The Omega Queen

Chapter Eight

"....and it is a great honour that my first official act as Queen is to appoint Fin and Heather as Alpha's of the Maine pack. Congratulations to you both." The crowd erupts into claps and cheers and I step back allowing them to come forward and speak.

"Thank you, your majesty," Fin says, bowing in my direction. I smile and retreat further, eager to leave, not only the podium but the whole event. All night I've smiled and shook hands with every alpha and beta in the territory of NE America and received so many condolences for the loss of my parents. My face hurts and I've had enough.

As Fin continues to thank everyone for coming, I slip away from the hustle and bustle and make my way to the kitchens so I can see my friends. The moment I step inside the packhouse, I feel lighter immediately. Walking down the corridor towards the kitchens feels normal, something I would do on a near daily basis, before everything changed.

I enter the kitchen and find Evan flapping about, stress and fatigue evident on his face. Kate has her head in her hands and Drew is wafting away the smoke from what looks like a very burnt cake.

The door clicks shut and three pairs of eyes lock on me.

"Hey guys" I say smiling, my hand up in a wave.

"Oh my god Ava, we've burnt Fin and Heather's cake. We don't know what to do. We'll never have it ready in time. What do we do?" He asks, as he reaches me and grabs my elbows.

"Hey Ev, chill. We can fix this. Don't worry"

"How, it's due out in half an hour" Kate says from across the room, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Well we can't bake another in that amount of time, but there is someone who can help us find another at short notice, and I happen to know that although she loves us all. One of us is her favourite person on the planet" I stare at Kate and wait.

It takes a moment but she stands up straight wiping away her tears, determination in her eyes.

"Nonna!" She states picking up her phone and speed dialling her grandmother.

"Nonna!" She exclaims in an excited voice.

"We need your help. I've burnt Fin's cake and I was hoping you had one prepared for the restaurant tomorrow?" She listens intently to her grandmother's response. A smile that splits her face takes hold.

"Thank you Nonna, you're the best. See you soon" she ends the call and jumps up and down in delight.

"She just finished a Victoria sponge, she's bringing it over now. We will need to decorate it, make it more extravagant but if we all pitch in, we'll have time." Kate collapses on one of the kitchen stools, her relief clear on her face.

I doubt Fin and Heather would have made much of a fuss had there not been a cake at all, they just aren't like that, but my friends take their jobs very seriously and wouldn't have wanted to let them down.

"You are amazing Ava, I'd never have thought of Nonna!" Evan squeals, hugging me and lifting me off the ground to spin me round. I start to laugh and wrap my arms around his neck tightly.

The kitchen door slams open and a fierce, loud growl echoes around the room. My hackles rise, my wolf, who has been strangely silent since our run this morning snaps to attention at the perceived threat. Evan practically drops me as we turn to face the sound. Grayson stands there visibly vibrating as he tries to control his wolf. His eyes, which are pitch black instead of their usual stormy grey blue, are set on Evan and his arms bound around my waist. I slide down and turn in front of him, protecting him from my mate.

"Evan, very slowly back away from me, do not turn your back on him and leave through the back door. Go and get Ben now" I feel him nod behind me but my eyes remain fixed on Grayson. He holds his position not moving a muscle, his hands clenched into fists hanging by his sides. I know there is only one thing that will calm him and release him from the rage consuming his body and that of his wolf, the touch of his mate. My own wolf tries to make contact with his through the bond, but the connection is weak.

"Grayson" I say, taking a step towards him, needing to calm his human side before things get out of control. I know he won't hurt me but I don't want him snapping and hurting my friends. My wolf and I are fully prepared to shift myself if needed, but I'd prefer not to ruin my dress.

"Look at me, Grayson." I get to within two feet of him and have to crane my neck to see his face. I reach up and put my hand against his cheek. I shiver runs down his body and he closes his eyes at the contact. A sigh escaping from deep within. The tingles race through me, our connection restored, my wolf purrs and tries again to connect.

"Gray, calm down and look at me"

After a few moments his eyes open, the familiar grey blue has returned and I remove my hand slowly. He grabs my wrist gently and places my hand back where it was moments ago.

