THREE

Mate? I couldn’t have one just yet. My mate was an Alpha. I was an Omega. Was that some sort of a sick joke?

He never took his eyes off of me as he descended the stairs. People started to notice. They were now paying attention to me.

I finally found a way out of my daze and turned, running away. It took everything in me to do that, for two major reasons; one, I was running away from the Alpha who was apparently my mate. Two, I was running in a long dress and heels.

After falling and scraping myself a whole lot, I finally got home and slammed the door behind me. I slid down with my back against the door as tears rolled down my cheeks.

I was not ready.

I wasn’t ready to leave Selena. I also wasn’t ready to be without my mate, especially now that I knew I had one.

How could I be mated to an Alpha? Omegas were the weakest link in the rank, and the Alphas… Well, everyone knew who the Alphas were.

When I asked for the moon goddess to be with me, that was the complete opposite of what I meant. How long would it take for him to sniff me out?

“Athena?” Selena called out to me, walking down the stairs. “You’re back so soon? Wasn’t it fun? Did someone say something to you?”

She turned the lights on and frowned at my state. My slight injuries had healed, but I was still sitting on the floor, covered in dirt, tears staining my face.

She bent down in front of me and cupped my cheeks. “I’m sorry your night was ruined, Athena.”

“Nobody said anything, Selena. I just… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone.” I cried into her arms.

“If nobody said anything, what happened? Talk to me, my love.” She tried to take it out of me, but all I could give her were hiccups and sobs.

“Calm down.” She rubbed my back until I could finally form words.

“My mate… I found him.”

She gasped delightfully. “But that’s great news, Athena. Are you crying because you’re scared? Don’t tell me you ran away.”

“Alpha Conrad,” I mumbled.

Her brows furrowed, fear settling in her eyes. “What happened with Alpha Conrad, Athena?”

“He’s my mate.” Saying it out loud made it dawn on me even more.

I heard Selena’s heartbeat pick up. “Oh, my.”

Silence.

Just like before, that damn scent hit me again. My body tensed. “He’s coming.”

“What?” Selena’s eyes widened.

“I can smell him.” And feel what the scent did to me, but that wasn’t something she needed to know.

Soon enough, we heard footsteps on the front porch.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Slow and controlled, with equal beats of silence between each knock.

I stared at Selena, shaking my head. She pulled me up and kept me behind the door, opening it. “Alpha Conrad, what brings you here?”

“Where is she?” His voice was like a kick to my gut, and I squeezed my legs tight. I was making a mess that I didn’t want to.

“I’m sorry, who?” Selena played dumb. The act could only go on for so long. If I could smell him, he could smell me too.

“Cut the act. Where’s your daughter?” A sense of possessiveness came over me. He could have tried to explain better, instead of talking to her like that.

“My daughter… She, um…”

“Step aside.” He ordered coldly. Raya growled at the tone he was using for her.

“I’m sorry, but she’s not ready to…”

“Step away from him the door. Now.” He interrupted her.

I stepped away from behind the door and came face-to-face with him. “Please, don’t speak to her like that.” The confident front I was putting up didn’t take long to expire as I looked away from him.

“Athena, don’t—”

“It’s fine.” I cut Selena off. What would sitting in a corner and crying do, anyway? He had made his way to my house. It only meant he wouldn’t leave without me. The last thing an Omega wanted to do was defy an Alpha, mate bond or not.

My toes curled as he approached me and stuck his nose in my neck, taking in a deep breath.

“You’re not from my pack. They call you an Omega. Are you one?” Couldn’t he tell?

“Yes.” I answered, feigning pride. Proud to be a weakling, was I stupid?

He pulled away immediately, like I was made of silver. A scowl was etched on his face as he stared at me from head to toe and back to head. “This is ridiculous.”

Tell me about it.

“She’s not ready to be mated. I’d like for her to stay a little while longer before she can move in with you.” Selena spoke up.

“I don’t know what a little while longer means to you, but it can’t be that long. We’re finding each other a little late. My wolf won’t be able to stay away.” He glanced at me, causing my heart to stop.

“We’ll try. Thank you, Alpha.” Selena smiled at him, but I could still see the slight fear in her eyes.

“Good night.” He turned to leave.

Selena closed the door and heaved a sigh of relief. “I can’t believe he didn’t take you away forcefully.”

That was because he probably didn’t want me. I saw the way he looked at me. He was clearly repulsed by my status. Why did statuses have to exist? Couldn’t there just be an Alpha, a Beta, the warriors, and random people-wolves?

“Good night, Selena.” I muttered, rushing up the stairs and into my room. My underwear was a mess. I was a mess. I took a cold shower and changed into my pajamas.

I didn’t get a wink of sleep that night.

~

“How do you feel?” Selena asked as we had breakfast the next morning.

“Tired,” I gave an honest reply.

“Are you ready?” she asked. From the way she looked at me, I knew that she already had the answer to that. I didn’t think I would ever be ready.

I sighed. “Do you think it matters if I’m ready or not?”

“If we’re being realistic, it doesn’t. The next time he comes here, he’s taking you with him. He didn’t look patient,” she admitted.

I was too tired and sleepy to complain, so I finished breakfast without a word. “I think I should leave today. I’d rather go by myself than be dragged along the streets.”

Selena’s eyes glossed over. “I really don’t know what to feel. This isn’t how either of us wanted things to go, I’m sure.”

She was right.

“The responsibilities of being a Luna will get mounted on you, but I know you’ll do well.” She motivated me.

Luna.

I had totally discarded the fact that the Alpha’s mate was a Luna, his right hand. I was practically the female Alpha. Crap.

There you go, moon goddess. You’ve finally done it this time.

“I really wish I could be there with you through it all. Now, I’m not going to lie to you, Athena. You’re going to face a whole lot of challenges. You were always going to, because nobody ever makes things easy for an Omega, but you’re the Alpha’s mate. Oh, goddess.” Selena gulped down a glass of water and shook her head.

“You’re way more worked up than I thought you’d be.” I chuckled nervously.

“You should be.” She wiped her tears and took a deep breath. “But I guess I should be strong for you.”

“Yeah…” I trailed off as I caught a familiar whiff of the scent that always seemed to put my body into overdrive. I shut my legs, looking at Selena worriedly. “He’s here.”

Before she could respond, the knock came. It was the same organized knock from last night.

“Stay here. I’ll go get it.” Selena stood up, leaving the kitchen.

As she opened the door, his deep and melodic voice flowed through the air. “I’m done waiting. Where is she?”

He had not even bothered to wait for twenty-four hours. Of course not. What was I expecting, anyway?

I balled my hands into a fist. Impatient, large, the number one wolf of the pack, had the potential to kill me.

My mate.