Chapter 23 Orion #2
Omega energy is interesting. Deceptively powerful.
Quiet and persistent. It radiates from her in waves, and I don't think she even realizes she's doing it.
It makes you want to bask in her warmth, like she's a steady clay hearth in a nuclear winter—just being near her settles the uneasiness inside of you.
But I'm her alpha, and she doesn't need to do this alone.
Though Mona's sarcastic wit, armor forged through years of being underestimated, helps matters. She doesn't just roll over and show her belly to the first dominant wolf she crosses. She waits. Assesses.
"I thought you were supposed to be in the kitchen," Mona mutters.
Andrea's lips curl back before she remembers herself. The scent of her frustration sours the air between us, her eyes defiant and wary. "I am working the kitchens. I'm still allowed to exercise. Or has that changed, too?" Her eyes bare into mine, ignoring Mona.
"There are community gyms. This training hall is for enforcers only," I growl.
"Seriously? I can't even work out here anymore? It was one simple fucking mistake."
"A mistake?" The words tear from my throat, and my alpha roars. "You could have killed her!"
"Everyone makes mistakes," Mona whispers, tugging on my sleeve as she tries to drag me away.
"I don't need your pity, omega," Andrea spits.
My vision flashes red. One step and I could rip out her throat. Fuck the kitchens. Fuck the jails. I'll just kill her and be done with it.
But Mona pauses, halfway to the exit, and says softly, "I'm not a witch, Andrea. I'm not working with the witches, or whatever excuse you gave for attacking me."
"No, you're just weaseling your way up the hierarchy. Didn't know omegas' legs spread that wide."
My alpha pulses like a hammer, forcing Andrea to bare her neck in submission. Surprise flashes across her face. I rarely show my dominance, leaving the hothead alpha shit to Gray.
Mona defends herself. "I'm not challenging you for your place in the clan, Andrea. I'm not challenging anyone."
Andrea scoffs, her eyes darting to me, then back to Mona. "You're challenging me for Grayson, though, aren't you?"
Mona pales. "W-what?"
Andrea shakes her head, like she's disappointed in what she sees, then turns to me. "You're blind. Both of you. I expected it from Grayson. Flash new pussy in front of his face and he loses all sense. But you? You, I expected more from."
I take a deep breath, letting her words fuel the fire. I don't care what punishment she and Gray agreed on. She's not getting away with spewing this bullshit.
But again, Mona stands her ground. "Mistake or not, I'm here. I'm sorry if my being here offends you, but you need to take responsibility for your actions. If what Doc told me is true, it's not just me you could have—"
Andrea scoffs, eyes blazing. "You're telling me to take responsibility? You, who just waltzed onto our land, expects to be treated like royalty—"
"I don't expect—"
"You think because Gray wants you as his Luna, you can just shove me into the kitchens, and I'll roll over like a good little pup? Like I was never even there, like I haven't put in years of work? Like I'm not the strongest enforcer this entire clan has? This place needs me. These wolves need me!"
I can practically taste the bitterness rolling off her. She glares at Mona, and for a brief, horrifying moment, I think she's going to challenge her.
"That's not—" Mona stammers, stepping back, eyes wide and panicking. She can feel the challenge, too. Andrea's alpha pheromones radiate off her.
I wouldn't let it get that far, but it would force me to put Andrea down because I would fight in Mona's stead.
But before it gets any further out of hand, I give Andrea a hard shove towards the exit, reason flaring through my anger. "That's enough, Andrea. Out. Now."
Andrea flinches, and I throw so much alpha bark into it, her knees actually bend.
She manages to straighten, but won't look at either of us, or anyone else in the room.
She huffs and turns on her heel, like leaving was her idea.
The door swinging shut behind her clicks and echoes.
I turn and snarl, and everyone rushes back to their workouts.
They heard every word. If they didn't know Mona was our fated mate, they know, at least, that Grayson and I are courting her. With a sigh, after giving Andrea a few seconds head start, we follow outside.
The sun is high in the sky. I can feel Mona's nervous energy beside me, so I slip my hand into hers. Her grip is weak, palm a little clammy. The bright daylight does nothing to ease the tension rolling between us.
We walk in silence toward the picnic table behind the gym. There must be a hundred tables scattered around our little downtown area. Wolves love to socialize. And we love to eat.
