The Omegas
twenty-two
*ROSEA*
It’s late afternoon when Forest, Griffin and I meet at our private suite. Forest hands me a plate of cake. There are five pieces of varying cakes on it, making me look at him in amusement. “Is all of that for me?”
“Yes, I didn’t know what you liked, so I brought you a little bit of everything.”
It’s so sweet; I don’t even know what to say. So, when he sits down next to me, I just hand him a fork. “I’ll need help,” I say.
Forest blinks first before his eyes widen and he smiles. “The chocolate one is great. Never tried the lemon tart, though.”
“Now’s your chance!”
Forest and I exchange a look, then chuckle.
“That’s all very adorable,” Griffin complains. “But does anyone even think about me? Where is my cake?”
“You can have biscuits,” Forest says, tossing him a pack.
“They are two weeks old.” Griffin shakes his head. “Well, I guess I can’t compete against the luna.”
“You do know I am not really your luna?” I ask.
He shrugs. “You are here as Forest’s mate, and I don’t care if you are fated or not. You are the luna, right now.”
“A great one on top of that,” Forest points out.
Griffin laughs. “Did you see Lissa’s terrified face this morning?”
“I was trying to hold back, but she really started to annoy me,” I admit.
“Why hold back?” Griffin asks. “The pack loved it. We did not have a particularly present luna before.” He looks at Forest. “No offense.”
“Non taken. My mom was crap,” he pauses, taking a forkful of chocolate cake and shoving it into his mouth. “Technically, she still is crap.”
“I am sorry, man,” Griffin says quietly. “I mean, my parents have always been shit and pretty much sent me away so they could be on their own, but still, they didn’t go as far as yours.”
Forest sighs. “I bet Dad was in on Lissa’s stunt today.”
I nod. “I believe the same.”
“They are my parents,” he says. “A tiny part of me still loves them, but the bigger part wants them to pay for what they did. I can’t believe what they did and how many years they’ve betrayed me.
” He pauses. “The only good that came of it was that I met Rose and was able to reconnect with you, Griffin.”
“That’s what’s so great about you,” Griffin says quietly. “Despite the horrible things you found out, you still manage to see the good in those around you.”
“I was too gullible,” Forest says. “Too easily manipulated.”
“You trusted those close to you,” I point out. “You had no reason not to trust your parents. For what it matters, though, I don’t think you are easily manipulated. You have a pretty good gut feeling.”
“Rose is right,” Griffin agrees. “They just played so many mind games with you that you believed them when they put you down. Truth is, you are a pretty dope alpha; you will be great in leading this pack. Right, Rose?”
Funny. Rose started as a nickname Forest came up with, so as not to introduce me as Rosea. No one ever called me that before. Jordan used the nickname Rosy for me, first to sweet-talk me and then to look down on me.
But Rose… I am starting to like it.
“I think the pack is already seeing the difference,” I say. “And it’s only been a little over a week. That’s what I call quite a success.”
“The warriors are really starting to appreciate you,” Griffin says.
“You are strong as fuck, and you know how they tick. They need to respect you first before they like you. And they definitely are starting to respect you. Besides,” he pauses, “the way you treat your luna and stand up against Lissa makes you look strong, too. They like that you respect your mate and are loyal to her.”
“Talking about mates,” I say. “I hate to shift the topic…”
“I get it,” Forest says, offering me the last piece of cake with a strawberry. “We have business to attend to.”
Griffin grows serious, too. “That we do.”
“Did you talk to Nina’s mate?” I ask Forest.
He nods. “I didn’t punish him,” he assures me. “But I did give him a warning to come to me next time.”
“Fair enough,” I say. Not that I had doubts that he would go against his promise.
“Catch me up?” Griffin asks.
I nod and fill him in on what happened this morning with Nina, and what she told me. “Now, that’s interesting,” he says. “And lines up with what I saw.”
“Good job, by the way, for catching that Lissa was up to something shady,” I say.
“I saw her weaseling around and then stuck my nose into it,” Griffin says. “You can’t trust a step she makes. I wanted to fill you in, but I really only caught on to the fact that she had a recording last night. I had no idea she would use it today.”
“It was actually better for us to have the surprise on our side,” I say. “Forest reacted in a great way. And then you came and proved his innocence.”
“And then you put her into her place,” Griffin grins.
“All in all, the outcome was good for us,” Forest says. “What else did you find, Griffin?”
“What Nina says is right. Lissa has her eyes on the omegas. She is hanging around them a lot, but not in a sweet and let’s-all-be-friends way. She just… hovers around, and when she talks to them, it’s only to the mated guys. And believe me when I say they did not look happy.”
“Nina said she flirts with their mates and messes with them.” I pause. “We know she blackmails them to do her dirty work, like she did with Nina’s mate. But there is no guarantee that she isn’t doing more vile things.”
“I was thinking the same,” Griffin says quietly.
“But why them?” Forest asks. “She can have any guy in the pack. Lissa was incredibly popular before you came, Rose. Why play with the mated omegas?”
“She has fun with it,” I mutter. “It gives her a kick to destroy mated relationships.” I pause at my own words, sitting up straighter.
