Chapter 160: Seeing Tarian Again (2)
Quietly, Tarian followed Kestrel, stepping out of the car and entering the Tower. As they went in, a bunch of alphas noticed them and hurriedly approached to say hello.
"Hey Kestrel! I’ve heard so much about you. Can we exchange contacts?"
"That’s amazing! How did you pull that off? Because of you, we all have weapons from the Eyehole. You’ve really helped us out."
"I wasn’t part of the last contest. But next time, I’m going to beat Ren and take his spot. Just watch!"
Members of this special team excitedly pulled Kestrel to the side, asking her for updates about what’s happening in the Polluted Zone. They reacted with a mix of shock and awe.
As they were sharing contact info with Kestrel, they sneakily glanced at Tarian, their looks dripping with tease.
A girl with curly hair noticed Kestrel from afar and dashed over. She began whispering eagerly to Kestrel. Tarian recognized her — she was from a high-ranking family, the daughter of a marquis.
She was super curious and kept asking Kestrel about the situations at the borders, often reacting with bursts of excitement.
Kestrel stayed true to her nature: she didn’t talk much, and her face rarely showed emotion. But Tarian knew she wasn’t the shy girl who used to stay only in the Tower anymore. When she talked about places like the outposts, the Polluted Zone, or scary mutants — topics that spooked many — she spoke about them as if they were normal, like experienced soldiers who are used to facing dangers.
Tarian felt out of place in their chat.
People of high status, like Tarian, who’d lived in the Tower for ages, seemed trapped in its limited world. They had easy lives and, even being alphas, didn’t often leave the Tower’s safety. They had never met a real mutant or ventured out of the Imperial Nexus. They were pretty clueless about the bigger world outside.
Compared to brave folks like Kestrel, who often roamed the Polluted Zone, they sometimes struggled to talk about the world outside the Tower.
Nicole, clutching Kestrel’s hand, shot a nasty look at Tarian, her face showing clear disapproval.
Many knew that Tarian had once been engaged to Kestrel but had later chosen to break it off.
In the past, people often looked down on Kestrel, but now those same looks of judgment were aimed at Tarian.
Tarian felt like his heart was poked by so many sharp points. He felt embarrassed, mad, sad, and regretful all at once, making his emotions super confusing.
Kestrel walked into a special elevator that went straight to the top of the tower.
She had used this elevator before. She knew that once she swiped her special card, it would zoom her fast to the tower’s highest point.
Kestrel felt a little nervous and excited at the same time. Usually, she felt like this when she was going into a risky battle. But now, she was just going up to talk to the Queen.
Right then, a group of alphas walked in. They were geared up, holding big weapons, and looked like they had just come back from a mission.
Among them, Kestrel spotted someone she knew.
Through the clear elevator walls, she saw Ren. He had messy black hair, carried a big weapon, and wore strong-looking black boots.
Ren, wearing black gloves, was looking at his opticomputer and chatting with one of his teammates.
For some reason, seeing Ren made Kestrel feel better. She remembered they were supposed to have dinner together later, so she should finish her meeting quickly.
As the elevator went up, Ren didn’t look her way. But Kestrel noticed his ears turning a little red.
"He did notice me. How could he not with his super sharp senses?" Kestrel thought, smiling a bit.
Tarian was in the elevator with Kestrel, watching her the whole time. He noticed how her usually cold eyes warmed up when she saw Ren and even saw her smile.
Tarian had known Kestrel for many years but never saw her smile at him.
To him, Kestrel was like a cold mountain, always distant and tough. He had known her for so long, but she never smiled at him. Now, seeing her smile, he felt heartbroken because that smile wasn’t for him. They had been friends since they were kids, but Kestrel never looked at him that way or gave him a smile like that.
If he had had her smile before, even just for once, he might not have thought that Kestrel didn’t care about him. That mistake led him to make choices he still regretted today.
"Is that Kestrel in the elevator? The one the Queen wants to see today?" Ren heard one of his buddies say nearby. He quickly glanced at the zooming elevator and then went back to reading his info, saying quietly, "Yeah, that’s her." He didn’t seem too bothered.
Some of the alphas started sharing rumors they’d heard.
"Didn’t Kestrel used to be promised to marry someone from the Riker family?"
"Tarian must be kicking himself now, right?"
"I’ve heard they were a really good match, like 70% good."
"Whoa, 70% is super rare. Was Tarian out of his mind to break it off?"
"No clue. But seeing how he keeps hanging around her, he might be trying to get back together."
"That dude’s all talk, he just has a handsome face. There’s no way Kestrel would take him back."
"Don’t be so sure. Betas do like handsome alphas. Plus, his psychic incarnation is a cheetah."
"What’s so cool about a cheetah? Cheetahs get tired fast. I’m a buffalo."
"Cheetahs are cute and soft, which might make it easier to impress betas. You might not know, but a lot of betas love cuddly things."
While the alphas chatted away, they suddenly felt super cold, like diving into freezing ocean water. They all stopped, shivering and weirdly looking over at Ren.
Ren was looking down, his face all serious and not caring, not saying anything like he couldn’t be bothered with their talk.
