Chapter 4 - Kelsey
The day after the rogue attack, I wake up mid-morning and stretch out in my bed.
My leg muscles ache a bit from not moving around enough and sleeping for twelve hours straight, but as I told Miles, the wounds from the attack are practically invisible.
There is nothing left but a thin jagged scar, which will also fade and disappear almost entirely over the next few days.
I don’t know why I heal so fast. I know it’s not the norm, and no one else in the pack heals faster than I do, but it’s how it’s always been.
I tend to keep it a bit of a secret because they already have enough to use against me to make me feel different from everyone else.
I don’t need more reasons to feel like an outsider.
I climb out of bed, and my stomach growls in angry hunger. Sleeping for twelve hours means I didn’t eat enough, and Kala is pretty upset about that.
I giggle and place my hand over my stomach to try to subdue the loud grumbles, but it doesn’t help. “I guess I need breakfast then,” I muse.
Standing in my little kitchen in my underwear and an oversized t-shirt, I scoot bacon pieces over the hot surface of my cast-iron pan and wait for them to turn crispy and dark.
Delicious aromas fill the tiny kitchen, and my stomach growls louder.
A knock on my front door makes me groan in annoyance because I’m not just hungry, I’m ravenous enough to start gnawing at my own arm.
“Coming,” I shout out to whoever is waiting at my door.
I pull the door open and peek around it while I hide behind it so they can’t see I’m not wearing any pants. But when I see it’s Mira, I pull the door all the way open. “Hey, you, did the scent of crispy bacon lure you all the way here?” I tease her.
“I could smell it from my place; I had to come!” She laughs.
“I’m making enough to feed an army. I woke up so hungry I want to eat everything,” I tell her, walking toward the kitchen while she follows behind me.
“How are you feeling?” She asks, eyeing my arm. I brush my hand over the faded pink scars. “Totally fine. A little bruised maybe, but hardly anything to comment on,” I answer, picking up the spatula again to poke the bacon, which is coming along nicely.
I scoop the first batch of bacon onto a plate and set it between Mira and me. “Help yourself, I’m making more.”
She picks up a piece of bacon and bites it.
I pick up three and practically shove them into my mouth, then grin at her while I chew them. She laughs and shakes her head. “You are something else,” she says.
“So, did you come here to check up on me?” I ask, wondering whether Miles told Jace how incompetent he thought I was, and whether Mira heard it from her husband. News spreads so fast around the pack that it’s kind of freakish.
“Yes, and no…”
Her voice is tight with strain. I know her well enough to instantly realize she’s hiding something from me.
“Mira?” I say sternly.
Mira bites at her bottom lip.
“Eat your breakfast, and then we can talk,” she says.
“That’s not fair. You can’t leave me hanging like that. There’s clearly something going on, and you need to tell me right now,” I demand.
She huffs and rolls her eyes, then speaks with a nervous taint to her voice. “Jace and Miles had a meeting with the elders this morning. There were some decisions made that involve you,” she explains.
I pick up another stack of bacon and bite into it, already knowing where this is going.
With a mouth full of food, I scoff and shake my head, saying, “Miles doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
If he wants to be angry with me for protecting the pack, then he can be angry.
I expected this anyway. I knew there would be some kind of disciplinary hearing, and then I figured I’d just explain what happened and… ”
“Kelsey,” she sighs, “No one’s talking about what happened yesterday. They are all talking about the arranged marriage.
“What arranged marriage?” I ask, curiously confused and delighted that there is something more exciting going on, so I won’t be the gossip of the day.
“Your arranged marriage to Miles,” Mira says tightly.
I take a sharp breath in as shock bolts through me, and immediately start choking on a piece of bacon.
Mira slaps my back, and I chase her away. Catching my breath, I stand up and demand, “What the hell are you talking about?!”
She looks at me with pity in her eyes.
“Don’t you dare look at me like that,” I snap. “Just tell me what’s happening.”
“The elders have demanded that the Beta find a wife, and the wife that was chosen is you. You are set to marry Miles.”