“She likes doing it! We are talking about the woman who willingly had her friend killed for being your mate, Forest. It’s all assumptions, though, unless we get someone to talk. ”
“What do you suggest?” Forest asks.
“Let’s get Nina onboard,” I say. “She confided in me, meaning she trusts me. Lissa threatened her, and worse, her mate. She told me she looks down on her because her mate is a warrior and Nina a lowly omega. What Lissa forced Nina’s mate to do could have gotten him killed.”
“She has a lot of reasons to help us against Lissa,” Griffin agrees. “It’s a risk to involve her. But then, it’s always a risk.”
Forest chuckles. “We said the same about you.”
“Hey,” Griffin pouts. “I am super safe!”
“We know,” Forest reassures him.
“What about Martin?” Griffin asks.
“I still don’t know,” Forest admits. “He does have my back, and he seems to have Rose’s, too.”
Griffin nods. “I feel like he is loyal to you, but unlike with Nina, who we’ll only need to ask for help against Lissa… we’d need to fill Martin in on everything.”
“And that’s definitely a huge step.”
Forest pinches the bridge of his nose. “I hate lying to him. He is a decent guy and works hard, and he has been a pretty good friend so far.”
“I understand where you are coming from,” Griffin admits. “But if he is going to be your beta, you need to be able to trust him.”
“We don’t need to decide that today,” I tell Forest. “Let’s focus on Nina for now, and then revisit Martin tomorrow or the day after.”
Both men nod their agreement, and I have Forest call for Nina to bring us some coffee from the pack kitchen—and some additional cake, because the guys are still hungry. Fifteen minutes later, she knocks at our door. I open it, letting her in. “Thank you, Nina. Come on in.”
Nina stares curiously at me, her surprise very obviously rising when she spots Forest and Griffin.
“I will be honest with you, Nina.” I come right to the point. “We need your help. We had you bring us something to eat so no one would be suspicious seeing you here.”
Nina’s hands tremble slightly, but then she bends towards me and whispers. “Is this about Lissa?”
I look at Forest for him to take over. Nina needs to know that her alpha is on her side, too.
“I think it’s time to stop Lissa from whatever crap she is pulling,” Forest says. “I have to apologize, Nina. I had no idea what she was up to and that she was harassing you and your fellow omegas.”
Nina looks flustered. “It started a year ago,” she mutters. “And… thank you, Alpha, for giving my mate a second chance.”
“Are you willing to fill us in on what’s truly going on?” I ask her. “We would like to stop her before she can do any more harm.”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on her,” Griffin adds. “And so far, I have not liked what I’ve seen. But I need to know more to properly be able to act.”
Nina’s fingers clench around the tray she is holding, then she nods firmly. “My mate tried to protect me, which got him into this whole situation to begin with,” she admits. “I want to do something useful, too.”
I gesture at the place next to me. “Come, sit down.” I wait for her to get comfortable and suggest a cup of coffee for herself. “Is Lissa messing with your mates?” I ask her. “With the mates of the omegas?”
Nina nods. “She is awful. I don’t even know why she hates us so much. None of us ever crossed her, but she has it out for us. She is constantly trying to seduce our mates.”
“And is she successful with it?” I ask.
“I guess people do a lot to protect their mates when they are threatened.” She casts me a shy gaze. “Like my mate did for me.”
“Wait a moment.” Forest frowns. “Are you saying she threatens them, or rather their mates?”
Nina nods, leaving us all stunned.
If that’s true, then what she is doing is sexual assault.
“Fucking unbelievable,” Griffin mutters.
Lissa could have any guy in the pack, but that’s not what she wants.
It’s not about sex, it’s not about intimacy; it’s about power.
She has fun messing with those of lower rank, well aware that they can’t do anything to stand up to her, especially until recently, when Forest’s parents still openly had her back.
“Do you know if she has her sights set on anyone specific, currently?” I ask.
Nina nods. “My friend’s mate,” she says bitterly. “He is such a nice guy. I don’t think he will ever betray his mate. I am scared they might do something stupid and run.”
“I won’t let them become rogues,” Forest states with finality in his voice. “This ends now! Nina, tell us the man’s name.”
“To stop her,“ I add, “we’ll need his help.”
“What do you want him to do?” Griffin asks.
I twist the recorder Lissa used against Forest between my fingers.
“I want him to play along, at least, seemingly so. Let her do her thing, and we’ll be able to let everyone know who she truly is.
Forest could confront her without a recording, but she will have pack members defending her and thinking he is just out for revenge, but if we record her—”
“She would pretty much be outed to everyone,” Griffin concludes. “With solid proof.”
Forest looks at Nina thoughtfully. “Do you think your friend and her mate would be willing to help? I don’t want to force anyone into doing something that could be dangerous.”
“They will,” Nina says with confidence in her voice. “Her mate—his name is Ben—he is a pretty strong-willed guy. I know he wants to protect her at all costs.”
I nod. “Alright, then please link them.”
“Now?” Griffin asks.
“Yes, but we won’t meet here. There are too many eyes watching us. We’ll meet at your place, Griffin. Prepare a meeting for tomorrow, after lunch. We’ll need a couple of hours to prepare everything.”
Griffin nods grimly. “Got it.”