by Lyla Oweds
“What does it mean to be the Omega anyway?” Caleb asked.
I barely held back my shiver—the things I’d seen. It was another reason why pack life disturbed me so greatly.
“Another time,” I managed to squeak. “Now don’t interrupt,” I added, shooting him a stern glare. “This is hard enough as it is.”
Caleb’s mouth thinned slightly, and his left shoulder raised. But he didn’t interrupt anymore as I continued.
“So Grace took me out. And things were rather uneventful, for the most part. We’d only left for burgers and ice cream. And it was a walking distance away from the pack gates.” My fingers began to drum over the top of the table, but I made no effort to pause the nervous movement.
However, it seemed to disturb Caleb anyway. Before I spoke again, he reached across the table, covering my hand with his own.
“What happened?” he asked. And this time his voice was tinted with an underlying darkness that caused a shiver to shoot down my spine. His hand was warm, and support seemed to radiate from him. His perfect eyes saw straight through my defenses, and with a rush, the rest of my story came to the surface.
“There were fireworks.” My voice was breathy, strange. There was no cajoling in his actions—that behavioral trait was left to those who affiliated themselves with Water—but my heart, which had been beating so frantically before, had continued to calm as I remained under his perusal.
It wasn’t anything he was doing to me. But rather, he understood me. For once in my life, I didn’t have to hide my feelings—to pretend to be someone I wasn’t.
Gregory broke through my defenses with words and analysis. Michael with passion.
But Caleb? He did it with understanding. Ironic, considering that he was almost as clueless as Gregory with most things.
But while he might have been clueless, he also understood. There was no way to hide my feelings from him even if I wanted. And instead of scaring me, it was that lack of decision on my part which put me at ease.
Imagine that.
When I spoke next, my voice was stronger. “I wasn’t paying attention to Grace. I didn’t notice that she seemed to grow more anxious the more time passed. She wanted to go back home, to where we were safe. I pulled her toward the park. We cut through the alley, and were almost back out into public when they attacked.”
“Attacked?” he asked, a frown deeply etched into his expression.
“Yes, attacked.” If Caleb hadn’t been touching me, I would have been shaking. “Grace noticed them before I did, so she had barely enough time to hide me behind rubbish. Her fear was the first thing I noticed; the air was thick with it. I wanted to go home, but she said it was too late. She made me promise not to cry or make a sound. She said I’d be safe.”
His finger moved in a circle over the top of my knuckles, and his breath drew in sharply. I pressed on. “There were three of them. Witches. As Omega, Grace was usually passive. But when they confronted her, she faced them head-on.” I frowned, recollecting. “But then the strangest thing… Their conversation. She knew they were coming for her.”
“She knew them?” Caleb’s voice softly broke through my story. “Does that mean you know who they were?”
“Not at the time.” I brought my free hand to my face, touching my lip. “Later. When they took her.”
“Took?” Caleb tilted his head, watching me.
“Sorry, that’s not right…” I frowned; my thoughts scrambled to find the right words. “They reached for her, to force her to go. But then, she just agreed to follow them, leaving me behind.”
“Would you rather her have taken you?” Caleb asked curiously, his tone almost chiding.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” My face grew warm—I knew my thoughts bordered on childish. “Besides, if I’d been taken then I wouldn’t be in a position to help her now.”
“How’s that?” Caleb tilted his head, and his mouth thinned. My heart began racing—he wasn’t watching me in pity. There was none of that in his gaze. Nor was he seeking to make anything better.
He was just here to listen.
“I should have gone home. Or to get help.” My voice escaped in a rush and my breath caught, because it was so, so good that I hadn’t done either one of those things. “But I didn’t.” At Caleb’s raised eyebrow, I rushed to continue. “I followed them, in secret. Grace knew I was there, of course. But no one else did. I learned where they took her… and even spoke to my sister after. Then, I left her there.”
