Their Burning Touch on my Skin

Chapter 11

Ace

Cayden scoots forward, sitting on the edge of his seat. “So, how will this work? Kai told me you have become the head warrior of the Royal Army. That’s a remarkable achievement to accomplish in just five years. I’m very proud of you, even if I still hope that you will be coming back.”

Well, honestly, it’s just because of Jax.

“Thank you, Dad. But I don’t think that I will ever be able to be part of the Blood Fang pack ever again,” I answer, feeling crestfallen. “I’ll train Serena and report back to the High Court about her process, as soon as she is ready to move to the royal pack, she will be leaving with me.”

“You are definitely set on leaving again then,” Cayden asks, his eyes searching my face for any traitorous twitch.

“Exactly.” I clear my throat. “There is no place for me here.”

And it is better this way.

Kai squints his eyes at me, clicking his tongue. “You know that this is bullshit and that it would be better if you would come back home. Not only for me but the entire pack. And especially for Emma. Did you already talk to her about your plans?”

“Yes,” I nod, passing my hand over my lips. “I did talk to her about the fact that we aren’t compatible as mates.”

“Are you an i***t? What’s that even supposed to mean?” Kai looks at me with furrowed brows, making me shake my head.

“I did it for her. I cannot touch her and I have hurt her in the past. That is not something that I want to do ever again. This hurts me as much as it hurts her.”

Kai sits up, shifting in his seat. “Bullshit. So, you plan to reject her?”

I close my eyes for a short moment, taking a deep breath as I push down Jax going mad in the back of my mind. “Yes.”

His eyes widen, and Cayden growls disapprovingly as I add, “I have talked to Judge Attwood about the possibility of taking a chosen mate. He was thrilled about it as it would give us the chance of creating strong offspring and we have already looked into potential mates.”

“I can’t believe your shithead!” Kai skyrockets to his feet, gesticulating with his hands angrily. “And how f****d up is your brain when you talk about hurting someone you love for a strong succession with a moronic face like yours.”

“We have the same face, Kai,” I answer matter-of-factly, making him snarl at me.

“Kai,” Cayden says in a warning tone, but my brother ignores it.

“Ha! You wish. Your constant shitting your pants made you ugly, bro,” he barks into my face, making me scrunch up my nose.

The hell?!

“Kai. Enough.” Cayden’s calm warning rumbles through the room, making him tsk.

“Whatever,” he mumbles, storming out of the room and slamming the door shut.

Cayden and I stare at each other for a few heartbeats in silence, until he finally disrupts it. “How long will the High Court allow you to be here?”

“Judge Attwood said that he was thinking about two years,” I shrug. “He thought that maybe with fifteen years and the fact that I will be going with her, Serena will feel safe to come with me and be able to start her training at the royal palace without any issues.”

He looks at me seemingly annoyed, his hand holding his chin. “You know that this won’t happen, right?”

“I know that you will try to prevent it, Dad.” I stand up with a sigh. “But there will be nothing you will be able to do against it. And in the end, you will see that it will be for the best.”

“Sure,” he chuckles, his grin not reaching his eyes.

I bow slightly, flashing him a sad smile. “In the meantime, I appreciate your hospitality, Alpha.”

“Of course, General,” he answers with a scoff and I turn around to leave the room.

As I close the door silently behind me, I find my father waiting for me with his arms crossed over his chest. “So, what’s the plan, son?”

“I’ll stay as long as it needs Serena to get accustomed to the fact that she will join the Royal Army,” I sigh, putting my hands into my pockets.

He snorts, gesturing towards the stairs with his head. “Okay, let’s go. I’ll show you your room.”

I follow him silently down the stairs and enter the quarters I remember to be the floor I shared with Kai.

My heart starts racing, my air getting cut by the lump forming in my throat. “Wait. My old quarters?”

“No, Kai’s quarter,” he answers dryly, pushing the door open. “This is where you will be staying during your mission.”

I laugh awkwardly, shaking my head at how he says the word ‘mission’ with a sneer. “No, Dad. Stop. I can’t stay with him, I can stay in one of the dormitories with the warriors.”

“I’m shocked,” he mocks, walking into my brother’s apartment. “A bunk bed in a dormitory? Doesn’t the Royal Army spoil their Generals?”

“Of course they do. But I don’t need any of these luxuries. I’m okay without getting all the extra treatments.”

Walking into the quarters, I halt in my tracks, my heart stilling in my chest. Emma’s scent envelops me, making me gulp painfully.

“Dad?”

“As a mated wolf you have lost your right to a single room, or even a bed in a dormitory. You will be staying here now. Or, you can return to the palace to your beloved Judge and tell him you had to leave because you were afraid like the last time you ran away,” he grins, a mischievous glint passing through his eyes as he tilts his head. “Will he caress your back while you cry on his shoulder?”

I click my tongue, taking a step back and crossing my arms. “I guess I’ll do just so. But remember that I am assigned to Serena and she will go wherever I go.”

My father’s eyes light up, his grin widening. “I’d love to see you try.”

I know how much my father loves challenges, and I roll my eyes groaning. “Stop it, Dad. Don’t you have better things to do?”

“Are you kidding? I’m the Beta and what better thing would I have to do to show you to your room and see you fidgeting nervously?” He laughs, making me shake my head with a smile.

It’s not that I had expected him to change.

I would love to tell him about how stronger I got on the training fields, and how I managed to get a demonic form as well, but I gulp it down. He will always be stronger than me, but I know that he will be extremely impressed with me either way.

Just as I’m about to change my mind, a feeble voice gets me to jerk up. “Excuse me, General.”

Stepping out of the way, I let the Omega scurry past me with my bags, his fast steps clicking on the shiny pavement.

Kai appears from a door at the end of the corridor, looking at us with an annoyed expression. I stare at him lost, feeling like a puppy being abandoned in the rain as he brings another wave of her scent into the hallway. “Can you keep it down, please? You will end up waking her up.”

“Sure, sorry.” My father lifts his hand, and walking past me, he lays it onto my shoulder.

“Trust me. As much as you want to fight it because you think she would be better off without you, it won’t work.”

He flashes me a sad smile before he turns around, pointing his finger at us. “Dinner is at nine, boys. Don’t be late.”

The door closes quietly, but in my ears it resounds like a heavy portal slamming shut, trapping me into a torture room.

We stand facing each other quietly, and I’m so over the awkward silences already. “Do you have a separate room with a bed?”

“Do I look like I would host any guests?” he snickers, turning around to get into his bedroom. “We have one bed or the floor.”

I follow him with a sigh, letting my shoulders slump. “I’m serious, Kai. This isn’t some silly excuse. It’s dangerous for me to be near her. What if I touch her accidentally during my sleep?”

“Yeah. You are right,” Kai mumbles as he lays down next to Emma, cuddling her while she is fast asleep. “Choose the room you want and tell the Omega to bring a bed in.”

Leaving the room to stop the Omega who is still bringing my belongings in is the hardest thing I have done in the last five years, her scent is luring me in, begging me to stay.

I tear myself away, concentrating on getting my room ready.

This is going to be a f*****g nightmare.