As if it understood his words, the okie turned and ran to the end of the yard. It glanced at him, and then disappeared under the wall.
It had dug a hole under the damn wall! Nylune shoved to his feet, shocked. He had thought the walls went deeper into the ground. Well, that’s what the house agents told him when he bought the house. Having a garden was always in his plans, so he inquired about it because he was interested in planting plants that repopulated through their roots. He didn’t want them to grow through to his neighbour. What he considered beautiful someone might feel otherwise about. He was even careful of planting flowering plants that reproduced through seeds. He usually cut the flowers before they started to pollinate, especially his exotic plants from other planets.
Someone had lied to him, he thought, balling his hands into fists. He wasn’t sure who he was madder at: the house agents or the unknown alpha who’d clearly moved in when he wasn’t supposed to. He was endangering their lives with his massive pet.
His anger rose the more he thought about it. His heart started to beat fast, and his breath came in shallow gasps. His body trembled as the shock of a few minutes ago suddenly hit him. Oh shit… he’d lived through that!
Nylune picked up his connector from the bench and punched Hazi’s code.
“The okie, I saw it,” he said as soon as he answered.
“What? Where?” Hazi screamed into the connector. “Are you alright?”
“He was right in front of me. I could smell him and feel his warmth. I can’t believe I did that,” his knees buckled. Nylune sat down, rambling on. “He stood in front of me for about an hour, humming. Did you know they hummed? I didn’t know that. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. It felt like my life flashed right before my eyes.”
“Nylune, are you alright? What am I thinking? If you’re speaking to me, it means you’re fine,” Hazi said, not listening to a word he said. “Fuck, Nylune. Shit just keeps happening to you. Do you have bad luck or something? I can’t deal with this.”
“It’s not my fault bad things happen to me. I didn’t ask for the alpha with an okie to move in next to me,” Nylune complained.
“I know. I’m just venting. A lot of bad things happen to you, and I don’t like it,” Hazi whined. “You’re such a good person. You shouldn’t be going through shit like this.”
Yeah, well, his life was complicated. He was used to it now. Something worse was probably going to follow this – it wouldn’t end until his life was turned upside down.
“We should sue the alpha. He lied to the entire neighbourhood. What if something had happened to you? He should pay for what he’s done. You should file a complaint with the council of alphas. They must do something about him and his okie. He can’t bring that thing where people live. They’ll stop him from moving in if you send a complaint. I didn’t feel right when I left this morning. I should have known that something like this would happen.”
Right… but Nylune hesitated. He didn’t want to cause any trouble.
“Don’t… don’t you dare, Nylune.”
Nylune fidgeted as if Hazi was watching him with his laser eyes. “What? I’m not doing anything.”
“I know you. You’re feeling sorry for that bastard, even though his damn animal almost mauled you to death. You did the same with Deltta Kohle. He fucking connected with you and asked if you needed anything, and you said no. You said no. You should have asked for the damn planet and everything in it. But no. You had to be righteous and say no. No. I’m not having it this time,” Hazi said. “You’re going to lodge a complaint and you’re going to sue his ass.”
“Okay,” Nylune said.
“What?”
“I said, okay. I’ll do it. I’ll file the complaint.”
“Good,” Hazi said. “Let me know if you need any help.”
“I will,” Nylune said. The connector went silent. He stared at the wall, where the okie had disappeared. He’d just found a way to get rid of the alpha next door. And he didn’t even have to lift a finger. But how was he going to close that damn hole before the okie came back?
Chapter 6
Adew
“I’ve been dying for you to taste this,” his mother said, handing him a glass of something dark. Adew took a sip and moaned. The spirit was delicious, well balanced and perfect. If only everything in his life was like that. “It’s good, right? The spirit reminded me of you when I first tasted it. Its raw and fiery, just like you.”
“It tastes amazing,” Adew commented. He liked the spirit, but he wasn’t into the party.
“Smile, son. The whole team is here for you and Lars.”
“The whole team and media personnel,” Adew grumbled, looking around the half full dining area. Imaging flashes went off as the media took their images. His face was going to be plastered everywhere by tomorrow. He silently groaned, but there was nothing he could do about it. His trainer Xylo, publicist Ria, and assistant Wan were there too. He wondered if they were happy being there since he’d fired them.
It was awkward as fuck. To make matters worse, Urim was there too. He stood on the other side of the room, alone, looking devastated. He was yet to approach him.
Adew prayed that he wouldn’t.