7. Revenge
Revenge
Dakota
F or the past few days, Jasper’s words played on repeat in my mind, repeatedly, until I wanted to roar and drown them out.
Nothing that I did worked to stop me from going over them, torturing myself with my third rejection from my fated mate.
This one had been worse because he wasn’t giving me the closure that came with a formal rejection.
He didn’t want to acknowledge the bond was even there!
If I thought about it, I could understand some of his reasons, like reconnecting with Kade and getting his life in order somewhere new.
There was no guarantee that he would stay in Sweetwater.
Bitter disappointment rose and choked me.
This was fate’s gift he was throwing away.
To not even give me a chance was hurtful and offensive to our goddess.
Who was he to decide that he knew better?
I knew I was letting my anger get the best of me. Days alone weren’t helping. I’d spoken to Papa about my conversation with Jasper. I couldn’t keep it bottled up inside. It helped slightly that he was struggling with it almost as much as I was.
Jasper didn’t seem to be. I’d seen him at the compound spending time with the omegas, hanging out with Kade and Blake.
I’d even seen him in Sweetwater shopping at the grocery store.
Every time I turned around, he was there.
Each time he’d look through me, or if forced out of politeness, I’d get a simple hello.
My heart would crack and splinter further, over and over.
I needed to get a grip on myself and show Jasper he didn’t have the power to hurt me.
I wondered if he was getting some sort of sick thrill from being in control of an alpha.
The idea made me determined to put Jasper out of my head and move on.
I’d meant what I’d said. He would have to beg for forgiveness.
Kade had invited me over for dinner at the compound. I’d managed to subtly ask if his Papa would be there, only accepting when I knew he wouldn’t be. I was grateful for the reprieve. Hiding my hurt and anger was difficult at best, and I missed being able to relax in Kade’s presence.
The guard at the gate was unknown, as was one of the guys at the door.
Melody greeted me in her usual friendly manner, directing me through the mansion to the comfortable living room where Alpha Blake was relaxing with his mate at his side on the comfortable-looking sofa.
Blake’s brothers, Axel and Chase, were on another, and Roan had an armchair with a direct eyeline to the door.
When I’d been told that Roan had been guarding Kade for years, I’d been skeptical, but the man still monitored Kade’s every movement in the same way that Axel shadowed Blake.
I bared my neck for my alpha, still getting used to being part of the Sweetwater pack rather than the Sweetwater sleuth. The bears were still transitioning over to the pack, but I’d already taken my oath, making Blake my alpha officially.
“Kota!” Kade admonished. “You don’t have to do that, we’ve told you!” He unfolded himself from his mate’s arms to give me a tight hug. He ran an assessing eye over me. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” I waved him off, and he retook his seat, Blake wrapping an arm around him in a move that would have looked possessive if his expression didn’t look so sweet and loving.
I took a seat in the armchair opposite Roan, giving him a smile in greeting. “What’s new, Mr. Councilman?” I asked, hoping to direct the conversation away from me. Kade narrowed his eyes in a way that suggested it hadn’t worked, but Roan gave me an out when Kade didn’t answer my question.
“Big news here! They’ve just taken me off gate duty.” He paused dramatically, making Kade and Chase laugh. Axel groaned. “I’m now the Alpha Mate’s guard and the councilman’s personal assistant!”
“Seriously?” I looked around the room at its occupants.
Everyone seemed on board with that plan.
The more I thought of it, the better an idea it was.
Roan had experience, and Kade would need someone to protect him if he needed to leave the compound for any reason for council duties or even just to meet friends.
In fact, while they were still weeding out the traitors and sympathizers Rincoln had riled up, it was probably wise for Kade to have a guard on the pack lands.
Kaine had betrayed his pack. He’d been on guard duty and allowed in Kade’s house, giving the man the opportunity to steal Kade away from his mate and deliver him to his father.
Then there would be the pushback on having better representation on the council.
The shifter world was abuzz with the news and while it was largely a positive reaction since the betas and omegas outnumbered the alphas, there was a small fraction that dissented to the change.
How they reacted could change the shifter world for decades to come.
