The Omega's Choice

Chapter 18: Tamsin's POV

The sunlight filters through the east wing windows, catching on the dust in the air as I wring out the cloth in my hands.

It squeaks against the glass with each circular wipe, but the voices behind me are louder than the sound of my scrubbing.

"Just how lucky are you, Elara?" one of the girls whispers, not even bothering to lower her voice properly. "Your mate’s from the Dawnrise pack. What does it feel like to plan a mating ceremony with the Dawnrise females?"

My heart stutters. I don’t turn around, but my fingers pause for a moment.

That's true...she recently turned eighteen and by a twist of luck, she came across her mate just outside the borders a while back.

I overheard that news about a week ago while spreading linens on the lines.

"He’s supposed to be strong. And he’s got this gorgeous black wolf. I swear Elara, you're luckier than the moon goddess herself." Another one of Elara's new friends says.

I steal a glance over my shoulder. Elara stands with three other girls, holding a towel in her hand but not using it.

She’s glowing, practically floating in her own joy. I feel it then—sharp and sweet.

The ache of what used to be friendship and the warm happiness that she got what she always wanted.

It doesn't matter that we're at odds now, what it's matters is that she's got her heart desires and if I'm to be the better person, it means I should at least acknowledge that she got a better fate than I.

Even if it means speaking to her.

I push down the animosity and walk over. "Congratulations Elara," I say, softly. "You really deserve this and I’m so happy for you."

She blinks at me like I’ve slapped her.

"Thanks," she mutters, turning to the window with an eye roll.

That’s all. No smile. No spark of the girl who used to braid my hair and sneak me dried berries from the kitchens.

I head back to my corner, chest tightening. As I pick up my cloth again, the giggles resume.

"I heard she’s trying to get Lior to mark her."

"Please. She just wants Alpha Nox to notice her. Throwing herself at his Beta is just the long game."

"Maybe she’s hoping Zara will get jealous and challenge her. Honestly, it’s pathetic."

Laughter.

"I bet she thought that being the Beta's w***e would give her some prestige. But hey, she's still cleaning windows."

That is Elara's voice.

"The Alpha saw through her fake innocence. That's why he turned her down," another adds.

"No, the Luna said that Alpha Nox didn't think she was worth it. And besides, no one would chose her over Luna Zara. She's like a second hand model."

More laughter. They don't even try to muffle their voices. Talking behind my back but also to my face.

Touché.

Their words burn hotter than I expect though and my hand clenches around the rag. I pretend to ignore them, pretend their words don’t echo in my bones.

But the sting is there. Biting. I scrub harder.

Whore...me...whore...

I scrub even harder.

"Ladies," Lior’s voice suddenly slices cleanly through the air like sunlight through fog and the giggles stop.

I don’t have to look to know the girls are stiffening up.

I didn't even hear him coming and if he's reached this distance, he most probably heard a good deal of what they said.

"Good day, Beta." Elara greets with what I imagine would be a fake smile, and I hear the other girls mumbling their greetings after her.

A second later, Lior comes to stand beside me, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. The scent of his perfume wraps me in a warm blanket, and I just...relax in his presence.

"What is your deal with cleaning already clean windows?"

I blink. "Lior, seriously—"

"Yes, seriously. This is spotless sunshine, can you not see it?" He then proceeds to take the cloth from my hand, elbow me playfully and move to a new uncleaned spot. "By the way, I’m trying to boost my Omega street cred. You’re gonna ruin my rep if people think I let you do all the hard work."

I try not to smile, but I do. "It's literally just a window."

"Exactly! Backbreaking labor. Inhumane treatment. I'm filing a complaint."

"Are you always full of jokes? Or are you trying to woo me?" I laugh, but it’s half-hearted.

The girls are still watching. Still judging. I can feel it like their eyes are knives.

"I thought you were already woo-ed," he winks at me and then turns back to the window and begins to clean.

I just stand there watching his hand muscles flex as he wipes the windows. He looks like he's having the time of his life, and he occasionally glances up to wink at me.

"You do a surprisingly good work for a Beta," I commend him.

He clicks his tongue and tilts his head thoughtfully. Staring at him like this, I realise that he's beautiful.

I mean, I always knew that even before the whole drama with Nox, but there's something soft about him now that makes him so... unearthly to see.

"Have you ever heard of chores, Tam?" He asks, bringing me out of my head.

"Do children of the Beta do chores?"

"When your step mother s***h aunt is a neat freak, of course you do chores," he shrugs. "Cleaning windows was more of a Zara chore though. We stopped doing chores when we moved into the pack house."

