Chapter 10

Nathan's POV

The moment my feet brought me near the kitchen, the smell of foods and freshly brewed coffee assaulted my nose. I smiled in glee. This could mean only one thing, Aria is back! I enter the kitchen and my suspicion is confirmed. There, behind the kitchen counter, is Aria herself. She was busy preparing the meal, she didn't notice my presence.

"Good morning Aria." I greet her, leaning against the archway. She turned her head in surprise. Her eyes soften when she sees me. "Nathan! Don't scare me like that. I'm not young anymore." She smiled at me. I smiled at her sheepishly. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I just miss your presence." I admitted. "Silly boy. I'm only away for two weeks." She washed her hand and dries them before coming in my direction.

"That is one of the longest two weeks I have to experience in my life." I pouted. "Oh, you are my silly boy, no matter how much you have grown." She pulls me into a hug. I return her hug, inhaling her natural scent. She smelled like a mother, warm and loving. Ever since my parents were killed in the war, she took the role of a mother and raise Matthew and me.

"How is your vacation with Darius? Is it fun?" I ask, my voice muffled by the hug." She releases me from the hug and kisses my cheeks. "It was really fun and the view is gorgeous. Thank you for arranging the vacation. Both of you." I blushed. "No need to thank you us, Aria. We should be the ones thanking you for raising us. It was not an easy task."

"We are family, honey. Besides, watching you two grew up into respectable Alphas is enough for me. I'm proud of you both." Her mothery tone made me smile. The fact she was not our real mother and still give us genuine love is amazing. "Enough of the drama. Are you hungry? I also brewed your favorite coffee." She asked.

"I'm not hungry just yet, Aria. I will take the coffee though." She nods. "Okay, but don't forget to eat, okay? Also, where is your brother?" She grabs a mug from the cabinet and pours the black liquid into the mug. She handed the mug to and I gratefully accept it. "Matthew is currently talking with Axel and Zade in the meeting hall. They are currently discussing the defense strategy." I answer, shrugging my shoulder.

"Always the strategist that boy." She said, fondly. "Yeah, he always is the brain in our strategy. And I am always the enforcer." I replied, agreeing with her. "Anyway, what are you cooking today, Aria? If it's not a problem, can I request a meal?" I inhale the scent of the coffee before gulping it down. Ah, the bitter taste of the coffee made me feel fully awake.

"It's rare for you to have a request. Tell me what you want." She coats another chicken meat with egg yolk and covers it with bread crumbs before she plunges it into the hot oil. "Can you make something light? Like chicken soup or some sandwich." I sat on the kitchen stool, watching her cook. "You wanted to eat something light? Are you sure about that?" She turned her head, frowning at me.

"Oh no, nope. It's not for me, it's for someone else." I denied. "Care to tell me?" She asked, flipping the chicken upside down. "Well, it's a long story. Can I tell you about it later? I need to check on the armory. I will drag Matthew afterward to eat breakfast. We can talk about it then. Okay?" I replied, finishing the last of the coffee. She hummed. I set the empty mug on the kitchen counter and rose from my chair. "Please let me know when you are done with the meal. I will personally deliver the food myself." I call out to her, before walking out of the kitchen and down into the armory.

After the short walk, I arrived in front of the armory. The two guards that I posted a month ago greet me before opening the door, letting me in. I thanked them and went inside. The armory probably is the largest room in this house. It is as big as an indoor court. I walked to the furthest door in the room, unlocking it with my fingerprint. There are only three fingerprints that can unlock the door. Matthew, me, and Elijah, our trusted fairy blacksmith.

I enter the private room and flip on the light switch. I search around the room for the package. Seeing no box inside the room, I fish out my phone and unlock it. I punch in Elijah's phone number and made a call. He picked the phone on the fifth ring. "Good morning Elijah." I greet. "Ah, Alpha Nathan. Good morning to you too." He greeted me back. "I told you to call me Nathan," I paused. "Can I ask you where is my package?"

I heard a rummage on the side of his line. "Ah yes, I was supposed to deliver it today. I did not forget about it, no, but it looks like I can't make the delivery today." he sighed. "No? Did something happened?" I asked. "Well, you could say so. My assistant, Nicki who was meant to deliver your package went missing last night. I can't contact her at all. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Nathan. I will deliver them myself by midnight."

"Are you sure? The armors are heavy, aren't they?" He laughed. "Yeah, yeah, it is heavy as heck, but I can manage." I let out a chuckle at his response. "You really are something, Elijah." I mused. "That's me, your jokester blacksmith." He joked, but his tone is tinged with sadness. "Are you okay? Do you want any help on finding Nicki?" I offered. "No, no, no need. Besides, you need to focus on the war, Nathan. This is not the time to spent your resources on me or Nicki." He rejected my offer.

