Chapter 7: Void

My face was painted with confusion while looking at the woman running away. She looked so broken, and it didn't feel nice for some reason. I couldn't imagine having myself to stand in her shoes one day. I couldn't afford pain, not now. She had this very strong presence, just like the Alpha and Cassius; maybe she was one of the high-ranked officials; it turned out she was something more.

"The Luna?" I curiously muttered as I leaned closer to Eloise. It was supposed to be a rhetorical question. Eloise kept quiet while looking at the woman; so am I. Her steps were heavy as she decked the hallways at a fast pace. The wind blew, and her hair swayed with every one of her movements while we kept our eyes and attention locked on her. "I wonder what happened," I murmured.

Eloise shook her head as she turned her head in my direction. "Kairo must've done something again that resulted in her weeping tears again," there was a hint of disappointment in her voice. So.. That's it? Did the jerk hurt his own Luna? A beauty was engraved in it. I've seen her face. I can feel its softness even though she's a bit distressed.

Personally? If I was Kairo? I wouldn't hurt such an angel! "I'd try to talk to him about this every time, but he just wouldn't give a damn. He's just making her suffer while enjoying the company of other women," she said, sounding like she knew all the moves Kairo could pull. What? I didn't even know the Alpha well, but based on what Eloise told me about him, I couldn't feel anything but dismay because of his actions.

"Is he cheating on her? And if he doesn't like her, why won't he just reject her?" I asked, confused because I just couldn't believe what I just heard. "He said that it was just the same, though the rejection and the process would surely be more painful than this. No one knows if they both could handle the pain whenever it happens; some even die in the process, especially if they're weak," she focused on walking again, which made me feel slightly left out; without any second thoughts, I immediately followed her until our steps and distance were finally equal.

Eloise and I kept quiet briefly; silence filled the vacancy until she talked again. I want to talk more about the current topic, but I didn't dare to talk about it or hit another nerve... it's just that I don't have the energy to do so. "Do you have anything to do after this?"Eloise asked, breaking my train of thought; I licked my dry lips before I answered. "I don't know... clean a certain library on the second floor, maybe." Eloise nodded her head as she listened to me speak.

After a few more steps, someone from nowhere just suddenly appeared and stopped us from taking more steps. He was wearing a beta uniform, and at first sight, I immediately knew his purpose for getting in our way. He quickly looked at me before focusing on the person at my side.

Conversely, Eloise looked at him like she also understood his intentions. "The group has been looking for you for over thirty minutes," the guy uttered.

Eloise frowned. "Huh? For what?"

The guy didn't hesitate and quickly responded, "There was an urgent meeting that will be held just minutes after right now. Your presence is highly needed there." Since the meeting was about to be held, Eloise immediately excused herself.

I was left alone in the hallway with my hands in my pockets, slowly thinking about what I would do after this now that she left. I also wonder what their meeting is about and what the sole purpose of it is. It must've been so important. I was all quiet as I quickly paced my way toward the library on the second floor. I don't have any cleaning materials since there were already cleaning materials in the library.

While on the way, I was already thinking about the things and tasks that I would do first; I was not even starting yet; I'd already planned everything in my mind. It was also kind of fun since I could clearly remember that I was so down earlier and didn't really have the energy to do things, and now, this sudden strike of productivity made me wonder somehow. It felt refreshing when I entered the library.

With no hurry, I tied my hair in a messy bun before I bothered where I could get the brush I would use to remove the dust on the books and shelves. My mouth opened as I took a deep breath. I was already humming a song while feeling so relaxed, but not until I suddenly noticed a familiar figure standing by the eighth shelf. He was wearing a glass and looked so casual while reading a book. It wasn't hard to notice how my steps started to slow down while watching him; my chest became so heavy as my heart fluttered because of his presence. And I was sure it wasn't for other reasons besides happiness.

I made sure that my footsteps were light, even though it was already obvious that I was there. I was sure he already noticed me earlier because I was so loud and even humming with all my might. Cassius stopped and then lightly shut the book he held as he put it down with his right hand. My vision focused on his glasses and how he looked so good. A smile crept into my lips. "Hi," I greeted.

He became the one who walked into where I was until we were no longer meters apart. We were both near a table; his vision stayed on me while he put the book gently on the table. "Have you already eaten?" he asked suddenly. "Uhh... huh?" I asked, but he didn't answer.

