by Merel Pierce
“When you were gone, I visited Ortega.” he admitted, “I had hoped perhaps he could tell me something that may aid me in finding you.” December forced her eyes to remain closed, struggling to keep her breathing even and steady though the direction of his conversation was beginning to make her nervous. “He had nothing of value to offer on that front. Though I confess, he did have a great deal to say about you.” He paused, and she could tell by the subtle shifting of his muscles that he was looking down at the top of her head, “He knew what you were, even then. ‘La Sagrada Omega’, he called you.”
She frowned. Ortega knowing that she was an omega seemed unlikely, even to her. Surely, he’d have sold her out if he had. It didn’t make sense. But the male didn’t plan to let her stew on it for long. “He told me that his people told stories of ‘La Sagrada Omega’ in the village where he grew up. The rarest of all omegas, they are born with extraordinary gifts that normal people do not possess. According to him, these creatures can almost always be identified by one unique feature. Their hair.”
Though he paused, December couldn’t be certain whether it was to give her an opportunity to speak, or simply to gather his thoughts. “He believed you possessed a keen ability to anticipate trouble, a gift that often saved others from harm and kept his business from being negatively affected by raids and robbers alike. This, he felt was because you possessed the ability to see the future.”
Inwardly, she deflated. December had hoped she’d never hear him say those words. But now he had. He knew she had visions. He’d known since before he’d gotten her back. A cold weight settled in the pit of her stomach as pieces of the puzzle seemed to fall into place.
Suddenly, his desire to keep her made sense. It wasn’t guilt. At least, not wholly so. No, he’d discovered her secret. A secret she’d spent the better part of her life trying so very hard to ignore. Her use as a mate might have been compromised, but she was still valuable to him for an entirely different reason. The velvet bands of the bond in her chest stroked at her aching heart, seeking to soothe the sting of the bombshell he’d just dropped.
“I found it difficult to believe, as I am sure you can imagine,” he continued, his purr deepening as his hand settled as a gentle weight against her shoulder. “But upon investigating the matter further, I have found that many cultures have similar legends.
“It is not uncommon to see mention of them in sideshow days gone by, and it seems that ‘travelers’ are known for monopolizing on the legends for the sake of their fortune telling. But it is difficult to find any modern-day proof of this anomaly,” the male sighed. “I imagine it has something to do with the danger of exposing the existence of an omega with preternatural gifts. Attempting to possess such a treasure might start a war.”
The hand resting on her shoulder slid up the side of her throat, his fingers pressing beneath her chin to tip her head back. The suggestion was clear. December reluctantly opened her eyes.
In the soft glow of dawn, the alpha was beautiful. Had the circumstances been different, she might have been able to appreciate the way the light played over his muscles, or how docile the beast of a man appeared with a soft smile tipping up one corner of his mouth. Right now, she couldn’t.
“You mustn’t think I chose to act as I did because of this information, sweet one,” he assured her. December pursed her lips, expression doubtful. It was annoying, this ability he had developed to practically read her mind. It was especially disconcerting now. “Until this very moment, I was not even certain how much truth there might be to the ramblings of that rotten old man. But your concerns only confirm my suspicions…”
“Who are you kidding? We both know that’s why you really kept me.”
It was muttered sadly, hurt and anger tainting her tone as tears gathered in her eyes. She felt foolish, allowing herself to believe there might have been something more to all his kindness and nurturing. He’d just been tending to a damaged asset all along.
The male’s purr grew louder, and before she could protest, he’d pulled her up from her place next to him so that she rested with one elbow and hip against the barrel of his torso. Legs tucked beneath her on the mattress, she put her hands to his chest and pushed. But his grip on her body held her firm, his expression unwavering and gentle.
“Let me go!”
“No, not until you listen.” Despite the futility of it, her wounded pride forced her to fight him a few moments longer before a broken sob finally signaled her defeat. He never ceased to purr, and when she finally grew lax, he resumed stroking her hair.
“When Ortega saw that you had marked me, he told me it was a great honor to be claimed by ‘La Sagrada Omega’. That it was now my duty to protect and cherish you. The longer you were gone, little wolf, the more keenly I felt my failure in that.”
She laid her head on his chest, too ashamed of how much she wanted to believe the emotion she could hear in the graveled weight of his voice to keep looking at him while he spoke. “Rarely have I ever felt so helpless as I did in those days spent searching for you. We might have been strangers, you and I. But I had sworn to tend you as a mate, and protect you while you were in my care, and I had been afforded the opportunity to do neither.” He inhaled deeply, his purr faltering.
“The longer I thought on what Ortega had said, the heavier my burden became. If I were to believe what he’d said, then I must also believe that you had risked my wrath to save my life. Your desperation to keep me with you did not go unnoticed that day, and your worry was too focused to be due to your heat. After you’d marked me, I spent the next few hours forcing your submission without a thought for what might have caused you to behave as you did.
