The Alpha Academy [Lost Mates Book 1]

Bad Tidings

>>Mael

Mr.Owen was in a good mood even though mine had turned foul. Eli didn't respond to any of my texts. I called him too, but his phone was off and this sudden change of behavior was getting to my head.

After the teacher took the attendance he looked where Eli is supposed to sit, "We have an absentee," He pouted his lips and raised his eyebrows, "Eli said he'd be joining us late since he was feeling sick." He nodded and then began to proceed with his lecture.

"Is he sick?" Calix nudged my shoulder and I glanced at him.

"I don't know," I whispered back, "He's not in the dorm." I was anxious, why did he suddenly disappear like that? I thought we were having a moment or was it only me?

I bit my lower lip hard as I agonized over it. Why would he do this to me?

"Ah!" Mr. Owen remembered something, "I got good news," He turned to look at the class from the whiteboard, "Your classmates that were in the hospital have all woken up and recovered well."

My eyes went wide at the information, my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach as a wave of fear went down my spine and I shot my gaze toward Eli's seat. He wasn't there but Killian was and he looked uneasy. He had his hand on his mouth with his thumbnail in between his teeth.

The moment I looked at him, I knew he knew something.

"The police are questioning them now." The teacher smiled, "We'll soon get to the culprit." His smile turned sinister, "I just hope it's not one of us."

I felt my stomach churn and my heart began to pound in fear.

Shit!

Shit!

Shit!!

***

I stopped Killian while he was in the middle of running away after the lectures ended.

"I don't know!" He raised his voice when I finally grabbed him and made him stop to turn and look at me, "I really don't know!" He seemed anxious, "He left on his own, the only thing he texted me was saying he needed to sort things out with them!" He was disoriented enough that he wasn't even looking at me properly. It was like a lot was going through his head.

"Did you do something else?" I asked, "Why do you look terrified?"

He finally spared me a glance, then looked around to see if anyone was there while we stood on the vast driveway, the space between the entrance gate and the administration building. After he found us alone he took a deep breath and looked down with his hands on his waist.

"We kept the group asleep for days by bribing the hospital." He shook his head and sighed, "But there's a limit to how much we can pull that off before the families get suspicious and find out the real cause." He spoke in a soft voice, "For a few days the doctors told the families that this process would help recover them a lot faster." He gulped and then licked his dry lips.

"Right," I didn't think about it but it makes sense how Eli wasn't named for what he did to them. They were being kept unconscious under the guise of recovery.

"We needed time to come up with a solution but we didn't." Killian let out an exasperated sigh and looked at the sky while I froze, "Fuck! He should have taken me with him!" He turned around and began to jog towards the exit before I could ask anything else.

I extended my hands, "Hey!" I wanted to grab his shirt to stop him again but he was in a hurry. He bolted out of there at lightning speed.

I wanted to run after him, I didn't even know in which hospital the group was or where Eli went but Killian sprinted away too fast for me to stop him and ask about anything.

No...

I gulped and brought my hands to my head, "They didn't come up with a solution." I bit my lip in anxiety, "What will they do?"

I felt like an idiot. I didn't even question Eli about the topic any further even though he attacked them because of me. Now, what if he gets in trouble?

It would be all my fault.

My hands dropped to my sides and I looked down in defeat.

It's always me. I'm always the root of the problem.

My feelings began to shatter and I felt miserable. My mom had already been taken away from me. My stepmother was in the hospital because of me. My father doesn't even know I'm not his son and now my mate?

I brought my hands to my chest.

I hope nothing happens to Eli!

"Mael?" Calix's voice made me flinch. I wasn't expecting anyone to come after me, "Are you okay?" I looked at him as he came and stood by my side.

>>Calix

Mael looked distraught like he had a bomb dropped on her and I didn't like looking at that.

"Come on," I grabbed her hand and began to drag her with me, "Let's go sit somewhere." She didn't resist me and came along pretty easily but it looked like her mind was too preoccupied with something else for her to focus on what I was doing.

Nonetheless, I took her to the backyard of the academy which had a jogging track with benches at different places in the green parts. We took our places near a green hill bench.

"What's bothering you?" I asked

She still seemed a little out of it, "Nothing," She sat with her legs next to her chest with her hands resting on top of her knees.

"You know," I smiled, "I keep asking, yet you never answer." It seems I finally caught her attention and she shot her head toward me, "I guess you don't really trust me." Her eyes went wide at my words.

"No!" She shook her hands, "It's not like that." She looked away, "I just don't want to trouble you..."

"Then what about us being friends?"

"AH?" My question caught her off-guard.

"Friends are supposed to help you when you're in need right?" I tapped my finger on the bench, "But maybe you don't see me as a friend."

Her gaze dropped, and she began to think about something. I waited patiently as she weighed her options in her mind. Then she let out a sigh, "I found my mate." She said.

"What?" The words came out of my mouth automatically.

"I found my fated pair..." She said again.

"Ah..." I wasn't expecting that.

We live in a world where the occurrence is rare to begin with, so the possibility didn't even cross my mind, "I see," It felt weird. I guess it especially pricked my heart because I was growing fond of Mael, "Isn't that good?" But it pains me to know this information because it is said that a mate bond between fated mates is too strong for anyone else to interfere.

"I guess," She seemed nervous, "It's just new." She shrugged her shoulders, "So I'm not sure."

I let out a deep exhale, then smiled, "Are you happy?" I looked at her to study her expression, "With the person chosen as your mate?"

She nodded, "I think," But, an automatic smile appeared on her face when she thought about the person and I knew there was no chance. It's a mate bond after all.

I patted her head, "I hope it all works out for you."

Well, at least the good thing is, these feelings were just merely a crush.

She smiled brighter, "Thank you."