THE REJECTED OMEGA'S LIGHT

CHAPTER 6 — Someone's Watching

Morning came hard, Rena's back ached from last night, the swollen mark was hurting so bad, she sat up slowly, breathing through her nose until the pain became something she could manage.

She dressed and rinsed her face with cold water, the door creaked open, she went downstairs to find Elara.

Elara had put her in the laundry yard behind the main house, stone basins in a row, rope lines strung between thick posts, two women were already there, hands buried in soapy water.

They looked at her when she stepped in, she nodded, they didn't nod back.

Rena rolled up her sleeves and picked a garment from the pile, the water was so cold it made her fingers ache, each movement affected her back, but she kept scrubbing.

After a while, one of the women spoke, "you're the one he brought?"

"Yes," she said softly.

"How long were you in the trading grounds?"

"Long enough," Rena said.

The woman said nothing more, Rena squeezed the clothes dry and reached for the next, the rope lines filled with wet clothes swaying in the morning air.

The sun got hot, suddenly she felt a pressure at the back of her neck, like someone was staring at her.

She kept working but the feeling came again, she looked at the two women washing and a guard at the far gate, nothing felt out of the ordinary.

She went back to scrubbing, the feeling came again, even stronger now, she turned toward the main house, looking at the upper window.

Darien stood there, one hand rested against the frame, his eyes on the yard below looking at her, she could feel the direction of his attention, the way you feel a fire before you see it.

Rena's hands froze in the water, she didn't know where to look or what to do.

With a slow and deliberate turn, he looked away, he stepped back from the window and just like that, he was gone.

Rena turned back to the basin, confused, "Rena, what are you imagining, who would even look at you, let alone an Alpha," she murmured to herself.

At noon Elara brought bread, cheese, and a jar of water, Rena sat on the stone ledge and ate alone, she could hear footsteps approaching.

Alice sat beside her, not close enough to touch.

"You work hard," Alice said.

Rena kept chewing.

"Good posture too, even with your back the way it is."

Rena said nothing.

Alice's voice dropped, "you know what I noticed this morning?"

Rena stared at the wall.

"I caught him watching you, from the upper window he stared at you for a while," she paused, "I've been here long enough to know what something means and what doesn't."

The bread felt heavier in Rena's hands.

"He is an Alpha," Alice continued, her eyes careful and sharp, "Alphas don't take interest in Omegas, do not let it get into your head, whatever you think that clean bed and that room means," she whispered close to her ear, "you were bought just as everything else in this yard."

She stood up, "I just thought you deserved to know the truth."

She walked away.

Rena sat still, she picked the bread back up and ate, she wasn't hungry, she just refused to let Alice see her hands shake.

Rena carried folded laundry back to the house when Rio appeared beside her and took half the pile without asking.

They walked together, "you look like someone put something heavy in your head," Rio said.

"Alice?"

Rena didn't answer, Rio nodded, "she plants unnecessary things, don't take her seriously."

They stacked the laundry at the back door, Rio turned to her, her face more serious now.

"I want to tell you something."

Rio glanced down the hallway, it was empty, she stepped closer, her voice low.

"A man came to the gate this morning, before you were up, he didn't have any pack markings and no escort," she paused, "he asked after you."

The hallway felt smaller.

"By name?" Rena asked.

"Yes, brown hair, bright blue eyes, he came from the eastern trading grounds," Rio said, "he described you exactly."

The quiet house that had started to feel like a place she could breathe went thin.

"Who… who was he?" Rena asked.

Rio's jaw tightened, "the guards sent him away."

Her eyes stayed on Rena's face.

"But Rena…" Rio paused, "he said he would come back."