Chapter 125 An enigma!

Chapter 125: Chapter 125 An enigma!

20 MINUTES BEFORE NOAH’S ARRIVAL

Rose’s eyes remained fixed on Lamia.

Her gaze had sharpened as she waited for him to continue, her mind still struggling to process everything he had already told her.

"You’re not an omega?"

The question came out almost immediately.

"I don’t understand. If it’s even possible, then you have to be one. Back at school, we both saw how the Alpha’s pheromones affected you. We saw your reaction. So how exactly do you explain that?"

Rose’s voice carried genuine confusion.

This was not the secret she had expected.

She had known Lamia was hiding something, but she had never imagined the truth would completely change the way she viewed him.

Lamia stared at her for a moment.

Then he raised an eyebrow.

"Didn’t you see me and Oliver in a compromising position?"

Rose blinked.

"What does that have to do with—"

"Does an omega do what I did?"

The moment the words left his mouth, a powerful wave of force slammed into Rose.

Her body was thrown backward, feet sliding across the sandy ground as she struggled to remain standing.

Her control immediately began slipping.

Her breathing became heavier.

Something was pressing against her senses.

Something powerful.

Rose’s eyes widened.

That was an Alpha pheromone.

But no.

It wasn’t exactly an Alpha pheromone.

There was something different about it.

Something heavier.

Stronger.

Almost superior to the ordinary Alpha scent she had experienced before.

Her knees nearly buckled.

Rose stared at Lamia in disbelief.

"It can’t be."

Lamia remained where he was.

Rose shook her head rapidly.

"I don’t believe this. Lamia, you can’t be an Alpha."

She was still desperately trying to make sense of what she was experiencing.

But Lamia only sighed.

She was already this shocked, and he hadn’t even told her everything.

He hadn’t told her his real origin.

He hadn’t explained his mission.

He hadn’t even told her why he had come to the academy in the first place when he wasn’t originally a student there.

There was so much Rose didn’t know.

And perhaps it was time she did.

"It’s not an Alpha."

Lamia’s voice was calm.

"I am not one, Rose."

He paused.

"What I am is something different."

Rose stared at him.

"I am what you would call an Enigma."

Silence.

Rose’s expression went completely blank.

"An... Enigma?"

She repeated the word as if saying it aloud might somehow make it less impossible.

Then she abruptly pushed herself to her feet.

Her legs nearly gave out beneath her.

She stumbled backward, staring at Lamia as though he had suddenly become an entirely different person.

"No."

Her head shook.

"No, tell me it’s not true."

Lamia watched her carefully.

"There is nothing like an Enigma. I’ve never seen one. I’ve never even heard of them existing."

Her breathing became uneven.

"They don’t exist."

Rose looked desperate now.

"Just look me in the eyes and tell me they don’t. Tell me you’re not one. Tell me you and I are just alike. Omegas. That’s all we are. We’re both under the Moonlight affinity."

Her voice trembled.

"Please, Lamia. Just say that."

But Lamia didn’t.

He couldn’t.

He couldn’t lie to her anymore.

Rose stared at him.

The silence was enough of an answer.

Her expression crumbled.

"Why?"

She took another step backward.

"Just why?"

Lamia tried to approach her, but Rose immediately moved farther away.

"Enigma?"

Her voice cracked.

"Why the hell did you play us like fools?"

"Rose—"

"You didn’t tell me!"

Her eyes were beginning to glisten.

"I don’t even know if Noah knows about this, but I’m disappointed, Lamia. I’m fucking disappointed that you could hide something this huge from us."

She placed a hand against her chest.

"From your friends."

Then she pointed toward herself.

"From me."

Her voice became quieter.

"We’re always together. I trusted you."

Lamia’s expression tightened.

"What did I do?"

Rose shook her head.

"What’s my offense? Why couldn’t you trust me enough to tell me?"

She swallowed.

"And that isn’t all, is it?"

Lamia remained silent.

"Tell me."

She stared directly into his eyes.

"Tell me everything."

The guilt on Lamia’s face deepened.

This wasn’t how he had wanted her to find out.

He hadn’t hidden the truth because he thought Rose was unworthy of knowing.

Quite the opposite.

He had hidden it because she was important to him.

Rose was an ordinary witch compared to the highest-tier supernatural beings surrounding them. She wasn’t weak, but against the creatures hunting their kind, she could be killed far too easily.

And Lamia couldn’t lose her.

That was why he had concealed everything.

Especially after what had happened to her.

She had already been possessed.

She had nearly lost her life.

That alone had terrified him.

If people discovered what Lamia truly was, Rose would become an easy target simply because she was close to him.

He had been trying to protect her.

Yet looking at her now, he wondered if keeping her in the dark had done more damage than telling her the truth ever could.

Lamia finally exhaled.

"I came here to find the Chosen One."

Rose’s expression changed.

"The Pureblood."

He continued.

"And to lead him toward his destiny."

Rose remained silent.

"That’s what I was born to do."

His eyes lowered briefly.

"Most Phoenix witches are born with a purpose like that. We spend our lives being prepared for it."

He looked back at her.

"But there aren’t many of us left anymore."

