The Orphaned Omega

Chapter 9

[Dorothea's POV]

You’d think that after sleeping with your mate, waking up to be rejected by that mate, then finding out a big part of what you had based your life on was a lie would be the worst things that could happen in seventy-two hours. Surely, life would be done raining crap down on me. At least for a little while.

But, no.

Of course not.

That would have been too simple. I should have known better than to expect life to just move on. After taking the night to absorb the bombshell Lori had dropped on me in the afternoon, I had hoped that I could just continue on as normal and keep my head down. I knew now that I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t, dare to dream higher than my current station and I would learn to be okay with that. But the next day when I walked into school, it seemed as if the entire school had suddenly remembered who I was and where I had come from. I’d never been liked by my peers, but they had often just ignored me. At least the bulk of the populous had; of course, there were those like Kelsey that went out of their way to belittle me. Today was different. I could feel an immediate shift in the air when I walked into the front hallway – like everyone was suddenly on edge. It felt like static was coursing through the air; one wrong move and I’d be zapped. Conversations died down and the hall got weirdly quiet.

As I walked toward my locker, tennis shoes making the softest of sound on the linoleum tile, every head turned towards me. Suddenly, whispers broke out all around as people began to mutter to their friends. It wasn’t jovial conversation, or normal hallway banter. It was hushed and they flashed looks at me as they talked. It didn’t take a genius to understand they were all whispering about me. I swallowed hard, my heartbeat picking up. I had never been the center of attention like this before, and I really didn’t like it. Every pair of eyes that turned toward me held contempt. Lips turned into deep frowns or outright snarls and sneers. I had to look away from them, casting my gaze down to my feet as I walked. I caught snippets of what people were saying. Things like ‘Her dad was a murderer’ and ‘I knew we couldn’t trust her’ and even less-original slurs like ‘f*****g freak’ or ‘b****y mutt’.

My entire body tingled with tiny pinpricks – that distinct feeling you get when someone is watching you. Except it was tenfold because everyone was watching me. Watching me and steering far away from me. I was concentrating so hard on not tripping and forcing myself not to run to the nearest empty room to hide that I was too late in realizing footsteps were approaching me. I slammed right into him, careening backwards and trying to regain my balance. Strong hands reached out to steady my shoulders and I looked up into the eyes of my once-mate. Ian’s hazel gaze found mine, and his jaw clenched tight. His entire look was one of anger and disgust. I was captured in his gaze for a long moment, time seeming to stretch on forever around us. I could feel every single place his warm hands touched me, and even after the rejection the touch sent sparks dancing across my skin. His scent swirled around me, sweet and spicy and delicious. I felt my heartbeat pick up even further and I felt a little lightheaded. I hated how even now I was spellbound by him.

His eyes broke away from mine and flicked over the hallway behind me. He looked back down at me and somehow his expression got even more angry. Behind it, though, I could see gears turning as he quickly made some kind of decision. Finally, his lips twisted in a snarl, and he let out a low growl. The noise broke me out of my trance, and I felt the nauseating mix of shame and embarrassment coil in my gut.

“How dare you f*****g touch me,” he snarled. “How dare you even show your face here. You’d do well to remember your place, filthy mutt.”

His words struck me like he had slapped me in the face. I recoiled my head, unsure how to respond to that. Before I could come up with a reasonable reply, he moved. His fingers on my arms tightened, holding me in a vice-grip. I heard myself let out a soft gasp of surprise. Then suddenly, I was airborne. Alpha Ian had thrown me! The prick had actually just thrown me! I collided with the lockers and a deafening boom of metal being bent thundered around me. I fell to the floor, catching myself on all fours. The wind had been knocked completely out of me, and I gasped for air on the ground. I didn’t dare move. I didn’t dare make any other sound.

Alpha Ian made a guttural noise in the back of his throat, and then he spat on me. I felt the wad of saliva hit the side of my face, adding insult to injury. He lifted his foot and shoved it into my shoulder, pushing me over. I crumpled to the ground, no resistance within me. He reared back his leg and delivered a swift kick to my abdomen. I groaned, curling around my stomach as I clenched where he had kicked me. I couldn’t breathe again, and my entire body screamed out in pain. My entire back was sore and stung like hell. I could feel scratches on my arms from where sharp edges of the lockers had cut into me. I had caved some of them in with my impact and caught the edges on my slide to the ground. My shoulders throbbed from where Ian had grabbed me, and I had a feeling I’d have hand-shaped bruises there in addition to whatever other damage my back had taken. Ian said nothing more to me and proceeded to storm off down the hallway.