“That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!” I laugh nervously, thinking this must be some kind of lame joke. But my friend’s expression says otherwise.
“Mira?” I blurt out her name in accusation, even though I know she had nothing to do with these arrangements.
“Kels, I had the same reaction when Jace told me. And now the news is spreading so fast through the pack, I didn’t want you to step out this door and be bombarded with news that caught you totally by surprise.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, leaning heavily against the kitchen counter, trying to get my head to stop spinning in panic. Mira takes over cooking the bacon before I burn it.
My appetite is gone. I don’t know if it’s because I shoved a whole pack of bacon in my face in such a short space of time or because I’ve gone oddly numb.
“Are you ok?” Mira asks quietly.
Her question pulls me back together, and I stand straighter with a heavy scowl pressing into my expression. “No, this is bullshit.”
I storm out of the kitchen to grab a pair of jeans, tugging them on and kicking my legs out because I’m impatient and it’s taking too long.
“Kelsey, I think you should…”
“I think I should go right over there and make him fix whatever the hell this is,” I blurt out.
“Miles isn’t the one who…”
“Miles has power. Jace has power. Miles can tell Jace, and then he can fix it!”
Mira sighs, understanding that I’m too ramped up to calm down.
She watches me as I tug my sneakers on and storm toward the door in a rage.
I march right out of my cottage and jog straight to Miles.
His cottage is on the edge of the Beta area, not far from mine.
It’s hard to ignore the stares that follow me as I walk through the compound. Does everyone know?
I slam my fist against his door and wait, tapping my foot, shifting my weight, impatient and annoyed.
I bang my fists again, knocking louder just as he pulls the door open.
Miles is only wearing a pair of grey sweatpants, which sit low on his well-defined hips. His body is muscular and massive. He towers over me in strength and masculinity. His tanned skin glows in the afternoon light, and his dark blonde hair is messy, wild, hanging in his eyes.
He yawns, and his stomach muscles ripple. Then, to make it worse, he stretches, and the flex runs all the way up his arms and across his shoulders, making his muscles bulge.
I stare in awe, silenced by how gorgeous he looks.
“Kelsey?” He murmurs, his eyes widening a little as he wakes up.
“Were you sleeping? It’s almost lunch time,” I snap, angry with myself for perving so much that I almost forget the reason I came here.
He chuckles, a low, deep rumble that tugs at me and makes a delightful shiver run up my spine.
“Don’t be such a hypocrite,” he muses as his eyes drift over me with a dark hunger hidden in his gaze.
I look down and realize I’m still wearing my oversized t-shirt that has a giant pink rabbit on it and pink bubble letters that say Don’t talk to me until I’ve had coffee.
My cheeks turn crimson and burn fire hot. I tug at my t-shirt and squirm in embarrassment.
“Did you want to come inside? Run out of coffee or something?” He taunts me. The playful tone in his voice does things to my wolf that I don’t like.
She’s turned into a little puppy, practically falling at his feet.
A low, agitated growl slips from my mouth.
“No coffee?” He muses.
“What the hell is all this about a marriage? Me marrying you? What is going on?” I demand, pulling my thoughts together and getting to the point.
“The elders want the pack Beta to…”
“Tell them no. Tell them you won’t do it. You tell them that this is an absurd idea and you refuse to marry someone you hardly even know…right? That’s what you’re going to do? Right?” I say, almost desperate, my voice flooded with anger but also pleading.
Miles steps aside and gestures for me to come inside. “Do you want to talk about this in the house?” He asks.
“No, I want an answer right now. There isn’t anything to talk about. You need to reject the marriage. Why in the world would they want you to marry me anyway?”
“Kelsey… it’s not as bad as you think…”
“Yes, actually, it is. Do you realize what a bad choice I am for them to make? Do they know that I’m an outcast?
This might completely ruin your reputation as our pack Beta.
There are so many beautiful, talented, strong girls out there who would be better suited to you and could be better wives.
