Spade

Thinking in this direction, Arren shook his head and let out a self-deprecating laugh. He remembered he only had 10 minutes to talk to him. He shouldn't waste it.

Once Arren made up his mind, he wouldn't hesitate to carry it out. Under the complex gaze of the pale alpha, he walked the distance between them and decisively pushed the button that Spade told him.

Arren's beautiful phoenix eyes had lost their gentleness and had turned cold. His piercing gaze penetrated the alpha through the transparent walls, causing Ashton to shiver.

"You seemed to have a good life here, huh? Ashton?" Arren's harsh and sarcastic tone broke the stalemate between them. Even the icy stare became more intense. While he was uncomfortable for a few seconds, the other met his gaze; after all, the alpha was still an alpha. His arrogance was imprinted on his bones.

Arren appeared to see Ashton's arrogant demeanor overlapping with his current weak and bad state. Ashton bravely met Arren's gaze, his venomous smirk visible on his chapped lips. Sure enough, Arren arched his brows; this fucker was still the same fucker.

"Heh, don't be a fucking proud omega. If only you didn't have the status you do, you would only fucking kneel in front of me and be an obedient little pussy. Omega should only be at our mercy, alphas!" Ashton suddenly shouted foul language and insults in anger.

His face turned crimson, and his fierce eyes locked on Arren. Arren was certain Ashton would have attacked him long ago if there hadn't been a wall between them. Even so, the mad alpha shortened the distance between them, leaving only the transparent wall between them.

Despite this, Arren did not become surprised or scared; instead, his contemptuous expression aggravated the alpha's rage. His eyes were filled with scorn and disdain, as if he were looking down on the alpha.

He wasn't offended by the alpha's words. Ashton simply didn't have any qualifications to make him feel offended, even so, it disgusted him.

"Sure enough, I've known you're one of those self-centered alphas since I met you, but so what? In the end, no matter how arrogant or proud you are, it wouldn't change the fact that you're here locked up, and who knows how long you'll last?" Arren responded, provoking the mad alpha even more.

Arren's provocative words caused Ashton's anxiety and despair to surge like a tide, and his eyes turned bloody as his pheromones became aggressive and threatening. He glared like a beast at Arren that if looks could kill, the omega would tear into shreds a thousand times.

Throughout, Arren only smirks. His beautiful and delicate face looks more like a demoness than an angel at this point. His triumphant smile seemed to mock the alpha on how weak he was.

His intention was to provoke and make the alpha emotionally collapse; he didn't just say those words because he liked them; he knew that the more the alpha fell into madness, the worse his state would be and the more vulnerable he would be.

"Fucking omega, you were really fucking lucky to be able to escape. Fuck, if you weren't, you wouldn't be smiling here. Huh, I deeply regret our plan didn't succeed, or else, you would have been ravaged long ago. Perhaps, I could also give some taste," the alpha gave Arren a disgusting and lewd stare and licked his lips lusciously, making his expression colder. "Damn, you have no idea how much they wanted you," the alpha exclaimed, then laughed as if he was insane.

Arren shivered all over as he swallowed nervously. He'd pale even more if his will was much weaker than it was. Actually, something deep within him was screaming at him to run and escape, to stop listening to the alpha's nonsense.

He forcefully suppressed those emotions. He needed to do this because if he didn't, all of his efforts would be futile and he would have fallen even further. He took a deep breath and centered himself. Arren steeled himself once more and put on a brave face.

"Who? I don't think a small fry like you can plot against me at all, so who's behind you?"

This was what Arren was most curious about. Who conspired against him? What was their motive? Was it really that simple, as Ashton claimed, that they desired him? This was the thing that bothered him the most.

Arren regarded himself as a little extra long ago. While he knew that being swept into the storm was only a matter of time due to his identity, he still believed that he was safe from the conspiracy and intrigues until he took action himself.

However, that incident opened his eyes and forced him to face reality. This world was real and wasn't just a pure novel. Still, his belief that he was merely an extra was not easily dispelled.

When Ashton heard Arren's question, he burst out laughing. His expression became crazy and mad, and his entire body and face were pressed up against the wall as if he wanted to become one with it. The heinous expressions look particularly disgusting.