He then gestures to the window and looks up at me with a cute grin that pops the green of his eyes. "First chore in a decade."

"How spoiled are you?" I giggle.

I turn slightly to my side, just enough to see that Elara and her friends are back to their duties, but still whispering to themselves.

Talking about the Beta helping his w***e with chores, no doubt.

"You don't look like you like them much," Lior points out.

"I don't...not anymore."

"Oh, dramatic fall out?"

"Do you want to call it that?"

"I want to call it anything you–"

"Are you serious, Lior?" Zara's voice cuts him off mid sentence.

He doesn’t flinch like he's surprised at her unexpected presence like I do. He just keeps wiping the glass. "Morning, Z."

"You think this is funny? Parading around with an Omega like she’s your mate? You know people are talking."

He finally stops, turns to face her. "Maybe they should find something better to do. Like actually cleaning, for instance." His eyes dart towards Elara and her group and they shift uncomfortably.

I also shift in slight discomfort. I mean, he's getting challenged for hanging out with me, and I'm right here.

How convenient.

"You want to humiliate me? Embarrass our family like this? You’re a Beta. You're son of the past Beta. You don’t court Omegas. Give yourself some prestige!"

My heart cracks a little. I guess we're courting. That's what it has been these weeks, hasn't it? But now apparently, it's a crime for a Beta to court and Omega?

Cut me some slack. Rejected by the Alpha, should be rejected by the Beta too?

LOL.

The silence stretches between them like a taut string as their eyes lock in an intensity.

Lior c***s his head, his voice low and dry, breaking the silence. "I must’ve missed the memo about cursed bloodlines for Betas. Tell me, do we get cursed too for mating omegas? Well, I should probably find myself the sister of a Beta from a neighbouring pack then."

My breath catches for two things.

One, his reference to Nox's behaviour in front of his own sister, the mate he chose, in a sarcastic and displeasing manner.

The second reason has my heart screaming. Did he just hint at getting mated. To me?

What the–

"Tamsin! I think we're getting hitched!" Kira screams in my head. "We're getting hitched to the nice guy!"

"Don't get too excited, Kira," I hum back in my head, even though it feels like I'm about to die of a heart attack.

"Lior..." I whisper.

Zara’s jaw clenches. "Don’t joke. Don’t be stupid."

He shrugs. "I’m not joking. And I’m rarely stupid. But if caring about someone who’s been treated like dirt for no apparent reason makes me the villain in your story, then so be it."

She glares at him, then her gaze swings to me. Cold dark eyes. A stark contrast to her brother's.

"You think this makes you look good? Whoring yourself for sympathy?"

"I think there's only one w***e here, and we know damn well who it is," Lior snaps, rising to his full height now and staring Zara down.

He towers over her easily, so it's very intimidating to watch him look down at her.

Gasps ripple through the room, but no one moves.

Zara slaps him hard and he even flinch. You what he does instead?

He grins.

He f*****g grins.

"That's why he's our man," Kira growls. "Give the b***h what she deserves."

"You dare talk to me like that on account of that filth and I would not hesitate to skin you alive, you f*****g brat!" Zara screams.

Everything begins to go downhill from there because Zara loses more of her s**t. My head becomes foggy from everything.

I'm getting fed up with the drama surrounding my life and this environment? I think I need to clear my head.

I take a step back, then another, and another, until I'm a good distance away. Elara’s eyes meet mine, but there’s no remorse. Just disdain.

I return the glare and spin around on my heel and run down the halls.

Out of the east wing, past the kitchens, and straight into the woods. My lungs are burning and my throat closes up from the lump forming there.

I keep going until the trees swallow the pack house completely.

And then I scream.

Loud. Raw. Into the sky, into the trees, until my throat feels shredded and my chest aches from the force of it.

The tears come next. Hot. Angry and embarrassed.

I collapse onto the forest floor, fingers digging into the dirt.

Too many bottled up emotions, spilling out at once at the slightest trigger.

Everything—everything—hurts. Not just the cruel words. Not just Zara. But the knowledge that somehow, I ended up in this position. A joke.

A punchline.

Filth... w***e.

I breathe in greedily, trying to catch my breath and a familiar scent hits me.

Citrus.

Nox?

I can feel his presence around, even though the woods are silent.

It's like the pressure of a gaze on the back of my neck, the way your skin prickles when you know you’re not alone.

But I don’t move. I don’t look.

I hate him for putting me in this situation.

At least, that’s what I tell myself as I curl into the leaves and cry like my heart is broken all over again.