I'm walking alone down the hallway outside Rex's chamber, then I hear a sound. It is coming from inside his chamber.
Curious, I peek through the slightly opened door, and the sound comes again. Louder this time, the energy coming from the room was tense. It's the same as the first time we met.
I move closer to see what is going on in there, the dark energy the room exudes makes my knees weak. It's so strong I feel it crushing my bones, my hands tremble badly.
I should turn back. Every normal part of me begs me to run. Strangely, I feel myself moving forward instead, it's as if my body is going on its own accord.
Ignoring all reasons not to go in, I push open the door. Then I hear his voice. It's not the strong voice of an Alpha, instead it's the shaky sound of someone who is struggling to catch their breath.
"Rex?" My tone is low and shaky.
There's no answer.
My eyes look around the room and there he is. Standing in the middle, leaning over the table with his hands on it. His skin has dark shapes moving on it, and his veins have a faint glow, almost like they're filled with darkness instead of blood. The air around him feels strange and tense, like he is fighting a war within himself.
For a second, I freeze. The energy coming off him isn't just power, it's pain. The intense and overwhelming pain connects through the bond, almost as though it's trying to dig into my soul.
"Re… Rex," I call out, my tone echoing through the room.
He lifts his head up quickly, his gaze fix on me. His green eyes are filled with something darker now.
"Why are you here?" He barks, his voice strain and shaky.
"I wanted to know if you were fine," I answer sincerely. "I heard a sound so..."
He laughs loudly. "You wanted to see the strong Alpha Rex fall, huh?"
"Can you just stop it already? I'm really not here to argue."
That gets him to look at me fully. For a moment, something flickers across his face, surprise, anger, maybe even fear. Then another pulse of dark energy hits, and his body stiffens, his knuckles turning white against the table.
Without a second thought, I walk closer.
"Rex!"
"Stay back." His voice thunders.
The bond pulls me in harder with each step I take, an invisible string taking me to him like. I realise I'm not in control of my body anymore, my chest feels tight. My whole body aches, mirroring his pain, and it terrifies me.
"Allow me to help you," I plead calmly.
"Please."
He grunts, holding the table tightly. "Can you just leave me alone? I don't want anyone's pity."
The way he says it, so final, so hollow makes my throat burn.
"Then why does it hurt me too?" I whisper.
He looks at me surprise. For a moment, his gaze softens. "What?"
"I can feel everything you are feeling now," I explain, hand on my chest. "I don't know what's happening to you, but it's… eating you up. It's burning through me."
His expression hardens again. "Then get lost. The further you are from me, the less pain you'll feel."
I felt the floor shift from beneath me. "You think it would be easy for me to run from this? From you?"
He stood straight using the last ounce of power in him, his body trembles from the effort. "You should."
"I don't want to." I say the words before I can stop them.
We stood there in silence for a while, I walk closer. The waves hit again, harder this time. I felt dizzy, the air in here becomes thin.
"You!," he shouts through his teeth.
"Don't."
"I can't…" My voice breaks. "You're hurting. I can feel it. I can't just stand there and…"
Another pulse crashes through the room. My knees give out, and I drop to the floor. The pain isn't mine, but it might as well be my mark flares to life, glowing faintly through my collarbone, pulsing in rhythm with his energy.
He curses under his breath, crossing the space between us in two strides. His hand grabs my arm, steadying me. The moment his skin touches mine, everything chan s the agony, the heat, the trembling all of it folds into something electric and unbearable.
I gasp, my body arching toward him as if drawn by a magnet. The bond hums loud in my ears.
"Raya," he says again, voice rough. "You need to leave."
"I'm trying," I manage, but it's a lie. I can't move. His grip is fire and ice at once, and the energy between us is alive, pulling tighter. My body's reacting on its own the warmth flooding through me, the shiver in my hands, the sound that slips out of me, soft and unbidden.
His breath catches. He steps back like he's been burned.
"What are you doing to me?" I whisper.
His eyes flash. "This isn't me."
"Then what is it?"
He doesn't answer. He just turns away, his shoulders tense, every muscle trembling like he's fighting to stay in control.
The waves start to fade, slowly. The air lightens again, the hum softens, and I can finally breathe without feeling like I'm drowning. My pulse still races. My palms still tingle where he touched me.
When he finally speaks, his voice is quieter, but there's an edge to it that wasn't there before.
"I want you to stay far from me as possible. Just get lost."
I stare blankly at his back. "You keep asking me to get lost, what makes you think I want to stay?"
"Because you are still here. Acting all desperate."
"You are a scumbag."
"You don't want to know how much of a scumbag I can be," he scoffs.
"Let me be, if not I would be forced to show you."
He walks away, leaving me fuming. My body still vibrating, like I could still feel the energy.
"Rex, wait," I say, but he doesn't stop.
"Rex!"
He pauses only at the doorway, his hand braced against the frame. His voice, when it comes, is quiet and broken. "I can't let you see me like this again."
And then he's gone.
I'm left standing in the silence, my body trembling, the ghost of his energy still coiled inside me.
I press my fingers against my neck the mark still warm, faintly glowing. The same pulse as his heartbeat.
"What did they do to me?" I ask myself, looking around the room.