He kept examining my looks, making me anxious for a valid reason. I wonder what he's thinking. I'm certain I don't look that good after everything that happened today. "After work, I guess. I was just about to clean the library when... I saw you here," I said, and he paused momentarily after hearing my answer. And just seconds after, he shook his head slowly.

To be honest, I didn't have any idea about whatever he had in mind, and that was why I was stunned by what he did next. My vision dropped to what he was doing when he suddenly took something out of the pocket of his uniform. It's a clean, color white handkerchief. He took steps forward, and because of the sudden surprise, I also took steps back, but then he stopped me by gently holding me on my right arm as he pulled me.

The next thing I knew after that was that he was already wiping off the sweat that formed on my neck and forehead, which I didn't even know existed. "Uhh, thanks." He continued with what he was doing while I stood silently before him. My heartbeat was racing so fast and loud inside my chest, to the point that I wouldn't even be surprised if he heard how loud it beat because of him. He was driving me crazy. I honestly didn't know how to feel about it.

"You just started yet; I don't think I could continue seeing you like this," Hmm... what was it that he was even trying to imply? He let out a deep breath. "You should probably quit now," he suggested. Was he underestimating my skills and will to do jobs like this? My gaze settled on his eyes, but I didn't think he was even paying attention to mine. I had no hesitation when I caught his hand to make him equal my stares, and fortunately, I succeeded.

He was serious as he looked at my hand before finally deciding to look at me. I was too confident about what I did at first, but now that he has given me the kind of attention I needed, it is making me rethink my decisions in an absolute snap.

I became nervous but kept calm to go with the flow. "It was in the contract when I made a deal with the Alpha, Cassius. You know that I couldn't do that." He smirked. "You're not sure about that," I don't know what to think or how to act at this moment anymore. My mind went blank while trying to produce thoughts or replies to what he said. "I could talk to him about it," he added.

My lips parted in awe. "But how?"

He tapped my shoulders. "You don't have to worry about it. For now, I just don't want to see you getting exhausted from all of the cleanings you are doing. But there's just one thing I must tell you...”

I wondered what it could be. "What?" I asked curiously.

"Since it was on the paper that you intended to work for us for a short while, you can just simply stop being an official maid of the pack and..." He smirked even more. "You could just simply be my maid. What do you think, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. I immediately removed my hold on his hands and stepped away. I liked the thought of being his maid rather than what he did. I just not really like how he asked me that question; it came out like he wasn't that serious with it and was teasing me.

He touched my chin as he released a manly laugh. I let him hold me as I put my eyes back on him. "I'd accept it," He smiled even more. "Good." He moved and pulled me for a hug. My eyes widened because of the very sudden movement. I was about to return the favor by hugging him, but not until I heard footsteps entering the library. I immediately felt anxious and pushed Cassius away, but it was too late.

A beautiful lady who was probably the same age as he walked in and was completely stunned by what she just saw. She was holding a book, and it looked like our action caught her off her guard, which caused her to drop the book on the floor. "Cassius?" Her voice broke. I frowned. Her mouth opened as she released a sigh of disbelief. "How dare you?" she uttered as she looked at him. "And who is even this girl- oh wait-" She recklessly stepped forward and pulled a handful of my hair, forcing me to look at her.

I was immediately hurt because of what she did. I was already holding her hand while trying to release her tight hold, but I couldn't. "What a surprise, your other woman is the damn scapegoat!" she uttered with pure bitterness. What did she even mean by that? The other woman? For fuck's sake, I am his mate!"

"Helen, I warn you, stop what you're doing," Cassius said as he tapped her hands as he tried to help me escape her hold.

"Or what, Cassius? Or what, huh? What are you going to do?"

His brows furrowed as he replied with a deadly serious voice. "Helen."

The scene happened so fast, and the next thing I knew was that she got scared because of his stare. It wasn't hard to realize that Cassius was a player and he was... cheating on me.

Too much happened in the process, making my head burn. The woman kept quiet and looked straight on the floor while I looked at her and Cassius. There was a clear hint of disgust in my eyes when I glared at both of them. I didn't even bother to fix my messed up hair and just straightly walked out of the place.

"Raya, please."

I started running without warning when I heard his voice. But then, he was just fast enough and speedily caught me. He was touching my cheeks and making me meet his vision, but I kept my eyes away from him. "I don't know how to feel about what I just witnessed, Cassius,"

"No, it's not what you think," he started, which caused me to laugh a bit. It was frigging hard to talk. My voice was shaky, and I couldn't keep it as steady as I wanted.

"I don't want to talk now; please give me a little break."