Holding a tray with a cup of warm tea and a plate with a few pieces of bread spread with butter, Ren entered the room. Zayden’s figure imdiately caught his attention.
After all, how could Zayden be in the room and Ren’s attention not be directed toward him?
As usual, Zayden had caught his scent but decided not to spare him a glance. As petty as it might seem, he truly despised seeing Ren carry another person in his arms, even if it was a friend who had fainted. Like always, he blad the demon blood running through his veins. It was the easiest way to dismiss his jealousy.
"When did you co?" Ren asked, setting the tray on the night table beside Yusha.
"Just a while ago," Zayden answered, still not looking Ren’s way.
Ren’s breathing grew heavier, clearly irritated.
"You have been here all this ti?" Zayden asked, arms still folded.
"Yes."
The answer was simple, yet it irritated Zayden further. He took a deep breath. He was being immature—he knew that. Still, when it ca to his lover, logic rarely mattered. Ren’s actions were reasonable; Zayden was the only one making a big deal out of it. Even Yusha, the cause of his anger, was likely unaware of what had happened while he was unconscious.
"Did you eat?"
Ren shook his head, but Zayden failed to notice.
"Did you—"
"No," Ren answered, exhaling sharply. "I will eat once Yusha has eaten. He must have walked all the way here. Look at his swollen feet."
Yusha gasped, quickly covering his dirty, red feet.
"R-Ren!" he exclaid, his face burning with embarrassnt.
He had been told that an oga’s feet must not be seen by anyone unless it was his lover. They were said to be sacred—or so the guards at the slave market claid. He never knew whether it was true. Liam avoided speaking about Yusha’s life as a slave altogether. If he could, the alpha would have blocked his ears just to avoid hearing it.
How tragic.
Yusha had been blind. He always told himself it didn’t matter. Not anymore. He was no longer a slave—or so Liam repeated. He almost believed his status had changed. At least until the baby ca along, and he finally saw Liam’s true intentions. The alpha was never going to give him the respect or position he longed for.
He couldn’t help but wonder.
Was he just another oga who had fallen prey to an alpha’s lust?
Sha crawled beneath his skin—irritating, suffocating, unbearable.
"Yusha?" Ren gently tapped his shoulder, noticing his expression darken.
"You can leave," Yusha said, lifting his head and forcing a smile. "I will eat on my own."
It fooled no one, but the two n chose to act as if it had. Zayden rose from his chair, following Ren outside the room.
When the door shut with a faint click, Yusha lowered his head into his palms. He wanted the ground to split open and swallow him whole. He knew better than to trust alphas.
Even if he had loved Liam, being used like this—he hated it.
Even if he was a re slave, did he not deserve the truth?
If Liam had never loved him, he should have said so. Why did he claim otherwise? Why was he so gentle, so sweet, to the point that Yusha had almost forgotten his reality?
The oga bit his lip until it bled. He didn’t notice until the taste spread across his mouth.
Awful.
He thought, wiping the remaining liquid with the back of his hand.
His gaze fell on the tray of food. His stomach twisted. He didn’t feel like eating—not even a single bite.
Still, he forced himself to take a sip of the tea. Steam had been rising from it when Ren brought it in; now, it was gone. Only a lingering warmth remained—one that disappeared within seconds, just like the kindness Liam had shown him.
Maybe it wasn’t kindness at all. Maybe it had all been in his head.
After all, no one—no one—had ever looked at him without lusting over his body. No one had ever held his gaze without fury following soon after. No one had ever held him so tenderly. No one had ever asked for his opinion.
All of it—Liam had done it first.
Yusha had been bound to fall in love.
And now that he had fallen into the trap of his own emotions, there was no going back.
***
Pacing down the hallway, Ren and Zayden didn’t speak for a long mont.
"So, what have you been doing in that room all this ti?" Zayden asked, breaking the quietness.
Ren turned to look at him, puzzled.
"I was waiting for him to regain consciousness. What if he woke up and found himself in a strange place? He had never entered any bedroom of the mansion, despite having co with Count Liam."
"How caring," Zayden stated, but there was a lingering mocking tone to it—one Ren caught imdiately.
"My Lord."
Zayden stiffened.
This was unfair. Ren was the one who had done sothing to anger him, yet Ren was the one gaining the upper hand, making Zayden’s heart jump simply by calling him Lord, as if they had gone back to being strangers.
"I apologize," he said quickly—too quickly for Ren to understand.
When the aning finally sank in, Ren couldn’t help but laugh.
Zayden’s cheeks flushed with a tint of red from embarrassnt.
"Yes, yes. Laugh all you want," he muttered. "But I can’t allow you to call that."
"Why?" Ren asked, a smile still plastered on his face. He simply couldn’t stop. He knew Zayden was upset, though he failed to understand the reason.
The alpha reached for Ren’s hand, placing it in his palm. Then he covered it with his other hand, looking down at them.
"I am afraid."
"Afraid of what?" Ren asked, tilting his head to the side. What could Zayden—a man who was well-off financially, in status, strength, power, and even race—possibly be afraid of? He had everything a man could wish for.
Zayden swallowed hard. Admitting his fear to soone else—he had never done that. Not after that person betrayed him.
Slowly, he rested his forehead against the curve of Ren’s neck, breathing in his scent—the one that soothed all his anxiety.
"I dread losing you," he whispered.
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