I found myself squirming in my seat at the sudden scent of his disapproval. And my hackles rose in response. But his next words threw me. “You’ve always been crazy then.” His dark brows furrowed as his expression turned contemplative, as if I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out. “Why would you chase after the people kidnapping your sister? That’s idiotic.”
My breath caught as his ire rose. “They were taking her away!”
“Then find an adult to help,” Caleb said, throwing his hands into the air. “You were five. No one would have expected you to do anything.”
“I wasn’t thinking, it happened so fast…” I bit my lip and looked away. Because, honestly, the same disparaging words crossed my mind every day. However, it wasn’t like it would have mattered. “It wouldn’t have made a difference—might have even made things worse if I had.”
“Why?” Caleb asked.
“Because the person who’d ordered her kidnapping… where she was taken…” My gaze lifted, holding Caleb’s earnest eyes for a second. And I wasn’t certain where this drive to share with him was coming from. Was it because we were in the same quintet? Or was it because I had been battling the need to get this off my chest for many years. In either case, my next words tumbled out in a rush before I could stop myself. “I found myself at the Cole estate. Edward Cole was behind the entire event.”
“Edward Cole?” A tinge of apprehension entered his expression. He was doubtful. “The regional judge?”
“You know your politicians. He wasn’t as influential as he is now, of course,” I interjected. “Even at that age though, I recognized him. He’d come to our lands sometimes, to mediate between the onmyoji and us. I knew he was important. I couldn’t go to someone at that point. Who would I tell? Who would believe me?”
“Your parents?” Caleb suggested, his tone lacking the sarcasm that one might expect from his words.
I shrugged. “I couldn’t tell them. I was able to talk to my sister. She asked me not to say a word. She begged me, saying this was better for her. How could I go against her wishes?”
Caleb opened his mouth to respond, an argument already written on his expression, when the sound of heavy footsteps drew near.
They were loud enough for him to hear, and his mouth closed. This wasn’t the sort of discussion to have in the presence of witnesses. But still, the question remained in his eyes.
However, instead of passing by, the steps grew nearer. And at this point, the scent of the newcomer reached me as well.
Jacob Briggs, the Beta of my pack.
I’d been tapping my pencil during my conversation with Caleb, but my movements stopped as his musky scent grew near.
What was he doing here? I didn’t think he cared about reading.
“Gloria Protean.” His presence settled over us like a dark shadow. “Alpha MacClure wants to speak to you.”
The pencil fell from my fingers as a flash of panic shot through me. I turned toward him, staring at him in surprise. “What?”
Jacob had large lips in a full, square face, so there was no hiding the downturn of his lips or the locking of his jaw. “What are you doing?”
For a moment, I couldn’t figure out what he was talking about. But as his chocolate eyes began to burn with caramel, it hit me. My stomach churned as the wildness inside me stirred, but then settled just as quickly. Remaining locked away.
My gaze tore from his, and I stared hard at my fallen pencil. “Sorry…”
“That’s what I
thought,” he grumbled, turning to leave. “Don’t make him wait. He’s not in a good mood today.”
Jacob hadn’t even taken a step before Caleb grumbled under his breath. “What the devil is his problem?”
The wolf froze, a menacing air filling the space around us. And when Jacob’s next words, I couldn’t stop the shiver from shooting down my spine. “Watch yourself, fae.”
“Watch yourself,” Caleb drawled. “You don’t scare me, fucking soc. I’m so far above you that you can’t even catch a whiff of my farts.”
That was disgusting, and horribly improper. I peeked at Caleb through the gap in my fingers, not breathing as I waited for Jacob’s reaction.
My soul was tearing in two. Because if Jacob retaliated, Caleb was going to get beat within an inch of his life. And it was my job to defend this man, if all this quintet news was to be trusted.
But to defend him, I’d have to fight my Beta. And I couldn’t do that either.
A tense moment passed. Caleb and Jacob watched each other, neither one showing an ounce of fear. And my pulse raced while my throat closed.