"If you say so. But remember, Elijah, you can always ask for our help. After all, we are best friends." He let out a yes and hung up the call. I turn off the phone before putting it back into my pocket. I flip off the light switch and shut the door behind me. I went out of the armory when one of the guards, Caspian told me that Aria is finished with the meal I requested. I thank him and went on my way to the meeting hall to drag Matthew to eat breakfast together.

As I promised to Aria, I drag Matthew with me to the kitchen. He protested at first, but become obedient when I tell him about Aria's arrival. He was eager to see Aria again. In the kitchen, the three of us are joined by Darius, Aria's mate. We eat breakfast and talked together, laughing and joking. Done with breakfast, I grab the plate that holds the meal for Christian and went upstairs.

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Kaien's POV

It's time for me to act. I woke up, feeling groggy as hell. It's been a long time since I took over. I yawned, not fully awake just yet. The room is bright, the ray of the sun penetrates through the curtains. I look around, trying to understand where I am. Then Christian's memory came to me slowly. Right, I am at Nathan and Matthew's place. Now, what should I do if Nathan and Matthew came in? Do I freak out? Or do I play it cool?

I was about to think about it more when the door to my room opened. "Christian! You're up! Are you okay? How are you feeling?" The voice bombarded me with questions. I look at the voice owner. It was Nathan. I decided to play it cool. "Uhm, Nathan, where am I? This is not my room." I said, pretending to be confused. "It's the spare bedroom in our house. Don't you remember? We brought you here yesterday." He said.

"Your house? I don't remember anything. My memory is fuzzy." I replied. He frowns at my response. "You don't remember? Like, at all?" He asked again, suspicious. "Yeah, I don't remember anything from yesterday. What happened?" I internally cringed at my own answer. "Well, uh, you fainted yesterday. We thought that it's bad to leave you alone so we brought you to our house." He replied.

He cautiously walks over to the bed and sets down a tray of food. I didn't even realize he has it with him the whole time, too focused on giving him answers. "Oh, I see. I'm sorry to trouble you guys again." I apologized. "Hey, no need to apologize, okay? Here, eat the sandwiches, they're wicked." He smiled. As if on cue, my stomach growled at me. I blushed. "Seems like your stomach agrees with me." He grinned.

"Shu-shut up!" I turn away from him, embarrassed. "Come on, I'm just teasing you, Chris. Please eat the sandwiches?" He put his hand on top of mine. I whip my head back and face him. "You're always teasing me." I pout. "Gosh, you're so adorable when you pout." I smacked his hand lightly. "Stop it! You damn teaser!" I grab one of the sandwiches and munch on it sulkily.

"I'm sorry, but you're just too fun to tease." He ruffled my hair. I glared at him, and he raises his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. Just eat your sandwiches, yeah? I'll be back in a moment." He turns his back and walks towards the door. "Where are you going?" I ask, finishing the sandwich in my hand. "I'm going to tell Matthew that you're awake. Stay and don't go anywhere, okay?" Before I could answer him, he already walks out of the door.

I let out a relieved sigh. Nathan doesn't seem suspicious just yet. That means I'm doing just fine. I kinda feel bad for them though, pretending to be Christian when I am not him. Well, technically, we share the same body and the same face. But how long can I fool them? Would they be able to tell me I am not their Christian? And what should I do when they indeed find out the truth? Argh, all of this thinking made me exhausted. I grab another sandwich and devour them.

I was about to finish my last sandwich when the door to my room opens again. This time, Matthew is in tow. "Christian? I'm glad you're awake and well." He muttered. I finish my remaining sandwich before answering him. "Well, as you can see, I am just fine! Thank you for bringing me to your home though." I said, faking the cheerfulness.

"Ah, um, yeah, your welcome. Do you remember what happened yesterday?" He asked, avoiding eye contact with me. "Well, Nathan told me what happened, but I don't remember what happened at all," I replied. "Oh, ok, I see. It is good to see you up and running, Chris. But still, you need to rest more, so you don't faint like yesterday again." He said, scratching at his nape. "Oh, yeah, I will. I still feel exhausted. I don't know why though. Thank you for your concern, guys!"

Matthew nods his head, while Nathan is staring at me. "Rest up. When you're awake, we will ask the family doctor to check up on you." This time, Nathan spoke up. "Okay, I will," I answer them, before yawning. My eyelids feel heavy already. I set the tray onto the nightstand and slid under the blanket, falling asleep once more.