Chapter 40: You’re Unbelieveable

By the time I finally stopped training, the sky outside was already turning a dull, bruised grey.

Sweat soaked through my cropped top, my breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps as my muscles burned with deep exhaustion. I lowered my wrapped hands, my heart hammering like a trapped bird against my ribs.

Then, a loud, violent rumble echoed through the quiet corner of the gym.

Heat instantly flushed up my neck, making my face turn bright red. It came straight from my stomach.

I pursed my lips, staring down at the floor as embarrassment washed over me. The only thing I had eaten all day was that single piece of bread on my way here, and I had completely lost track of time while pushing this body past its limits.

"Oi, noisemaker. Even your belly is joining in on the racket now, huh?"

I flinched, my posture locking rigid as I snapped my head toward the bench. "Benjamin?! You’re... you’re still here?!"

"Where’d you think I’d go?" He let out a long, theatrical yawn, stretching his arms over his head before cracking his neck. "I told you, I can’t go back until you give me your forgiveness."

I stared blankly at him, genuinely speechless.

Seriously, is it really that hard for this guy to just offer a simple apology? His ego had to be the size of a small kingdom.

Well, whatever. That was his problem, not mine.

"You’re unbelievable," I muttered, shaking my head as I walked over to the bench where I’d tossed my hoodie. "If you want to waste your night sleeping on a gym bench, be my guest. I’m leaving."

"You’re leaving to eat," Benjamin observed, rising lazily from the bench like a ghost, his purple eyes tracking my movements. "Good. Feed your stomach so it stops screaming. The noise is giving me a headache."

"Nobody asked you to listen, psycho," I snapped, pulling the oversized hoodie back over my head and making sure my things were still in the pocket. Thankfully, I hadn’t been robbed while deeply immersed in my training.

I turned on my heel and headed for the exit, ignoring the soft, unbothered footsteps that fell right into place behind me.

I took fast, wide strides toward the glass doors, desperate to put distance between myself and his suffocating presence. But just as I reached out to push the door open, my stomach betrayed me once again—releasing a long, horribly loud, echoing rumble.

I froze, my jaw clenching so hard it throbbed. I pretended nothing happened and kept walking.

From right behind me, a low, quiet chuckle echoed through the quiet corridor as Benjamin effortlessly lengthened his stride, pulling up right beside me.

"You know, for someone who acts so tough, your stomach is making a tragic plea for help," he drawled, adjusting his jacket and looking down at me with those sleepy purple eyes. "Come on, poor Omega—I’ll treat you to dinner."

I rolled my eyes under my hood. Poor Omega? Please. I had ten thousand credits sitting safely in my pocket; I was far from poor and I certainly didn’t need a dime from him.

But... If an arrogant Alpha wanted to be generous, why should I turn down a free meal? Besides, it was better to keep him close and figure out what he was actually after. I doubt he was really staying by my side just to get a I forgive you, from my lips. I’m not stupid.

I stopped, crossing my arms over my chest and throwing him a sharp look. "Should I take this as a bribe for my so-called forgiveness?"

Benjamin blinked, looking genuinely offended. "What? Who bribes people with food? I just can’t stand seeing someone hungry around me. It makes me look bad."

"What does me being hungry have to do with you?" I raised an eyebrow, stepping back as he got too close. "Why would it make you look bad?"

He shrugged lazily, tucking his hands in his pockets. "Well... I just feel that way. It makes me feel like I’m not taking care of the people around me."

Is this guy for real? Taking care of who? We literally met today, and he was talking like he had some personal duty to keep me fed. A Saint? No, that’s way off. A saint wouldn’t pin me to his chest and do that.

Before I could question himquestion him, Benjamin grabbed the back of my hoodie and started steering me back to back to the exit. "Come on, stop standing there. I said I’ll treat you. I’ll buy you food so you don’t starve. Just take it as offering help to the less privileged."

My mouth hung in disbelief.

He was treating me like a charity case now? A cold, vicious smirk touched my lips beneath the shadow of my hood. Fine. If he wanted to view this as charity, I was more than happy to bleed his wallet dry.

We ended up at an upscale, quiet diner tucked away in the noble district. Polished mahogany, warm amber lighting, and soft music filled the room. It was practically empty, save for a few young nobles softly chatting in the corner.

We sat across from each other, and as soon as the waiter took our order, I rested my elbows on the table.

"Why can’t you just go home?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously. "It’s not like you don’t have a place to stay."

"I already told you, I can’t," Benjamin replied simply. "In fact, until my uncle lets me back in, the vault is the only place I can actually get any real sleep."

"Because of your hypersensitivity?"

Benjamin raised his eyes, a faint flicker of surprise crossing his features. "It seems my uncle told you a lot. What are you, his confidante or something?"

"Just answer the question."

"If I answer, will you forgive me?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Not happening."

Benjamin let out a quiet sigh, pulling a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it, and blowing a thin trail of smoke toward the ceiling. "Well... it’s just noisy. Right now, it’s so noisy my head keeps banging. It hurts like hell. But you wouldn’t know because I’m keeping a straight face."