My favorite alpha [chanlix]

10. A rendezvous

‧͙⁺˚*·༓☾　☆　☽༓·*˚⁺‧͙

The time seemed to move excruciatingly slow now that Felix could do nothing else but wait, pacing around his room along the wine-stained rug, stirring up dust with his flowing robes. There were yet no concluding news from Minho, and so, the day before the opening ceremony of the festival Felix had finally reached his limit, fed up with being a mere sitting duck. He needed to come clean about his true identity and warn Chan to be careful around his brothers.

Without much fanfare, Felix snuck outside. He took his time walking through the winding hallways of the drafty castle, wary of whatever schemes Minho and Changbin might devise to keep a close watch on him. He would not put it past them to have one of their shadow guards tail him, but so far he had not glimpsed any suspicious movements out of his periphery vision, no strange silence riding on his heals or an unfamiliar gaze burrowing into the back of his head.

Once again, he took cover in one of the obscured alcoves in the thick fortress wall, near the hidden passage, heart pounding against his ribs for having come this far unnoticed. The spindly branches of an old, overhanging plant shielded him from view as he stood back, blending in with the shadows to take a moment to survey his surroundings.

The fires of the night guard were yet to be lit, but it was late enough that there were only a few people out and about, mostly merchants closing shop for the night and a couple of dawdling servants setting up colorful lanterns in preparation for the autumn fest before the curfew hit, their breaths materializing into white puffs of mist in front of their faces as they talked and joked amongst themselves. The vast sky was on fire with a deep, orange glaze — overbearing and crushing over their heads. A smudge of purple, a sure sign of the last dregs of warmth leaving the earth, was mixed into the far horizon beyond the massive silhouette of the granite castle. Shivering, the omega pulled the lapels of his fur coat tighter around himself and adjusted the deep hood pulled over his head, unexpectedly grateful for the extra coverage provided by the chiffon veil that shielded his face against the cold.

Rubbing his icy hands together for warmth, Felix found himself lingering indecisively in the shadows. Changbin had been rather talkative about the schedule they kept for the negotiation procedures, so Felix had not known for sure, but he had hoped to catch Chan before their sitting dispersed for the night.

His resolve wavered with each passing moment however, holding onto pitiful hope that the alpha was thinking the same. After all, true mates were rumored to have a special connection. Such a pair was said to be destined to be together, just like two halves of the same star that had plunked down onto earth and shattered into pieces that forever yearned to be joined as one. A pull of fate would always align their paths wherever they went for all eternity, no matter number of lives they lived.

There was a rapt shout and a flurry of dispersing shadows along the hidden walkway on the thick fortress wall. Felix's gaze darted to the side just as the reinforced doors of the inner castle gate opened with a loud groan and a rattle of chains, and several people spilled out into the yellow licks of flickering torches. The palace guards dutifully created a pathway for their departing guests, their armors glinting in the dull light, metal hitting against stone as they marched in unison, holding sharpened lances against their shoulders.

A flash of fiery-red amongst the grim crowd caught Felix's attention and instant relief washed through him, a stifling weight lifting off his chest.

Chan was locked in conversation with that one golden-haired beta that seemed to always stick close to his side. The beta leaned in conspiratorially to say something into Chan's ear, his mouth moving rapidly while his face went through several stages of excessive emotion; frustration, anger and then faint amusement, his beady eyes sparkling. Felix was not a jealous person by nature but he could not help the surge of something dark and seeding rising within him, swirling, binding its time, as he attentively watched the northern alpha from afar, tracking his every move and each, tiny tilt and patient nod of his head while he was being talked at.