Chapter 89: Chapter 89
Alpha Zach hadn’t returned all day.
He’d left before dawn, and the air had been colder since he walked out that door. The guards at the gate refused to meet my eyes when I asked where he had gone. They only bowed stiffly, murmuring, "The Alpha doesn’t share his schedule with omegas."
I wasn’t supposed to care. But I did.
Because somewhere between fear and confusion, I had started to think about him more than I should.
Now, sitting by the cold fireplace with a bowl of untouched noodles beside me, I wrapped my arms around my knees and stared at the door. It was long past midnight. The moon had begun to sink, and I could feel the fatigue pressing down on me. But I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Not yet.
Rose’s terrified face still haunted me how she had run out the moment she was released, skeletal and pale, eyes sunken like someone who had seen hell and barely crawled out of it alive.
She didn’t even look at me.
She didn’t have to. The look on her face said everything.
And I was next. If I wanted to survive if I wanted to go back to my world, I had to make him fall in love with me. The witch’s words from my dream echoed faintly in my mind.
"Only when he loves you will the door to your world open."
Love. How do you make a psycho fall in love with you?
My fingers trembled as I rubbed the edge of my sleeve. "He’s not human," I whispered under my breath. "He’s a beast who smiles when others are afraid of him."
Still, I waited. Every time the wind brushed the curtains, I flinched. My mind replayed his cold gaze, the way his lips curled slightly when he spoke as if every word he said was meant to test how far I could be pushed before breaking.
I thought about leaving for the omega’s quarters, but something inside me refused to move. Maybe it was pride. Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was that foolish voice that said if you leave, he’ll know you’re weak. So I stayed.
Hours slipped by. The candle burned down to a stub. The noodles had gone cold long ago, but I still guarded them like an offering. My eyes were heavy, but I didn’t dare fall asleep. What if he came in and found me asleep on the floor? I pictured his expressions harp, unamused, dangerous. He’d mock me. Maybe even worse.
"Just stay awake a little longer," I murmured to myself, hugging my knees tighter.
But my body was tired, and exhaustion won.
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I heard was the heavy click of a lock turning.
My eyes snapped open.The sound of footsteps filled the room, slow and steady, each step deliberate like he wanted me to know he was there. My heart lurched painfully in my chest as I looked up.
Alpha Zach stood by the door, his tall figure framed by the dim light spilling in from the corridor. His coat was half undone, his hair damp, as if he had walked through rain. But his eyes those cold, piercing eyes were still the same.
He didn’t say anything at first. Just stared at me, silent and unreadable.
"I... I waited for you," I whispered, my voice trembling.
His gaze dropped to the bowl on the table. "For me?" His tone was lazy, mocking. "Or for your own survival?"
My throat tightened. "You didn’t eat anything all day. I thought."
He chuckled, the sound low and unsettling. "You thought I’d be touched?"
My hands curled into fists in my lap. "No. I just didn’t want you to strangle me for neglecting your meal."
Something flickered in his eyes amusement, maybe. "Smart omega," he murmured. "You’re learning how to stay alive."
He walked past me, his movements smooth, controlled, predatory. My gaze followed him unwillingly. There was something about the way he moved that made it impossible not to look. Power. Authority. Danger.
He stopped near the fireplace, his back to me. "You stayed here all night?"
"Yes," I whispered. "I was waiting."
He turned slightly, just enough for me to see his profile. "You could have gone back."
"I thought you might need something."
His lips twitched. "Need something?" His eyes gleamed faintly as they met mine. "You think you know what I need?"
My mouth went dry. I didn’t answer.
He stepped closer, his boots echoing against the wooden floor until he stood a few feet from me. The air between us shifted thick and heavy. My pulse raced painfully fast.
"Next time," he said, voice soft but sharp enough to cut, "don’t wait for me unless you’re ready to pay the price."
I swallowed hard. "What price?"
He leaned forward slightly, his scent brushing against me smoke, pine, and something darker. "You’ll find out soon enough."
And just like that, he brushed past me again and walked toward his room. My body refused to move until I heard the sound of his door closing.
Only then did I exhale, shaky and uneven.
I stared at the bowl of noodles on the table. It had gone completely cold, a thin film forming on the surface. My fingers trembled as I reached for it and whispered, "You’re supposed to like this... you liked it before..."