I lay there in agony, and no one came over to me. Everyone turned back to their own conversations or walked off to their classes. I wished I could just sink into the floor and disappear entirely. I slowly regained my ability to breathe, but each breathe caused me pain in both my stomach and my back. The first bell rang, and I winced, using every ounce of strength I had to pry myself up off the floor. I limped to class and settled into my usual seat in the back. I couldn’t believe that had just happened. I couldn’t believe Ian had just attacked me for accidentally running into him. Even had he not been my ex-mate, it would have been a surprise. But did he not feel any remnants of the broken bond? As much as I wished the bond was just magically erased now, it wasn’t. I still ached over it and clearly, I could still get caught up in him. Did throwing me into the lockers not hurt him at all?

I couldn’t concentrate on anything Mr. Quinn was saying. I kept shifting uncomfortably in my seat, every tiny movement causing a new wave of pain to wash over my body. I spent the entire class counting down the seconds until the bell rang. I needed to get out of here. When the bell finally went off, I grabbed my bag and beelined it for the classroom door. I headed the opposite way from my next class and went out front to my bike. I fumbled with the lock, unchaining my bike, and heading out of the parking lot. I had never thought of myself as a coward, but I wasn’t about to walk into gym and face down the Alpha again after what had happened in the hallway. I told myself I just needed a day to regroup, let things blow over a bit, and I’d go back tomorrow.

I made it home quickly and went to my bathroom to start filling up the tub with warm water. I hoped a warm bath may help soothe my aching body and help me feel better. I undressed but paused when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Sure enough, faint bruises were already beginning to bloom on my shoulders and my stomach. I turned and looked over my shoulder at my back, seeing some scrapes there and a bruise forming from where my back had caught one of the locks on the locker. I grabbed a washcloth and dampened it with water, gently cleansing the wounds on the backs of my arms and sides that I could reach. Luckily, they weren’t that deep. If I’d had a wolf, I would have probably healed by tomorrow. I’d still heal faster than a human, but I could tell I was in for an uncomfortable next few days at least. I sighed, going over to the tub, and stepping into the warm water. I let out another sigh, this one in relief, as I sank into the water up to my neck. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the wall.

I stayed in the tub until the water was cold and I had started to shiver. I reluctantly got out and dried off, pulling on some loose-fitting clothing, and settling into bed. I wondered briefly if this was what I was in for from now on. If the Alpha felt like he could toss me around and attack me, what was stopping anyone else from going after me? I worried I would suddenly have to watch my back for physical assaults now. I had grown used to being verbally bullied but being actually beat up would be new. I chewed on the inside of my lip as I pondered it. If I was attacked, how much punishment would I be in for if I defended myself? I doubted I would be able to just take it with my head down. One potential silver lining was that all of this came about because of me flipping Javier over in gym. Apparently, I was stronger than an omega should be. Maybe the entire school knowing that would make them think twice about laying their hands on me.

I fell asleep for the remainder of the morning, and only dragged myself out of bed when I couldn’t hold my bladder any longer. I did my business and then went to grab some lunch. It was weird to be in my house without much to do. I didn’t want to go busy myself at the packhouse, and if I went to Moonlight then I’d have to explain myself to Lori and Fran. I didn’t want to worry them or bring them into my drama. So, I wandered around the house like a bored ghost, floating from room to room aimlessly. I finally settled down to work on an essay due next week for my English class and the rest of the afternoon ticked by.

Around 4 pm, there was a knock on my door. I groaned, having to pry myself out of bed and stretch out my limbs again. I shuffled to the front of the house, wondering who could possibly be knocking. Maybe Alpha Ian had decided to come and kick me out of the pack for good. That would certainly be the cherry on this shitty day. I looked through the peephole and was surprised by who I found standing there. It was Bailey, and behind her on the first step of the porch stood Mallory. I swung the door open, confusion written all over my face. “Uhh…hi?”

Bailey’s eyes swept over me, a frown settling on her face. “Hey, T,” she said. “I heard what Ian did at school today. I…I am so sorry. I can’t believe that.”

I lifted a shoulder and let it fall in a shrug. “It isn’t your fault.”

She let out a snort of air through her nose. “I know, but I still feel awful. Can we come in?”

I nodded, shifting out of the doorway. She and Mallory walked inside, and I closed the door behind them. It was weird having them in my home. No one but Francesca and Lorelai had been to the cottage since Rosie had passed. “Can I, uh, get you water or anything?”

Bailey shook her head. “I’m good.”

“Same,” Mallory smiled softly.

