Reason and Another Meeting (3)

Arren's hostility subsided when he noticed Spade's confusion. Never mind, the alpha clearly didn't understand his emotions. Arren set the cup of coffee down, but his hands never left it and he continued to seek the warmth it provided.

He lifted his eyes to meet Spade's amber pupils, his cold having subsided. The alpha's gaze seemed to be fixed on Arren, as he simply watched and stared at him. He couldn't help but feel flustered because of the intense gaze. Arren licked his lips and decided to start the conversation because the silence was making him feel hotter by the second.

"Did I bother you?" he softly inquired. While Arren was grateful that the alpha responded to his call, he didn't forget that the alpha might be extremely busy.

"No, it's fine, but..." the deep voice floated in the air as he paused, his amber eyes appearing darker to Arren. "You're grounded, aren't you?" Spade continued, almost accusingly, as if he was reprimanding Arren.

Arren pouted at Spade and adjusted his jacket suit on his shoulder before asking quietly, "Would you tell my father that I'm with you?"

It wasn't impossible; even before calling the Alpha, he had mentally prepared himself for that outcome, but he still called him over. Not because he was desperate at the time, or because he trusted Spade so much that he wouldn't tell his father, but more likely because his body and mind worked faster than his reason as soon as he saw his contact number.

It was as if he brushed aside any potential consequences and didn't bother to consider the situation. He wanted to call him, so he dialed his number.

"What would you do if I did?" Spade didn't respond, instead returning a question to him.

Arren responded quickly and jokingly, "I'd hate you if you did," with a lighthearted laugh.

Arren didn't take it seriously at all. He couldn't care less if Spade told his father he was with him. While he did kill a lot of his brain cells in order to escape, that wasn't reason enough to hate the alpha.

Actually, his heart was very calm this time. It was as if all of his actions and preparations, and even the reason he wanted to sneak out, were secondary to this simple meeting with the alpha.

Despite Arren's expectations, Spade took his joke seriously. The remark was obviously just him being funny and lightening the mood, but the alpha didn't seem amused by the joke and instead seemed sullen about it.

"I won't," for now, Spade finished at his words in his mind. He still planned to inform the Duke later because it was necessary otherwise, the Duke would go insane looking for his rebellious son.

Arren was taken aback at first, but then his lips curled into a sweet smile. "Thank you," he said, his eyes twinkling as he focused his entire attention on Spade.

They then remained silent. This time, however, there was a very comfortable silence. Arren focused his attention on his coffee and started eating the cakes. While Spade leaned back in his seat, watching Arren eat. It was a lovely and relaxing scene.

Spade's deep voice broke the silence a few seconds later. "Why did you leave the house even in this kind of weather?"

Arren had already lifted his head to look at the alpha when he heard the question. His expression became conflicted at once, but only for a brief moment. He lowered his head as he set the fork down. Arren couldn't think of anything to say to Spade as his fingers fidgeted at the handle.

It wasn't because Arren didn't want to appear frail in front of Spade, but because opening up was difficult. Arren had been specially trained in his previous life to keep his emotions in check and never complained or let his parents know he was in pain.

He was diagnosed with heart disease from the moment he was born in his first life. Arren never had the opportunity to play outside or with friends on the playground as a child. He was always just standing there watching and observing them have fun with each other.

Arren initially threw a temper tantrum at his parents and begged them to let him play, but his parents were firm and refused all of his requests. He couldn't understand why his parents were like that; his innocent mind only wanted to play but couldn't.

He was hospitalized because he had been crying all day and suddenly became unable to breathe and fainted. He recalled his parents sobbing in the hospital bed as the doctor told them he couldn't understand yet. Arren wanted to call his parents, but no matter what he tried, he couldn't speak.

In his young and innocent mind, he was immediately exposed to the cruel and unfair way of life. He wasn't in good health, and his heart might fail him if it ever reached its limit. He was different from the other kids because his heart couldn't handle too many activities and exercises. Arren's parents were constantly worried about their son. Arren finally got it.

But understanding was one thing, and accepting was quite another. Arren was initially envious of other children, but over time and as he grew older, the jealousy and resentment toward the world simply vanished, and he became completely numb.

He grew accustomed to the constraints and suppressed his true emotions within. Arren also didn't voice out his pain or anything to his parents to not become an even more burden than he already was.

This time was no different. Arren kept everything inside, not wanting to bother his father with his erratic emotions. Then it was Spade who asked. He was about to say something, but instead sighed and decided not to.

He might be interested in the alpha, but it wasn't fair to burden him with this. After all, he wasn't Arren's alpha yet, and he could express his emotions and thoughts freely.

So he smiled and replied, "I'm bored as hell in the house and I miss the outside world so I thought of sneaking out," and if Spade noticed something was wrong, he didn't say it aloud.

The atmosphere around them was still pleasant, and Spade stopped asking questions because he knew the omega didn't want to be honest, which he respected, and he worried that bringing up the subject would irritate Arren.

However, as time passed and Spade continued to observe Arren, he became increasingly aware that something was wrong with him. His appearance remained the same, but there were some distinct details that even he couldn't ignore.

He noticed the omega's cheeks were rosy as usual, and his eyes were misty. Previously, Spade didn't give it much thought because the omega's actions were normal. He sipped his coffee and ate his cake, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But now he notices Arren's cheeks have turned flushed and his eyes have become misty and hazy.

Spade frowned, his brows furrowed, and he couldn't help but touch the omega's forehead, startled by the hot temperature of him. Arren undoubtedly had a fever. Spade should have caught on sooner, he was so careless.