Caleb had lost his mind. I couldn’t even imagine what he was thinking?
A shifter was a fae’s natural predator. Why was Caleb challenging him? Every second seemed to last forever, and my vision remained fixated on them.
Who would move first?
It was subtle, but Jacob’s jaw twitched a second before he looked away. “You’re lucky this time.” His words came out in a low growl. “But you better watch yourself. You don’t want me as your enemy.”
And with that, he turned and stalked away.
I stared long after his scent had faded before my gaze turned to Caleb. The fae was reading again, the edge of a pencil in his mouth as his eyes moved quickly over the worn pages.
As if he hadn’t almost just lost his life.
“What was that?” I was unable to keep the squeak from my voice.
“What?” Caleb glanced up. Dark bangs fell over his eyes, and striking green sought out my face. “You mean that thing with Fluffy?”
“His name is not Fluffy!”
Caleb’s lips pursed. “Well, he doesn’t seem like a Cuddles. But I guess—”
“His name isn’t Cuddles either!” How could he not know what he’d done? “You challenged a shifter. And that was Jacob Briggs! He’s Beta!”
“Beta?” His eyebrow lifted. “Really? Seems too high for someone of his sort.”
“He earned that role!” I pointed at him. “He’s the Beta of my pack, and you’re fae. He’s going to murder you.”
Caleb rolled his eyes before returning his attention to his book. “Nah, he’s not nearly strong enough to be a challenge. Unless, of course, you add in a few of them at once. It’s hard to fight against a bunch of morons all ganged together.”
“He will eat you.” I frowned at him.
“Unlikely,” Caleb said, turning the page. “So, are you going to tell me, or should I ask?”
My thoughts returned to Gloria, and to our previous conversation. And although I thought I knew his question, I figured I’d ask anyway. “What are you talking about?”
I thought I was ready, but I wasn’t prepared for the question he asked instead. “Why did you submit to the idiot soc?”
My throat closed, and Caleb’s face centered in my tunneling vision. “What?”
“As you’ve just pointed out, I’m fae. In the natural order of things, Fluffy could easily hurt me. But”—his gaze lifted, holding mine—“that’s only if he’s enough to be a threat against my magic. He’s not. However, you are stronger than me. Which definitely makes you stronger than him. So, why did you submit to that loser?”
Chapter Sixteen
Caleb’s question stabbed at me like a knife in the gut, trying to make me face a reality I’d been working furiously to ignore for years.
It was the perfect moment to come clean about my weakness. I’d already confessed so much, and perhaps he might have an idea of how to help.
But… my throat closed. I couldn’t talk about this.
Instead of answering, I cowardly remained silent as I gathered my stuff. And I couldn’t meet his eyes when he covered my hand with his own, halting my progress.
“You don’t need to tell me now,” he said. “But you will one day. Meanwhile, I’ll look into Edward Cole for you. If you say something happened, then something happened.”
It wasn’t until I was at the pack house that I realized I hadn’t even thanked him. Nor did I say goodbye.
My breathing didn’t begin to even out until I was already seated in Alpha MacClure’s tiny waiting room. With every breath, my thoughts finally began to piece themselves together.
This was bad. On top of what had just transpired with Caleb, I’d also never been summoned to my Alpha before. With that, a different sort of panic began to close my throat.
The scent of my anxiety was thick in the air, but Susan, the receptionist, barely glanced in my direction as she continued to type furiously.
She probably saw this sort of thing every day. Heartless witch.
I had to pull it together. The only reason I was this nervous was because I’d been talking about Grace. I’d been thrown out of my comfort zone, and the incident with Jacob had made it worse.
I wiped my sweaty palms against my skirts, trying to pull myself together. Despite what Mr. Kohler said, I didn’t doubt that Alpha MacClure could still kill me, if he wanted. And fear would make it worse.
But it was impossible to hide my nervousness.
