Chapter 5

Amara

I was about to fall when a strong arm grabbed my waist and steadied me. I shivered from that touch. Sparks crept across my entire body, and that familiar forest air scent filled my nostrils.

My eyes collided with his dangerous blue ones. He steadied me and hissed angrily.

"Are you blind, omega?" He said in cold voice. "I am sorry, Alpha." I said softly and lowered my gaze. I couldn't bear the hatred in his eyes.

He said nothing and walked away. I didn't know what to do with myself. His coldness affected me no matter how much I wanted to ignore it. Wouldn't it be better if he just rejected me? The thought alone made tears fill my eyes.

I came inside and wiped them away. The rest of the day blurred the past. I stood beside the dining table where Julie and Dad were already seated, but Magnus and Chloe still hadn't arrived. Did they stop for…, Zia whimpered in my head as I thought about the possibility.

Footsteps echoed down the hall. My eyes snapped toward the sound. Magnus and Chloe walked in together and took their seats. Dad cleared his throat and greeted Magnus warmly. Magnus only nodded, like he had no interest in conversation.

Dad went quiet, though the grumble in his expression said everything about how he felt being dismissed like that.

I felt a burning stare on me. My eyes flicked toward it and collided with blue ones — but the moment my gaze met Magnus, he looked away.

**************

It had been three days since Magnus arrived. And just like that first night when I heard someone jump from a window, I heard it again last night.

I was certain it was Magnus who slipped out after dark, but the question was why. It felt like he had his own agenda for being here, and Chloe wasn't the only reason. I wanted to understand this man who was my mate, d*mn this man is full of mystery.

"Amara." Julie's voice cut through my thoughts. I turned to her. "Yes?" I kept my expression soft and harmless, even though I wasn't nearly as fragile as they believed. I simply knew how to survive.

"Did you go outside last night?" she asked. My eyes widened. I shook my head. "No. Why would I go out at night?"

Her brows knitted together as she studied me with suspicion. "Because I heard someone jump from the second floor and go outside." Then she snorted. "But of course it wasn't you. A weak, cowardly omega with a malnourished wolf couldn't jump from the second floor." She smiled at her own mockery.

Zia paced furiously in my head. ‘This woman doesn't know us. Even as an omega, I am still strong’.

‘It's okay, Zia’, I told her. We don't need to prove anything to anyone. The rest of the day kept me busy. Dad mentioned that Magnus had been working on forming an alliance with Alpha Xavier and Alpha Jake, and he hoped Jake would help push it through. An alliance with Magnus's Red Stone Pack — already one of the strongest packs in the world — would only benefit us.

I didn't share his optimism. I knew Jake. He was a narcissist. When he and Chloe were together, they ganged up on me without mercy. He had once been decent toward me, but then suddenly became one of my tormentors overnight. I was certain Chloe was behind that shift. I went out to the garden to water the plants.

"Amara!"

My eyes shifted toward the voice. "Tom!" I shouted.

We ran toward each other and hugged tightly. "When did you get back? I thought you weren't coming until next month," I said, genuinely happy.

I hadn't realized how much his absence had worn on me until that moment. He was my only friend — the one person I could truly rely on. He shrugged. "My aunt recovered faster than expected, so I came back early. I missed our sparring sessions." His eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

"But you — you've gotten even thinner." I laughed, though it came out hollow. "I'm fine."

He wasn't convinced. He never was. He knew me too well.

Tom was an omega like me, but a fierce fighter. His mate had died a year ago, and I had been the only one who stayed beside him through that darkness. Since then, we had been inseparable — though never in a romantic way.

Tom had loved his mate deeply, and he never looked at another woman after losing her.

"Everything is fine, I promise," I assured him. He finally nodded, though reluctantly. "I heard your so-called sister mated an alpha," he said carefully.

The words hit somewhere tender. That man who was supposed to be mine. "He is her chosen mate," I said softly. Tom shook his head slowly, disappointment clear on his face.

"Let's forget about that," I said, forcing a lighter tone. "Tomorrow, you and I are sparring. Zia has been missing your wolf Kol."

He smiled at that, a real one. "We've missed you both too. Same time as always?"

I nodded. We hugged once more before he turned and walked away. I stood there for a moment, smiling wider than I had in days. My friend was back.

I turned to head inside, the smile still stretched across my face — and then froze. Alpha Magnus stood there, watching me, his expression thunderous with anger.