Academy Of Mates novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

I tried to shake off the emptiness that I felt from the sudden disappearance of the man from earlier by focusing in front where the organizer continued talking, but it was difficult.

It was hard to forget the sadness.

The beauty.

His beauty.

And the mystery and danger surrounding him.

The unanswered questions seemed to eat at me as the seconds ticked by.

And before I know it, the attendees beside me are cheering for whatever the organizer had just said.

“All, throughout the week, there will be events and activities that will help everyone be acquainted with one another. From meals shared together, to contests showing strength and to games challenging your wit, this will all help in ensuring you make the right choice by the end of the Academy.” The organizer continued, not at all sounding like our life and futures depended on this. “The schedule of events will be posted daily. Food is available at any given time and drinks are, as always, free flowing. Now, drink yourself silly if you wish. This is, after all, a party as much as it is a school of love.”

The attendees hooted, their drinks raised as if to confirm that this week is just a big

party.

Only…

At the end of this ‘party’ there is a choice.

A choice we will all have to make eventually.

Another chorus of applause happens as the band quickly plays another song to lull everyone into this hypnotized state of happiness.

As I looked around, unconsciously looking for anyone familiar in a crowd of hundreds, I noticed how all the attendees were smiling and chatting excitedly, the energy more positive than it was yesterday. Maybe drinking themselves silly last night, partying until the morning finally relaxed the judgmental crowd. With drinks in their hands and grins on their faces, it was truly as if no one was unhappy in paradise.

That is until I remember the man, the sadness in him.

I guess not everyone was happy.

Successfully unlocked!

To calm myself down, I made it to the table with fancy drinks flowing like waterfalls in every corner, trays and trays of things I never thought I would eat were available for us

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Chapter 23

to taste at any given point.

Making the most out of it, I picked up a sugary pastry from a table of treats and attempted to take a bite, when I was interrupted right as I opened my mouth.

A man stands uncomfortably close to me and flashes me a smile that nearly blinded me. He’s tall and lean, a clear indication that he’s some kind of warrior or tracker. “It’s great that we’re all of legal age here, right?”

His words made me pull back from him.

Strange.

How very strange.

Why would he say that?

I hesitated with my reply, not understanding what he meant. “I suppose?”

When he smirked, there was something vile about it. “Because these days it’s so easy to get in trouble when hooking up with someone younger.”

“For good reason, right?” I said, looking for an escape, for anyone to call and say I’ve been looking for them. “Right?”

“Would you like a drink?” He asks, disregarding my uneasiness. “I can show you the best tasting ones, teach you a few things you don’t know… show you tricks that will make your head spin.”

“No. I don’t think so. I have to go and-” This time I fully turned away, ready to make a

run for it.

“Why not?” He insisted before I could get away, taking my wrist in his rough hands and pressing us closer. “Is it because you already know some wild moves? Why don’t you try them on me? I hear girls from where you’re from are quite wild… I want you to prove this to me. Make my bleak time in the School of Love more entertaining.”

My lips parted, my mind grasping for something witty and burn worthy to say, but I was so flabbergasted by his approach that I could only look at the audacity in front of

“Vareesa,”

I jumped back, completely startled. The voice that spoke was deep, unfamiliar and nearly shook my entire being. Turning around to face said voice, I was surprised to see the sad man from earlier.

Amber eyes.

Beautiful molten eyes were staring right at me. It takes a second to process things as the air leaves my lungs, but it was like cold freezing water was thrown on me because my memory suddenly pieces together.

Chapter 23

It’s him.

The man from the room I accidentally entered,

The man that was watching me while I danced,

My mind whirls and my heart races, a shuddery breath coming out of me.

Without the shadows hiding him, I got a good view of his face and I shivered. That same shiver that goes down my spine. He’s indescribably handsome, a god-like creature and nearly three times my size, maybe more, built of solid muscle. In the bright morning light with his expensive suit and tie, he was even more handsome than was humanly possible.

Amber eyes stare into mine and my heart stops.

His gaze made heat rise on my skin, burning me deep.

