(Amaia)

Not only does it hurt seeing both of them at each other’s throats, but I am just lost at how to handle these two.

They are acting like hormonal teenagers instead of grown ass men.

Rigel, I understand, he has such little social awareness, and he feels the mate bond.

But Alnitak is just acting petty because he doesn’t want to share me with anyone else.

I do wonder what would happen if all four of them felt the mate bond. There will always be war around me, and that’s not how I want my life to be.

"I apologise but what he said made me lose control. I don’t want to be labelled as someone who hurt you," Rigel says quietly but his eyes dangerously flash towards Alnitak.

"You didn’t hurt me. I willingly offered you my blood," I insist, making Alnitak grunt beside me.

"That’s not true. You almost fainted and have been put on medication because of the low amount of blood in your system," he blazes, all hints of tease disappear from his voice. "I understand whatever it is you feel for him but don’t put your health in jeopardy. If you think I will stand here and watch you throw away your life, you are wrong. I will go to Alnilam and then to the headmaster if you won’t listen to me," he threatens and Rigel lets out a pained grunt.

His eyes, which glowed like cursed red jewels, found me as he asked in a hoarse voice, "Is that true?"

Uncomfortably I shift in my seat. Alnitak always has to open his big mouth and say things he is not supposed to.

"That’s not your decision to make, Alnitak. Stay out of my personal business," I hiss back at him, instead of answering Rigel.

"I literally can’t and I won’t. You can’t make me." He shrugs his huge shoulders, giving me a challenge.

But it’s Rigel’s index finger with the wintery touch on my cheek that has me turning my head. "Don’t dodge the question, Amaia. Is what he said true?" He asks, rigidly and I let out another pained breath. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

I didn’t wish to hurt Rigel, knowing he would stop drinking from me and become more isolated.

"It was just a speculation by the Healer, I might have felt dizzy because of the heat." Rigel shakes his head at my answer and withdraws his finger, severing the contact. Getting up he moves away to the other table with scattered papers and files, making himself busy.

My eyes follow him and I sense this dread crossing my heart. His shoulders have slouched like a broken man. Pain covers every inch of his handsome face.

It makes me mad and I furiously turn to face Alnitak. I need to have a private conversation with Alnitak, letting him know to leave Rigel alone; he doesn’t understand what he has been through, and I feel like I don’t even know the whole truth.

"Are you happy now? Is that what you wanted?" I fume.

Alnitak picks up a single piece of paper and is folding it, making a boat or whatever.

"All I want is to keep you safe, Amaia. If it takes telling the truth and keeping him away from you, then be it."

"Leave, Ezran alone. What my business with him is has nothing to do with you," I slowly hiss at him. Shoving a few more papers into the file.

Alnitak stares at me dead in the eye. Gone is the sunny smile he carries all day.

"But it is. I am the one left to gather your broken body, every time someone else hurts you." He gently places his hand on my shoulder. "You think I am stupid? That I can’t see and understand just because you refuse to tell me about how many mates you have."

My heart almost stops beating at his words. Where was he going with this conversation? Heat seeped onto my cheeks.

"Since we are on this topic. Let me give you my take on it. According to my guess, it’s four. And I have a pretty good guess about the three but I don’t know who the fourth one is. So tell me if I am wrong."

His desperate eyes search mine for truths that are there and I have been trying for someone to see them. He sees them.

He says he knows about three. So does he know about Mintaka or Alnilam?

"There is a difference between not telling and una..." The words die in my mouth like deadly fog and I almost choke on it. The stabbing in my thigh has me hissing as I look away from him.

What’s even the point of trying to have this conversation?

"Amaia?" He gently says, maybe understanding my pain. "Complete your sentence." But I can’t even look at him anymore, let alone speak. I want a semblance of peace.

"She won’t...or more like she can’t," Rigel’s heavy voice comes from the other table making both of us glance in his direction. He is keeping himself busy, organising but I know he has heard every single word said between us.

He knows...because he shares the same fate as I do. He is cursed just like I am.

"What do you mean by that?" Alnitak asks, curious; a tad frustrated too.

"You will understand if you pay close attention. Sometimes you need to see and feel without words. As you said, you are not an idiot." Rigel turns his head and pins Alnitak with a deadly glare. "Which you look by the way, all muscles, no brain kinda guy."

And here we go again with these two throwing jibes at each other. But strangely, Alnitak doesn’t react; he only listens.

"Figure it out, pretty boy. I just did, you can too." With that, Rigel’s scarlet eyes, which appear like embers of passion, find me, and he offers me a wounded smile.

"You are my light, Amaia but I am not drinking from you again," he simply says. "Doesn’t mean I will step back or give up pursuing you. You are mine, more than you will be anyone else’s."