Black Blood: Between Two Alphas

Chapter 2

Walking absentmindedly while carrying a tray, I was off to the table where we usually ate during the break. I was so absorbed in playing detective as I deduced why Noah acted weird that night. I didn't want to be a nosy girlfriend, but I couldn't help worrying about him.

We didn't finish watching the movie. Noah suddenly told me he had a binding commitment to attend to… in the middle of the night. I didn't ask him as I was dumbfounded. I thought he wanted to make up for the lost time, but he was quickly taken away from me like he didn't mean those words.

My thoughts were running wild. They were all over the place.

I couldn't help thinking about all the possibilities, no matter how cruel they were. But every time I end up arriving at the worst conclusion I could come up with, I'd go back to square one because I trusted him.

I was going in circles, slowly, like a boring carousel at the amusement park. I could only stop when I was tired and sick of thinking. And once I recuperated, I would endlessly go round and round again.

As I opened my mouth to sigh, I was caught off guard when someone suddenly got the tray from my hands.

"Hey—" I bit my tongue right away as I recognized the back of the man who went past me.

Zero walked straight to our table with both our trays.

For a moment, I froze on the spot while watching him walk away. But when an idea struck my mind, my eyes went wide, and I quickly moved to follow him.

"Thanks for carrying my tray," I happily said when I finally caught up.

"I'd rather do this than see you covered with your food."

I creased my forehead at his rude remark.

"Or you can simply say you're welcome. Is it that hard to be nice?" 

He didn't answer and carefully placed my tray on the table. He sat across from me. It was always his place, so I was already used to that.

"I'm already being nice by taking the tray from you," he said when I thought he would just ignore me again. "You could've tripped and caused a huge mess. You don't even look where you're going."

I pouted as my shoulders fell when I released a heavy exhale.

I hate this. The last thing I need right now is his scolding.

"Why are you acting like a zombie, anyway?" Zero casually asked, but there was still a hint of irritation in his voice. His eyes were also darting a piercing gaze at me.

I couldn't believe he was looking at me that way when I was the one who should be offended. As a result, I completely forgot the kindness he did for me last night. A cup of ice cream wasn't enough to play deaf to his insults.

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. "You won't understand."

Right as I was about to pick up the fork, Zero reached for my hand to stop me. I felt a soft tingling sensation when our hands touched like his hand was grounded. I didn't dare take my hand back, though. I just raised my head to look at him.

Zero stared straight into my eyes. He seemed so determined and serious that I knew he wasn't playing around with me anymore.

"Try me, Paislee," he challenged me, showing how confident he was.

"Z-Zero…" My lips trembled a bit. "What—"

"Is this about Noah?" he asked straightforwardly.

My eyes slightly widened. I swallowed hard, and Zero slowly let go of my hand to sit properly. He kept his gaze fixed on me while waiting for me to spill the beans. When it didn't seem like he would back down, I resigned a sigh.

"Yes…"

"You're mad at him?"

I frowned. "No."

"Then, what?"

"I'm just wondering what he's really up to these days," I finally admitted. "He's always out and about. We rarely go on dates. But it's okay, believe me. It's just… I feel like… sometimes he's acting weird."

"Weird?" he echoed.

I nodded and shifted my position. "Last night, I knew he wanted to say something, but he was very hesitant. I feel like he's hiding something from me…."

"You think he's cheating on you, is that it?"

I gasped at his words. I felt scandalized.

Zero didn't even try to sugarcoat it. He just straight-up fired the word I had been avoiding.

"No!" I looked away and started eating.

"So, you do…."

I shot him a glare.

"It's written all over your face." He just shrugged his shoulders. "It's useless if you try to hide it. You don't have to deny it."

He's right, and he has a point. It's useless.

Besides, I was also hoping that I'd get help from Zero. If I weren't honest in explaining my feelings, we wouldn't get anywhere.

I sighed and quietly grumbled. "Okay. Whatever. I just can't help it. He's not like this, you know?" I played with the straw of my drink while talking. "I actually planned to ask you if you know something. I don't want to make it seem like I don't trust him because I do. That's why I don't really want to think of him that way."

Zero fell into silence. His eyes were still on me, but it seemed like he was focused somewhere else.

"Do you think he's cheating on me?" I bravely asked.

That question caught Zero's attention. I saw his renewed gaze shift to me from staring at nowhere. I locked eyes with him, and we stayed looking at each other without breaking our silence.

I tried to read his expression, but with Zero Lewis, that was more than impossible to do. I couldn't get anything from his nonchalance until his brows slightly furrowed. I moved a little from my seat as he did, anticipating his opinion on that matter.

"I don't know," he said, which didn't help at all.

