Chapter Thirty-Two
Iwalked into the pack house early the next morning and waited near the door for someone to stop. An omega approached me with her head turned down to the ground. “Alpha Amy?” Her voice was a soft whisper.
“Yes?” I turned to face her fully, but she refused to look up. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. The Alpha’s sent me here to get you.”
“What’s your name?”
“Winnie.” She was still focused on the floor.
“Do you not look up, Winnie?” Even to myself, I sounded confused.
She looked up in confusion. The black eye stood out on her pale skin. “I’m sorry?”
I reached out, and she shied away from my touch, but I followed her with quick steps.
I wrapped my fingers around her chin. I tilted her head up, staring at the bruise on her face.
“What’s this?” She tried to pull away, but I held her close.
“I would stop pulling away, Winnie. I don’t want to accidentally hurt you as I figure this out.
” She froze in my hand and her eyes grew wide.
“There’s a girl.” I turned her face, this way and that, looking at the swelling and colour of the bruise.
“This looks pretty painful.” I met her eyes. “How old are you, Winnie?”
“What?” She shook in my hands.
I smiled and used Nix to calm her down. She pushed out a pheromone that calmed young wolves. “How old are you?”
She settled, and then I saw her lip tremble. “I just turned eighteen.” I tilted my head. Why was she here? Omegas rarely start working until after they find their mates. The need to nest would be too strong.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered, and I saw her flinch. “You should be nesting.”
She looked panicked, and she tried to pull away again. “Please.” She whispered. “Please don’t make this a big deal. It will only be worse.”
I felt my inside bunch up. Something was going on with her, but I let it go.
“Of course Winnie.” I leaned in next to her, and I kissed her eye, sending a pulse of magic to heal the bruise.
I sealed the floor around us so only she could hear my next words.
“I’m not a stupid woman. And I will not allow this to continue.
” I pulled back enough to look her in the eye.
“I’m a slave. Please don’t make a big deal about this.” The word slave hit me in the chest.
“Are you nesting?” I ignored her words. She looked away, but I pulled her face back.
“I won’t make a big deal, but I need you to be honest with me now.
And quickly. The Alphas won’t wait. Are you nesting?
” She wouldn’t meet my eyes, but she nodded.
“Has your heat come?” She shook her head.
I swallowed the bile for my next question. “Have you been…touched?”
Her eyes snapped to mine and I saw her fear.
“No, but I won’t be spared for long. The Alpha said he was growing tired of my mother.
But he made a deal with her. He said he would wait for my first natural heat before he touched me.
” She trembled. “I can feel it coming. I have a few days at most.” A tear welled up in her eye.
I wiped the tear away as it fell. “Meet me here tomorrow morning, same time. Can you do that?” She nodded. But I shook my head. “You word, Winnie. Give me your word.”
“I promise.” I saw Brandon come to the top of the stairs and I pulled away, whisking the spell away with the twitch of my finger.
I flicked my eyes to the top of the stairs and gave Winnie a look.
She thankfully knew what I was saying. “If you can just follow me, Alpha Amy.” She turned and gestured behind us towards the stairs.
I looked up and pretended that I was seeing Brandon for the first time. “Good morning.” I smiled wide and started up the stairs. “Were you waiting for me?” I walked up the rest of the stairs and went to his side. He looked from me to Winnie.
“Why were you two standing there?” I looked back at her and I frowned.
“I just walked in and she came up to me, but I think I scared her. My aura was slipping because of last night.”
“Last night?”
I nodded. “Shannon was up and throwing a tantrum, telling me to stay away from you.”
Brandon turned back to me. “She said what?” His words were clipped.
“She said to stay away from you. I explained that this was my job, and that we would have to be around each other, but she still said you were hers.”
He clenched his hands. “What did you say to that?” He faced me fully, Winnie, thankfully forgotten. I looked away, down the stairs, embarrassed. “Tell me.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer.
I looked up at him through my lashes, and I batted my eyes. “I told her the truth.”
“What truth?” He looked down at me, and I watched his eyes dilate.
“I told her you already asked me to be your Luna.”
Brandon stared down at me for a few moments before a soft smile broke out on his face.
If I knew him less, or was a little stupider, I might have fallen for that face.
I might have given up everything in my life to see him smile at me like this.