Rose listened carefully.

"Most of our kind are in hiding. Despite being one of the most powerful witch races ever born, our knowledge is dangerous."

He paused.

"We possess forbidden knowledge. Spells that were never meant to leave our bloodline. Magic capable of changing things that should never be changed."

Rose’s expression slowly became serious.

"And there are other things connected to our race. Secrets. Artifacts. Powers. Things that other supernatural races have spent centuries trying to obtain."

Lamia’s voice became heavier.

"Some came to us for help."

"Others came to capture us."

Rose swallowed.

"And eventually, it led to war."

Lamia’s eyes darkened.

"A war that almost wiped us out completely."

Rose said nothing.

"Now we’re scattered across different places. Some are hiding in human territories. Some are hiding among other supernatural races. Some disappeared entirely."

He shook his head.

"I don’t even know how many Phoenix witches are left."

Rose’s heart tightened.

"So you came here because of the Pureblood."

"Yes."

"And you never found him?"

"Not for years."

Lamia’s expression softened.

"I searched everywhere. I couldn’t find anyone from my bloodline either."

He looked toward the cottage.

"Then I came to this academy."

Rose waited.

"And that’s when I realized there was another Phoenix witch here."

Her eyes widened.

"Oliver."

Lamia nodded.

"Mr. Oliver."

Rose stepped aside, processing the information.

"He’s a witch too."

"Yes."

"That’s why you two were talking."

"Yes."

Rose suddenly rubbed her forehead.

"Oh my God."

Everything was beginning to connect.

Oliver watching over her.

Lamia’s strange behavior around him.

The secrets.

The hidden magic.

But one thing still bothered her.

"How did you hide yourself so perfectly?"

Lamia looked at her.

"Your scent. Your powers. Everything."

"Magic."

He nodded.

"My true scent was masked with my powers."

Rose frowned.

"So nobody could tell."

"Exactly."

"And Oliver?"

Lamia’s expression became slightly awkward.

"Oliver made me reveal myself."

Rose blinked.

"How?"

"I don’t think he did it intentionally."

Lamia sighed.

"I guess he simply recognized what I was."

Rose looked down.

"So when I woke up..."

"I couldn’t keep hiding it from him anymore."

He took a careful step toward her.

"I’m sorry."

Rose looked up.

"It wasn’t my intention to deceive you."

Lamia extended his hand.

"I was trying to protect you."

Rose stared at his hand.

She didn’t take it immediately.

Her mind still felt like it was running in circles.

"I feel like I missed half my life while I was unconscious."

Lamia gave her a small smile.

"You missed quite a lot."

Rose suddenly remembered something else.

"The emperor."

Lamia’s expression changed.

"I remember us preparing for his visit."

She looked around.

"What happened afterward?"

Her voice became increasingly worried.

"Everyone looked so troubled before I passed out. I hope nothing happened."

Lamia’s silence answered her before his words did.

Rose felt a cold sweat break across her forehead.

"It happened, didn’t it?"

Lamia nodded.

"It’s bad, Rose."

Her stomach dropped.

"Really bad."

He took a breath.

"We discovered that Ashton is the Emperor’s son."

Rose’s eyes widened.

"The real son."

He continued.

"And he was declared the heir."

Rose’s mouth fell open.

"He’s the heir?"

"Yes."

Lamia nodded.

"Which means the entire empire is probably searching for him right now."

Rose stared at him.

"And us?"

"We might already be wanted."

Her face paled.

Lamia wasn’t finished.

"And the academy..."

Rose’s heart began pounding.

"What about it?"

"It’s gone."

"What?"

"The school is on fire. Parts of it were completely destroyed."

Rose stared at him in horror.

"And the dangerous things hidden beneath it?"

"We don’t know."

Lamia’s expression darkened.

"They could have been released."

Rose’s breathing became shallow.

"You’re telling me the academy is destroyed, the Emperor’s heir has disappeared, the empire is searching for him, and we’re probably targets?"

"Yes."

Rose covered her mouth.

"This is exactly what I was afraid of."

Lamia didn’t answer.

"The war..."

Her voice trembled.

"It’s beginning."

She looked toward the direction of the cottage.

"We’re right in the middle of it."

Then she suddenly straightened.

"I have to talk to Ashton."

Lamia frowned.

"Rose—"

"No."

She shook her head.

"Forget everything else for now. I need to speak with him."

She looked terrified.

"What must it feel like to suddenly be told you’re the Emperor’s son and then discover you’re the heir?"

Her voice softened.

"Fuck, I’m scared."

Lamia watched her carefully.

"We’ll figure it out."

"But what if we can’t?"

Rose’s eyes moved toward the entrance.

"What if the empire finds him first?"

Before Lamia could answer, something suddenly changed in the air.

A scent drifted toward them.

Strong and Distinct.

Impossible to mistake.

Lamia’s head snapped toward the entrance.

Rose froze.

That scent wasn’t hers.

It wasn’t Lamia’s.

It definitely wasn’t Oliver’s.

It was someone completely different.

Lemon.

A heavy flow of lemon filled the air.

Rose’s eyes widened.