I’m not exactly wife material, you know… ”
As I argue, Kala starts pacing in annoyance. She’s not annoyed with Miles, but rather with me. She seems angry that I’m against this marriage, and I shove aside the thoughts of what that might mean.
It’s not the first time I’ve had these ideas about him.
Yesterday, when he protected me in the forest, I was very drawn to him, but that’s just because it was such an incredible display of strength.
All notions of fated mates quickly disappeared when he started lecturing me about fighting those rogues on my own as though I had a choice in the matter.
“I already told the elders that I think this is a good idea,” Miles says calmly, and his confession drags silent shock from me. I glare at him in disbelief.
“What?” I blurt out after a long moment.
“This is good for Rose Falls, Kelsey. It’s a chance to show that betas and omegas can work together. That we have respect for the omegas and even in marriage, an omega doesn’t have to shift to just being a breeder, she can still work and live her life and make her own choices,” he explains.
“Oh goodness me, wow, how fucking nice of you,” I snap. “Thank you for not assuming that I am going to be a breeder and all, but you realize that your entire argument contradicts itself. You force me into marriage to show that omegas have the power to choose for themselves?”
“You’re only looking at it from one side,” he chuckles.
“Don’t laugh at me. This isn’t funny. This is my life. I work really hard every day to protect this pack, and now you want me to get married and…”
“This is for the pack, Kelsey. Don’t you see? This is you playing an important role in bringing the pack together in another way.”
I can’t believe this man. And dammit, I wish he would put a fucking shirt on.
I never noticed how intense his eyes are before. Coffee brown and rich and dreamy.
I clear my throat, caught again with my mind slipping in strange directions.
“It’s not such a bad thing,” he tries to reassure me.
“You’re really ok with this?” I blurt out. “I don’t get it. You can have any girl you want, and you’re ok with being shoved into an arranged marriage with me?”
“Are you ok with it? It seems so old-fashioned?” A voice comes from behind me. I spin in fright and realize that we’ve gathered a crowd around the front of his cottage, and our entire conversation has become entertainment for a bunch of pack members.
I groan and cover my face with my hands as Miles walks down the front step. His shoulders are square, and his jaw is set as he smiles at everyone. He looks strong and capable.
“I am ok with this. In fact, I am fully on board with this plan. betas and omegas can build together. I believe that entering this agreement willingly, fully understanding how we are playing our part for the pack, is the only way forward.”
He speaks with confidence and an oozing charm that already has everyone around him hanging on every word that spills from his mouth.
The man is arrogant and popular, and this is just another example of his incredible ability to manipulate any situation to his liking. They are like putty in his hands.
He is the pack's Beta after all, but dammit, these people are like sheep.
The more he speaks, the more people switch to his side. He melts away their doubt in a few words, and I cringe, realizing that if I keep arguing with him now, I am going to look like the asshole.
I should have gone into the house and had this conversation in private! Dammit. It’s a bit late for that now.
If I don’t agree to this willingly, it will turn me into a villain and give the pack more reason to make my life challenging. I don’t want to lose my job and everything I’ve worked so hard to build for myself.
I have enough enemies. Some who are even willing to throw me to the rogues and leave me to die. I don’t need anymore.
When Miles turns to smile at me, I do my best not to scowl or glare.
“Kelsey? What do you think? For the pack?” He asks, reaching his arm toward me.
I step closer to him, my skin burning with anticipation and anxiety for whatever the hell is going on.
“Maybe you’re right,” I say tightly.
“So, you two are getting married?” Someone from the crowd shouts excitedly.
“We’re getting married,” Miles confirms, pulling me close to his side.
I growl softly, warning him when his hand slides over my lower back and I become uncomfortably hot under his touch.
He chuckles and ignores my silent warning.
“I should go, and um, do the things,” I say, stepping away from him, maintaining my awkwardly fake smile for the sake of the crowd.
“Alright, we can catch up later,” he grins at me.
I nod, then practically run out of there. Silently cursing the moon goddess for allowing this whole mess to happen and begging with her to stop it before it goes too far.