But this time, he hadn’t even looked at it.
A small laugh escaped me broken, tired. "What did you expect, Ellie? That he’d thank you? That he’d smile?"
I pressed my palms to my face. My chest ached.
Every part of me screamed that I should run. That I should find a way out of this nightmare world. That I should stop trying to survive by pleasing a monster.
But the witch’s words kept echoing. Only when he loves you
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Love? From a man who looked at people like they were insects beneath his boots?
Still, I couldn’t give up. I wiped my eyes, stood up, and quietly picked up the bowl. I would make him another one tomorrow. A better one. The same spicy noodles he had once devoured without saying a word but his eyes had lingered on me that day.
Maybe that was the only crack in his armor I had.
Maybe that was where I’d start. I set the bowl aside, glanced toward his closed door, and whispered into the quiet room, "You might hate me now, Alpha Zach but I’ll make you notice me again."
The night offered no answer. Only the faint echo of my own heartbeat.
But I could almost swear I heard a low chuckle from behind that door soft, dangerous, like the promise of something I didn’t yet understand.
And that terrified me more than anything else.
The hallway outside the Alpha’s quarters was almost completely dark. Only the thin blue glow of moonlight leaked through the tall windows, sliding across the marble floor like cold water.
I should have gone back to the omega’s dorm hours ago. But I couldn’t. My feet stayed rooted there, my fingers twisting together while I watched the heavy door that hid him from sight.
I told myself I just wanted to make sure he was asleep that nothing would happen tonight but even I didn’t believe that. Something heavier kept me there, a pull I didn’t understand.
The mansion was silent except for the distant ticking of a clock. My heartbeat filled the gaps between the seconds.
The door moved. Just a fraction. Then he appeared, half shadow, half man. His eyes found me immediately as if he’d known I’d been standing there the whole time.
He didn’t speak. He never needed to. One slow motion of his hand was enough to make the air feel colder. He was telling me to leave.
I wanted to, but my body wouldn’t obey. Then, faintly, I heard it his voice. Not spoken, not aloud, but inside me, sharp as ice:
"You really want to test my patience tonight, don’t you?"
My breath caught. His lips hadn’t moved. He was already turning away, yet the voice lingered, lower, closer.
"Go, little omega. Before you make me remind you where you belong."
The meaning hit me all at once. My knees trembled. I turned, almost tripping over my own feet as I stumbled down the corridor. The sound of my hurried steps echoed like a confession.
When I reached the corner, I dared one last glance back. The door had already closed, the light gone. But I could still feel him there awake, listening, as if my fear was the only lullaby he ever needed. I turned on my side, pulled the blanket over my head, and told myself to stop thinking about him. He didn’t follow you, Ellie. He stayed back. You’re safe now.
But the words rang hollow.
Something inside me wouldn’t rest. A pull, soft at first, then growing stronger. Like invisible fingers tugging at me. Before I knew it, I was sitting up, my bare feet touching the cold floor. My hand found the handle of the door almost on its own.
The hallway outside was dark and quiet. The air smelled faintly of rain. I told myself I was only going to check to make sure. Just once.
My footsteps sounded too loud as I crept through the corridor. Every shadow looked like it could move. My pulse thundered in my ears.
When I reached the small window at the end of the hall, I pressed my palms against the glass and peered outside. The mansion stood still in the distance, its outline dark against the silver moonlight.
He wasn’t there. At least, I couldn’t see him. I waited. One second. Two. The wind hissed softly through the trees. Then just for a moment I swore I saw something move near the courtyard gate. A figure, too far to make out clearly. My breath caught.
"It’s nothing," I whispered to myself. "It’s nothing, Ellie. Go back."
But my hands were shaking too much to let go of the window frame.
And then faintly, almost like a whisper brushing past my ear I heard it again.
"Curiosity will hurt you one day."
I spun around. No one was there. Only the echo of that voice still crawling down my spine.
I didn’t wait this time. I ran back to my room, slammed the door, and locked it. My chest heaved as I slid down against the wall, hugging my knees tight.
He hadn’t followed me. But he’d known. Somehow, he’d known I’d gone looking.
And that was somehow worse.