A Mistake
1190 Words
Jacob POV
The pain that had blossomed in my hand when Zahraa touched me reminded me that the girl in front of me, though smaller and less muscular, could defend herself just fine – against men, at least. Her cheek was red, and her knees bruised, doubtlessly from the abuse of the omegas of the Northern Territory.
How could you talk to her like that?
It was a good question.
How could you lay hands on my best friend in my home?!”
It was… a mistake. That’s all. An accident. I hadn’t meant –
I don’t care who your daddy is, Jacob, she’s your mate, so you should be taking care of her.
No.
No, it hadn’t been a mistake – she’d gotten a rise out of me. She drew it out of me, knowing full well it would make me look like an asshole to my mate, my Zahraa. Why?
Because Ingrid Kemp hated me – and no matter how okay with it she’d pretended to be with Zahraa, she’d never give us a true chance. I hadn’t expected her to stay quiet about the whole affair, but I hadn’t expected sabotage either.
I’d be talking with her later.
But for now…
“I’m sorry,” I kept my voice firm, my head held high. “But you’ve been here long enough to know how things work. An omega cannot talk to a family member of the High Alpha’s like that. If it had been any of my brothers, it would’ve resulted in a night in the cells, or worse.” I cast a glance aside, “I went easy on her, considering.”
A lie.
It twisted my guts and made me feel like vomiting the truth and a million apologies at her feet, but I refrained. I hadn’t gone easy on her – I’d been kinder in the past to omegas that had popped off. I’d just been riled up, and I’d acted out of pure animal instinct rather than a cool, rational head.
“Easy on her?” Zahraa put both her fists on her hips, looking like Luna Jasmine when I’d busted into the cookie jar in my youth. “You were really hurting her! And Rowan would never-”
A feral growl burst from somewhere deep in my throat, and I had to grip the back of a kitchen chair so as not to grab her arms. I desperately wanted to touch her right now – claim her. Remind her whose mate she was. “Don’t compare me to him,” I snarled, letting go of the wood when it started cracking and groaning under my grip.
She squared her shoulders, standing taller. I wondered where she got the strength if she’d been bullied so much as they said. “Then don’t set yourself up. Rowan has punished omegas in the past, sure, but he would never put hands on a woman like you just did.”
Oh, if only she knew.
I laughed – I couldn’t help it. “How absurd that you think that,” I chuckled. My smile faded as I added, “Considering you weren’t there to see what he did to those omega girls.”
She flinched, and I felt like a true villain. “W-what?” she hugged herself, and the brave girl I’d been staring down vanished, as if she’d never existed at all. “He didn’t hurt them, did he?”
“Of course, he did,” I said, realizing I was too far gone – I was deep in this villain act. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to pull myself back out. “He had Danielle, the head omega, call a meeting. He had them paddled in front of all of them while he offered a truly rousing speech about abusing the wards.”
Her lower lip flinched. “You were there?” she asked, her voice very nearly a whisper. I nodded, and that submissive look turned to rage once again. “Then why didn’t you stop him?”
My shock was quickly replaced by annoyance. “It’s not my place,” I said. “Listen, why don’t we sit down and talk? This is getting heated, and you know enough about our society to know that this isn’t unusual.” I wanted to put a hand on her shoulder – it was natural to want to soothe my mate, and it was torture being unable to do so.
I wasn’t sure my touch would work for her now anyway.
“Talk about what?” she asked, the fury still present in her voice.
“I…” the words were suddenly gone from my mind, erased by towering shame. I’d let my mate go after just one night together, and so much had happened… so much that was already starting to form a rift between us. I sighed. “I… want to hear about it. About all of it. You have no idea how powerless I felt, hearing what they’ve been doing to you.” I sank into a chair, dropping my gaze. “…What I let them do to you.”
That seemed to break through her defenses. “You didn’t let anything happen,” she said, settling into the chair across from me. “You… reached out so much… I hadn’t had the chance to tell Ingrid that. And… I ignored you.”
“I’d really prefer it if you didn’t do that,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “I was so worried. I knocked on your door, you know. I considered breaking it down, but… new relationship. Didn’t want to push boundaries.”
“I appreciate that,” she said, staring at a serving plate of carbonara between us. Ingrid had set the table and everything.
I felt a twinge of guilt – she was a good friend.
I was a s**t mate.
“I’m sorry,” I blurted – it came out fast and clumsy, my mouth moving faster than my brain. “I didn’t – I got caught up in my emotions and…” I sagged. “I’ll… I’ll seek Ingrid out and apologize to her as well.” I offered what I hoped was at least a half-charming smile. “I don’t want your friends to hate me, after all.”
She smiled, and even if it was the smallest change in her expressions, it was more beautiful than the Mona Lisa. “I would appreciate that,” she said, though she still seemed so guarded. I supposed that was just part of her charm.
I took the tongs and put some on her plate, “Come on. We can talk later. For now, I would hate to further insult Ingrid by letting her cooking go to waste.”
She seemed hesitant, and this time, I didn’t blame her. But slowly, that smile grew a little more. “Okay… and I’ll tell you everything. Just – after.”
I nodded. I could accept that for now.
Hopefully, before long, we could drop all these barriers between us and just be.
- Writer
