Talons

Chapter 120: The Broom

Colton’s POV

I didn’t expect my mate to actually say yes when I asked her if I should clean the mess on the floor, but she did, and now Orlin is pushing forward, wanting to do exactly as she asked. The problem is that pack members are around, and it may make me look weak.

"If anyone  has a problem with it, they can see us directly. Now, clean it up; show our mate that you care.” Rolling my eyes, I ask the omega to stand aside, and I take the cleaning tools from her.

“You know, I didn’t actually do this on purpose Rhea. You can have a casual meal with everyone else, but with me it's like I’m a monster. You may not feel the mate bond, but I do.”

“Whose f-fault is that Colton?” I wince with my mate’s words, but because Orlin won't shut up about it, I get down on my knees and begin using a tiny broom to sweep the mess I made into an even smaller dustpan.

“Do we not have a real broom?”

“Sorry alpha Colt, but the head of janitorial staff doesn’t allow them.” My mate scoffs while shaking her head.

“What do you mean he doesn’t allow them?”

“He believes they are unsightly.”

“Unbelievable,” Rhea mumbles under her breath. I can tell she was judging me, and I feel the need to verify what I'm being told is actually the practice, and not miscommunication, so I link for the man to show up.

When the man arrives, he looks annoyed and he starts yelling at the omega who was standing near me without context, which clearly irritated my mate because she stood and pulled the woman behind her.

“You assume without confirming, is that how a ranked individual should behave?” I smirk at my mate and decide to let her flex her authority a little.

“And you are?” the man asks. I’m curious as to how my mate is going to introduce herself. Will she call herself my luna, or something else?”

Rhea’s POV

I hated to see a ranked male push his weight around by yelling at an innocent person before he even knew what the problem was. Without being told, he assumed that she was taking too long to clean the mess on the ground, and he started barking demotions toward the woman, that almost drove me to murder.

Instead, I took the high road and shielded the frightened woman behind my back while addressing the man directly. He of course wanted to know who I was, and in the most pompous tone I have ever heard, the man asked me for my name.

“My name is B Talons,” I reply, and the man disgustedly rolls his eyes at me. 

I’m used to that reaction, especially from older men and women who were among the first to deem me as un-wolflike. In truth, a lot of the torment I faced from ridicule and bullying can be traced back to the parents of those who disliked me. Others were just joining in with their friends, wanting to fit in.

“Little Miss Talons, you should let stable minded adults manage this issue,” the man says in a condescending tone, and right about then, Colton can no longer just watch the exchange.

“You will respect your future luna,” he growls, but the man must think he’s invincible because he presses on.

“Surely you aren’t planning to mark this woman. She is re-” The man, whose name I don’t know, has his throat roughly grabbed by Colton, who slams him into a wall and lifts him a few inches off the ground. 

The man’s face starts to turn blue as Colton seethes in anger. Like he said, he can feel the bond of a mate, so while he may not care about me, it will still upset him when other people disrespect me.

Colton’s POV

I was slightly disappointed that my mate didn’t declare herself my luna, but another part of me found that same quality refreshing.

She isn’t interested in a title, and once she accepts my mark, I know that it will be because she actually wanted me, not power.

I watched Bernard roll his eyes at my mate before responding to her in a condescending tone, but then he fixes his lips to call my mate outside of her name. 

I know what he was going to say but I refused to let him. The Whitakers are friends of my father, so I can’t kill him the way I want, but that doesn’t mean I can’t hurt him for being disrespectful.

“What were you going to say?” I snarl. I know he can’t speak, and judging based on the color of his face, he is close to losing consciousness. “You will never-” My words are caught in my throat as Rhea's small hand rests on the arm that’s choking Bernard against the wall.

“Alpha, this isn’t an effective way to make your point. That man was only repeating what he has always called me, and it’ll be hard to curb a habit fourteen years in the making.

“But he-” My mate cuts me off again, and I can’t help but to get lost in the beauty of her face and the gentleness of her touch.