“Your relief upon hearing that the hit had taken place while I was with you was obvious. It made too much sense to ignore and looking back I realized what had truly happened. What you’d done? How I’d responded? I felt like a fool for not having seen it.”
Her brow pinched with disbelief, and the negative shaking of her head was muddled with her cheek against his heart. “Why are you saying all these things to me? Why lie?”
“It is not a lie, and it is important for you to understand.” Large hands framed both sides of her face, forcing her to lift her head once more. “Look at me, sweet one.” Eyes blurred with tears she was angry for crying, she met his gaze once more. The bond in her chest vibrated its approval, and the sober look he wore told how seriously he took their current conversation.
“You saved my life and suffered for it greatly. I may never be able to erase the damage that has been done or repay that debt. But so long as I bear your brand on my skin, I will do everything within my power to provide for you and make your life a comfortable one. And to answer the question you’ve asked so many times since the night I marked you… I chose you to be my mate, because in saving my life you had already chosen me. Perhaps you did not mean to, but fate has a way of changing our plans. Wouldn’t you agree?”
December frowned at him, that same miserable tangle of emotions that had been plaguing her for weeks tumbling forward to jumble every rational argument she wanted to make.
He seemed so genuine, the bond between them humming just as warmly as the purr still vibrating against the palms of her hands. But did she dare believe him? Unable to form any coherent response of worth, she said the only thing she could think of.
“You really do talk too much.”
Chapter 28
They laid together in silence for some time, with December brooding and the male stroking her hair and purring his contentment. It was only when the ring of his phone broke their quiet that he finally stirred. As Nikolai sat up and reached towards the bedside table, she took the opportunity to scoot off the bed and dart for the bathroom while he answered the call.
December went through her morning checklist per the doctor’s instructions, even though she would have preferred not to bother. The psychologist had explained the importance of this to them both, claiming that the predictability of a
daily routine would re-establish normalcy and a provide a sense of comfort.
When Nikolai’s angry voice boomed through the closed door a few minutes later, she startled and nearly dropped her toothbrush. She froze, muscles tensing nervously as she listened to him argue with someone on the other end of the phone in Russian.
He spoke so quickly that it was difficult for her to catch much, but from the gutturally uttered words she did understand, it appeared something very important had been overlooked. Whatever it was, it was big. December took a few deep breaths as she sat her toothbrush aside, looking at her reflection in the mirror as she tried to steady her nerves.
She shouldn’t fear Nikolai. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, knew that his anger wasn’t with her. But she couldn’t help the nervous way her heart thumped against her ribs at the sound of rage in his voice.
A loud crash made her jump, and she winced when her back collided with the corner of the towel rack on the wall behind her. Her hand was shaking when she moved to rub her throbbing side, and she bit her lip nervously as she tried to listen to what was happening in the bedroom. When the conversation continued, and her breathing exercises failed to help calm her nerves, December took a deep breath did the only other thing she could think of. She opened the bathroom door.
Across the room the bare-footed alpha was mid-prowl. The muscles in his back and shoulders bunched and twitched in irritation, making every motion seem dangerous as he stalked back and forth in front of the window. Upon hearing the turning of the door knob he’d paused, eyes cutting briefly her direction though his attention was obviously still on the phone pressed to his ear.
Between them, one of the two chairs lay in a mangled heap on the floor next to the overturned side table. The damaged sheetrock suggested he’d thrown it against the wall. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to meet his.
December let her fear and discomfort filter through their bond, her expression echoing the sentiment. She twisted her hands together anxiously as she waited for him to get the hint, taking shallow breaths to avoid sucking in the burst of adrenaline and anger that tainted the air between them. Something in the man’s expression changed, and the tightness of his muscles began to lessen as he forced himself to relax. He barked a brisk series of instructions into the phone before hanging it up and slipping it into his pocket, all the while maintaining eye contact with her.
For several moments, there was silence between them as the alpha fought for control of his anger. Seeing how he struggled to do so, she tried to think of a way to help diffuse his rage. She glanced down at the twisted pile of furniture again, taking another unsteady breath.
“You know,” she began self-consciously, her eyes flickering back towards the male once more. “If I’d known all it would take to get rid of these awful chairs was to make you angry, I would have picked a fight weeks ago.” He blinked, his brow furrowing with a mixture of surprise and confusion. December shrugged, forcing a lopsided, awkward sort of smile as she stepped forward and pushed at the broken chair with her foot. “They really were ugly.”
The alpha’s expression morphed again as he moved towards her, a helpless sort of amusement bleeding the harshness out of his features before he ever reached her. When he paused before her December forced herself to be still, not wanting to ruin what she’d accomplished by flinching when his hands came to rest on either side of her face.
“You are a sweet, silly girl,” he murmured heavily before tilting her head back and pressing a kiss over her pouting mouth.
Her lashes fluttered, her brow furrowing with concern as she pressed her hands to his chest and prepared herself for the emotional melt-down she was sure would follow. But, as he wrapped his arms around her and folded her against his chest, she didn’t feel the terror she had anticipated. When he settled his chin atop her head and sighed, she felt relief instead.