“That sounds like a good idea. You’ve no idea how much Kade needs done for him, though.” I couldn’t help but tease. “Did he tell you he’d managed to sweet talk the warehouse assistants into loading his van for him?”
Kade shot me a glare. “Hey, my peeps love me. They did it as an act of love, not because I asked.”
The others laughed, and I shared a smile with my…
best friend. I needed to stop thinking of him as the son I wasn’t allowed to have.
Kade was going to be so mad when he found out about this.
Every day that I went without telling him felt like a betrayal.
I went back and forth over telling him about it. All I seemed to do was keep secrets.
“How are my peeps? Shelby?” It didn’t escape my notice that he didn’t ask about Isaac. Guess it was time to confess.
“I’m not sure.”
“What do you mean?” Blake asked.
“They let me go.”
“Let go? Why?” Kade demanded, sitting upright, looking ready to fight on my behalf. Blake rested a calming hand on his shoulder.
“Look, it’s fine, it’s just they didn’t like all the time I took off.”
He stood looking upset and furious. “So it’s my fault! I’m going to go explain. You shouldn’t be punished for helping me, Kota!”
I stood and went to him, placing my hands on his shoulders and looking him directly in the eyes. “I’m fine with it. It wasn’t just that, I swear.” I pulled him close, and he sobbed into my t-shirt.
Blake and I exchanged a look. Something had Kade awfully worked up over this. Blake gently extricated Kade from my arms and settled him into his lap, his wolf soothing Kade’s. Their bond was easy to see and the mood in the room eased.
“There were a couple of complaints about me and my behavior. Those and the time off.” I shrugged. It truly didn’t bother me. I wasn’t that attached to the job. If anything, it was the circumstances that frustrated me the most.
“Complaints?” Kade asked, his head popping up from where it had been resting on Blake’s shoulder to meet my eyes.
Time to confess. “Isaac has been making complaints to management on behalf of the staff.” I needed to rip the bandaid off. He needed to know who his friend truly was. “Most of them were from you, actually.”
Kade surged into a sitting position. “What?”
“Kade, it doesn’t matter. It’s done.” I tried to reason with him.
“I’m not having it. So, maybe I said stuff to Isaac before I knew you better, but nothing was official and there wasn’t really anything to it. Just vibes. You were never inappropriate with me.”
“I know. I promise. Really, it’s fine. He just wanted my job. Well, joke’s on him since now he has it. It’s not half as good as he thinks it is. He’s also alienated half of the staff, but that’s not my problem. Or yours.”
“Where’s my phone?” Kade stood and patted his pockets. Roan handed him the device with a grin.
“What’re you doing?” I asked warily.
Even without the speaker being on, we heard it ring, and I heard Isaac’s warm voice answer. “Hey, Kade, how’s it going? Bored with pack land yet? We still have to get lunch.”
“How dare you!” Kade was vibrating with rage and Blake, wisely, kept out of harm’s way and let his mate pace.
“I’m sorry?” Isaac sounded confused. I could hear a thread of fear winding its way through his tone.
“First of all, you are the worst friend in the history of friendship. Not one call or text while I was ill.” Kade was really working himself up.
“I collapsed at work and, as my union rep, you should have spoken with me to check that Dakota’s recounting of events were correct.
You failed to do a check in when I came back.
Dakota did that.” He paused for a breath and to get himself under control a little.
“Then I was kidnapped, and you still didn’t call.
Don’t tell me you didn’t know. Everyone with connections to the shifter council knows what happened. Where have you been?”
With Kade’s pause to let him answer, Isaac finally stuttered an apology. “I’m the worst. I’m sorry, Kade.”
“You know what?” Kade spoke again, cutting off any more words from Isaac. “That’s not even why I called. You got Dakota fired! What were the complaints that you made? Because I sure as hell didn’t sign off on you putting anything in on my behalf!”
There was nothing at the other end of the line. As a vampire, Isaac didn’t need to breathe as often as humans or shifters did. Finally, he spoke. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“Bullshit. You would have spoken to us if you had genuine concerns about us working under Dakota. Try again.” I didn’t like the look on Kade’s face. At that moment, I was glad he was a shifter and not a witch or one of the fae. With magic, he’d be downright dangerous in the mood he was in.
