Chapter 106: Stolen moments

The rest of the training had been a blur, when Sly went to bed afterward, he passed out before his head even hit the pillow.

Just as Khaldun Wolfe had predicted, Sly felt even ten times worse when he woke up the following morning.

Lying there in bed, Sly reconsidered the perks of running away but then he remembered Verde was a member of the student council and had eyes everywhere.

They were finally at peace in their relationship and the last thing Sly wanted was for things to get awkward with himself and the hall rep.

So he figured the only way to prevent that from happening was to go endure some more brutal spirit plant training that morning.

Sly’s reluctance not to mention soreness from yesterday made the training feel more oppressive than it actually was, but Sly managed to survive the before classes practice with Verde.

After his session with Verde ended the rest of the morning ran smoothly.

It was lunch time and Khaldun was waiting for Sly outside of class with a picnic basket.

They went for a short walk to the nearest grassy park where they could have some semblance of privacy.

Breaking the silence, Khaldun asked, "What’s it like being the assistant class monitor?"

Of all the conversation starters he expected Khaldun to bring up, this did not cross his mind so Sly was a bit startled by the question.

His cheeks turned slightly red, and answered hesitantly, "it was a bit slow at first but with exams ongoing the teachers keep expecting more from us and giving more tasks."

Sly was starting to feel like a teacher’s pet, even though his ego suffered over it, it was a good thing if other teachers held him in high regards and could vouch for him so he could get off probation sooner.

"If you feel overwhelmed by tasks I can have a word with Instructor Emma on your behalf."

"No need to get involved Khaldun. It’s manageable and the jobs assigned aren’t plentiful so it doesn’t affect my studying for tests."

"Speaking of tests," brought up Khaldun while handing Sly a fish sandwich, "there is the compatibility test that needs to be done but I’m willing to wait until exams are over."

As they chatted casually, about exam topics that may pop up, they ate a few other sandwiches in between, Khaldun had also packed cheese, beef and chicken just in case Sly wasn’t in the mood for seafood.

Then once again Khaldun changed the subject, "Sly, I also wanted to tell you in person that Dean Drakos has assigned me to a week-long mission so there’ll be no evening practices until I return starting from today."

Normally Sly would feel relieved to be exempt from Khaldun’s brutal combat workout sessions but something in Khaldun’s tone made him worried.

"Does it involve the Royals, will your life be in constant danger?"

Solemnly, Khaldun turned his head to meet Sly’s gaze directly.

Sly could feel Khaldun slowly siphoning off his spirit energy by doing reverse guiding; it was the reason Khaldun had been staying out of rampage mode ever since he met Sly.

His eyes were no longer red, they stared warmly at Sly one a calm blue and the other a mysterious green.

Thankfully only a select few s-tier alphas could perform reverse guiding because not many alphas had a conscience like Khaldun and would probably drain the life out of him.

Sly had gotten so used to Khaldun doing it unconsciously that he no longer felt frightened by it like the very first time Khaldun used that technique on Sly.

"Will you renew the temporary mark before you go?" inquired Sly.

"My instincts are at war with me, I want to but this mission will be deadly and I would rather not have you suffering from any negative emotions passed through the bond."

Khaldun’s eyes were filled with genuine concern for Sly’s well-being; he couldn’t even ask his friends to watch over Sly because they would also be going on the trip, including Shelby.

So far he and Shelby had been doing a wonderful job of avoiding each other and he didn’t think going on this work related trip with Shelby would mend that rift anytime soon.

"I understand," murmured Sly.

He could see that Khaldun was deep in his thoughts, even so Khaldun pulled Sly into a hug and the little omega curled peacefully against the alpha’s broad chest.

Sly didn’t even realize that a few scant wisps of his calming pheromones had escaped the spiritchoker and reached Khaldun’s S-tier sensitive nose.

Feeling appreciated and genuinely cared for by Sly, Khaldun hugged Sly even closer, loving the few stolen moments they could share with each other.

Khaldun sniffed Sly’s hair, it smelled like his floral pheromones and said softly, "even though we are going to an undisclosed location some of the best spirit guardians that I admire will all be on this mission so don’t you fret over my safety."

Sly couldn’t help as he visibly relaxed, to him Khaldun was one of the best combat fighters he had ever encountered.

If Khaldun had such high praises for the other members of the mission then perhaps it was for the best.

"That’s wonderful news, just promise you’ll keep your spiritbracelet turned on and send me a message every now and again so I know you’re alright since I won’t have the security of the temporary mark."

Khaldun sighed, "I can’t make any promises due to the unpredictable nature of this mission but I will try. The best birthday gift you can give me Sly is not to get in any trouble while I’m gone."

Sly burst into a smile, that’s right Khaldun was older than him by a few days, Sly’s birthday was also around the corner.

It would fall on the same night as the annual ball that signalled that exams were over and after the ball the trials would start.

This normally joyous would be the first birthday spent alone without his beloved family.

So Sly had pushed it to the furthest part of his mind until just now when Khaldun brought it up.

After a brief moment of silence, Khaldun gently separated from Sly.

It would only be a few minutes before lunch time was over and Khaldun had one last thing to say.