She hadn’t expected to hear the sweet, dainty sound that vibrated up from her own throat as she pressed her ear to the male’s chest. She didn’t even know omegas could purr, until she was doing so for the alpha whose temper was rapidly cooling under her efforts to soothe him.
The noise felt strange and she was tentative at first, uncertain of herself. But when the male made a soft noise of pleasure, she found the confidence to continue purring for him. The realization that she held enough sway over the man who was her mate that she could so easily influence his mood was empowering. Somehow, it made him seem less threatening. She sniffed discreetly at the bare skin beneath her cheek as she slid her hands down and around the sides of his ribcage, fingertips flexing as she cautiously returned his hug. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry I frightened you.”
“What happened?”
The male hesitated, angling his head so that he might press his nose in her hair and inhale deeply, soothing himself further with the action. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, little wolf.”
She frowned, her purr faltering as she arched her back and craned to look up at the male. “I’m supposed to be your mate, aren’t I?” She dared, “If it concerns you, it concerns me too.” When he returned her frown with a doubtful one of his own, she forced herself to start purring for him again. “You’ve been treating me like a china doll for weeks, and I appreciate you trying to be careful. But I’m stronger now and I’d feel better if I didn’t have to worry about you because I don’t know what’s going on.” When his expression softened with pending defeat, December guiltily praised herself for successfully manipulating the male into giving her what she wanted. “Please?”
“In the past few weeks we’ve found eight of the men involved in the plot against me,” he confessed. “Six of those also took part in your abuse.” He let the weight of his words settle for a moment before he continued to speak. “All but two have been dealt with, and one of the remaining men has just confirmed what you suspected about Riktor answering to another unknown conspirator.”
“Only six?”
The alpha’s expression grew sympathetic. “Only six so far, sweet one. Lower ranking members of the group who didn’t have the means to flee or weren’t given the heads up to do so.” He pressed a second more gentle kiss to her forehead. “We will find the others in time, I promise you.” December tried not to feel disheartened by the news, knowing he hadn’t meant it to be the main focus of the conversation.
“Who is the other conspirator?”
“An associate. A man named Bulgras.”
December pulled back again, this time extracting herself from his arms before moving to sit down on the edge of the bed as she considered what he’d said. “But wasn’t his son in the transfer station when they attacked?”
Nikolai made a noise of assent. “He was, yes.”
“And he knew?”
“It would appear so, though it seems the potential loss was not of great concern to him.”
“His own son,” she muttered in disbelief. “What a prick.”
“Indeed.” The male cast a brief glance towards the broken furniture nearby, his attention shifting as something moderately distressing seemed to occur to him. “Do you really dislike the room that much?”
December couldn’t help smiling, amused by the abrupt change in his demeanor. She nodded her head, still smirking as she stared up at the concerned looking alpha. “I hate it. It’s the most depressingly drab room in the world.” The male crossed the space to join her, lowering himself to the mattress at her side.
“Why didn’t you say something?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t really think you’d care.”
He sighed, lifting one hand to brush his knuckles lightly against her cheek.
“Had I realized you were so displeased by it I might have. I wanted you to feel comfortable, after all.” The alpha glanced around the space then, as if studying the room for the first time. “I suppose it is rather plain, isn’t it?” December rolled her eyes as the alpha’s hand came to rest against the back of her neck gently.
He seemed m
ore hesitant now, as if concerned he might be in danger of crossing some unseen line. Given how little physical contact they’d had until last night, it seemed like a reasonable concern. In truth, she was surprised she didn’t feel more concerned about that fact herself.
“When this business with Bulgras is taken care of, we’ll redecorate?” He offered, obviously seeking to placate her. The adoration and affection that reverberated through their bond as he continued to gaze down at her made her cheeks flush with unexpected warmth. Despite her reservations, she offered him another sheepish smile.
“Ok.”
The male grinned as he lifted her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles, obviously pleased by her acceptance of the idea. Seeing how favorably altered his features were by his happiness, December was reminded of just how beautiful she thought he was when she’d first woken up in his bed so many weeks ago. He was still beautiful, really. Though seeing him as she did now, she felt a wholly different sort of admiration for him than she’d experienced before.
Reluctantly, he stood, and she found herself distracted from her observations as his expression grew serious. “I will be very busy for the next few days,” he apologized. “Not much will change, save the likelihood that you will see less of me until this is resolved.” December felt a small flicker of disappointment at the idea but forced another smile for the benefit of the man before her, who looked just as unhappy about the idea as she felt.
“Sure, of course.”
“Why don’t you finish getting dressed while I’ll see to this mess,” he suggested. “We still have time for breakfast, if you like?” December nodded her agreement, obediently retrieving her clothing before retreating to the bathroom. He was already on the phone again by the time she closed the door behind her, speaking lowly as he gathered the broken pieces of furniture and sheetrock from the floor.