But this time, this time, I wanted to punch him in his stupid, smirking mouth.
“Have you considered it?” His voice sounded hopeful. Too hopeful.
I smiled softly and looked away. “I have. I still want to meet my mate.” I watched his fate fall. “But…” I looked back and leaned in. “I would be open to spending more time with you to see if we are compatible.”
“But if you are waiting for your mate…” He pouted.
I shrugged. “I’m open to possibilities. I don’t know how long the mating process would take. Nevermind second chance mates.”
His eyes snapped to mine. “A second chance mate?”
I nodded and looked away. “I haven’t told anyone. But when I turned eighteen, I met my mate.” I looked away and allowed my face to fall. I remembered my first life. I remembered the pain, and I allowed my tears to spring to my eyes.
“He rejected you?”
I looked up and nodded. Let him believe that the man rejected me. “I don’t even know why. I didn’t even get to speak with him.” I looked down at my hands. “He was passing by my father’s pack and he rejected me and moved on.”
Brandon slid his hand into mine. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
I cut him a look. “Do you know how embarrassing it is to admit your mate just rejected you, didn’t even speak to you about it, just cut you free and ran?”
He leveled me with a look. “Yes. Yes, I do.”
I let my face fall, and then I nodded. “I guess you do.” There were footsteps behind us and a throat cleared, we both were startled, and I turned to face Vince and I smiled. “Alpha Vince. We were just about to come meet you.”
Vince looked between Brandon and I. “It’s okay. I thought there was something holding you up.” I shook my head and stepped away from Brandon.
He followed. “Amy was just explaining the issue she had with Shannon yesterday.” His voice was warm, but I could hear the edge.
“Issue?” Vince turned and started down the hallway. He looked back. “I’ll show you to your office and your supervisor. Hopefully, you two will get along and you can bring some fresh blood into our security.” I just smiled and nodded. But Vince was already focused back on Brandon. “Issue?”
Brandon stepped up next to me and nodded to his dad. “Shannon was upset about the job offer you gave to Amy, and demanded she stay away from me.” I nodded.
“I understand she is the daughter of your Beta, but she has grown really attached to Brandon. She was screaming about how he was supposed to be hers, and that I needed to stay away from him. She demanded I turn down the job.” I looked down at my hands.
“If this is too much, then I will. I don’t want there to be any more fighting at my house.
My mom and Morgan already have issues, and I don’t want them to divorce. ”
Vince stumbled over his feet. “Divorce?” He looked back at me, and I nodded. “There’s no way your mom is actually considering a divorce.”
I sighed. “I know. It’s hard to believe.
Her and Morgan have been so strong for so long, but he really messed up the night of my first run.
She said it shattered all the trust she had in him.
” I looked up at Brandon. “After what my father did to her, you can understand why trust would be so important to her. To me.” I looked back at Vince.
“She said now that I’m old enough, if things don’t change, and Morgan can’t earn her trust back, she is done.
She is already thinking about what pack she would transfer to.
” Vince, who was walking in front of me, came to a dead stop and I slammed into his back.
“I’m sorry.” I blushed. I knew Vince had stopped, but I was staring at Brandon and I walked into his back on purpose.
Brandon bit his lip to stop the smirk that was twitching on his lips. I could see the pride in his eyes. “What did you just say?” Vince’s voice was dark.
“I said I was sorry.” I looked back at Brandon and then away. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking.”
“No.” Vince turned and I could see barely contained fury. “About your mother.”
“Oh.” I smiled, ignoring the anger in his eyes.
“That she was looking at transfer options. She gave Morgan the time line of me getting out of school to win her back and he hasn’t done it.
” I shrugged. “I expected her to leave, but she told me she was giving him another shot.” I smiled.
“She doesn’t want to leave, but she will. ”
Vince stared at me for a few more seconds, the wheels turning in his mind, and then he nodded.
“I actually just remembered I've got things I have to handle. Brandon, bring her to the security offices and introduce her to Rick. Her office is the one on the right.” Vince smiled. “Settle in. Rick will know what to do.” Vince turned around and went to leave but turned back. “I’m sorry I won’t be able to settle you in for your first shift, but as long as you come in, do your job, and help this pack, you won’t have to worry about your position here. ”