Revenge of the Unwanted Omega

Chapter 3 - Befriending the Enemies

CYRENIA

“Nia?” Kylian said, as if he was speaking to a ghost.

I cleared my throat and stood up straight. I tilted my head, willing my heart to calm as I looked at the man who rejected me. It was time to put on a show. “Excuse me?”

Kylian stared at me for a moment longer before shaking his head. “I’m sorry. You just remind me of someone I used to know, but I’m clearly mistaken.”

Myles stepped forward, bringing his attention to him instead of me. “I’m Alpha Myles from Pack Zan, and this is my fiancé, Cyrenia Aeria. Your alpha is expecting us, but we got a little distracted.”

“Oh, yes. My brother mentioned you were supposed to be arriving at the pack house,” Kylian said. He barely looked at Myles, despite the conversation going on between them. Instead, he continued looking at me with curious eyes, as if I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out. There was no way for him to recognize me, yet my old name on his tongue made me question everything.

“Did you know the children of this pack have been bullying this little girl?” I asked, the accusation heavy in my words. I had to pull Kylian’s attention away from me and to something else. I looked different. I didn’t even have the same wolf—the hardest price to pay for my transformation. There was no reason for him to have recognized me, but I felt as if I was seconds away from ruining everything.

Kylian finally looked away from me to the girl still cowering on the ground. His demeanor shifted, and he pushed past me and knelt in front of the girl. My body tensed, ready to tear him apart if he did anything to hurt the girl. I didn’t know anything about her other than her wolf smelled like an omega, and she was afraid of the world around her. However, I saw myself in her. I wanted to protect her from everyone and everything the way I wished someone had for me when I was her age.

“Cleo, are you okay?” Kylian’s voice was surprisingly soft as he spoke.

Cleo sniffled and tried to wipe her tears away before they were seen. “She’s scary.”

“Scary?” I repeated under my breath.

Myles made eye contact with me, smirking uncontrollably. He was enjoying this too much. If we weren’t in public, I would’ve jammed my elbow into his ribs. However, he was supposed to be my mate that I was head over heels in love with. Hitting him would ruin the illusion of love.

Kylian let out a controlled sigh. “Don’t worry. I will talk to Jax’s mother. Until then, why don’t you come with us to the pack house? Megura is making cookies in honor of our esteemed guests here, but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you swiped a couple, right?” He looked over his shoulder directly at me.

“Of course not,” I said, but my voice wavered. I wasn’t sure what I was seeing, but I knew one thing for sure. The man in front of me was not the man who sent me away all those years ago.

“See?” Kylian said, turning his attention back to the girl. “What do you say?” He offered his hand to the girl, and when she took it, he picked her up and held her against his side. “I’ll take you two to the pack house, since you decided to take a detour.” His voice hardened when he redirected it towards us.

I glanced at Myles, and he shrugged in return. Kylian walked away, and he didn’t bother checking to see if Myles and I were following him. His focus was on the child in his arms. She calmed down more the longer he held her, and it felt like I was missing something essential. The Kylian I knew never would’ve treated an omega like that. For years, I imagined the number of omegas that suffered at the hands of the Haeil family while I found the strength to come back and make a real change. That image faltered, but I didn’t know what to make of it. It could have just been an act for guests, but the girl trusted him.

As we approached the pack house, I was shocked to see that the building looked different. The rest of the town hadn’t changed, but the pack house was painted a sunflower yellow, and pops of daisies and tulips added even more color to the place. It felt too bright and sunshiny, and it made me want to run in the other direction.

That is a god-awful yellow, Myles linked me. Do me a favor and kill me if I ever suggest painting my pack house that color.

I bit my inner cheek to stifle my laugh. I’d be happy to.

Myles scrunched his nose, insulted that I easily agreed to his request, but I ignored him, wanting to be careful about how I looked at him. I didn’t know who was watching our interactions.

Kylian opened the front door to the pack house. “Welcome to our esteemed home.” There was nothing welcoming about his tone. “Alpha Roman and Luna Violet will be here shortly, and I’m sure Luna Violet will be more than thrilled to give you a tour.” He turned and started walking away without another word.

“Where are you going?” I called out. I should’ve let him just walk away after he almost recognized me earlier.

Kylian paused and looked at me. His eyes scanned my face for a few seconds too long. He didn’t recognize me—at least that was what I tried to tell myself. I looked completely different. It would’ve been impossible for him to see the real me. “I have no interest in the pack’s foreign affairs.”

