The coach ride was uneventfully long and dreary. Noah spent the entire ride staring listlessly out of the window, watching the trees whizz by into a messy blur of dull colors; or maybe it was because of his mentality that he thought of the colors as being ugly when he usually would not care for such a thing. 

Earlier, he had thought it would be an opportune time to speak with his alpha, but each attempt he made felt as though what he was talking to was not a person, but a formidable brick wall. He couldn't understand why his alpha would not even provide him with so much as a response, causing him to gain a bit of anxiety at the thought of trying again.

'but...' He did not want his relationship with Gael to end up being so damaged that it was irreversible.

In a burst of energy, Noah had decided to try and gain eye contact, but in return only served to make Gael close his eyes as though ignorant of what was happening across from him. Noah felt like a halfwit in front of Gael, the person the moon goddess had given him to call mate; could he not even attract his mate's attention?

Each failed attempt whittled away at his courage—making him quieter until he no longer felt the desire to speak or gain the recognition of the person sitting across from him. Time goes by like this, noiselessly. He felt as though he was getting crushed by the silence inside the coach, and clenched his pants to ground his mind.

Noah's eyes lost their luster, and if one was looking carefully, they would be able to see the tears starting to gather in the corners of his eyes. After all, no one likes being ignored. 

Small sobs could be heard coming out of him right after, but instead of attempting to comfort the omega in front of him, Gael continued to sit still like a statue, as though Noah were invisible.

His wolf howled in pain, trying to remain strong for Noah but failing to do so. Noah rubbed his eyes and began to fidget with the cuffs of his suit. He wished that they would arrive at the place the Queen recommended they go to just to avoid the stifling tension inside the coach.

He lost hope in any of the counseling. Just this was enough to remind Noah that Gael was only doing this as a pretense of getting along with him just to satisfy the Queen's worries and get her off of his back.

Noah did not know when they had arrived, but once he left his dazed stupor, he discovered that they had already arrived at the building where they would receive the courses.

It was as big as the soldiers' quarters, if not bigger. The walls were a deep, uninviting gray color; each wall looked as though it were man-made, carved to the utmost perfection with intricate designs in many of the stones. The colors on the ground contrasted heavily with the exterior of the building with the bright friendly flowers planted in front, in reds, yellows, and oranges, which served to distract visitors from the overwhelmingly haunted aura the building gave, as well as provide a welcome to new guests that decided to visit or enroll in the courses. The surrounding area was devoid of any vegetation. Many of the trees were cut down to provide large areas of land where one could see laundry hanging on some of the clotheslines. It made one think if the people taking the courses lived there instead of it being a one-time thing.

The coach suddenly stopped, snapping Noah out of his musings, and the coachman opened the door and bowed to the two people inside. Gael stepped out of the coach easily, his long legs touching the ground. He looked around, gauging the area carefully, squinting his eyes in distaste at the thought of staying there for almost two weeks instead of staying back in the castle to train with his soldiers; and self-improve. 

On the other hand, Noah almost tripped and fell flat on his face as he attempted to step out of the coach. He flushed, wanting to ask for help from his alpha, but looked up at Gael's face and saw his brows were furrowed in disdain. The coach-man noticed Gael's behavior and stood mute in his spot, unwilling to lend a hand to help the omega. 

Noah's whole being shook at the sight, his heart palpating in stress at trying to not make himself look like the dunce he was. He managed to get onto the ground without stumbling. Even so, he ended up landing harshly on his sprained ankle. He ignored the pain in favor of not wasting any more time. Luckily, he had received a bit of height from his father and was taller than the average omega, but it was still a challenge to get off of the coach since he had never ridden one before in his short life of eighteen years.

Pathetic. You’ve slept next to him in bed, but you still haven't managed to receive his affection. You continuously shake you a** like a b*tch in heat, but for what reason other than to be ridiculed by your very own alpha, he thought to himself dully.

"Welcome!" The woman who greeted them was plump in nature. Her eyes were round and soft as she stared at Noah. Her cheeks were as red as apples, and her smile as big as the sun itself. She reminded him of his mother, her aura blinding Noah in its innocence. Noah stiffened, feeling sadness creep up on him as he began to feel a little more homesick.

