The Alphas of Aedion | 18+

5. That's an Order

"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." Leonardo da Vinci

Octavia's P.O.V

You know what hurts?

Sinking yourself in a state of oblivion to avoid your obnoxious thoughts. The thoughts that are so harsh it feels like a dagger piercing your skin repeatedly, they're so loud it's like your feeling vibrations through your eardrums when they're really inaudible. The truth is, being in that state of oblivion is preferable to the reality we live in because nothing ever goes according to plan.

It was now dark and I was sitting in the corner of the room on the leather recliner. The strident sound of the thunder bouncing off the room walls echoing through my ears. With the ominous rumble of lightning I caught flashing through the window. I was shivering, though more from emotional exhaustion than the chilly atmosphere.

My feet padded softly against the wooden floor as I peer around the empty halls. The ashes from the door were long gone, just like my indignant mate.

Vincenzo.

Having retraced my steps from when Silas took me to the kitchen, I finally arrived down the first set of stairs, standing in the middle of a large hall. Seemingly luck was on my side because I hadn't seen anyone roaming the halls. No guards, No Maids, No Silas, No Vincenzo and No Orion.

Without thinking as if on impulse, I brush my hand against the family portrait on the wall, recognizing the familiar eyes of young Orion and Vincenzo. I traced my finger over their features continuously. They looked so happy. What looked to be the old King and Queen had their arms draped around both their shoulders with a young girl in the middle and behind the young girl was an older looking guy than Orion and Vincenzo. Their eyes matched that of each parent.

They were sitting by a tree with the brightest smiles on their faces, the orange contrast of the sky over their shoulders. If you look close enough you could see a bit of snow on the far mountain behind them. A sign that Autumn was at an end and winter was at the very edge of beginning.

The small smile I never knew I had slipped from my face, a frown taking over when the thought of my family came to mind. My mother was a beautiful woman, the most kind hearted woman ever known. The weight of my past dawning back on my shoulders. For many years I have been hiding knowingly that someday he would find me.

"You'd better get going because if I catch you, I'll wipe all trace of your heinous existence from the face of the earth. Because it should have been you...you should have died, I will avenge the misfortune that befell your mother's soul. You're nothing but that bastard's child, a disgrace."

My hand dropping to my side I closed my eyes trying to forget his last words said to me. I knew all too well that it wasn't a threat, but a promise. A promise that he would find me. A promise that kept me looking over my shoulder for thirteen years. The promise that gave me the purpose to survive. If not for myself, for her.

Blinking back the tears that were on the verge of spilling, I clench my fist. Stepping away from the portrait I near the staircase. The spiral staircase had approximately fifty steps, a red carpet covering them, golden handrails with diamonds engraved, shimmering back at me and a large chandelier above to match with the rails.

Not wasting anymore time I sprint down the stairs only to be met with another endless hallway. Looking around the unfamiliar place I begin to wonder about the halls. I passed a few people every now and then but they didn't seem to care enough to ask who I was. Hesitating to push my luck further, I pause looking behind me. With nobody to be seen, I take off once again, twisting and turning through corridors. I slid behind a curtain when I heard voices coming down the hall. A voice that sounded oddly familiar.