiful lady by his side. She sees the men and beams.

“Good morning, Alphas. I see you’re back from the mission,” she says with an easy smile on her face.

“We weren’t expecting you to see us so quickly, Adaline,” Lucas mutters, subtly relaxing in his seat.

“Let’s just say, I missed you all,” she replies, still giving them that easy smile.

Ronan’s expression doesn’t change. If anything, it seems to have grown darker.

Adaline looks across the room, her gaze dropping on me. The smile disappears instantly.

“Who’s this?”

At Adaline's question, everyone falls silent, just staring at each other. I keep chewing my food, unsure if I should respond.

It particularly wasn’t directed at me.

She huffs at the silence, wearing a strained smile. “She must be the new plaything you picked up, right?” she asks, glancing at the men.

That strikes a nerve. I frown. “I’m not a plaything.”

She glares at me, eyes narrowed to slits. “Then what are you?” she grits.

I don’t answer, just take a bite of my steak.

I watch as her color starts to fade, realization dawning on her face. “Ronan, she isn’t the target the council ordered you to kill, is she?”

Nobody answers that question either. Knox looks away, rubbing the back of his neck, Lucas lets out a deep breath. Their silence and demeanor are answer enough for her. She gasps.

“She’s supposed to be dead!” Adaline cries, her expression turning panicked. “You were supposed to kill her! Why didn’t you?” Her gaze snaps toward me again, venomous. “Why did you let her live?!”

“Shut the fuck up, Adaline…” Ronan growls under his breath, his jaw clenched.

She shakes her head instead. “No, this isn’t right! You’ve disobeyed a rule. You’re supposed to kill her, not let her live!”

“Shut the fuck up!” Ronan snaps, shooting to his feet. Adaline stumbles backward, fear all over her face. Ronan is furious now.

He must have done something, because she goes down on her knees, groaning in pain and writhing. Even Lucas and Knox seem uncomfortable, visibly struggling as they sit.

“We didn’t kill her, so what?” he asks her, tilting his head to the side. “Is there anything you want to do about it?”

“She’s a weapon!” Adaline chokes out, doing her best to meet Ronan’s gaze. “She was created to ruin us. To expose us in public and have us killed. If you let her live, she will do just that!”

I grow puzzled at her words. Me, a weapon?