Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers
Chapter 122: Innermost Circle of Ruins

Chapter 122: Innermost Circle of Ruins

Evaline:

Despite Gavin’s unexpected accident the previous evening, our third day of the trip continued as planned.

Early in the morning, around seven, the class received a message from Professor Aldric in our group chat where he announced that we all would be setting out to explore the remaining parts of the Halendor Ruins as was initially planned.

I just finished getting ready, and was packing my bag, when the familiar knocking on the door halted me.

I knew who it was even before I opened the door. And just as I expected, I found him standing outside my room, looking almost breathtaking. He had rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and the top two buttons of his deep blue shirt were left open, allowing me a sneak peak at his collarbone.

As my eyes finished taking in these little details and finally moved up to his face, I found him staring right at me with a knowing smirk. I felt my cheeks burning in embarrassment.

I straightened, tucked stray strands behind my ears, and took a steadying breath. "Morning," I said and walked back to the bed where my half packed bag was waiting.

"Good morning, Eva," he replied, crossing the threshold and closing the door behind him with a soft click. "How was your sleep?"

"It was good," I replied without looking at him.

I felt him stepping closer but still didn’t look up. I was still embarrassed about getting caught red-handed while checking him out. He stopped right behind me and I was able to feel his warmth against my back.

"Did you not miss me at all, Little Trouble?"

I sucked in a deep breath at his sudden use of the nickname, one that I hadn’t heard in a while. Before I could have turned to face him, I felt his hands slipping around my waist from behind as he pulled me into a back hug.

"Sorry I couldn’t come last night. Between Gavin’s shift and ensuring no one else was up to causing any trouble, it was hard."

"It’s okay," I assured him. "I was fine."

He paused, then offered, "You handled everything beautifully. The way you kept calm and helped with the potion... Kieran and Aldric were both impressed. And yeah, I informed the former. He would have found out eventually."

I finally turned around to face him, and almost once again lost my breath at the sight of him. He was indeed too handsome, just like his brothers. With such good looks, it wasn’t a surprise that almost every other female student at the Academy had their eyes on them.

I probably stared at him for way too long, because-

"Stop looking at me like that." He whispered in a low voice, and I noticed how his eyes turned darker as he stared at me.

"Like what?" I asked, my own voice coming in a breathy whisper that had him inhaling sharply.

For a moment, I almost felt certain that he was going to kiss me. But he just leaned closer and pressed his forehead against mine while his hands moved to cup my face.

"You are going to be death of me, my sweet little mate."

I absolutely loved it when he called me with these nicknames. My entire life, I had been called either Evaline or Eva, and the only person who ever called me endearingly was my mother. She used to call me ’honey’. And it had been so long since she left me.

So, hearing Oscar calling me these cute and sweet nicknames made a part of me really happy. Before this, I didn’t even know that I was into such things.

I didn’t speak, just stood there while basking in his warmth and care. After several long minutes, he placed a soft kiss on my temple before finally stepping back.

"You are getting late for breakfast. Let’s hurry up. I’ll see you later," he said and then left the room.

I quickly checked the time and realized that breakfast was about to begin in two minutes. Without wasting any more time, I finished packing and headed downstairs.

The dining area was buzzing with energy. My friends were already waiting by a table with plates carefully laid out - oatmeal with berries, fresh bread, roasted nuts, fruits, and milk.

"Did you sleep in?" Noah asked as I slipped in the empty seat between him and Kyros.

"Not really. Just got caught up with packing my bag." I replied as I poured myself a glass of milk.

My gaze then turned to Mallory and I immediately noticed the change in her. She looked... pretty much like her usual cheerful self, and it meant only one thing - she and Jasper had talked things through.

She caught me watching and gave me a bright smile which I immediately returned. I was happy for her.

We finished the breakfast and stepped out the crisp mountain air once it was time to set out.

"Today is going to be the death of me." I whispered once Professor Aldric informed that we would be hiking for more than one and a half hour to reach the innermost circle of the ruins.

"Stop worrying. You got us." Rowan dismissed my worries immediately and I knew that he and others indeed had my back.

I was perfectly fine for the first half an hour before my body started showing signs of weakness. The trail also kept growing narrower with patches of golden moss that I quickly gathered as sample.

My muscles were burning, but I forced a steady pace. My friends remained in sync. And Oscar was just behind us - quiet, watchful, checking each student to ensure no one slipped or lagged.

After a very long hike, we finally arrived at our destination. The innermost circle was spread in a large area. I had no doubt that exploring it was going to take the entire day if not more.

At the heart of the ruins, a massive stone arch was rising over us with eep violet runes etched into its surface, faintly pulsing in the morning light.

Professor Aldric gathered us, ready to start with another day of project research. For nearly an hour, he briefed us on what we were going to find in the ruins and what we needed to focus on.

And then, I joined my project group to explore the final and most mysterious part of the Halendor Ruins.