If Only (BxB)

Contemplation

Ashlyn was pleasantly surprised when she spotted Gayle on our doorstep, she respectfully called out to him, “Good evening Alpha Gayle, what brought you here?”

Gayle however, completely ignored her and continued scowling at me. The look sent shivers down my spine, it was a mix of annoyance, anger and something else that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. After a few minutes, he coldly spat out, “I’m here to take him back.”

Ashlyn and I were both puzzled hearing such a straightforward answer, probably noticing the weird mood surrounding us, she tactfully nodded, “Of course. You can come in and rest for a bit if you want, Irving must be tired as well”.

Before I could agree with her, Gayle quickly interrupted, “No need, I have some urgent matters that need to be resolved so I’ll be leaving with him immediately.”

From start to finish, Gayle never even once called me by my name, his impatience was even more obvious today.

For fear of exposing our façade, I reluctantly bid Ashlyn goodbye.

Gayle apparently arrived by car, it eased my task of carrying all the clothes Ashlyn got for me.

Finally out of Ashlyn’s earshot, I let go of my misgivings, “What are you here for?”

As soon as my voice fell, Gayle’s hand paused at the car’s door as he turned to scowl at me, “I wouldn’t be here doing this s**t had oy not tattled to my mom”

My eyebrows knit together in confusion, “What do you mean? I didn’t say anything-”

“Oh of course you did! Why else would mom specifically ask me to arrive hand in hand with you at my birthday party tomorrow, she must’ve got an inkling. You must be happy with yourself Omega, using that glib tongue of yours to turn my own parents against me”

So that was the actual reason. Of course… why would Gayle come looking for me had it not been for Mia. What were you expecting Irving, that he would miss you?  he literally cheated on you last night. Your absence makes no difference to him.

A self-deprecating smile spread on my face, I really am too easy. I didn’t bother to explain, since Gayle wouldn’t believe me anyway.

“Get in the car right now” Gayle spoke through clenched teeth as he sat inside without waiting for my answer.

I settle myself in the back seat of the car along with the bags. The passenger seat in the car belonged solely to Gayle’s countless flings or business partners. I had once experienced the misfortune of sitting there and Gayle locked me in the car for more than six hours. It traumatized me enough to steer clear of cars for a while.

At this point, I’ve stopped dwelling on why Gayle hates me so much.

“Now remember well Omega, don’t embarrass me tomorrow. The Rogue alliance will be in attendance along with other prominent pack leaders so don’t go whoring about with that slutty face of yours. No wonder you left the house yesterday, prettying yourself up for the big day huh”

His words pained me to no end but I knew it was meaningless to retaliate, I would end up coming back for one reason or another. I had nowhere else to go and Gayle knew it well.

The ride back home was silent, but it gave my mind enough time to wander and go over its worries. With how bad things were now, what would happen once Gayle finally inherits the Alpha title. What will become of me then? Won’t my sister and I be discarded like worthless pawns?

My heart sped up with anxiousness, I had nothing to rely on and nothing could guarantee my survival after Gayle’s coronation. I didn’t know if Gayle would ever come to love me, but I still stubbornly clung to him for I already gave up my everything for this man.

If only I hadn’t given up my everything for him, if only I had given some importance to my future, would things be different?

***

The next day

It’s Gayle’s birthday today, Mia already sent in our suits early this morning, they were a gorgeous light blue color that went well with our tie and brooch.

Ashlyn and I have been on a video call for the entire day, deciding her outfit for the evening. After finally opting for a wine-red gown, she proceeded to have me help her with the jewelry as well.

Gayle never bothered to show up infront of me, I was worried that he planned on dumping me for one of his side chicks. But contrary to my thinking, he arrived right before our agreed time, and as promised, very contemptuously held my hand in his.

It was a rare sight for the pack members, their Alpha holding his mate’s hand was a shocking spectacle for everyone present. Mia beamed and came over with Alpha Zac, “My, what a charming pair. You look absolutely stunning Irving” She gazed at me while nodding in approval. Then her eyes shifted towards Gayle, “Fix that nasty expression of yours young man, you look like you’re here for blood”

Getting chastised by Mia, Gayle in turn, harshly gripped my hand with more strength than necessary. Mia led us towards the other guests and introduced us to them.

“This is the leader of Midnight pack, Alpha Damien and his mate Luna Sara”. Mia gestured towards a tall couple in their twenties, who nodded in response.

“This is the leader of Shadow pack, Alpha Jennifer, and standing beside her is the leader of the Rogue alliance, Marcus and his subordinates James and Gina” Mia first gestured towards a stoic woman with fiery red hair, Jennifer apparently. And then towards a man in his late forties with amber eyes and a grey moustache who I assumed was Marcus. On his sides stood a man with black hair and a woman with blond hair and glasses covering her eyes.

Everyone seemed to be on the edge when the leader of the Rogue alliance got introduced. The Rogue alliance was a group of werewolves who refused to be in a pack or go on baseless wars with other packs, they preferred to live life on their own terms instead of getting ordered around by an absolute Alpha. They chose their own leaders every five years and abided by the rules set by them. The alliance was fairly young, established about fifteen years ago after much opposition from several packs. But after witnessing the decline in Rogue attacks, the pack leaders deliberated and hesitantly signed the peace treaty.

However, considering everyone’s reaction just now it was obvious that something was going on with the alliance at its center.

After the introductions, we were all ushered into a separate room with the leaders while the pack members enjoyed themselves at the party. Alpha Zac had Ashlyn and his own trusted Gamma, follow behind closely.

Still unaware of what was going on, I went along with Gayle on the basis of being the future Luna of this pack.

The room was engulfed in a solemn atmosphere, everyone seated themselves on the chairs surrounding the huge round table, already filled with refreshments.

“As all of you must already be aware, we called an emergency meeting today because there has been unusual sighting of Rogue’s on four pack borders as of the last few months. My Beta reported that they barely circled about the borders before scurrying away”, Jennifer continued in a cold voice, her expression somber, “I fear that there might be something dangerous brewing around us and decided to warn the rest of you”

“Just as Alpha Jennifer stated, there’s been Rogue sightings close to my pack as well” A burly man with a strong build and a unibrow spoke in a gravelly voice. He was the leader of Blood Moon pack, “But the crazy thing is, they don’t attack or anything they just sniff ‘round and run away the moment we get close to ‘em. None of their actions warranted death, so we’re in a bit of a pinch too”

“Actually, I’ve been gathering intel on the areas of Rogue sightings and the only thing that caught my attention… is this.” Ashlyn said as she placed a transparent bottle with an unknown purple substance inside it on the table. “The affects and purpose of this thing is still unknown but I found a small quantity of it scattered around every pack border they visited. In fact, this sand like thing gets absorbed very quickly by earth, we already sent it to some of our trusted researchers for further investigation”

The lone bottle was being passed around to everyone in the room, the moment it reached Gayle he glanced at it for a moment before passing it over to the person beside me, not deeming me worthy to have a look at it.

But just as the bottle passed by me, a strong scent went through my nose and a name immediately popped into my head, “Aconite”.

Noticing the curious glances directed at me, I realized that I had spoken out loud.