Maybe food would make her feel better. I look around at the ground helplessly, as if a wild turkey or rabbit might happen by. But Mona's already climbing into the seat. She turns to face the dirt road off the gym, Andrea's figure getting smaller and smaller with the distance as she walks away.
"I'm sorry." Mona breaks the silence.
"Don't be." I sigh tiredly. "That wasn't about you. That was… shit, that was years of pent-up frustration."
"Against Grayson?" She tries to smirk, but it's small. It's obvious now that Andrea and Gray had a thing. I want to pummel him for putting this second-guessing look on Mona's face.
"Grayson, yeah. But also… Andrea's always had an aggressive side.
She's strong and has been a great enforcer.
But hates authority. Sometimes I think that's the only reason she wanted the role of Luna.
So she could have more say in how we run our community.
In what other wolves did. She wanted to put up walls, actual borders along the perimeter of our land.
She wants new wolves to fill out applications and come with letters of reference, and she insists deltas, alphas, betas don't mingle… "
"Seriously? Eugenics?" Mona scoffs.
"I'm just saying… that wasn't all about you.
And the witches… they're a sore spot for us right now.
We believe they are responsible for the missing shifters, but we have no proof.
And one of our own was taken a few months ago, and it's set everyone on edge.
That's no excuse for what Andrea did. But she thinks she was protecting the clan. "
"I don't know why I acted like I was here to stay and she had to get over it," Mona mumbles absently.
"You are here to stay."
"I just mean, I was awfully defensive about Grayson and my place in the clan when I don't even know what that means. If I'm staying. And it's not like Grayson deserves my loyalty. Not after yesterday."
I hum in agreement. "Maybe. But you deserve to claim your place amongst us."
"And why's that?"
I look at her. Really take her in. Red hair, blazing like a fire in the sun. Cool, arctic-blue eyes. Small, pert nose, dusted with orange and brown freckles. Her omega flashes behind her irises, waiting to see if I'll just be another in a long line of fuck-ups.
Mona's lips purse and she turns to look away, but I snatch her chin, gripping it tight, before letting my thumb trace the line of her jaw to her neck, down to the column of her throat. Her pulse jumps beneath my thumb. She feels like velvet.
"Because you deserve to be seen, Mona. To be heard. You deserve a place to call home. People to call yours. And all that shit Grayson said the other night about mates, the Moon Goddess—I believe all of that. But when I look at you, I don't just see my destined partner—I see you."
I press my palm against her sternum, where her heart thunders.
"I vow to put you first, Mona. Until my last breath.
I want you here. More than anything. Please stop threatening to leave.
Please." I swallow hard. "If you do, I'll fucking follow you to the ends of the earth.
But, please give me—give us—a chance. I know some things are still fucked up—but that's just static.
Background noise. We'll figure it out together. I promise."
She swallows. I release her, not commenting on her watery eyes or blooming scent. The jasmine and dogwood flowers are stronger this time, flush with emotion.
"I think it was Beep," Mona whispers, clearing her throat.
"What was?"
"All that stuff in there," she waves toward the gym. "I don't know, it was weird. I could feel Andrea's alpha challenge me, and it was like Beep stepped in. It's funny, I don't really think of her as diplomatic, but… I also don't normally sound so rational."
It didn't strike me as odd at the time, but she's right. Mona leans toward sarcastic and annoyed. But with Andrea, she was calm. Rational.
Mona changes the subject, asking about the missing shifters.
So, I explain what I can, that over the last five years or so, wolves have gone missing from all over the continent.
Young, female, mostly. And though she likely doesn't want to hear about him, I tell her Silas was one of the first, as far as we could tell.
"You think he was involved?"
Something in the way she asks gives me pause. "You think he was involved in kidnapping female shifters?" I ask, trying to remind myself all she knows of him is violence, not to be offended on his behalf.
"I'm not saying that. I'm saying… what makes you so sure he wasn't?"
"I guess I don't know. But I've known Silas for a hundred and fifty years.
We grew up together. My family moved west when I was in my twenties, and I stayed here.
We are also pack. The same way we know you belong with us—fated, blessed by the Moon Goddess herself—I also know that Grayson and Silas are my pack brothers.
We're meant to be family, to be in this life together.
That gives you a certain amount of… assurance, I guess.
It's hard to explain. Do you think he was involved? "