“He is a member of your pack; I’m just a visiting rogue. There are more diplomatic ways to handle this situation, and I think it will make a bigger impact than just hitting people all the time.” I ease my grip on the man’s neck, but I don’t let him go.

“What do you suggest?” I ask, and I can tell my mate is uncomfortable with the question.

Since she decided to get involved, I want to use the opportunity to show everyone silently watching that she may be a ‘visiting rogue’ but she is in a position of authority as the future luna of this pack.

“Is it true that you don’t allow brooms to be used?” Rhea questions. Bernard looks to me for permission to speak, and I glance over at my mate giving him the approval to answer.

“Large brooms and mops are not only an eyesore, but they can lift dust into the air that can settle on the food.”

“But to not allow them at all?” Rhea continues, and the man shrugs.

“The little ones are less unsightly and get the job done just as good.” My mate doesn’t even respond to the man. Instead, she calls the omega who was cleaning my mess over and asks the woman if she agreed.

“Don’t look at him; answer her,” I order and the omega nods before looking at her feet.

“It makes our job harder.”

“You’re just lazy,” Bernard replies, and I can physically see my mate’s gaze darken. I can tell she wants to say something, so I encourage her by reminding her that I’m still waiting for her nonviolent suggestion.

“H-he has never w-worked in the a-area he runs. Let him e-experience it for a w-week.” I smirk at my mate who, like the omega, has discovered something remarkably interesting on the floor.

“You don’t have the authority to demote me,” the man says, and while he is addressing my mate, I know he is talking to me.

“Are you questioning the future and acting alpha of this pack?” I ask, and the man’s face pales. That is against our pack laws, and the consequences are much more serious than what I was planning to do. “For seven days, you will work under this young woman.” I point to the omega who looks up in fright. 

“Alpha... I-”

“Relax. If he causes trouble, tell me or my fated partner immediately. You can also approach any of the betas or gamma Trey.” The omega nods and I turn back to Bernard. “One word of complaint against you and I will have you replaced for insubordination. If you don’t think it's within my ability, you can always call my father.”

I know Bernard will never call my father to complain about me because while the old man is f*cked in the head, he still has an intense sense of family loyalty which is why after nearly ten years apart, he is still with my mother.

He typically only leaves for two weeks every three months, but this time, he will be away a full eight weeks, and part of me knows it's because he wants her to come home. I have seen the man looking at photos of my mother, and I wonder if he knows that it was him who pushed her away in the first place.

I now understand what Dolton meant when he was comparing me to our father, and I vow to never make my mate feel so useless that she ends up a social recluse with only flowers to keep her company.

“Isn’t that what she's doing now? You’re sending her into our mother’s footsteps by allowing her to work in that garden.” Orlin doesn’t like the idea of my mate being in the woods alone, and while it isn’t far from the Packhouse, it can still be dangerous.

“It’s not the same. Mom used to hide…” I pause because Orlin is right. Our mother used the garden as an escape from her mate whenever he would get so angry that he would hit her.

She eventually learned his warning signs, and while I don’t know what she did before we were born, she would always take us to have picnics in her garden anytime my grandfather would push my father into a rage.

“Do you really expect me to reduce myself to the level of an omega?” Bernard asks, and I tilt my head at him incredulously. 

“You can start with that mess over there,” I reply, pointing to the food I spilled, but once again, my mate stops me.

“Alpha, that isn’t fair. He may be a foul man, but you-” My mate stops speaking when I give her the ‘really?’ face. I just had her back, and she couldn’t support me in this one situation?

“Listen to your luna alpha. She is a wise woman.”

“I changed my mind,” Rhea says, scowling at the man with a gaping mouth. “You should both clean it.”

“Your luna gave you a command,” Orlin says with a chuckle, and I hate that he is enjoying this right now.

“You and I are supposed to be one being, do you know that?”

“True, but she likes me better, and she would never ask me to clean.”

“You're just a damn dog to her,” I snap, and Orlin laughs at me.

“Bet I can sleep with her before you do."

“Yeah, as a pet you idiot.”