Chapter 193: Tarian’s New love
Before her trip to Mantidale, there was a buzz of activity in Kestrel’s yard.
Since she started going to the Polluted Zone quite often, the Queen didn’t seem too worried about which specific Polluted Zone she visited anymore. She just kept calling Kestrel to the palace occasionally, helping her hone her fighting skills, looking out for her, and being nice to her.
Obeying the Queen’s orders, Luther gave Kestrel a lot of freedom, letting her pick any partner she wanted for each mission.
Kestrel’s adventure team was known for getting the biggest allowances and prizes after every mission, and they even occasionally caught the eye and praise of the Queen. So, for a while, being part of Kestrel’s research and exploration group became a highly sought-after opportunity that many alphas were excited about.
Luckily, besides alphas, a few chosen betas like Nicole and Serge also joined, even with the huge pressure they faced. Their numbers might have been few, but the mere act of betas joining the fighting groups at the front lines of the Empire created quite a buzz, sparking a lot of talks and arguments.
Kestrel turned the open ground in her backyard into a regular training spot for her and her teammates. Every day, she and her team would practice and work together in the backyard, strengthening their teamwork and cooperation. Together, they were coming up with and mastering new battle techniques and skills.
Then, one day while Kestrel was enjoying her morning tea, an unexpected guest showed up.
At first, Kestrel couldn’t place who the girl was. She stood under the dripping flower tree, her skin pale and her waist tiny. Her head was bowed, and her fingers nervously twirling her long hair. She looked like a delicate white flower caught in a heavy summer rain, looking quite sad.
Remembering the image of the small white flower, Kestrel suddenly recalled — this delicate girl had once stood behind Tarian, her face full of fear and showing the same sad expression.
Kestrel asked her to come in and sit down on the couch near the window.
The girl was really beautiful, like a blossoming flower, but she remained shy, biting her lip and shaking with anxiety. She was definitely very beautiful, with skin as delicate as flower petals and eyes that sparkled, although they were shadowed with a hint of tiredness and dark circles. The vibrant roses outside the window seemed to enhance her visually appealing presence. However, her intense anxiety and fear seemed overpowering.
She barely dared to look directly at Kestrel, even though she was really curious about this powerful beta who was rumored to easily defeat mutants in the Polluted Zone, making it look as easy as a child’s game.
She resembled a fragile, beautiful flower, so delicate and lacking protection. It seemed like her psychic incarnation might be akin to a gentle herbivorous creature, maybe like a tiny bunny.
Kestrel had a soft spot for pretty individuals. Plus, she had met many remarkable alphas and had long lost any interest in that worthless Tarian; she didn’t feel any rivalry with this girl at all.
"Why is she coming to me in tears now when she was so into Tarian before, so much that I even let him be with her? What’s the point now?" Kestrel thought to herself.
But outwardly, she remained composed, asking gently, "What’s wrong? You can tell me."
As if she was given a little push by something, the young girl finally found some bravery. Biting her lip, she said, "My name is Bonny, Tarian’s girlfriend. I... I wanted to let you know that nothing is happening between me and Tarian. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive him."
Kestrel just remained silent.
Fearing that Kestrel might not trust her words, the girl quickly added, "Honestly, nothing is going on between me and Tarian. He doesn’t even enjoy my grooming for him." Saying these heart-wrenching words, she was ready to give up the only support she had in her life, someone she really cared for, to someone else.
Tears started to well up in Bonny’s eyes, her heart feeling like it was breaking, ready to cry at any moment, "For all this time, he has only thought about you, he even says your name in his sleep..."
Just as the conversation was getting really sad, suddenly, there was a noise of someone coming near the window that had roses in front of it. It was a tall alpha lady, her long hair held back with a bright scarf. Her face was covered with dirt, and two small, round panda ears was clinging onto her head; it was Olivia.
"Kestrel, you’ve gotta join my side today. I’m determined to beat Nicole this time," Olivia stated, confidently moving through the window to sit beside Kestrel.
Handing her a bright red apple, Kestrel said in a soothing manner, "Okay, okay, you go on, I’m talking with a visitor here."
Olivia left, walking with big steps and talking with her mouth full because of the apple.
"You were saying something? Please go on," Kestrel shifted her focus back to Bonny, whose eyes were now red and looked truly heartbroken.
Bonny, who was interrupted mid-speech, found it hard to pick up where she left off, "I was saying, I was saying, I’m ready to let Tarian be with you again, I hope you..."
Suddenly, a loud crash noise filled the room, shaking the ground and causing a bunch of dust to fall from above. The nice cup of floral tea that was previously there was now ruined.
A blonde guy quickly came over, smiling as he said sorry, "That Chinchilla cat can really lose its temper sometimes, I couldn’t control it for a second and it hit the wall."
This guy was really good-looking, with blue eyes and blonde hair braided down to his chest. He leaned on the windowsill, smiling as he apologized for being rude and offered to make them new cups of tea.
"Raymond, did you notice Ren while you were coming from the Tower?" Kestrel interrupted.
"Captain Sloan? Nope, I didn’t see him. I heard he’s moving up again, getting ready to take over Brandon’s place as the second in command of the Royal Guard. He’s super busy these days."
Kestrel just said a simple "oh," seeming a bit lost in her thoughts while chatting with him.
"Uh, yes, what were you saying? Go on. What about Tarian?"
Bonny was nervously playing with her thin fingers, suddenly finding it really hard to keep talking.
Just then, a black unicorn came down from the sky, with Rakan on its back, landing in the garden.
Bonny stood up, looking anxious. As she did, two long bunny ears peeked out from her head, a sign of her nervousness. She recognized Rakan, who was super popular at the beta academy.
Rakan was known for being from a fancy family. Not only was he really good-looking, but he also came from an important family line and acted very polite and kind. But he wasn’t just some rich kid who stayed safe in the Tower; he was brave and actually went out to fight. He had a cool psychic power that looked like a sleek, black unicorn. He was the dream crush for a lot of betas.
Getting off his unicorn, Rakan made a fancy hand gesture that only noble people do. He gave a big stack of papers to Kestrel.
"Here’s everything we need for our next trip. I’ve sorted it out; we can talk about it when you’re free."
He and Kestrel talked for a bit, but they used words that Bonny didn’t get.
They seemed really comfortable talking to each other, not awkward or sad or anything.
"I’ve got a guest right now, so you guys go on without me. I’ll catch up soon," Kestrel said, then looked back at Bonny.
Bonny put her ears down. Being a beta, she could detect that Kestrel wasn’t mad at her anymore. She understood that Kestrel was cool with her not because she was a pushover, but because she had so much more going on in her life than Bonny could even imagine.
Bonny suddenly realized that the big things in her life that she couldn’t let go of were just small things for Kestrel. Kestrel had moved on a long time ago and was cool with everything. That was why she could talk to Bonny so calmly.
To Bonny, her boyfriend was her everything: her safety bay, her world. But she saw that there were betas like Kestrel who were strong on their own and didn’t need anyone else.
She felt like maybe she could be okay even if she lost someone.
Suddenly, Bonny felt a bit silly for all her little plans and tricks.
"That’s all," Bonny finally said, standing up and straightening her rabbit ears, "Sorry for bothering you, Kestrel. I wish I could be more like you."
When Kestrel said goodbye to her, she felt a funny urge to touch Bonny’s wiggly ears. They were so cute she wanted to give them a squeeze.
