Free Web NovelChapter 38: Chapter 38
At dinner, Nael drew concerned looks from the others at the table. Usually, he was mostly quiet so it wasn’t strange that he hadn’t spoken a single word throughout the meal, what drew concern was the dark expression on his face.
No one addressed this though, frowns on Valentin’s and Audie’s faces when he left before dinner was over.
"Is Nael alright?" Louis asked with genuine concern.
"I hope so." Valentin murmured.
Nael had always been secretive so he wasn’t exactly sure about how to approach a situation when he was actually expressive. ƒreewebɳovel.com
"He will be." Audie said calmly, Nael best handled things alone.
They all retired to their dorms after dinner, Henri relieved that he finally had his room all to himself. He enjoyed his friends’ company but he enjoyed his time alone even more.
-*-
Nael was the only one who didn’t return to his dorm room. There was a constant burning under his skin that made him restless.
He wandered down the walkways that connected every building in the academy. He had no destination in mind, he just couldn’t sit still.
Errol leaving for the academy was a traumatic experience for Nael because it meant that he had to go a full year without seeing him but it was supposed to be all better after the first year.
Errol would be back for the holidays and by the next year, Nael would be at the academy as well.
It did happen like that but nothing remained the same. When Errol returned for the holidays, he stopped smiling and was always distracted. He also stopped spending time with them, instead locking himself up in his room.
Towards the end of the holiday, he did start spending some more time with them but that was because they found out about Seton. And all he did was go on and on about him.
They once all bumped into each other at a fair and Seton had looked right through Errol. Nael couldn’t comprehend it, why would anyone want to treat Errol like that?
Now that they were in the academy and Errol was in Seton’s proximity, Nael wished they could go back to the fair when Seton looked right through him.
They hardly saw Errol, he was always under Seton’s shadow. After Errol insisted they not visit his dorm room as often, they saw him even less.
Nael could perhaps deal with all that because it was Errol’s choice but the one thing he couldn’t let go of was Errol starving himself.
The reason why he was so restless was because he hadn’t seen Errol in any of the meals served that day, not even at the cafeteria.
After walking around aimlessly for hours, Nael finally gave in and beelined for the cafeteria. He frankly didn’t care about Seton and he wasn’t going to sit by after knowing that Seton might leave Errol hungry for days.
The restless feeling went up a pitch, anger heating up the blood in his veins. What did Errol see in Seton anyway?
After asking for as many snacks as a basket could hold, he braced himself and started for the year two dorms, a somber expression on his face.
He knew that Valentin and Audie didn’t notice, no one would notice unless they watched Errol all the time. Even during the holidays, Celine had been the only one to notice that Errol had substantially started eating less.
But that was because he still smiled kindly and paid attention to everyone around him. But his laughter rang hollow and there was a distant look in his eyes.
Nael sped up unconsciously, wondering why he hadn’t done this right on the day of resumption when Errol had refused to go for dinner because Seton had asked him to wait for him.
If Henri hadn’t intervened, the three of them would have never been able to convince Errol to eat with them.
He got to Errol’s dorm room and knocked on the door, holding his breath.
The door was gingerly opened to reveal a terrified Errol.
He quickly backed away when he saw who it was behind the door, his shaking hands clutching the lapels of his shirt close. "Y-You ar-aren’t s-supposed to be h-here."
A slow fire started in the honey depths of Nael’s eyes, it took all of his self-control not to drop the basket in his hold.
Nael stepped in and closed the door behind him; he dropped the basket in his hand carefully off to the side, and started across the room, the fire in his eyes growing.
He hoped that it was because he hadn’t gotten a proper look yet, that was why he could see bruises on Errol’s face.
Errol backed away slowly as Nael closed the space in between them, he had never seen the other Alpha look like that before. "Na-Nael?" He called softly, his voice trembling badly, just like the rest of him.
Nael didn’t slow down, Errol eventually backing into his wardrobe that Nael liked to lean against.
Nael closed the space in between them before Errol could dart to the side, gently cupping his face with trembling hands.
It wasn’t a trick of the light at all, there was a rapidly darkening bruise high on Errol’s left cheekbone, his lips were split and swollen, visible bruises on the top part of his neck.
"Errol, he hit you?" Nael asked in painful confusion like he was having a difficult time processing the thought.
"I-I... h-he..." Errol started to say, giving up on speaking right away, tears filling up his almond-sized eyes.
He had no more excuses to give not to anyone, not to himself. Seton only gave him bruises where they could be hidden but tonight he had been a live wire, Errol couldn’t exist quietly enough for him.
He had lashed out with a blow to Errol’s face when his stomach rumbled. It had surprised them both because Errol had forgotten how to be hungry...
When was even the last time he ate? The time he spent around Seton was all blurring together, it was drowning him.
Seton had taken to wine after losing the race to Henri, he also didn’t return to their shared dorm room until well past dinner although he had told Errol to wait for him as always.
Errol was already wary because he knew that Seton was bound to be in a nasty mood when he returned but he didn’t expect Seton to take out his frustration on him.
He had been coerced into having sex with Seton too many times to count but he had never been forcefully taken before, at least until tonight.
