Chapter 5

• Kira
• I sat on the edge of the hospital bed, waiting for the doctor to discharge me. My mom and I were treated like soiled pigs by the doctor and nurses.
• The doctor appeared as uninterested as ever and pretended that I had a communicable illness. He discharged me and walked away.
• "Kira, we don't have a male figure. The elders do not value us because we are women. Do you realize the consequences of what you've done?" My mom asked and tears welled up in my eyes.
• "I will take any punishment they hand me; I'll do anything. Please, mom. I can't bear to see you disappointed in me. You're all I've got."
• She kissed me gently above the bandage on my forehead and said, "It is okay. We'll figure things out."
• I felt bad, deep down, for keeping the truth about the alpha and our mating bond a secret. I decided to keep this secret to my grave.
• We set off together, I supported myself by holding onto her. If the alpha brought me here, I wondered if he cared about me.
• If there was a magic potion I could take to help me forget everything, I would drink it without hesitation.
• I held my mom's clammy hand when we neared the Omega camp. Everybody went about their day, but when they saw us, there was a hushed silence and the women's gaze pierced my skin.
• Then the whispers began. A few women, among whom my mom got along with, gossiped and made fun of us.
• One of them said, "Look at her. What a stupid girl. I've always known she was just a beautiful airhead. Imagine going naked on the alpha's terrace to seduce him."
• The reaction from Amari's mom hurt the most. "She's a complete nuisance. I've told my daughter to avoid her so she doesn't contaminate her."
• "That is not fair, Genova,” my mom snapped at her. “Kira isn't a troublemaker. Had she not been invited by your daughter and the others..."
• "Keep my daughter away from this," Genova flared up.
• "You should do the same because my daughter is already distressed!"
• I looked away, feeling horrible for putting my mom through this. Elder Logan smirked and stepped closer to us "Imani, you should be ashamed of yourself for supporting your badly behaved daughter."
• Another elder agreed. "It's obvious that you didn't raise her properly "
• Everyone was blaming me while ignoring the fact that their children were worse. I'd never been caught stealing, lying, or messing around, but all of a sudden my head was on the block and I was the worst child alive.
• Elder Logan spoke gravely, "Her punishment will be to ensure there is plenty of water in the bathrooms."
• "That's too much, elder" My mom's voice trembled. "She got beaten-"
• Elder Logan rebuked her."She needs to learn her lesson."
• No friend visited my tent as night fell. Had I not attended that alpha's coronation party, I could have avoided meeting that devilishly handsome alpha who was now invading my body, mind, and spirit.
• I carefully slipped out of my tent at four in the morning so as not to wake my mother. The Omega camp lay still with everyone asleep.
• The bathroom was well-used and had seen better days and the strong smell of pee hit my nose.
• I began the heavy task of fetching water from the nearby stream .My body was straining under the weight of the stress. Tirelessly, I continued until sunrise.
• When I was filling the sixth water drum, I noticed Zion and Amari moving carefully in my direction.
• Amari threw herself into my arms, her face contorted in apology. "I'm so sorry, Kira. It's all my fault."
• She peered around nervously because we were in a public space where anyone could see us. Her mom called for her, making her rush away.
• Zion got a gallon of water and assisted me in filling the drum.
• "How are you doing?"
• His question made me want to scream. He looked surprised and took a step back when I yelled at him, "This is all your fault, you idiot! You left me naked and exposed. I expected you to at least be decent enough to have stayed with me, given how eager you were to get into my pants."
• A scowl appeared on his forehead. "Do you know how things would have gotten worse if I'd stayed behind?"
• "You planned it! I had no desire to fuck you. You were imposing yourself on me, and you fled off like the coward that you are.”
• He tossed the gallon aside. "Fine, I'm sorry," he snapped. "I messed up. Is that enough?"
• "No, it's not. Sorry can't deal with the consequences of your actions."
• A bitter laugh escaped his lips. "Why are you so angry? The alpha must have forgotten the issue."
• "Is that what you think?" I lost control, my anger taking over. "Why did he take me to the clinic if he didn't give a damn about me? Have you not told me a thousand times over that the higher-ranked wolves are ruthless?"
• Zion scratched at his temple, his gaze growing distant. "Well, maybe he did it to save face."
• "No, he didn't. The alpha and I are mates.”
• Zion gasped and I flinched, wishing I could take my words back. It was a big mistake to let Zion in on the secret without first informing my mom.
• Zion would spill the tea and soon it would spread like wildfire. He gazed at me as if he'd just seen a ghost. Then without warning, he burst into a maniacal laughter.
• "You are such a horrible liar," he pointed a finger at me and laughed. "You got me for a moment, though."
• My rage was back in full force. "You think I'm in the mood to play pranks?"
• He shrugged as he observed me. "Well, if it's not a joke, maybe the beating affected your brain or something."
• People pressed in closer, flossing and gagging needlessly as they washed their tongues. Some glared at Zion for helping me, and a slyly smiling woman gave me the "do your worst" look as she purposefully wasted water from one of the drums.
• "But... How can this be? The alpha alpha cannot consent to mate with an omega. Most of them even prefer to mate with fellow alpha blood. Gamma is the least that they can accept."
• He took a step toward me and looked intently into my eyes, as though gauging my response."So, your wolf feels the alpha's mating bond?"
• I shrugged off the jealousy in his tone and turned my head away. "Whether or not my wolf feels anything is irrelevant. I just want to stay safe and please my mother."
• "Good," he smiled slightly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Let's get married right away."
• I scoffed, taking a step back. "How will getting married make things better?"
• His eyes grew glaringly bright as if he was getting ready to meet danger head-on. "Easy. If the alpha finds out you're married and pregnant, he won't punish you. Instead, he’ll reject you. But if you're single, he might be forced to pour out his frustrations on you or worse still, kill you."
• Overwhelmed by this situation, I put a trembling hand to my forehead. Now that I was eighteen, I was officially an adult, and anyone over eighteen could go to prison.
• I was content to be Zion's girlfriend before meeting the alpha. But now that my soul was awakened to a new degree of desire, I couldn't stand Zion.
• Maybe the moon goddess didn't want me to be happy. Maybe I was destined to be in a loveless marriage.
• "What do you stand to gain?" I said. "What happens when you find your mate?"
• He remained silent for some seconds before clearing his throat. "I don't believe in the mating bond, so the likelihood of that happening is extremely low. But, even if it does occur, you and I will already be married, and I swear I'll never abandon you for someone else."
• I felt sad as I made my way to my morning duty after filling the drums. The gamma's wife, who loved dogs, owned the vet clinic.
• I was tasked with taking care of the dogs and making sure the clinic was thoroughly cleaned, along with two other omega boys. I moved slowly to the first kennel, where a stunning golden retriever was sitting.
• Eager for attention, the dog excitedly wagged its tail. I took a lavender-scented dog shampoo off the shelf and began to gently lather the dog's sponge, being cautious not to get any shampoo in its eyes.
• As I carefully cleaned every inch of the dog's coat, my only thought was about Alpha D'Angelo.
• Exhausted, I shut my eyes. In the depths of my mind, the alpha appeared. His lips cried out for my name as his hazel eyes peered into my soul with a raging beast of need in them.
• I let out a deep breath and gently encircled the dog's body with a fluffy towel. I closed my eyes once more and went back to my fantasy world with Alpha.
• The lavender scent of the shampoo gave way to something else in my nostrils, though. My eyes opened wide when I recognized that smell. When I realized that the alpha was actually in the veterinary clinic, it hit me like a fist in the ribs.
• Standing opposite me were the alpha and his gamma's wife, hugging one another.