The Broken and the Rogue ✓

Ch. 9: An Unexpected Situation

Zaziel was ignoring me.

It was noon on the day I was supposed to face the last trial and I hadn't seen him anywhere. And it wasn't just that morning, I hadn't seen him on the day of my break or the afternoon after overcoming the second challenge.

I didn't have the slightest idea what was happening to him. He was so unpredictable that it drove me crazy. At one point he liked to chase me, calling me his pup, and suddenly he disappeared. The worst of all was that I could smell him in a room, I would go look for him to ask him what the hell was wrong with him, and when I arrived he was no longer there.

Poof, he was always gone like a ghost.

He just left; He just remembered that he had to do something; He was just here but now I don't see him. I couldn't stand hearing other people's explanations every time I asked about Zaziel.

His stupid games were not funny anymore. I wanted nothing more than to find him once and for all to scream every one my frustrations to him.

I didn't have time to run after him, I had a new trial to face, one that I didn't know what was about or at what time I’d be doing it. Perhaps I was already being tested, perhaps the challenge started earlier than what I expected and I was supposed to find Zaziel.

Chase your cheeky bastard Alpha, the trial to test the patience of the candidates.

“Are you sure that you haven't seen him all day?” I asked Artec, while he ate lunch in the kitchen.

“No, I was actually looking for him to tell him something but he's gone.” The smile he was trying to hold back told me the opposite.

“How about yesterday?” I insisted, stealing a nugget from Artec’s plate.

“Yesterday I saw him at night, he was running outside the mansion. Why don't you ask Klaus?, he should know where Zaziel is.”

I huffed and rested my head on the table. “I don't know Klaus enough to be asking favors from him. I only talked to him twice and he didn't seem to be interested in what I had to say.”

“Don't take it personal, he’s like that with everyone.” Artec cleaned his hands with a napkin and patted my hair. “Why are you so obsessed with finding him? You should be practicing for your last trial.”

“I’m not obsessed, I want to find him because he's running away from me and I want to know why. Besides, what's the point of practicing? I don't even know what I’ll have to do.”

Artec scratched the back of his neck and tilted his head. “Are you sure he's running away from you? Zaziel it's not that type of person, if he doesn't want to see you he would tell you that directly to your face.”

“I’m a hundred percent sure. Everyone is treating me like I’m crazy, but I know I’m right. It's all his fault, I want to find him and squeeze his neck until he can't breathe.”

“I would love to see you try,” he said between laughs. “Sorry I can't be of help, if you still haven't found him by tonight I will help you to talk with Klaus. Now I have to go, I promise Darla that I’ll take her out shopping.”

“Have fun on your date,” I said to him before he left the kitchen.

If the last trial was about respecting the rules I had already lost it. Not caring one bit about what Zaziel might do to me if he saw me, I scoured the entire mansion in search of him.

What was the point of still keeping me alone in the same rooms? Surely he trusted me enough after all the time I spent with him. If he were to say something to me, I planned to make it clear to him that it was his fault for playing hide and seek.