Bailey looked at me closely, scrutinizing me. “Are you okay, Thea?”

“I’m fine,” I said. I didn’t think it was prudent to tell her the truth. It was sweet of her to come out of her way to check in on me, but she was still Ian’s sister. What if he had sent her?

“I mean it,” Bailey said. She was being so serious, it was strange. I had never seen her so serious before. “Did he really hurt you?”

“I’ll be okay,” I promised. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

Bailey and Mallory exchanged a glance and then looked back at me. “Anything we can do for you?”

I shook my head. “I’m okay. Really. I’ll be healed in a few days.”

“So, he did leave marks on you!” Bailey said, looking angry now. “Show me.”

“Bailey!” I exclaimed. “No. You don’t need to see. Look, I appreciate you coming by. But I’m fine. I don’t need help, and I’m not grievously injured or anything.”

Bailey groaned, tossing her head back. Her blue eyes stared up at the ceiling for a moment before she looked back at me. “I just can’t believe Ian has been Alpha for like, less than 3 days and he is already abusing his power. He’s more like my dad than I thought.”

I pursed my lips. Bailey wasn’t wrong. Alpha Harry had always used his position of power to manipulate people and he often handed down punishment to omegas in the form of physical a***e. He often partook in that part himself. It had actually been a miracle from the Goddess that he had allowed me to stay in the cottage when Rosie died. He had been ready to force me to move back into the packhouse, and he probably would have made me drop out of school to tend to omega duties. Lorelai managed to convince him it was better to let me stay in the cottage – he wouldn’t have to worry about the property, and if I was able to keep working at Moonlight Café then I could pay pack-taxes. If I was an omega in the packhouse, the only pay I would receive would be the roof over my head and the meager meals we could scrounge up from the leftovers. Ultimately, the desire for money over having a ‘useless mouth to feed’ won out and Harry agreed to our current arrangement.

I hadn’t thought Ian would be like his father to that extent. Sure, he was not always the nicest person. But he had never gone out of his way to hurt those lower than him for no real reason. Until today. The attack may have seemed relatively unprovoked, but I knew it was a decision he had made to make an example of me. To send the message to everyone that he would choose the pack over the traitor’s daughter. It was the same choice he had made this weekend, so it wasn’t surprising to me. Did it hurt? Sure. But I wasn’t surprised. I didn’t even think that I was worth choosing over the pack, so why would the Alpha?

Finally, I just shrugged again. “I know why. Because after what happened in gym, everyone remembered who my dad was.”

“Your dad?” Mallory asked.

Bailey rolled her eyes. “Everyone thinks Thea’s dad is responsible for Beta Alex dying. But c’mon, he was the Beta. If he couldn’t defend himself, why do we think Thea’s dad would have fared any better?”

“Oh,” Mallory said. “Yeah, that’s dumb. It’s not Thea’s fault, either way.”

“Exactly,” Bailey said, nodding matter-of-factly.

“Thanks,” I said softly, looking down at my feet. What they were saying was incredible to hear, and I was glad to know they were on my side. But I also couldn’t quite agree with them. It was my fault that my dad came back to check on me, leaving the Beta open to an attack. Because of me, he had decided to ignore orders. That was the first rule of being a pack warrior – always listen to your superior. I understood why the pack hated my dad, and I could understand how that hate trickled down to me.

Bailey sighed, taking my hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go. “We better get going,” she said. “But I want you to sit with me in class, and at lunch, okay?”

I looked back up at her. “Bailey, I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“You’re the Alpha’s sister. You can’t be seen siding with me.”

“I can do whatever I please,” she said. She raised her chin defiantly, daring me to argue.

“Just for tomorrow,” I decided, trying to negotiate with her.

“Rest of the week.”

I narrowed my eyes at her but let out a sigh of defeat. “Okay, fine.”

She beamed, throwing her arms around me in a hug. “Good! And since we don’t have all the same classes, Mal will be your other go-to. Okay?”

I looked over at Mallory, wanting to confirm she was truly okay with this too. Being seen with me could make her a social pariah. The blonde nodded firmly, giving me a smile.

“Thanks,” I said to them. “I mean it.”

“No need!” Bailey said. “It’s stupid we haven’t hung out anyway. I’m sorry it’s taken until now.”

“I have a feeling we could go in circles if we kept up like this, so I’ll just say thank you again,” I laughed.

“Works for me,” Bailey grinned. She headed for the door, giving me a wave. “See you later, T!”

“Bye,” I smiled softly back, waving them out the door before locking it behind them. Had I really just somehow become actual friends with Bailey and Mallory?