The man is blessed with eyes as rich as honey and tousled black hair like the night sky. And despite having nothing to abduct my view of him, the air of mystery… or danger, held onto him like a second skin.

But strangely, I wasn’t afraid.

He didn’t break eye contact and yet again, those amber eyes sent a shiver down my spine, leaving me breathless.

For a moment, I had thought he was but a dream, an imagination for I was not expecting to see him nor was I expecting to speak to him. “Y-Yes?”

“Come with me.” He said flatly, emotionless and nearly unreadable, but his eyes burned like the fires of hell, ready to kill.

There was also this edge to his voice that made me think I did not have an option to

say no.

That it was an order.

A demand and I must follow immediately.

He gave a look, a brief flicker of emotion in his hard drawn face before it registered to me: he was giving me an escape.

I barely get a word in, an option to accept or follow, because without another word, I was being led away and I don’t miss how the man with amber eyes slammed against the guy with a force I felt from that distance, toppling him over the table of food and

didn’t spare him an apology or another look before following after me.

Though I do hear him grumbling something under his breath.

A curse maybe.

Most definitely.

Chapter 23

But I don’t get to focus on him too much as I’m brought to the lake, out of sight from the mansion and the gardens. Flustered with my demanding savior but also tired and relieved from getting away from the man obsessed with the legal age, I kick my high heels off and sit down on the roots of a tree, slouching against it.

With my legs brought up to my chest, I stared at the water, watching it shimmer. Inevitably, thoughts of Benedict and our time together in the water make its way to my mind but I shake it away.

My social battery had run out and all I wanted to do was sleep, but I only had but a short time before the end of the School of Love and so far my prospects are slim.

Unless I consider that psychopath from earlier.

I stared at my feet, wiggling my toes. “Thank you for saving me back there.”

“You seem to be a magnet for the terrible, Vareesa.” The man with the amber eyes started, standing a few feet away and staring at the waters as well.

His voice still surprised me.

Powerful and note worthy but also… secretive, like he wasn’t supposed to be here right

now.

When I turned to look up at him, I was struck by his massive height all over again. He’s so tall and broad, like a fighter and obviously a very high ranking one, but I can’t get a good feel of him. Like he’s masking it.

I stopped short, staring at him. If I was standing, I would have stumbled because I was surprised at how handsome he was under all that black clothing. Not the mischievous handsomeness that Andrew had or the perfect Angel like handsomeness of Benedict. But the type of handsome that makes me stare longer, deeper, like I was trying to remember every little detail.

Menacing and formidable, he had a strong and firm jaw, his neck thick and muscular. He has tan skin, the kind that made me think he spent a lot of time outdoors. He had sharp eyes too, always scanning the area and a posture so straight it didn’t look normal.

He couldn’t be more than a few years older than me.

But his eyes showed experience beyond his years.

“How do you know me?” I asked, confused if I’ve interacted with him before but I’m sure I would remember his face.

He seemed surprised by this question, his eyes widening, his lips parting. “I heard them calling you that.”

His words seemed true.

But it also felt like he was trying to hide something still.

Chapter 23

What? I didn’t know.

“Still, thank you.” I insisted, offering him a smile. “The School of Love hasn’t been… exactly what I hoped it would be for me.”

He’s quiet for a long time, his eyes on the water before briefly looking at me as if he couldn’t believe I was there with him. “And what are you hoping for?”

“It’s beautiful.” I admitted, tearing my eyes away from him to look at the mansion. “Don’ t get me wrong. This place is more than I could have ever imagined but the reality is I’ m only here for my dad and my pack. I need to make them proud. I want to make sure that I don’t fail.”

“But what about you?” He asked, his tone almost gentle… soft and so different from his tone. “Don’t you want love? Happiness?”

A sound of disbelief leaves my lips. “Those things are just impossible dreams for people like me. All I want is to do my best.”

He didn’t look surprised by this. “For everyone else?”

“Yes.” I say without hesitation.

A silence goes through us.

There was no judgement in it which is what I expected.

But when he looked at me, there was something strange. Recognition almost. Or more accurately… reminiscent.

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