I really didn’t think that Isaac would speak or try to defend his actions. “Dakota was running the place to the ground. You didn’t want to be alone with him. So I told management that.” Isaac’s tone was icy.
“Liar. That depot is working more efficiently than it ever has. Dakota implemented ideas they are adopting nationwide.” He knew about that?
“As for not being alone with him, that had nothing to do with Dakota, necessarily.” He cast a glance at me with something like an apology on his face.
That wasn’t needed. I’d come on too strong with him.
“Which you should have guessed, or even asked. I was wary about all alphas.” Kade gave his mate a loving look.
“That’s why I waited to get to know my mate first, before bonding. ”
“Kade —“
“No, Isaac. You wanted his job and used me to get it. Lose my number.” Then he ended the call.
I felt my lips twist in a wry grin. “Remind me not to piss you off.”
My dinner with my best friend and his family was just the thing that I needed.
Life was pretty good as I dozed on the sofa after an amazing meal.
Kade curled up against my side, and I rested my head on his shoulder.
He ran his fingers through my hair, the omega in him knowing that I needed his soothing touch.
He was wedged between me and our alpha, with Blake playing with Kade’s curls as he chatted with his brothers.
“I’m sorry you lost your job,” he whispered.
“I’m not. It was boring there, and it’d be dull without you,” I admitted sleepily.
“Shame I already have an assistant.” He sat up, tapping Blake on the arm. “Kota should be your new assistant! You said the factory is giving you the most work. He could sort that for you. The other tasks would stop him from getting bored.”
Blake considered me for a minute. “The job’s there if you want it. I can get Dalton to draw up what your daily tasks would look like, salary, etc. If you’re interested.”
It didn’t take me long to think about it. “I’m interested.” Wasn’t I talking to Tate or Asher the other day about the cider deliveries being inconsistent? Blake seemed like he’d be easy to work for. “One thing though,” I grinned, “why do you need a new assistant?”
Kade’s eyes widened. “Good question!”
“Well,” Blake said, a smile stretching his face. “That’s actually my cousin’s fault.”
“What’s my fault?” The man in question said as he walked into the room.
“You know Deke was alpha for about a year before I took over when I hit twenty-one?” I nodded. Alphas could become pack leaders at maturity at twenty-one. The same age that fated bonds became apparent and when omegas were legally permitted to bond with alphas and have children.
“That’s when I got my pass through rights.” Kade added.
“Yeah, the alphas on the gate nearly didn’t let you leave. Wanted to put you in the omega compound and find you a mate. That was a shit-show and a half.” Deke grumbled. “Showed me I had no business being alpha.”
Blake growled, clearly displeased at the thought of omegas being kept against their will.
“I sorted it. Those alphas are gone now. I exiled them immediately.” Deke assured his cousin.
“So, Kade’s the reason you gave the pack up?” I said.
“That and I was fucking everything up. No one wanted to be my assistant after I went through three of them in as many weeks. They said the job was cursed. I didn’t own up to meeting Kade before because he looked so different when I first saw him again.
It was just so fucking embarrassing how he’d been treated under my rule.
It showed me I wasn’t doing enough to be better for the pack. ”
“Deke.” There was a rush of voices as the Sweetwater siblings all rushed to reassure their cousin. There were no doubts that working for them would be interesting, but in a good way.
While they spoke to Deke, Kade cuddled up to my side again. “I wish I’d seen how sneaky Isaac was before.”
“You were new, and he’s pretty and shiny,” I consoled him.
For the first time that night, I’d thought of Jasper and felt anger at him denying me my fated family.
I only hope that when it came out that Kade wasn’t mad or disappointed.
“It’s no big deal. You know what he’s like now and you don’t have to see him again if you don’t want to. ”
“I don’t. Thanks for being my friend, Kota. My best friend. I couldn’t have gotten here without your help. I hope you’ll come to work here so I can see you more often. It was weird not seeing you for a couple of days.”
“We texted.”
“Not the same thing.”
He was right. “I know.”