Chapter 15
718 Words
Days passed.
At first, everything seemed quiet. Too quiet.
Irene stayed mostly in her room after her conversation with Elvis. His words replayed in her mind often, I will wait… take your time. They brought her some comfort, but they did not silence the world outside her door.
The bond between them was still there. She could feel it, faint but steady, like a thread pulling gently at her chest. It didn’t demand. It didn’t shout. It simply existed.
But the pack did not stay quiet for long.
The whispers started softly. Almost harmless.
At first, Irene thought she was imagining them. A pause in conversation when she walked past. A glance that lingered too long. Voices lowering when she entered a space.
Then the words began to reach her ears.
“She rejected him.”
“An Omega rejecting the future Alpha…”
“How shameless.”
“She thinks she’s too good now.”
Every time she heard it, her steps faltered. Her chest tightened. She kept her head down, pretending not to hear, pretending it didn’t hurt.
But it did.
She felt it everywhere she went. In the training grounds. In the hallways. Near the kitchens she now avoided completely. Even in the gardens that once brought her peace.
The whispers followed her like shadows.
Some wolves looked at her with curiosity. Others with judgment. A few with pity.
She began to feel uncomfortable in places that once felt like home.
One afternoon, as she passed a group of Betas, she heard one of them scoff quietly.
“She ran from him. That’s rejection, no matter how you look at it.”
Her hands clenched into fists. She didn’t stop walking. She didn’t turn around. But her eyes burned, and her throat felt tight.
I didn’t reject him, she wanted to scream.
I was scared.
The whispers grew louder with each passing day. Stories changed as they traveled from mouth to mouth.
“She insulted him.”
“She embarrassed him in front of the pack.”
“She thinks she can control him.”
None of it was true.
But truth didn’t matter when gossip was more exciting.
Irene started avoiding common areas. She left early in the morning and returned late at night. She chose quiet paths and empty halls. Even then, she could feel eyes following her.
The bond pulsed faintly sometimes, reacting to her stress. It confused her even more.
One evening, Mara knocked gently on her door.
“Irene,” her mother said softly, stepping inside. “Sit with me.”
Irene obeyed, curling up beside her on the bed. She didn’t speak. She didn’t need to.
Mara sighed. “The pack is restless.”
Irene nodded slowly. “I know.”
“They don’t understand patience,” Mara continued. “They see power and expect it to move fast.”
“I never meant to cause trouble,” Irene whispered.
“I know,” her mother said, stroking her hair. “But sometimes, doing nothing still creates waves.”
Irene swallowed. “What should I do?”
Mara hesitated, then spoke carefully. “For now… you should lay low.”
Irene looked up. “Lay low?”
“Yes,” Mara said gently. “Avoid crowded places. Stay close to home. Let the whispers die down before they grow into something worse.”
Irene’s chest ached. “So I hide?”
“For now,” Mara replied softly. “Not because you are wrong, but because the pack is not ready.”
The words settled heavily in Irene’s heart.
That night, she lay awake, staring into the darkness.
She thought of Elvis. How calm he had been. How patient. How he had chosen waiting when everyone expected claiming.
She wondered if he heard the whispers too.
And if he did… what he thought of them.
The bond tugged lightly, as if responding to her thoughts. She pressed a hand to her chest, confused and tired.
I didn’t reject you, she thought quietly. I just need time.
The next day, she stayed inside. And the day after that.
But even within the walls of her room, the weight of the pack followed her.
She was no longer just Irene.
She was the Omega who “rejected” the future Alpha.
- Writer
