CHAPTER 2

The Shadow and the Secret

The lobby felt like a cage, and Zyran was the predator stalking its perimeter. He didn't bother slowing his pace as he approached the seating area, his heavy boots striking the floor with a rhythm that sounded like a countdown. He wanted to be a nightmare. He wanted to be the reason this entire bureaucratic farce fell apart.

He came to a dead stop in front of the girl by the window. She was small, nearly swallowed by an oversized cardigan, her pale fingers knotted together in her lap.

Meet Aelin

an omega who speaks softly, feels deeply, and carries a silence that says more than words ever could, with a quiet heart… and memories that don’t quite belong to her anymore

"You," Zyran rumbled, his voice a low, abrasive friction that seemed to vibrate the air. "Aelin."

She flinched as if he’d struck her, her head snapping up. Her eyes were wide, a startled, icy blue that mirrored his own, but they were clouded with a deep, haunting confusion.

"How... how do you know my name?"

Zyran let out a short, harsh sound- a laugh without any humor. He stepped into her personal space, leaning down and bracing his hands on the arms of her chair, effectively pinning her against the plastic.

"It’s on a file sitting on my bike," he said, his wolf ears twitching in irritation.

"Right next to your blood type and a list of your 'optimal traits.'

You’re late. The other candidate already tried to scent me in the hallway. She lasted three minutes before I sent her off in tears."

Aelin pressed herself as far back into the chair as possible, her voice a shaky, fragile whisper.

"I’m not trying to scent you. I just want to go home."

"Home?" Zyran’s eyes narrowed, scanning her face with a brutal, clinical intensity.

"I don't know," she whispered, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I don't remember any of it."

"Stop," Zyran snapped, his jaw tightening.

Aelin found a sudden, desperate spark of defiance. She reached out, her small hands pushing against his solid chest. He didn't budge an inch- it was like trying to move a mountain.

"I woke up in a room with white walls three days ago. Someone told me my name was Aelin and put me in a car. That is everything I know. I don't remember my past, I don't remember my family... I don't even know what an 'Omega' is."

"That wide-eyed 'innocent' act might work on the Board, but I’ve seen every trick. You’re an Omega. You’re here to secure a bloodline." he smirked.

"Then leave me alone! If I’m so irritating, go pick the girl who cried. I don't want to be here!"

Zyran’s smirk returned, sharp and dangerous. "And let the government win? I don't think so."

The heavy oak doors to the Boardroom suddenly groaned open. A stern official stood in the threshold, peering over his spectacles.

"Mr. Zyran. Miss Aelin. The council is ready for the evaluation."

Zyran straightened up, the sudden absence of his shadow making Aelin feel strangely exposed. "Stand up," he commanded.

"My legs..." Aelin’s voice broke. "I don't think I can."

Zyran let out an annoyed huff. He reached down, his large hand closing roughly around her elbow. He didn't wait for her to find her footing; he simply pulled her upward, forcing her to stand.

"Get a grip," he muttered, his voice cold.

"You're being mean," Aelin hissed, trying to pull her arm back, though her knees were still knocking together.

Zyran leaned in close, his nose brushing the hair at her temple. His voice dropped to a low, private rumble that only she could hear.

"I’m being honest. It’s better than the lies they’re going to tell you in that room. Now, walk behind me. Keep your head down and don't say a single word."

"Why?"

"Because if you open your mouth, they’ll realize you’re broken," Zyran said, his blue eyes flashing with a sudden, dark intensity.

"And if they realize you’re 'defective,' they won't just let you go. They’ll send you back to a lab to find out why your memory is gone. Do you want that?"

Aelin froze, her breath hitching in her throat as genuine terror finally eclipsed her confusion. "A lab?"

For a split second, Zyran’s grip on her arm softened. The predatory glint in his eyes flickered, replaced by a grim, straightforward resolve.

"Stay in my shadow, Aelin," he said, turning toward the open doors. "I’m the only thing in this building that isn't going to treat you like an experiment today."

Aelin watched his broad shoulders as he stepped forward, the white hair at the nape of his neck brushing his leather collar. "I thought you said you weren't a protector," she whispered.

"I’m not," Zyran said, not looking back.

"Let's make a deal then. We'll go along with this stupid meeting for show, let the government think we're considering each other seriously."

Zyran pushed off the wall and started pacing a few steps away, his combat boots making soft thuds on the polished floor. "We'll say we need time to 'get to know each other.' Give us six months - eight tops - before we 'decide' we're not compatible."

"I just hate the people in that room more than I dislike you. Now, move."

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***