I groaned, feeling even more frustrated. I was about to force Zero to give me a better answer, but I didn't have to do it anymore when he continued voicing his thoughts.

"There's no way I'd know for sure if he's cheating on you or not. We're not together twenty-four-seven. But since you're just asking for my opinion, I'll answer you the way I know Noah," he said. "He's not the type to lie and play around. I know he keeps his words and takes responsibility for all the consequences of his actions. We were trained for that while preparing to be the next alpha."

I dropped my eyes on the table as I mulled over his answer when I realized he wasn't done speaking just yet.

"I won't blame you for thinking that way, though. You're entitled to your own feelings. But as someone who has known him for years, I can vouch for my cousin. You can continue trusting him and hold me accountable if I end up being wrong." Zero sounded determined while he spoke up on behalf of Noah. "But you know, you can also ask him directly. It's not a sin to demand the assurance you deserve as his girlfriend. Do it for your own peace of mind. Make yourself feel better. It's all up to you." 

I pursed my lips to stop a smile from showing on my face. I thought Zero would only shrug my worries away and offer me nothing. I never expected that I could rely on him when it came to such things.

Zero's eyes were cut in half when his brows met again as he frowned. His expression was stern. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

When he finally noticed, I didn't try to hide it anymore. I smiled brightly at him. "Why don't you try to get yourself a girlfriend?"

Zero just shook his head and started eating his burger like I was spouting nonsense. To see him annoyed and irritated gave me so much pleasure. The corners of my lips reached my eyes while I watched him continue to ignore me.

"Hello? Earth to Zero?" I waved a hand in front of him.

He groaned and sighed. "What?"

"I'm asking you."

"And it's not worth answering."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm curious, Zero," I told him. "I hate to admit it, but you're good-looking. You seem like you'd do well in a relationship, too. I know it's too late to get a girl now that we're coming of age, but why didn't you try earlier?"

"And make things complicated? No, thank you. I'm fine."

My eyes narrowed at him while pouting my lips. He sounded so sure, like he was speaking from experience.

"It's not really that complicated. You just have to be more open with each other," I argued.

We had already come to terms before Noah and I decided to push for this temporary relationship. We'd enjoy being together as girlfriend and boyfriend, and when it was finally time to say goodbye, we'd separate without hard feelings.

That was the reason why I didn't really want to pour myself entirely into our relationship. I kept holding back because I knew what we had was nothing permanent, and we didn't have much time left.

As far as I could remember, Zero's birthday was just around the corner — same as mine. Noah had already turned twenty-one earlier that year, but he had yet to find his mate. So while waiting, we still decided to keep our relationship.

It was as simple as that. As long as you keep your limitations in mind, there will be no complications at all.

At least, that's how it goes for me.

"Lucky for you, then," Zero bitterly spat and smirked. "Others had it hard."

I bit my lower lip. I wanted to argue with Zero and explain my side, but his opinion also mattered.

Like I said, that was just how things went for me. I knew there was a huge possibility that it wouldn't be the same for other people. I also enjoyed the thrill of trying out new things for the experience. I loved risk-taking instead of being conservative. I knew I'd be pinned down once I found my mate, so I wanted to keep exploring while waiting for the inevitable.

I can't force my own beliefs onto other people. It would be stupid of me to argue at that point.

"What's with the tension between you two?"

I almost jumped in surprise when I heard Noah. Just as I could turn to look at him, he already sat beside me and kissed my cheek as a greeting.

"Sorry, I'm late, babe. Had to finish something before coming here," Noah apologized as soon as he got my attention.

Forcing a smile, I shook my head. "It's fine." I'm already used to it, anyway.

Noah smiled, then faced his cousin. "So, what's up?" he casually asked. "You two fighting again?"

"No. We're just talking," Zero replied without hesitation.

His white lie made me feel guilty.

We weren't just talking. I knew it pissed him off. I had to take a deep breath and step up.

"I was just asking him why he didn't want to get a girlfriend. That annoyed him, I guess," I told Noah, shrugging my shoulders.

Zero pierced his eyes on me. If his gaze could physically stab me, I'd be bleeding a lot already.

"I'm not annoyed at you," he denied even when the ominous tone of his voice made it evident that he was.

"Yes, you are."

"I'm not—never mind." Zero sighed and shook his head, hastily cutting himself mid-sentence. "This is getting stupid."

I crossed my arms and kept staring at him. I wanted to smirk or put on a grin, but I might annoy him even more. I wouldn't try to push his buttons to repay him for giving me great advice.

"Babe…" Noah's hand rested on my thigh, and I twisted my neck to look at him. He shook his head and gently smiled. "Don't…"

Heaving a sigh, I put my hand down and decided to raise a white flag to end the war.