HER GRACE... (king of Alphas)

Chapter 4 *The talk*

||*ALLISON*||

I woke up with a migraine today.

Getting out of bed, I walked into the bathroom and stood before the large mirror on the wall, staring blankly into it as the events from last night came swirling back into my head. I shuddered as my mind danced around the many scenarios of how today would turn out.

So many things could go wrong, especially with my parents; they could literally send me out of the house to live in the packhouse.

Heaving a sigh, I stripped out of my clothes and stepped under the shower, washing yesterday's event away from my skin even though the shame would still linger.

After showering, I walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my body, no doubt knowing today would be a long day.

Perhaps I should say every day for the rest of my life would always be a long day if I never make it out of this omega crap of a situation.

Walking towards my closet, my eyes lay on Brandon sprawled on my bed like a log of wood. I smiled, shaking my head at his sleeping figure before my eyes settled on the dress I wore to the ceremony last night. Bile rose in my throat at the shame that surrounded me yesterday.

As I opened the closet, I made a mental note to burn the dress the first chance I got. Just seeing it alone irritates me because the dress has done nothing but bring me ill-luck.

With that thought, I picked up an oversized sweatshirt and my favorite pajamas to wear before walking back to bed to wake Brandon because his parents might get worried about him if he didn’t get back home early.

“Hey buddy. Wake up!” Brandon groaned, rolling to the other side of the bed, while clutching the pillow to his chest as if his life depended on it.

“Wake up Brandon, or I’m going to pour water on you,”

I threatened, but Brandon just groaned more, cursing under his breath for what felt like forever before he finally got up. I smiled at him while he glared.

“Why does your morning face look like that of a sleeping cat?”

I questioned, laughing as Brandon rolled his eyes at me while he got off the bed, looking displeased that his sleep had got interrupted by yours truly.

“I am going to get freshened up,” Brandon rasped out as he walked towards the bathroom.

“Well, take your time. I’m heading downstairs for some Advil and meeting my fate. Wish me luck!”

I yelled after him as I shut the door to my bedroom. Walking down the hallway to the stairs, I let out a heavy sigh before deciding to take the first step down the staircase.

I know my parents are awake by this time of the day, and they are probably waiting for me in the living room.

What I am not sure of, and would like to know, is how they would react after what happened yesterday.

My mom didn’t talk about it yesterday, so I expect her and Dad to say something about it today.

Yet here I am, acting like nothing happened, as if everything would magically go back to how it was when I know deep down that nothing will ever be the same with me from now on.

As I got to the living room, I saw my dad seated on the couch reading a book, while Mom was busy setting up the table for breakfast.

“Morning, Daddy!”

I greeted him, expecting he might not reply, but to my surprise, Dad actually replied.

Most fathers would have become stoic and cold if they had their daughter disgrace them the way I did last night, but mine looked chill. Perhaps he’s just pretending to be okay about it.

I traced my footsteps into the kitchen and said a quick morning to my mom and my older brother, who leaned on the counter sipping his cup of coffee.

They both replied with a ‘good morning, princess,’ also acting as if everything was alright.

I don’t know why I was so spooked by their attitude, instead of appreciating that they weren’t talking about it the moment they saw me.

If they wanted to pretend everything was normal, then I would play their game. I reached for the kitchen cabinet for two tablets of Advil and fetched a water bottle from the fridge.

After getting something to calm my headache and pretending like nothing was going on, I went back to the living room in anticipation of my fate.

However, their nonchalant attitude toward everything that had happened yesterday kept me on my toes instead of making me feel relaxed.

A few minutes later, Mom was through with breakfast, and we all took our seats as she served the meal. Yet, no one made a move to say anything.

I’ll go with the flow for the time being and pretend like nothing is wrong. Wait till after breakfast because the food is important.

I called for Brandon to come down for breakfast, and he joined us some minutes later just as everyone digged into their food.

Breakfast has never been this quiet in this house, but you could hear a pin right now if it dropped.

Not even Brandon said a word or teased Aiden like he always does. I was glad that no one was talking about it. However, I couldn’t push away the anxiety about what they would say.

Breakfast went a little too smoothly. I cleared the table with Brandon’s help, and he also offered to help me do the dishes, which I appreciated.

Brandon stayed with me for a while, talking about random stuff and school before saying goodbye and he left.

Once again, it was a relief that he didn’t talk about last night. I saw him off to the door, promising to visit him soon, and made my way back to my family in the living room.

Finding a place to sit, I turned to my parents, whose attention was on their favorite sitcom. I cleared my throat to get their attention.

They averted their eyes from the TV screen, looking at me as I took in steady breaths while trying to find the courage to speak.

If they don’t bring it up or are too ashamed to face me, then I will save them stress and bring up the matter.

“Mom, Dad? Are we going to talk about this now? I really cannot wait all day, and you don’t have to act like everything is alright, we know it isn’t.”

I said to them, casting my head down as they shared a glance.

“Princess, we aren’t acting or pretending about anything. We just don’t want to pressure you into talking about yesterday,”

Mom said in a gentle voice. I lifted my head to look at her.

“We know you’re going through internal conflict at the moment. We do not know why you didn’t shift or have an explanation for it, since there has been no such occurrence as that in the Diamond Crest pack. But as your parents, we know it’s overwhelming for you, and we are just trying not to put more pressure on you.” Dad said with a comforting smile.

I gave a short nod.

Although their response surprised me, I was glad they still think well of me and appreciated that they thought of my feelings.

However, the earlier I accept what has happened and what will happen henceforth in the pack, the better it is for me.

Yes, I am hurting and, like a typical teenager of my age, all I want to do right now is, cry on my parents’ shoulders, but I can’t.

It will only make me look weaker, and being weak is what I refuse to be seen as.

“Thanks for understanding,” I said. I swallowed hard as I prepared myself for the speech I had planned in my head.

“I am disappointed in myself that I’ve brought shame to this family, despite all the love and care you’ve showered on me as my parents. Dad, I know you stayed to discuss with the Alpha about me and I know you are trying to protect me from feeling sad or hurt. Regardless, I want to know what my future holds and Alpha's decision. I can’t keep pretending as if nothing happened,”

I said to my dad with the utmost respect. I heard him sigh before nodding.

“You need not worry about anything, princess. You, being without a wolf, won’t stop us from loving you, as you’ll always be our little princess. And we won’t let anyone harm you, neither are you a disgrace to this family. I talked to the Alpha like you said, and he has agreed to let you keep living with us. You don’t have to move into the packhouse like most omegas, and you also don’t have to work as a servant. You would only need to go to the packhouse on weekends to help with little things and sometimes run an errand or two for the Alpha and Luna. If anyone tries to get abusive, all you need to do is let us know, okay?”

Dad said, giving me a reassuring smile. I tried smiling back at him to show that I was grateful, but I couldn’t keep the tears in.

The last thing I expected was for them to be so understanding and love me still.

Most families waste no time sending their kids to the packhouse the minute they turn out to be an omega, and here I was below the rank of an omega, and they still loved me.

Mom and Dad stand up from the seat, coming over to sit on the armrest of the sofa, and they pull me into a comforting embrace while I cry.

“You have nothing to worry about, princess. You have us, we are your family and to us, nothing has changed,” Mom reassured me, kissing my temple as I nodded against her chest, wrapping my hands around her waist.

It will be a long ride from here on, but at the very least, I know I have my family with me and that’s the only thing that matters.