EMPTY QUARTERS
1267 Words
MARCUS’S POV.
“You really need to forget your little omega.”
Elder Pierre’s voice grated like a blade dragged across stone. I clenched myjaw, forcing myself not to snap. The council chamber reeked of incense and old men’s fear, yet all I could smell was Teyana—wildflowers, pine, and the faintest trace of rain.
“You’ve been distracted,” Pierre continued, adjusting his robes as though he sat on a throne instead of a rickety chair. “Your mind is not on your duties. The Ironclaw Alpha grows impatient for your answer. Do what you have to do to keep Obsidian safe.”
“Safe,” My wolf—Kai, snarled inside me.” And what of her? What of our mate?”
My hands curled into fists on the table. “I know my duty.”
Pierre’s beady eyes narrowed. “Then act on it. An omega cannot be Luna. You know that much.”
He leaned closer, lowering his voice to a venomous hiss. “Do you want the girl dragged to the altar and offered as sacrifice to cleanse your sin? Because that is what the Elders will demand if you continue this… charade.”
A muscle ticked in my jaw. Kai pressed against my skin, furious. “They will not touch her. We will tear them apart before they do.”
“And doom the pack in the process”, I answered silently. Kai’s growl reverberated in my skull, but there was no winning this fight. Not now.
“You have said that I should reject her, I did that. You have asked that I put her in the servants quarters, I have done that. What else do you want from me?” I hissed.
Pierre stood up, heading towards the door, “Marry Lady Seraphine. Do your duty, Alpha.”
The chamber door slammed shut, leaving only the crackle of the fire and the steady pound of my heartbeat.
“You’ve done enough damage”, Kai’s voice cut through me like a blade. “You could have told her. Explained why she couldn’t be Luna. But no—you threw her to the servants like she was filth.”
My jaw tightened. “I kept her alive. That’s more than the council would have allowed.”
Kai growled, a low rumble shaking the edges of my mind. “Alive? You call this alive? She is our mate. You rejected her with no truth, no reason. You think she will survive being stripped of her dignity, her place, her bond?”
I pressed my palms against the table, the wood creaking under my grip.” I had no choice.”
“You always have a choice,” Kai snarled. “And you chose wrong. If you cannot fight for her, then at least face her. Tell her why. She deserves more than silence.”
The words lodged deep in my chest, heavier than stone. For once, I couldn’t argue.
I shoved away from the table, the chair toppling behind me. My boots echoed against the stone floor as I strode out of the council chamber. The corridors twisted, narrow and dim, but I didn’t need a guide. Her scent pulled me like a tether—wildflowers, pine, rain.
Kalia strode towards me, her green silk gown stark against the leather-clad betas. “Your omega’s useless, Marcus,” she said, her voice sharp with disdain. “Retching everywhere, trembling like a leaf. She’s dragging down the other servants.”
My eyes narrowed and Kai snarled . “She’s not useless. She’s everything.”
“Why was she retching, what is wrong with her?” I asked.
“Ask her when you see her, she’s not even fit to be servant, can’t believe you were going to make her Lu…”
“Enough, Kalia,” I snapped, my alpha tone cutting through her smirk. “I’ll deal with Teyana.”
I turned, striding toward the servant quarters, my boots heavy on the stone path.
“I pushed her away to protect her,” I growled under my breath. “The elders, the Ironclaw—they’d see her dead before she stood as Luna.”
The servant quarters loomed, their stone walls damp and shadowed, reeking of mildew and despair. Omegas scurried past, heads bowed, their glances darting from my scowl. Teyana’s pallet was in the corner, a thin straw mattress, a cruel reminder of my rejection. *Yana,* I thought, the nickname slipping through, her warmth under the pines a ghost in my memory.
“Mara,” I barked, pinning the mousy omega with a glare. She flinched, twisting her apron, her voice barely a whisper.
“Where is Teyana?”
“She… she hasn’t been here, alpha. Not since midnight.”
“Midnight?” My voice was a growl, the mate bond flickering, hollow and faint. “She’s gone.” Kai howled,panic surging. “Where is she?”
Lila swept in, auburn hair gleaming, her smirk sharp as a blade. “No one’s seen your little omega all morning, Marcus,” she purred, leaning against the doorframe. “Cowering somewhere, probably. Too weak to scrub floors.” Her eyes glinted with malice. “Or maybe she ran.”
“Ran?” My heart lurched, the bond’s flicker confirming it. Teyana was out there, beyond the compound, alone. The Ironclaw’s scouts prowled the riverlands, and if they found her—marked by my scent, they’d see her as a threat and devour her.
“ You say you protected her from them, but not from this.” Kai said, barking at me.
“Find Toren,” I snapped at Lila, who flinched but nodded. “Now.” She hurried out, and I turned to Mara, my voice low, urgent. “What did she take?”
“Just… a cloak, some bread,” Mara whispered, eyes on the floor.
My mind raced. Teyana had planned this, exploited a gap in the patrols—her cunning both infuriated and awed me.
“She’s stronger than I thought,” I admitted, but the thought twisted into fear. The Ironclaw wouldn’t hesitate to kill an omega tied to me, and the elders would suspect my lingering attachment if she was found.
“Go after her,” Kai growled. “The bond still lives. She’s not lost.”
Toren appeared, his hazel eyes wary but loyal. “Alpha?”
“She’s gone,” I said, my voice tight. “Teyana fled at midnight. Do you know anything about this? You were the closest to her?”
Toren’s eyes flashed, ”Why do you care now, Alpha? You rejected her. You threw her to the dogs and now you want her back?”
Kai snarled in my head, “He’s right. You cast her away. You let them treat our mate like dirt.”
My hands curled into fists. “You will not speak to me like that, Toren. Everything I did was for the good of this pack.” The words tasted like ash.
Toren’s mouth twisted, bitter. “Funny how the good of the pack demands her suffering.”
A muscle ticked in my jaw. I forced my voice to steady. “Send scouts to the Riverlands, to the Silverthorn and Blackpine borders—anywhere she might go. Find her before the Ironclaw do.”
Toren hesitated, something soft flickering in his eyes—pity, maybe even accusation. “If they find her first…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “You know what they’ll do.”
“And it’ll be your fault,” Kai growled.
- Writer
