Chapter 14
Serena’s POV
The door clicked softly behind me as I stepped into the room, but the moment my eyes landed on them-three towering figures exuding authority-I regretted not waiting to be called in. My mother’s advice rang loud in my head: “Always wait after knocking, Serena. Never just walk in.” This wasn’t just a room. It seemed of a pit. Their gazes collided with mine, and my breath hitched.
The first pair of eyes were an icy blue, sharp and unforgiving, like shards of frozen glass. Another set burned hazel, intense and captivating, threatening to swallow me whole. My knees felt weak under their weight, and I gulped hard. My mouth dried, my heart hammered, and I suddenly wished I could disappear.
I blinked, trying to find my voice. “Um…G good morning, sits. I mean, alphas.” My voice trembled, barely a whisper. “I’ll just… wait outside-
I turned to nee, desperate to escape the suffocating tension, but before I could even reach the door, a figure moved faster than I could react. Suddenly, he was there, blocking my path.
Amber eyes bore into mine as Caiden tilted his head, his lips curling into a smile that was.both charming and unsettling.
“No,” he murmured softly, leaning closer. His voice carried a strange warmth that sent shivers down my spine. “I want you here. Close.”
My breath hitched, and I blinked. “Huh…”
“Caiden, behave,” Aeson snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut the tension.
Caiden growled low, the sound rumbling through the air, and I stiffened, instinctively stepping back. But when I dared to glance at him, he seemed composed again, his easy smile plastered back on his face. He raised his hands in mock surrender, stepping away as though nothing had happened.
The silence that followed was deafening. I felt the weight of their gazes pressing down on me again, this time from the icy blue-eyed one. His stare was cold, unrelenting, shredding through my defenses like paper. When I finally dared to meet it, his lip curled into a sneer, and he turned away, disgust clear in his expression.
“I don’t like her,” Hades muttered under his breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear. My stomach churned. The words stung, even though I didn’t understand why. Why did his opinion matter? It shouldn’t, but it did.
“No one cares, Hades,” Caiden shrugged nonchalantly.
“Likewise me,” Aeson added, though his tone was less dismissive and more neutral.
I swallowed hard, the tension in the room thick enough to choke me. Were they about to argue because of me? My throat tightened, and I silently cursed myself for walking into this nightmare. I was nothing special, nothing worth fighting over.
“Sit, Serena.”
Caiden’s voice cut through the fog of my thoughts, smooth and commanding. The way he said my name sent a ripple of confusion through me, like he knew me in a way that defied logic. My feet moved before I could think, and I sat on the couch he gestured to.
Aeson followed, sitting across from me, his piercing gaze scrutinizing every inch of me. Hades took the chair to my left, his arms crossed, his expression stormy. And Caiden…he lounged to my right, his amber eyes dancing with something unreadable. It felt like they were all closing in, trying to dissect me, piece by piece, My pulse quickened.
“You lied to me,” Aeson grunted, breaking the silence. His voice carried a sharp edge that made me flinch. “You’re from Misty Violet Pack.”
I opened my mouth to speak, panic blooming in my chest, but Caiden cut in smoothly. “I’m sure it wasn’t intentional, Aeson. Not every subject of Alpha Pedro wants to advertise that they’re his subject.”
Aeson’s cold stare flicked to Caiden, and I seized the chance to explain myself. “Yeah. I… I know Alpha Pedro is an enemy to most alphas in the city. I didn’t want to ruin my chances of getting this job just because of him.”
1/2
I glanced at Caiden, hoping for some sign of approval. He nodded, his expression softening slightly, but it was fleeting. I could still feel the tension radiating
from Hades.
“I’m sorry I lied, and-
“You’re skittish, and you’re a liar. Great.”
Hades’ voice cut through me like a blade, his words laced with venom. I turned to him, my chest tightening. He didn’t know me. He had no right to judge me like this. But the way he spoke, the way he looked at me… it was like he hated me. Why?
His icy blue eyes narrowed as he leaned back, his disapproval palpable. I sat frozen, trying to understand what I had done to earn such loathing.