"Give me a minute" he says, his voice strained.

I wait patiently for him to regain his composure. He opens his eyes again and steps back out of my embrace.

"Please forgive me" he whispers before turning around and leaving the kitchen the way he entered.

I stare after him, unable to fully comprehend what just happened.

"What the….what the hell was that?" I ask turning around. Kate and Drew are huddled tightly against each other in the corner. Their faces mirror how I feel.

Evan re-enters with Ben on his flank and they scan the room for Grayson.

"What happened?" He asks, still looking for the threat.

"Grayson, he just lost it" I shrug "i don't understand why but he was struggling with the change, he couldn't control his wolf"

"Explain every detail from the beginning" Ben orders and I bite back a growl of my own at his tone.

"Ava just had a great idea to get us a new cake after I burnt mine" Kate says beside me, gesturing towards the black circular blob on the counter.

"I grabbed her and spun her round because she's a genius. Then Alpha Grayson came in and lost his s**t" Evan adds quietly, not completely comfortable talking to the beta of the pack.

Ben looks at me and rubs his face

"Did Evan touch you? Put his hands on you?"

"Of course he did, he picked me up and spun me around in circles. We were laughing"

"Ava, you have just met your mate, a mate you state you do not want. You won't spend any time with him, you won't bond with him and he just caught another wolf with his hands on you. Evan was a threat, to him, to you. Do you have any clue how much restraint Grayson just showed? The majority of wolves would not have been able to control it, Evan would probably be dead if Grayson wasn't an Alpha. Until you bond with him.....or reject him" he adds, holding up his hand when I try to interrupt, "you cannot let anyone touch you, not like that. His wolf will see it as a challenge and attack. Where did he go?"

I look towards the door and point in its direction.

"I'll go talk to him," Ben says as he moves closer to me.

"No! I'll go, it's my fault." Ben nods and I exit quickly. I follow the scent of caramel and chocolate for a few minutes, and find Grayson sitting on the stone entrance steps, staring toward the forest and absentmindedly turning what looks like a coin through his fingers. He looks a bit lost, and very alone.

I approach slowly, initially not wanting to startle him or his angry wolf and then realise he would have been able to smell me coming.

"Grayson, do you mind if I join you for a moment?" I ask quietly, moving closer.

My voice draws him from his reverie and he nods towards the empty space beside him. I wasn't planning on sitting so close to him but I choose to swallow my pride and lower my body to sit down.

"I'm sorry Grayson" I say genuinely

"Gray" he responds, still looking towards the forest, the coin twisting through his fingers one by one.

"What?" I ask confused

"Gray. You called me Gray in the kitchen. You can keep calling me Gray." He says.

"Okay, then I'm sorry Gray, I didn't realise. I didn't even know you were around"

"So it's a regular thing then. You let unmated male wolves grab you and touch you all the time?" He questions quietly, refusing to meet my gaze.

"No, of course not. I don't know any unmated male wolves except for Evan." I reply snappily. "Evan is my best friend. The three people in that room are the only friends I've ever had"

"I understand,'' he says, resigned. He stands and walks away, closer to the forest and stops at the tree line. His pain floods the bond between us, as well as his acceptance. It's like he's given up.

"I don't think you do Grayson"

"Gray!"

"Gray" I reply "Evan is gay"

He laughs, it's quiet and short but devoid of humour.

"Of course he is!" He states, throwing his coin into the trees before him. "I tried, I wanted it so badly and I threw it away because I was jealous of a gay guy touching my mate. Sounds about right"

"What have you thrown away?" I question him as he begins to walk further into the trees. He stops.

"Us. Before it even started."

"You haven't thrown anything away, Gray. I came out here to apologise, and I meant it. It wasn't your fault."

"This isn't how I pictured it, you know. I thought you knew. I thought it was obvious. Long before your birthday, years before. I thought it would be instantaneous, not like this. Not like this."

"What are you talking about? What did you think I knew?" I ask, unsurprisingly confused.

"It's nothing, it doesn't matter," he says, turning to face me.

