Beta VS Gamma

XIII

We stay that way for a few minutes without speaking. He clears his throat and walks from behind the desk. He leans against the front of the desk, pushing his scent closer to me. “How have you been… getting back into the swing of things and whatnot?” I hear him, but say nothing. What can I really say right now? “You can talk to me, you know. I won’t bite.” I keep my eyes focused on a spot behind him, making sure that I don’t look at him directly.

The mate bond is a real thing, and it has an impact on you no matter if you want it to or not. That being said, I hate to admit how attractive Kemarion is. I refuse to play a game with him. He ruined me, ruined my family, and I want nothing to do with him. “We are mates.” My body reacts to his words, but my face stays neutral, and I don’t move. “You will move into the packhouse with me, and we will go from there.” A chill runs down my spine, and I move my head to look at him properly.

He has a smug look on his face; it’s pissing me off. Who the hell does he think he is? How does he have the audacity to demand anything from me after what he did? “No.” My words cut through the room, making him stop whatever it was he was about to say. His mouth hangs open as he looks at me.

“Excuse me?”

“I said no. I’m not interested in moving into the packhouse or living with you. I’m not interested in this bond at all.” Silence sits between us for a few seconds before his head flies back and he laughs.

“Wait, let me get this straight. You, an Omega, are saying no to me, the future Beta of the pack?!” He throws his head back again, almost breaking in laughter. I roll my eyes, but say nothing. When he finally sobers up, the amusement remains on his face, but it takes a sinister tone. “You should be grateful to have been blessed with a mate like me. I don’t know what the Goddess was thinking, but you should consider yourself lucky.” I say nothing, not trusting my voice. I’m also actively fighting the mate bond, which is taking a lot out of me.

I thought Rae would fight me. I thought she’d try her hardest to fulfill the Goddess’s plan. Our wolves are our basic instincts, the primal animal that we all have. The mate bond is vital to our people, but even more so to our wolves. Rae has been silent since we’ve been in here, and I’m thankful for that. I don’t know what I would have done if she had fought against me.

“You are my fated mate, and you will act as such. I will give you the night to do things the right way. You will come to me tomorrow, on your own. If you don’t, I will have to review the evidence. I might find that your mom is actually guilty, and if so, I will have to do more than throw her in the cells.” Rae surges in my mind, anger vibrating through her. I feel my claws try to extend, but I bite the inside of my cheeks, fighting the urge to react. We can’t do this now; we can’t kill our chance to get out of here.

“Are we done?” I don’t know how I keep the anger and grief out of my voice, but it’s steadier than it has any right to be. Kemarion looks at me for a long while before giving me a slight nod. I turn and walk to the door and stop when his voice reaches me.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” I push through and walk out of the room.

When I round the corner, I stop and lean against the wall, trying to catch my breath. There are so many words running through my mind that I wanted to throw at him. So many actions I wanted to take against him. I stopped short because the truth is too real, no matter the circumstance.

I’m an Omega, and he’s a ranked member, whether or not he’s taken the vow yet. People in this pack answer to him and see me as a useless member. I have to be able to get out of here before he can do anything to me.

Now I’m glad that I kept the car at the shop after checking it out. The shop isn’t far from my home, and it was a pleasant enough walk while packing it up. The car has tinted windows, and it’s labeled as one the Alpha owns. That might be enough to let me get out without detection. There’s a back road that leads out of the pack. It isn’t used much, and it’s rarely monitored. That might be my way out, and it will have to be tonight.

I gather my emotions and push off the wall. I need to get the last of my things together so I can go. I had planned to say goodbye to the Alpha, but that may be a bad idea now. I need to make sure everything is packed so I can leave from the workshop tonight.

~Kemarion~

Letting her walk out wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, but I didn’t want to do it. Sid stayed in the front of my mind while we spoke, keeping his attention on her. I thought he would fight me to claim her as soon as we saw her, but he remained somewhat calm.

One thing is for sure: Sid is looking forward to tomorrow. He wants his fated mate, and I kind of agree with him. She will be useful for a while. Once I find someone better suited, I can situate her so she isn’t too far away. Maybe I will have her stay in her family home since it’s far enough away from the packhouse.

I stand in the office a bit longer, letting her scent wash over me. I didn’t realize I would have missed that scent, but I did. She smells sweeter than Destini ever did. I let out a sigh as I walk out of the office. “How did it go?” I turn to find Dean behind me. I stop moving and let him catch up.

“She’s playing hard to get, but she will come to me.”

“How can you be so sure?” I don’t want to tell him about the threat I made. I don’t want to involve him too deeply.

“We are fated mates. How could she not want to be with me?”

“I guess as long as she never finds out what happened…” I scoff.

“Even if she did, so what? I can always tell her I got bad information. I mean, it was just a few months in the cells. It isn’t like she was beaten or almost killed.” Dean shoves me playfully, and I shove him back. This time tomorrow, I will have some peace. My fated mate will be by my side, and it will calm me.

“You should probably clean your room for her.” I stop mid-step and look at Dean. He’s right, and I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. I shake my head and hurry off to make room for my mate.