Elián;
"Fetch the physician!"
I open my eyes weakly, and my mind stills as my gaze lands on a mesmerizing pair of pale grey eyes.
They're beautiful. No… beautiful is an understatement. They're mesmerizing. Full of light and stories I know I'd love to spend a cosy night listening to.
My eyes move over to his hair, and I'm fascinated by it. It's like a luscious mane. A beautiful, wavy waterfall of shoulder-length ash-blonde hair.
He's dark-skinned. Almost like Koda… but his cocoa-toned skin is much lighter.
Who's this handsome man?
Is he another brother?
He has black, pointy ears on his head. And I stare at them for a while. Wondering what animal they belong to…
What clan is he from?
I groan weakly as I shut my eyes, and I feel him lift me.
"Are you okay?" He questions in a voice that sounds naturally commanding, but I feel too weak to reply.
I simply groan as I shut my eyes tighter. I almost died…
This man saved me…
As everything fades to black, I hear Elien's voice.
"Please don't try to run away. It's much safer for us here."
******
"Alana said he threw himself off the bridge. This is beyond memory loss, he's mad! There's something wrong with his mind. We have to send him back and get another omega!"
I freeze on hearing the words and although I just woke up, I don't dare move a muscle.
"He didn't seem mad when he spoke to me, or Zephan. He's probably just a little out of wits. That's all." I hear a familiar voice say.
"You've taken a liking to him, haven't you?" I slightly open my eyes and through the narrow slit, I see the man who saved me from the lake, talking to Koda.
"Brother, please think. How do we explain to Father when he finds out that the Omega who's supposed to give him an heir is mad?"
"Rhydian, he's not mad!"
"Then explain judging off a bridge when you can't swim! Why would he do that? The other night, he tried to scale the fence in Zephan's garden. We can't use him, Koda. Even if he were to get pregnant for any of us, we'd constantly have to worry about the child's safety." The third brother I now know to be Rhydian says and as they turn to look at me, I shut my eyes.
"We have to send him back as soon as possible. Father wants to meet our omega. It will be chaos if this boy does something stupid in front of him." He continues, and I struggle to keep still.
"They'll send him to a brothel. He'll most likely die there." Koda replies and I can't help but gulp.
"So be it. If he won't be of use here, he can be somewhere else. He almost died. Twenty Thousand Golden Bars is too much of an investment to waste because of sentiments. If he's so eager to leave, we should send him back." Rhydian counters and before I can stop myself, I spring into a sitting position.
"I want to stay!"
Koda and Rhydian jump a bit at my sudden movement and voice, and only then do I get a proper view of the other brother.
Rhydian.
Wow…
He is lean but still has this intimidating aura about him. He has muscles too, a toned torso divided into beautiful abs… Abs I can see because he is dressed in a white see-through robe and white pants.
He has the tattoo of a wolf on his left chest, and the tattoo of a dragon spiralled around his right arm. Is he a wolf?
Wait… tattoo?? Those exist here, but not board games?!
I look back up at his face and freeze. He looks fierce. Has the kind of eyes that would make anyone squirm. And now, with the way he's looking at me, I oddly feel ashamed… foolish…
For daring to jump like that knowing I can't swim. To be fair, they're well within their right to think I'm insane.
Rhydian turns to Koda who's still looking at me like an odd thing he's trying to figure out.
"You know I didn't want a part of this. I only agreed to get an omega with you all so Father won't have to shove one in each of our arms. You all are supposed to look after him. If he gets himself killed and Father then forces an omega onto me, I won't let it slide. Fix this. Send him back. I don't want to be involved in any omega drama." Rhydian says, and with that, he turns around and walks away.
I stare at the shut door for a few seconds, and I wonder… is Rhydian the brother Elián said I should be mindful of?
Does he hate me?
Is that why he's trying so hard to get Koda to send me back to the auction house?
I turn back to Koda and place my hands in front of me as I lean forward.
"I'm sorry…" I begin but he cuts me off.
"Why did you jump?"
I swallow and stare at him as my mind starts racing.
"You know you can not swim, so why did you jump off the bridge?" He questions with a shrug as he walks over to my bed and sits on it.
Leaving just a few inches between us.
I blink as I struggle to come up with something.
Lying had never been my stronghold.
"I…I…"
"Think carefully about whatever answer you give. It will determine if you'll stay here or not." He notes, and I swallow.
I fall silent as I look at him, my heart racing.
In just a few hours, my whole trajectory has changed. Initially, I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, but from all I've heard… this is the best place for me to be.
I can't leave. I don't…
"Elián…"
"I slipped." I blurt, and he shuts his eyes. Like I just did something he didn't want me to.
I watch in confusion as he stands up and turns around. I watch him walk to the door, and when he gets there, he stops.
"Be prepared. We'll send you back tomorrow."