"Goodnight little bird" and then he walks away, deep into the dark depths of the forest.

I stay seated on the cold stone steps for at least half an hour, hoping he will return and explain what he meant. I am clearly missing something, I just cannot figure out what it is.

I don’t have much experience with guys, okay I have no experience with guys but Grayson is a complete mystery, his actions do not make any sense.

I stand and brush the dust and dirt from my dress and head to the back entrance of the packhouse, intent on retrieving my cardigan and returning home. My evening is over. Walking through the courtyard, which is exclusively used by the Alpha family I immediately notice Evan and another man, whose back is turned away.

"Stay away from me, do not come anywhere near me. This is not my life, it is not my future" the figure states angrily. Evan doesn't say a word, he just continually stares at the ground beneath him. With my enhanced sight I witness a lone tear track down the side of his face, he doesn't bother to brush it away. I don't know what is happening but I do know that someone is upsetting my best friend and I will not let it continue.

"Is something wrong here?" I ask loudly, my wolf growling in my mind, ready to take down the stranger. The figure turns and I recognise him as Alpha Garrett. My other tormentor. He steps away from Evan.

"Your majesty," he says, lowering his head. "I was just leaving, excuse me" he replies before exiting through the double doors leading to Fin's study.

I wait a few moments to ensure he is gone before running over to Evan, who slips down the wall to the floor and proceeds to sob into his hands. I wrap my arms around him, attempting to console him, the sobs get louder and his body shakes violently.

"Evan, please tell me what happened. Did he threaten you? Hurt you?" I ask, my grip on him tightening.

Evan doesn't respond, he just continues to cry as if the world around him is falling apart.

"Evan please! What is going on?" I beg, tears filling my own eyes as I bear witness to his pain. He shakes his head, unable to answer so I collapse next to him and hold him, whispering soft comforting words to calm him.

Eventually, the sobs subside and he raises his head. He uses his sleeve to wipe away the moisture on his face and stares ahead into the distance.

"Alpha Garrett, he's…..he's my mate Ave".

"What? Garrett?"

"Yes, I found my mate and he doesn't want me. Is disgusted by me. Doesn't want me anywhere near him. Had you not shown up when you did, he would have broken our bond there and then."

"Oh Ev, I'm so sorry. Give him time he will come around. He'll realise what he is missing and regret the words he said to you this evening" I say quietly, rubbing my hand up and down his arm.

"No Ava, I don't think he will. He said he's straight. He said he saw me and recognised me as his mate months ago. He said he has tried to keep his distance so I didn't find him. It was pure chance we met tonight. If he's had months to accept this and still refuses, I don't see anything changing his mind now"

There is nothing I can say at this moment to make this better, so I hold him and support him the way only a best friend can.

"Ava, you have to give Grayson a chance. Try and make it work. Rejection from a mate is one of the worst pains any wolf can suffer, i wouldn't wish this on anyone"

"I don't know that I…."

"Just try" he interrupts softly looking at me for the first time.

"Okay, I'll try. I promise"

***********************************************

I take the back stairs, hoping I do not encounter another wolf before my mission is complete. Once I reach the alpha quarters I follow the familiar comforting scent of hot caramel and bitter chocolate. I stand facing his door for a good five minutes before I find the courage to knock.

The door opens, soft lamp light spilling out into the darkened corridor and his scent envelopes me as he stares down at me in surprise. I take in his appearance, his hair sticks up manically as if he has been tugging it for hours, his eyes are cloudy and dull. He stands half naked wearing only shorts, his toned, tanned abs dominating my line of sight. I clear my throat and focus on his face. He stands so still, his jaw clenched. A mask slowly descends over his face, as if he is preparing himself for bad news but doesn't want to show any emotion. It clicks somewhere in my brain and I realise that he thinks I'm here to reject him once and for all.

"Can I help you, your majesty?" He asks politely when I do not speak.

My heart hammers in my chest, why am I finding this so difficult?

"Umm, yes!" I say, a bit louder than I intended. I cringe and lower my volume "Gray, I want to know if you will go on a date with me?"