And what private life? They had none in prison. The only window of privacy Ehlian ever got was when Hayce went to the gym. But after Grasson had passed their cell once or twice while Hayce was away, Ehlian had started following him there too.
He could still scarcely believe he was seeking protection from a cold-blooded killer. That part… unsettled him. He couldn’t even comfort himself with the false belief that Hayce might be innocent. Behind that composed mask, he was a fucking maniac. His father had barely clung to life when he was found, his mind and core shattered, memories fragmented beyond recovery. Hayce’s unique telepathic signature had been all over the damage. Core signatures could not be overwritten or perfectly replicated. No Low-Class telepath was capable ofsuch a thing, and with barely any exceptions, everyone on Arox belonged to that class. There were only a couple of hundred known High-Class telepaths, born with exceptionally dense cores. And even a High-Class telepath did not possess enough power to perfectly imitate another’s mark without leaving traces of their own behind.
“I mean…” Ehlian spoke again. “I haven’t seen you get a single letter. No one ever writes to you?”
Hayce’s voice had a hard edge to it. “Why do you want to know?”
Great. Now Ehlian felt outright accused of something he shouldn’t be doing.
“I don’t,” he shrugged. “Just an observation, is all.”
There was a pause before Hayce replied. “I asked the guards to throw them all away.”
“All of them?” Ehlian blinked. “Why?”
“Too much noise and no substance.”
Too much noise? Was he here on holiday or something?
Maybe most of the letters came from his little ardent fans. Hayce had been one of the most eligible alphas until two years ago, when he was charged. There had to be unhinged omegas who still craved his attention. Some probably even more now that he had that wicked appeal.
“What if one of them is from your family?”
Hayce lowered his book again, his eyes settling flatly on Ehlian. He didn’t need to say a word for Ehlian to understand that family was really where he drew a very hard, uncrossable line.
“No family. Got it,” Ehlian said at last. “Can I talk at all?”
Hayce dropped his eyes back to the page. “You’re welcome to entertain yourself.”
What an asshole.
That was how it usually went with his other omegas? No talk. No questions. Nothing. Just pure sex?
Honestly, what had Ehlian expected? This was prison, not a ballroom.
This calmness Hayce exuded was fake. An act. A way to lure Ehlian in so he could get what he wanted.
Ehlian would never fall for it.
Chapter 6
Ehlian used to hate shower time the most, but now, it had become oddly relaxing.
Hayce stood beside him, but he kept his distance and never touched him.
Ehlian couldn’t shake the habit of facing the middle of the room, studying the other inmates with detachment. Some kept to themselves, some chatted with each other like old friends, though friendship felt like a distant, foreign concept in prison.
He paused on a couple in the far corner. They seemed to be in their own bubble, the tenderness of their soft touches and kisses almost resembling love. It was an absurd, peculiar sight. A small pocket of miracle in the harsh, cold prison. He knew he shouldn’t watch, yet he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
“You like that?” Hayce’s voice cut into his thoughts.
Ehlian forced himself to look away from the couple. “It’s not real.”
“It’s real to them,” Hayce said. “They care little for what you or anyone else thinks.”
Ehlian scoffed. He still thought the couple was fooling themselves, but he didn’t care to burst their bubble. Maybe somewhere deep down he envied them. Maybe, for just a moment, he longed for the connection they had. It was so simple, so pure.
He didn’t let himself linger on the thought. Instead, he poured shampoo into his palm and started washing his hair.
