Free Web NovelChapter 166: [Bonus Chapter] One Rainy Night (2)
Suddenly, Kestrel found herself waking up in her own bed. The sound of rain had faded, and it looked like morning was just about to start.
But things from her dream faded quickly. The toys she remembered so vividly now seemed old. She had grown up so much, and it felt like forever since her parents had left.
Outside, the sky looked all gray. Raindrops were dripping from the trees, making tiny "plop" sounds. The faint chirping of bugs added to the quiet, making everything feel kind of sad.
Just then, something caught her attention—like a feeling or a vibe. It was familiar and seemed super close, like right outside her home’s wall.
Curious, Kestrel opened her window to peek out.
The air was filled with the wet, cool smell of rain. And there, just below her window, was Ren. He looked tired, like he’d been walking for ages. His hair was damp from dew, and every time he breathed out, there was a small puff of mist. He was looking up towards her window from a slope outside the wall.
Their eyes met in the cool, damp morning air.
She had never seen Ren look this way—it was like he had been carrying a heavy bag and just put it down the moment he saw her.
In a flash, Ren expertly climbed over the wall, slid smoothly down a big tree nearby, and started sneaking towards her. He moved so quietly, like a shadow, that he didn’t wake up anyone—even Kaworu, who usually hears everything.
Well, maybe Kaworu was pretending to be asleep. He was always the most sensitive one in the house, after all.
Ren finally reached the yard. He looked up, finding Kestrel, who was still peeking out from the fifth floor.
He quickly climbed the outside wall, showing off just how strong and agile he was. Honestly, he moved so fast that he probably beat Kestrel to the top even if she had used the stairs.
Kestrel leaned out of her window, eyes on Ren as he moved swiftly up the wall’s corner. The wind played with her long, sleek black hair, making it flow across her chest. It reminded her of this children’s book she once read. The story was about a princess in a tower who let down her long hair so her hero could climb up and rescue her.
She still had that book, right there on the shelf next to her bed.
The whole scene made Kestrel smile. It felt like she was part of a magical fairy tale, secretly meeting her very own hero in the middle of the night.
The sky was starting to get a little light, hinting that dawn wasn’t too far away. Soon enough, the hero in dark clothes reached her window. He held onto the window’s edge with his gloved hands, looking so cool as he balanced on the ledge. The way the early light hit him made his eyes look super mysterious, kind of like the color of golden amber. They seemed to hide deep emotions, stuff that Kestrel’s tendrils couldn’t quite figure out.
For some reason, seeing him like this made Kestrel’s heart do a funny jump, a feeling she wasn’t used to.
She motioned for Ren to come inside. But it looked like climbing the wall and sneaking in through the window took all of Ren’s bravery. Soaked from the morning dew, he stood there, kind of unsure about stepping inside.
"Did you get hurt in the Tower?" Ren whispered, his voice so soft like he didn’t want to wake someone up. He looked at Kestrel with so much concern.
Turns out, after coming back from a top-secret mission to the Tower, Ren had heard some of the alphas gossiping about a big fight that happened during the day.
"People were saying that Kestrel got hurt and had to stay in the healing pod for ages," they whispered.
Hearing that, Ren came rushing over, climbing walls and sneaking in windows, just to see if Kestrel was okay. Seeing her pretty much fine made him feel so relieved.
He held onto the window, kind of looking like he was about to ask his question and then leave.
Kestrel held out her arm to the ’hero’ on the windowsill, "It’s sore. My arm got broken in a few places."
Without even thinking, Ren reached out and took her hand, finally stepping down from the window. He took off his gloves and gently checked her wrist, moving it around a bit to feel the bones.
For alphas like them, who’d gotten hurt so many times, it was pretty easy to tell if a bone was broken just by feeling.
They’d held hands like this in lots of different places, especially in the Polluted Zones. It was a comforting gesture they both knew well.
Ren’s fingers were notably long, with clear knuckles. They felt cool as they touched Kestrel’s skin, moving over her bones with care. This touch gave Kestrel a strange, tingling feeling she couldn’t explain.
His eyelashes drooped down, showing how concentrated he was on what he was doing.
The horizon was now fully bathed in the light of dawn. This soft light made Ren’s amber eyes glow even more beautifully.
Kestrel had a strange thought, like she was hiding some mystery inside her, something she couldn’t even put into words.
She was often scared of the Queen in the Tower, but there was also a weird sense of connection. Kestrel felt that in some ways, she and the Queen had things in common. Maybe they both looked like regular humans, but deep down, they knew they were different.
But right now, Kestrel felt she wasn’t exactly like the Queen. The Queen might look kind and happy on the outside, but inside, she was super cold, like she had no feelings. Kestrel, on the other hand, had a heart that was full of passion and could get all fluttery with feelings.
They sat close together near the window, after the rain had stopped. Ren’s slender fingers were wrapped around Kestrel’s wrist.
Suddenly, Ren seemed to realize how close they were, and his ears turned a little pink from embarrassment.
Ren had been really busy last night, on a super-secret and tough mission. She could still smell the remnants of battle on him.
And just yesterday morning, Kestrel had been in a scary fight with the Queen in the Tower. She’d even gotten her arm broken during the fight.
Life for both of them was like walking on a tightrope—super risky and full of challenges. But in this quiet moment, with their hands together by the window, everything felt peaceful. All the craziness in their lives paused, and they felt comforted by each other’s presence.
Ren told her about seeing Roy in the Tower and mentioned some secret stuff he found from Kestrel’s parents.
"There are some scary things inside the Tower," Ren warned. freёwebnovel.com
"In the afternoon, I bumped into Roy from SRD again. He acted so weird, like he forgot everything from the morning."
That very morning, Roy had looked super upset when he found the secret notes. But in the afternoon, when he saw Ren and Brandon, he was back to his normal, chill self, acting like nothing happened.
Brandon asked him with a straight face, "Did you figure out what happened earlier, Roy?"
Roy looked super confused, "Huh? What do you mean? What went down in the morning?"
Within just a few hours, something mysterious had happened. Roy had totally forgotten the secrets he’d uncovered. The notebook that he had been so worried about, which he had clutched so tightly earlier in the day, was now like it had never existed. It was completely gone from his memory.
In that instant, Ren and Brandon looked at each other, silently thanking their lucky stars they had dared to sneak a peek into Roy’s thoughts. Because if they hadn’t, that memory would’ve been lost from Roy’s mind forever.
"Kestrel, promise me you’ll be careful," Ren said with urgency in his voice.
"If you’re ever on a risky mission, make sure I’m there with you." His fingers squeezed her wrist a bit tighter, showing his worry.
All he really wanted was to be right there beside Kestrel whenever trouble came. He hoped that for every tough time ahead, he could be the one by her side, helping her through it.
