30 30. Suspicions
I got a yes.
I got a yes for the banquet.
I may have been quite hasty about the decision but in the hindsight, in traditional terms, it is a good move to make.
Taking in people as a way to celebrate and cement our relationship.
Which also means parading around Elian as my husband and acting extra close with him.
I shiver as I take my morning tea the day after. More in anxiousness than repulsion. I have gotten quite a concept about Elian so I'm not exactly against acting like he's the only one I can spend time with but rather, I'm scared that I would mistake it as a form of intimacy.
I really need to go and have some human contact. I can't believe I am seriously considering Elian as a candidate for that.
"So, a banquet, huh?" I ponder out loud into the vast emptiness of my room.
Things were unchanged. Elian still disappears into nowhere, paying more attention to his business than to me and we still had our food separately. And I have started yearning for some more human interaction than just talking to Maria who replies too much and Frank who doesn't reply at all.
"I am guessing, the catering is there. That's one of the main focuses of a banquet. Maria, write this down. Vincent and his shitty brother did a special kind of meat and that they captured on their own. That's impressive, to say the least, how do I compete with that? Circle that one, Maria." I lean over, dipping myself into the world of concentration.
"And second, there's decoration. That's tricky but I think there are lamps to procure and chandeliers for the lobby. I'm pretty sure Frank can handle that. Decoration will be to Frank and oh wait! I could make seafood to be my special dish, we did get a whole lot and it was a good catch. Relatively fresh, if you ask me. Well, we'll talk to Elian about that." I rub my finger
"Ah yes and the entertainment, music, and all of that. We need to ask that to Elian as well. God, I thought I said I'd take care of it but listen to this, I can't even choose music alone. Maria?"
"Maria? Can you hear me? Are you writing this down?"
Maria stares at me blankly, holding up the piece of paper and pen.
"I don't know how to write, sir"
"Oh." I whisper, rendered speechless by her words and unable to find a solution.
"Give it to me, I'll do that."
Knock! Knock Knock! Knock!
I turn, and Frank is at the door.
"Doctor's visit, Sir Adian!" He announces, and I slap a hand on my forehead in sudden remembrance.
Shit, that's right.
Sir Dominic said he'd visit for a re-check-up.
I had actually forgotten all about that.
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"Open your mouth" Sir Dominic demands as soon as we are done prepping for the medical examination.
I open my mouth.
"Aah"
"Wider"
"Aaah" I say, stretching my tongue out and Sir Dominic takes a silver spoon, pushing my tongue downwards.
"Hmm…" he hums thoughtfully as he continuously peers down my throat and then up at my eyes.
"So you didn't experience anything like pheromone dissonance?"
"No, I feel better than a newly bought car."
"A…?" He begins to question me but then shakes his head to himself, brushing it off, "that's interesting. If records are deemed right, you are supposed to be reacting to another's pheromone but it seems your senses dulled down. Well, either that or...you are bonded."
"Pft" I scoff, shaking my head, "I don't believe I'm bonded...I think." I trail off as the look of disbelief disappears away from my eyes.
"Hey, being bonded means I can only be with that person right?"
"That's right. Bonding can happen before marking, it's two different things. And be careful, if another alpha tried to so much as marking you, you could possibly die from the dissonance."1
"Die?" I gulp, not knowing what exactly to feel about the word. I have a hate-love relationship with Die right now that I don't know if I died from orgasming and I came here or something else that dropped me down here.
"I'll run a few tests on you so that I'll be sure of some things. You shall have some extreme reactions so be warned if you want to do this or not." He warns me, raising a hand up in attention.
"Oh no, I am completely warned and on fire. Lemme take those tests." I take on the challenging look on his face, feeling a bit like a daredevil.
"Okay, that's nice but first, this–" He takes out an ordinary-looking piece of cloth but I could sense something from it and it's not good.
"What's that?"
"This is a cloth soaked in pheromone of an alpha. Manually extracted from his body." Sir Dominic brings it closer to me and I immediately move back, flinching in panic.
"Smell it."
"Are you serious? It smells bad from a mile away!" I exclaim, pushing away Sir Dominic's hand away but it wouldn't budge. He edges even closer.
"Now this is a test. Do you want to stop?"
"No... I'll smell that thing." I mumble dejectedly and sit up straight.
I slowly move closer to the cloth and take a whole full breath in. Immediately I suffocate at the strong unfamiliar smell of musk.
"Urgh.". I gag suddenly as the smell enters my body.
Sir Dominic is silently watching and nodding along as I dashed off to where my bathroom is attached to my room.
I let go as soon as I reached it and heave forcefully, as though my body was trying to remove something out of my system. And it happens two and three more times, feeling gradually worse with each effort to throw up but I am not throwing up just dry heaving. My throat contracted in pain and I cough forcibly to stop the reaction.
"So…" I croak, supporting myself from the crouching position I am in. I rest a hand on my hand, "So what's the meaning of this?"
"Well…" Sir Dominic sounds so distant, as though his voice is way into the room but I could feel a presence behind.
Confused, I turn to look and my jaw drops as I wipe my chin away.
It's Elian, staring down at me with shocked eyes. An emotion that I didn't know he was capable of.
Slowly he speaks,
"What are you up to?" Then he glares his way into the room, "what is happening?"
