The Wolfless Omega: The Alpha's Runaway Bride

Chapter 11

Ronan's Perspective

It was already two in the morning when I returned to the Pack.

Silas came out from the side hall to meet me. "Miss Chloe learned that you suspended the ceremony today to chase after an Omega. She threw a fit tonight and had her people drive her back to the Crestmoon Pack right away. The elders want you at the council hall first thing tomorrow morning."

I tossed my outer robe onto the back of a chair, utterly exhausted in body and mind.

I couldn't be bothered to think about Chloe. I had already put up with her temper all day.

What truly weighed on my chest was Raine. I had generously let her go, yet my own heart was in knots. The image of her leaving had been spinning in my head the whole way back. The more I thought about it, the more tangled I became. I could only force myself to stop thinking.

I couldn't understand. Would leaving me really make her happier? As an Alpha, I had treated her—and all the Omegas in the Pack—quite well. The rules here were more lenient than in other Packs.

Was human society really that much better? The more I thought, the more restless I became. I could only restrain myself and try to rationalize it.

It was just one less Omega. It wouldn't affect anything.

At dawn, I went to the council hall. Elowen, along with two other elders, scolded me for not considering the bigger picture. "You humiliated the Crestmoon Pack's young lady and let her leave in disgrace." In the end, they demanded I go to the Crestmoon Pack as soon as possible to apologize and salvage the engagement.

I endured the lecture for an entire morning before I could escape.

On the way back to the study, Silas caught up with me. "Alpha, you're short of a personal attendant now. Why not select a new one since Raine has left? Sable has wanted to serve you for years, and her adoptive mother is a longtime member of the Pack."

The moment someone mentioned Raine, my irritation surged again. Mentioning her was bad enough—why did he have to bring up Sable of all people? That woman had bullied Raine right under my nose for years.

The more I thought about it, the more disgusted I felt—and the more I felt I had wronged Raine.

My face darkened instantly.

"I will not let her serve me."

Silas quickly changed direction. "Then shall I find you someone who resembles Raine?"

I almost told him to shut up. But at that moment, Raine's voice surfaced from my memory: "If you truly feel sorry for me, then make sure this never happens in your Pack again." I paused, then changed my words. "Take me to the Omega living quarters."

Silas froze. "Alpha, that place is filthy and chaotic—"

"Stop talking. I said take me."

"...Yes."

After a few steps, I turned to look at him. "Silas, if I find out you have any connection to the trafficking, I will not be lenient."

"Alpha, I could never do something so inhumane." He answered without hesitation.

I narrowed my eyes at him but said nothing. I didn't actually believe he would do such a thing. He was my most trusted assistant. We had worked together for so long; I trusted his character. Besides, the salaries I paid my subordinates weren't low. Who the hell had done this?

How much was happening in my Pack that I knew nothing about?

The Omega living quarters were at the far west end of the Pack, wedged between a row of storehouses and the outer wall. Before I even got close, I could smell the damp, musty air.

I endured the discomfort and walked deeper inside. The light dimmed completely. The small rooms—cubicles, really—had tiny, narrow windows, all crammed into shadow. The buildings in front blocked out the sunlight entirely.

Just as I rounded the first corner, a commotion came from ahead.

A male werewolf stood with his back to me, bullying a thin, frail female Omega.

"You filth! Do you know you dirtied my shoes?!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll clean them right away!"

The Omega was terrified. She immediately dropped to her knees and used the hem of her own clothes to wipe his shoes.

My eyelid twitched. The pent-up fury in my chest had found an outlet. I strode up and landed a vicious kick.

The male werewolf was caught off guard and sent flying half a meter.

"Which bastard dares—!" He bared his teeth before he'd even seen me clearly.

"Open your eyes and see who I am." My voice was ice-cold.

Silas also snapped out of his shock and barked, "Scum, kneel!"

The werewolf turned, and his fierce expression instantly went white. His voice trembled. "M-my lord! What—what brings you to a place like this?"

I planted my boot hard on his shoulder.

"If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have seen what you've been up to."

With a crunch of bone, his face twisted and he let out a scream.

"Ah! My lord... she—she was deliberately slow, I was only—"

"Shut up! Do you think we're that easy to fool?" Silas couldn't help kicking him too. "Pack law explicitly forbids harming Omegas. Do you want to die?"

"Sorry, sorry! I was wrong! Please, forgive me!" The werewolf was kicked around like a ball. One more glance at him would have dirtied my eyes.

Silas wisely called out, "Someone drag this filth to the detention cells! Don't soil the Alpha's boots!"

The surroundings fell quiet.

I turned and saw the female Omega still kneeling where she was, trembling all over, her lips pale blue.

"You..." I opened my mouth to ask her name, but she flinched backward in fear.

"Thank you, my lord... thank you." Her head hung so low it nearly touched her chest.

She could barely speak. Seeing how terrified she was of me, I sighed inwardly.

"It's alright. You can go."

At those words, the Omega clutched her wooden basin and fled down the alley.

I frowned and asked Silas, "Silas, why is she so afraid of me?"

Silas replied, "...My lord, you needn't concern yourself with that. It's an honor for lowly Omegas to see you even once in their lives."

I pressed a hand to my forehead and sighed.

"Find the dormitory supervisor. I want to see Raine's quarters."