"You wouldn't know. You escaped once, but the next time you won't be so lucky." He laughed so hard that he started punching the wall, which reverberated throughout the room and forced the alarm to go off. The prisoner's aggressive behavior would always set off the alarm.

Arren fell silent in the midst of the insane laughter and wall-banging. He also heard the door slam open, followed by hurried footsteps.

The next thing Arren knew, Spade was at his side, wrapping his arms around him and turning him around so he couldn't see Ashton. More guards soon entered the room, and the insane laughter continued until it was stopped, at which point the guards probably muted the room again.

"You..." Spade looked worriedly at Arren. Arren raises his head and stares at the alpha, his emotions mixed. He gave him a weak smile that did not reach his eyes.

Arren was at a loss for words. His conversation with Ashton did not go as planned. He just wanted to vent his feelings, but the result was... Arren wasn't sure whether it was good or bad. At least for now, he was in the dark no longer that someone really targeted him.

Who could it be? He would have to think about it later.

"I'm fine," he said, assuring the alpha. Arren told the truth. He really was fine. While he was terrified, it wasn't enough to cause him to collapse.

Before nodding, the alpha looked at him longer, as if checking to see if he was telling the truth. The alpha turned back and looked at the out-of-control alpha.

His expression darkened, "Let's go, we can't talk to him anymore,"

Arren didn't argue as the alpha pulled him away and began to walk away. He was exhausted for some reason. He simply fell silent as they returned to the surface. The alpha was aware of his mood and did not press him.

Moments later, they were back on the surface. It was still early, and the afternoon sun shone brightly. Arren squinted and looked up; they had only been underground for about ten minutes. Why did it feel like an hour or a day? It was tricky. Because Arren only stood at his place, Spade also waited at him and stood at the entrance with him.

The guards did not dare to disturb them and went about their business; some personal bodyguards kept a safe distance but surrounded them.

"I didn't get to beat him up," Arren started. His tone was one of regret and resentment.

Spade at the side, after hearing him, let out a chuckle. "You didn't have another chance next time," he said calmly, but his words were full of meaning. Arren turned and stared at the alpha, his eyes befuddled.

"Why?"

The alpha simply shrugged and did not respond.

Arren frowned and furrowed his brows. This alpha was back at it.

"There was something I know..." The alpha waited for his next words, Arren didn't continue for a few seconds and gaze long enough at the alpha.

"You... who are you?"

He didn't know why those were the ones he uttered. Perhaps he already suspected something deep down. A normal royal investigator, no matter how high his position, could never mobilize forces like the alpha in front of him.

The alpha didn't seem surprised by the question, his mouth curving into a smile as his gaze heated up, "Say... who do you think I am?" the alpha returned the question playfully.

Arren bit his lower lip, and a terrifying thought crossed his mind. No, how could that be possible? His thoughts became chaotic all at once, "Your name... what is it?" His tone was low, and his confidence was fading.

Spade seemed more amused this time; he knew the omega already had a guess in mind, but he was rejecting it for some reason. "Didn't I tell you the last time?"

Last time... When was it? Arren had forgotten. His brow furrowed as he struggled to recall. Something seemed to surface in his memory under Spade's amused gaze. He was drowsy at the time, and everything became blurry.

Despite this, he seemed to inquire about the alpha's name. His answer was... Arren tried harder to recover that memory. After a few hard tries, a blurry memory resurfaces and even the deep voice accompanied that memory.

"Spade, that's my name."

Now, Arren remembered that alpha's answer.

He said his name was Spade.

Ah, Spade... Wait... Arren's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the alpha in front of him.

The alpha didn't seem to mind his reactions, as his playful smile widened due to the exaggerated reaction. Obviously, the omega remembers his name now. The alpha raised his brows, waiting for Arren to say something.

"You...?" Arren couldn't continue, his mind stunned, and his expression inquiring about the alpha.

Arren wanted the alpha to clarify that everything he remembered was a dream. But the reality was cruel; he saw how the alpha nodded. Arren opened his mouth to say something but felt something in his throat, so he closed it again.

This shocked him silly. How could it be?

If his name is Spade, then... Arren wanted to believe that there was another person named Spade besides the Emperor, but he knew that was wishful thinking. He felt like he was going to faint. Right now.