He started walking again, but he stopped when my voice hit his ears. “It’s not polite to leave guests unattended.”

He shrugged. “Guess I’m not a great host. Have fun with my brother.”

I huffed as he continued on his path. He was the same arrogant asshole I once knew after all.

“Kylian!” a voice boomed from the stairs in the front room.

Kylian’s entire body froze in front of the door leading to the kitchen. He set Cleo on the ground and turned his body so he was standing directly in front of her. He forced a strained smile to appear on his face. “Brother. You’re here already.”

“My warriors informed me they spotted our guests driving through town a few minutes ago.” Roman made his way down the stairs, and when his eyes landed on Myles, he burst into a smile. “You must be the esteemed Alpha Myles. It’s a pleasure to have someone of your status standing in my home.”

I turned away from Kylian to face Alpha Roman, but the alpha hadn’t looked my way once. If he did notice me, he didn’t care to acknowledge my presence.

“Thank you for offering to host us,” Myles said. “This is my fiancé and fated mate, Cyrenia.” Lies.

Roman looked at me briefly before turning his attention back to Myles. “Ah yes, my wife, Luna Violet, will be down shortly. She’ll be excited to have another woman to talk to about her interior design projects.”

Sexist pig, I linked directly to Myles.

Myles kept his face neutral. He placed his hand on my lower back and pulled me forward. “Actually, Cyrenia is one of the best warriors in our pack. I’m sure she’d love to see your training facility here.”

Roman tried to hide his grimace, still refusing to look my way. “I’m sure we can arrange that at some point.”

“I’m so sorry I’m late!” A high-pitched voice rang as heels clicked down the stairs. Her strawberry blonde hair flowed behind her, and her eyes were an unnatural blue. Violet Evans. I’d know her anywhere, despite the contacts in her eyes hiding the hazel color I once knew. She was the most popular girl when I was in school because her family was known to have alpha blood. She made sure I knew that when she dug her heel into my thigh, leaving a permanent scar on my body.

Violet stopped next to Roman, and her eyes brightened when her gaze fell on me. She always liked those in power. She held her perfectly manicured hands out to me. In the past, I would’ve flinched at the simple gesture, knowing it had ulterior motives. This time I was the one who had the ulterior motive.

I took her hand, my calloused fingers brushing against her softened fingers. “I am Cyrenia Aeris, future alpha of the Zan Pack.”

Violet tensed, taking her hand back slowly. “I thought you were going to be the future luna.”

Myles wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close to his body. “We plan to be co-alphas. Cyrenia is from a bloodline that is just as strong as mine, and she deserves a title to reflect that. Is that an issue?” He raised his eyebrows, challenging the leaders in front of him. He knew they wouldn’t say anything—not to our faces. They needed this alliance more than we did. A western pack who had an alliance with Pack Zan wouldn’t be messed with by anyone else. While Pack Fornax was one of the stronger packs in the west, they weren’t the strongest by a long shot.

“Of course not,” Violet said as sweetly as possible. “It’s just unheard of.”

“Yes. It’s rather… innovative,” Roman said, his smile strained as he took me in for the first time.

I wrapped my arm around Myles and stood straighter. One way or another, Roman, Violet, and the rest of this pack would take me seriously. I just hoped they would make it harder for us. It would be more fun that way when I finally took my revenge on those who tore me down all those years ago. I just needed to figure out Roman’s weakness, find out which packs he had the best alliances with, so we could start breaking down his control in every aspect of his life.

Violet stepped forward and hooked her arm around mine, pulling me away from Myles. “I think it’s time to start this tour.”

Perfect, Myles linked. Maybe we can get information on their alliances.

Even if they don’t tell us, that shouldn’t be an issue. As long as we get into Roman’s office, we learn everything about the pack, I linked back.

“Kylian, are you going to join us?” Violet asked with a strained smile.

I glanced over, briefly forgetting my former mate was still in the room.

“I’d rather not. I don’t want to catch a disease from you.” Kylian’s eyes were cold as he stared at his luna with distaste.

“Kylian,” Roman scolded.

Violet clicked her tongue and looked directly at me. “Ignore him. He’s always cranky and rude.”

“I’ve noticed,” I said involuntarily. I paused, realizing it wasn’t my place to say such things out loud, but Violet’s laughter made me relax again.

“I have a feeling we’re going to be such wonderful friends.” She pulled me along, and with my eyes, I pleaded for Myles to save me, but he only laughed at my desperation. I would make him pay later for letting Violet get her claws on me.