Still, it didn’t stop me from trying. If I faked it, maybe it might help.
The following ten minutes felt like an eternity, and by the time Susan called me back into Alpha MacClure’s office, the meditating chant repeating through my thoughts had had the opposite effect.
It didn’t help matters that when the thick double doors closed behind me, I was thrown into darkness.
Whether it was because I’d fainted, or because Alpha MacClure preferred to sit around in the dark, I wasn’t certain. But I wasn’t wondering long, because a breath later a light clicked on.
Alpha MacClure lowered his hand, and his attention immediately turned to a pile of papers on the desk in front of him. He neither spoke nor stood. But he didn’t need to either in order to show his dominance in this space.
Had he been waiting here in the dark, just so he could turn the light on? Clearly, he was crazy. Or perhaps this was a new form of torture, meant to throw me off.
But still, Alpha MacClure looked good.
I hadn’t seen him since childhood, and he was everything I remembered.
Tall, dark, handsome. He had a square face and strong chin. There was a coarse, thick stubble over his jaw. He’d grown up since I’d seen him at William’s graduation.
“Gloria.” Alpha MacClure didn’t appear to be in a hurry to begin our meeting. Which was odd, considering that he was the one who’d requested my presence. He gestured to the chair in front of him. “Why don’t you take a seat?”
There was a weight to the air. An expectation I couldn’t refuse. And my thoughts blanked as my body moved to obey. Before I’d even processed crossing the room, I was already across from him. My spine rigidly straight even as my heart twisted nervously.
“Do you speak?” he asked, still not looking at me.
My mouth was dry, but I forced myself to swallow. It didn’t help, and my voice squeaked regardless. “Sorry, Alpha—”
His head snapped up, bright blue eyes met mine. “Don’t call me that.”
And in that moment, all fear vanished.
The blackness world faded from the edges of my vision as our eyes locked, and my breathing caught in my throat. My internal focus, which had always been so clear—my obligation to my sister, the desire to save my family, and the independence that I’d always prided myself in—began to shift.
I was losing myself, and I fought to grasp the threads of my old life.
My instincts w
ere at war over something I didn’t entirely understand. I only knew that I had two options: I could either embrace this odd desire, this thing that would make me not myself. Or I could resist and hold on to my independence.
“So it’s true.” He tilted his head, his mouth dipping slightly. “It is you.”
My heart was pounding now, my thoughts dizzying. My hands clasped together in my lap to prevent my hands from shaking. But when I spoke this time, my voice was stronger than I felt. “What do you mean?”
“I thought so, of course. Gloria, do you know why I allowed you to move to campus, to pursue an education?” His voice was threaded with disappointment and judgment.
Why he allowed me?
Another emotion—irritation—began to fill my chest. Mr. Kohler had said it before, but I hadn’t corrected him then. Because he was outside of the pack, he didn’t know.
But Alpha MacClure…
How dare he act like he’d just up and let me do anything. Saying it like this, the expression of forced patience on his face, it almost seemed like he thought he’d actually helped me to get to my position. When, in actuality, all he’d done was not stand in my way.
He’d given me exactly the same as any other male shifter who sought an outside education. Which was a kindness, but not something I should have to fall down grateful over.
But I’d done the work myself. I had to jump through hoops to get into my program. To become accepted. Something that was still a challenge to this day. And now, for him to sit here and act like he’d done me a favor was preposterous.
The chains on my temper slacked, as did the hold on my tongue. I no longer had any apprehension when I spoke. “No, Blake. I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me why you allowed me to go to college?”
He actually had the nerve to blink, amused, and his mouth curled higher. “Waiting worked out rather favorably. You’re even more amusing now than you’ve ever been. And you’ve grown into your form well enough.”
I wanted to punch that grin right off his face. I crossed my legs and glared at him. “You still haven’t given me any indication your mind is capable of thinking anything. You just keep making one stupid statement after another.”
