Chapter 14 CHAPTER 014
Soren steps out of the bathroom with a towel thrown over his shoulder, red hair dripping water down the back of his neck, dressed in simple grey sweatpants and an old, oversized shirt he refused to let the maids burn according to the Enigma's orders.
He runs a hand through his wet hair, pushing it back as he steps into his bedroom, but then he stops, his gaze landing on Reign. He stands near the window, gloves on as usual, and coat draped over his arm.
Soren exhales slowly, walking closer to the man. The day's event is still fresh on his mind. It's the first time he's been humiliated in public, with a lot of cameras and people watching. Soren might have faced the hardship of life, but getting hated for something he didn't do is still traumatizing.
“You ever knock?” He says to the man, glaring at his back because it was his fault.
“It’s my house,” comes Reign's reply.
Soren snorts and rolls his eyes. What was he expecting from the prideful enigma? “Right,” he mutters with a hiss.
Reign finally turns to look at him. His gaze drops once, slowly, taking in the wet hair and the damp shirt clinging slightly to Soren’s skin, then rises back to his face.
Soren almost flushes at the intense gaze, but he doesn't get the chance to as Reign nears him in an instant, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him close, trapping his chin between his gloved fingers.
Soren's heart races in his chest at the proximity again. He doesn't think he can ever get used to being pulled in like that. “We are not in public,” he finds himself saying, blinking rapidly to clear the sudden fog in his eyes and hoping his heart will pound less.
“You didn't get hurt anywhere, did you?”
Soren blinks, caught off guard that he almost asks what the man is talking about until he recalls the incident at the site. “It was just water,” he replies. For a moment, he thought Reign cared until he withdrew himself and created distance between them as if he didn't have Soren's chin between his fingers a second ago.
“Good,” Reign says, with a look in his eyes that Soren can't read. “The guard had been careless to have let her get close. I've changed them, and they will be doubled. You will be guarded properly for any public event to avoid such incidents. I'd expected you to protect yourself, too.”
Soren blinks, his brain catching up too late. "Wait, what?”
Reign gives him a blank stare. “There are a few reasons why omegas are not fit to become my partner. They are weak and unreliable; they can't withstand my pheromones. Alphas fear me. Betas are the safer choice, and that's why I chose you, a Beta who can fight and defend himself in public.”
Only if he knows Soren was born to become one of those omegas: weak, defenseless, and dependent on alphas just to survive.
“So you want me to fight back?” He asks, almost unsure of what the enigma means.
Reign stares at him, and then his eyes glint with amusement. “Self-defense is not considered fighting back. My mate is meant to serve the public, so you should be prepared to defend yourself during attacks.”
His mate. That's the part Soren stops listening to, and his heart skips a beat, something warm flickering in his chest, but he quickly dismisses it. Soren is just his fiancée on paper. He shouldn't be flustered. “Perhaps you should get a real mate and make them serve the public for you."
Reign tilts his head. “Isn't that why you're here?"
Soren gasps. “I am not your mate!”
Reign’s lips curl up in amusement, but his gaze stays blank. “No, you're not, but you are being paid to play the part, so I expect you to do so and serve the public.” He turns his back to him, heading for the door. “Get some sleep; you have an interview in the morning.”
And with that, he's leaving, walking out the door, and leaving Soren standing there with lots and lots of regrets. He badly needs a smoke.
~
The next day comes too quickly for Soren. He barely had any sleep before the maids came barging in to get him dressed, despite his protests to do it himself. If Soren really lasts for a year, he's going to get all of them fired.
The studio lights are blinding as Soren sits on a soft grey couch, his posture straight, and his legs crossed neatly the way he was taught, dressed to perfection so that he looks like a stranger in the mirror. He stops himself from messing up his hair.
Across from him sits a beta host, a woman with perfect hair and a fake smile. “So, Soren,” she begins brightly. “How does it feel stepping into high society, being engaged to Reign Montgomery himself? Doesn't that mean you hit the jackpot?”
The so-called high society is the worst place to be, and Reign Montgomery is the worst person alive, but Soren smiles because he already signed his soul away. “I don't think so,” comes his rehearsed reply. He was given a script just for this stupid interview, and Soren wants to mess it up so badly.
“Many people are curious about your background.”
“I don't think that's any of their business,” the words come out of Soren's mouth before he can even stop them, but he smiles in glee at the host's shocked expression. Finally, some real expressions around here.
The host clears her throat and forces herself to smile again. “There are rumors that your engagement is not what it seems. That perhaps you saw an opportunity.”
Soren rolls his eyes. Of course, people think he's a gold digger. He just came out of nowhere and became Reign's fiancé. A flicker of annoyance surges through him. “If I wanted money, there are easier ways to get it.”
The host raises her brows. “Such as?”
Soren snorts; he's really starting to get irritated here. “Work—ever heard of it?”
The host forces a chuckle. “Of course, but surely being engaged to Reign Montgomery offers… advantages, and what do you offer him?”
The question is asked so sweetly and politely, but it feels like a slap to the face. Soren smirks instead. “What does he need?” he counters.
The host looks surprised again. “Excuse me?”
“What does Reign Montgomery need?” Soren repeats calmly. “He has money, power, and influence. So what exactly are you asking?”
She hesitates, glancing unsurely at the camera because Soren has gone off script since the second question. “I’m asking what you bring into the relationship.”
“Myself,” he says.
The host blinks. “That’s it?”
Soren pins her with a stare. He leans forward, unhooking his legs, and rests his elbows on his knees, leaning forward. “That's it. Unless you think I am not enough for my future mate, and he should find somebody else whom you think will bring more to the table?”
Her eyes widen. “Of course not, that's not what I meant. Moving on …”
Soren smirks and leans back in his seat, his eyes glinting mischievously, because from this point forward, Soren is done following the script and is also done being controlled by Reign.