"You must be Noah. I've heard a lot about you. You can call me Elenor. My oh my, aren't you handsome! " She praised, "Prince Gael must have trouble keeping the other alphas away from you!" She said, laughing merrily.

"That's not-" he choked out. 'That's not true. No one wants me. I'm useless compared to everyone I’ve met. ' His alpha did not even spare him a glance the entire trip to this place. How could Noah have any other suitors if even his mate found it too much to even spare him a glance?

Noah clenched his mouth shut, staying silent. His already dull eyes pierced Elenor's heart. She could tell that the person in front of him was a kind, sweet omega based on the way he carried himself.

Elenor frowned at Noah's reaction before looking at Gael. Two and two clicked together before she calmly resumed her cheery nature as though nothing had happened. 'This was a lot worse than she thought... what had this poor boy gone through to get such haunted eyes.'

"Well, I'll be taking good care of you for the short duration of this trip! Although it will be pretty short, you will end up making a lot of friends that I hope you can continue to contact even after you leave. " She smiled softly, grabbing Noah by the hands. Her pale blue eyes were staring deeply into Noah's hazel ones.

She turned to Prince Gael and said, "Moxy will be coming for you, Prince Gael. Please stay patient. Say goodbye to Noah; you won't be seeing him until next week. " She squeezed his hand. Noah looked at the small old lady in astonishment. Her eyes softened and she quietly urged him again.

Noah took her strength as his own and bade farewell to his alpha, "I'll be seeing you soon, Prince Gael." He said shyly, cheeks reddening at the formal admission, but he found it rude to leave without saying a proper goodbye. Before he could hear what Gael had to say, Elenor quickly pulled him away from the scene, not letting Noah know whether Prince Gael answered him back or not.

Gael watched the omega in front of him get pulled away before a threateningly large man walked in front of him.

"You must be Gael." The man disregarded his title, "When you're on my land, you're the same as everyone else. No one will be here to hold your hand, not even the Queen. " The old man warned Gael, squinting his wrinkly beady eyes.

Gael's eyes went sharp at those words, and Moxy grinned, "Name's Moxy, and I've heard a lot about you." 'This Prince needs someone to knock him down a few pegs or so,' Moxy thought in his mind. He had seen the way the alpha acted, even going so far as to not say a parting wish. It may take a while to get into this alpha's hardheadedness. He certainly resembled his mother in this aspect, but look at her now.

Noah could feel his wolf get restless the longer he was separated from his alpha. His palms began to get sweaty, and he was afraid Elenor would find it disgusting. Why was it that he wanted to be with his alpha at all times, yet his alpha could continue without feeling the same? 

He continued to unconsciously send distress pheromones in the hopes that his alpha would come by and comfort him. In knowing that it was futile, his wolf gave a few comforting rumbles in his mind.

Noah realized what he was doing and tried to rein it in. It was as though after he had presented as an omega, he could not function like he did prior, and was all over the place. He looked up and noticed he was brought into a room. It only contained a bed, a wardrobe, and a window.

"The bathrooms are across the hall. Alphas and omegas are on different floors to prevent a secret rendezvous from occurring." The old woman said it knowingly, as though this had occurred before.

Noah gulped before asking, "So then... what am I going to be learning here?"

Elenor's smile became bigger at the question, "Well, courses start tomorrow, young Noah, so you'll figure it out for yourself. For now, please try to make yourself at home. This will be your room for the next couple of weeks. Don't worry, I'll come pick you up the next day and guide you to your class myself. " She grabbed onto his hands, giving them a firm squeeze in comfort before heading off.

Noah blinked, apprehensive of what was to come. It would be the first time in a while that he would not be anywhere near his alpha. He wondered how he would fare in this situation and if his alpha would also be thinking about him during the time they were apart.

Hiss

Noah's face scrunched up when his ankle began to throb; he placed his pack down before unloading it. 'Did his bandages get loose during his sleep the night before? Oh well. ' 

He lightly touched his sprained ankle; it would not stop throbbing. He hissed again before grabbing and eating the medication the Royal Physician prescribed for him. He sighed in relief after a couple of minutes passed; the pain was relieved for a while.

'Impossible...' He thought to himself, 'Gael would never think about me...'