004
1306 Words
Onyx Pov
"This is ridiculous," I snap.
"People don't believe Sienna is just an employee here." She lowers her voice a touch. "You've killed men over her, son."
"So?"
"They know you care for her. Take her as a mistress, and you grant her protection, and a proper place here."
I shake my head in bewilderment.
Sienna won't take this well. The implication is that a mistress has a job to be the Alpha's lover and confidante. She is the latter, but not the former.
And such a title would lead the public to make assumptions about her. These will have consequences, impacting her future chances at love.
She doesn't deserve that.
"It won't stop these Alpha's from using her against me," I remind her, my words stiff and bitter.
"Every Alpha has a mistress. They are off limits. It's an unspoken rule." Mother says it so casually, like this isn't a life altering decision for Sienna to make.
"Bullshit."
I only benefit from this. Selfishly, the thought of having Sienna as mine, fully and forever is tantalising. She wouldn't be my lover, but she wouldn't be able to leave here, move on.
I shake the poisonous thoughts from my head. Sienna is not mine. She belongs only to herself, and she deserves a life carved out by her and not me.
"I love Sienna like a daughter. I helped raise her, Onyx," she continues. "I don't want to see her dead because you insist on taking her on every outing with you because you can't stand being away from her."
"I'm not married. I don't need to have a mistress."
"You will be married soon, will you not?" She raises her brows, daring me to say otherwise. "May as well appoint Sienna now, so your wife knows what to expect.
I fold my arms over my chest. "How will I get this elusive wife when I have a mistress?"
"This is the reality for Alpha's wives." She lowers her voice. "And she would have to live with the fact that you are in love with Sienna anyways."
A cold chill crawls over my skin.I don't like when people comment on Sienna and I's friendship. Not even my own mother.
"I'm not-"
"Hush, son." Her smile is all knowing. "Sleep with her, treat her as a true mistress or don't. But she must have this title."
"But-"
"End of discussion."
She turns on her heel, walking off down the hallway.
Ruffling my hands through my hair, I curse under my breath.
How am I supposed to ask Sienna to be my mistress?
I stretch out amongst the hay, yawning.
Sienna and I stare out the barn doors in silence, watching the steady fall of rain collect in puddles that crawl slowly toward us. They never seem to reach us, never seen to disturb the peace.
This barn has been our hideout since we were young. Its purpose is to house thick bales of yellow hay for the guards' horses.
Before us is a discarded pile of cards. Sienna won by a single game, but only after I fought her for victory for over an hour.
I conceded eventually.
"This weather is amazing," she murmurs, her head braced against one of the bales, her deep auburn hair splayed out across it.
I watch her from where I sit up, able to see only half her face. "I'll never understand why you like the rain when you hate storms."
She turns to look up at me, her gentle brown eyes burning almost gold under the single barn light.
"Rain is peaceful, storms are the Angel's smiting us," she points out, tapping her temple like this is a grand observation. "Plus, the rain sounds better than your grating voice."
I laugh roughly, shaking my head.
"It storms a lot here."
The amount of nights I've woken to tentative taps on my bedroom door. Half-asleep, Sienna would amble into my room and crawl beneath my covers, seeking refuge from the storm.
I don't mind holding her, soothing her to sleep. It doesn't matter what important occasion awaits me the next morning, I wait until her heartbeat steadies and her breath slows before I finally sleep.
I've never questioned her fear. Her mother uprooted her life and smuggled her away the night of an especially violent storm, apparently.
"Yeah." She sits up, leaning her back against the same bale as me. "That reminds me of something I wanted to talk to you about."
"What's up?" I gently pick a few pieces of lingering straw from her hair.
She chews on her lower lip, falling victim to an ancient habit of hers. That and gnawing her nails down till there's almost nothing left.
"I was thinking of going away for the summer." Her eyes are wide and big as she anticipates my reaction.
"Away?"
"Just for a bit. Not the whole summer, because I still work for your mother, but just a couple of weeks," she says, turning her body to face me.
Admittedly, a cold, dark feeling curls up in the pit of my stomach. She deserves to leave, to have a break.
I can't hold her back. I won't.
"Where would you go?" I ask lightly.
"To see the ocean." She smiles to herself, the light warming her cheeks like the sun would. "I want glorious hot weather. So hot it's almost uncomfortable."
She can find the ocean at the other end of my territory, but not the warm weather. Our best weather is whenever there's a break in the snow or rain, which is a rare occurrence.
"You want to go by yourself?" I would go with her, if I could. I would take her anywhere she wanted to go.
She picks at a piece of straw, running it between her fingers. "I don't know. I know you can't come with me, but it's also dangerous to go alone."I stare back off into the rain, guilt slowly ratcheting up within me. If she becomes my mistress, she won't be able to leave on spontaneous trips on her own.
I glance back at her face. She's so blissfully unaware.
"Take some time to think about it," I breathe, holding back on what I should be saying...what I should be asking her.
Her lips turn up slightly. "I'll be there for your wedding, don't worry."
I exhale roughly, rubbing my eyes. "Don't remind me."
She smooths her hair back, narrowing her eyes at me. I would be amused if this issue wasn't making me miserable.
"Those women are going to come here, you know."
"I know."
I feel her study me as I stare down at my hands. She has this uncanny ability to find the real influence behind most of my emotions.
This time, I hope she doesn't...
"Are you okay? Something on your mind?"
I avoid her stare, as if the rain I see almost everyday is more interesting than this conversation. "I'm just dreading this whole marriage thing."
"We need to unpack that at some point." She gets up, dusting straw off her backside. "Right now, I need to go to bed before I fall asleep on the hay."
"Alright."
She wanders to the door, pulling the hood of her jacket over her head. "Coming?"
"I just need a few more moments." Stewing in my thoughts for a while longer isn't my smartest move, but it's going to have to do for now.
"Don't forget the unveiling tomorrow," she warns, raising a brow. "I'm really proud of you for funding this hospital. It's going to save a lot of lives."
I smile weakly, nodding.
"I won't forget."
"Goodnight then."
"Night."
She gives me one last look before she darts out into the rain, vanishing amongst the shadows.
I lean my head back, my eyes fluttering closed. I'm f****d.
- Writer
