The Rejected Omega’s Destiny

3. Midnight walk

(Hours later)

*MORRIGHAN’S POV*

“Do yours?” Nora asks calmly as she steps onto the porch, two drinks in hand, eyeing the man with a raised brow.

Darius stiffens, and his smile drops as he realises he did not find the right corner to back me into. But that did not make him less of a d**k. Darius was something like Alarick’s shadow. It was a little hard to know where his personality began and where it ended, because he had copied everything he could have from Alarick. Even the corner of his lips twitched when he was displeased.

“Didn’t know you’re allowed to take her out for walks. Is it regular? Like every morning? Does she pee by the tree there?” He asks with a serious look on his face, pointing with his head to the edge of the forest that met with the pack grounds.

The hair on the back of my neck stands and a cold wind blows by, ruffling my hair and covering my face. At my side, I could feel Nora’s anger bubble, sizzling away her manners and self control.

“Not worth it.” I whisper as I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear and eye Darius with slight disinterest, but plenty of caution. The pack was not short of bullies, and if you anger one, they all lurch out at you.

But Nora doesn’t care. She doesn’t care that I refuse to fuel their fire. She wants to dump gasoline on it and watch it burn. She pushes the two soda cans in my hands and steps closer to the steps of the porch, leaning against the supporting pillar while her arms cross on her chest.

The two have a little back and forth argument which I don't really grasp because I zone out almost completely, trying to focus on the only thing I knew that was certain in my life right now: tomorrow I was turning 18, and that opened a whole new world of possibilities for me.

“Mock all you want. But you know the day when you’ll answer directly to me will come. And we shall see -” Darius hisses with spite, as he had closed the distance between them a lot, inches away from her.

“Ok. You’re boring me now.” Nora interrupts him with a wave of her hand, and Darius gawks at her in pure disbelief.

Nora pats his scarred cheek and turns on her heels, coming to sit next to me, while from afar Darius’ name is being called. The man hesitates a few more moments, before he walks away without another word and silence falls around us. It was a brief silence, because as soon as Darius’ back was turned to us, Nora started laughing, and I offered her a content smile.

***

The day rushes by like every other day when you’re busy, and before you know it, night rolls around. The pack had settled. Everyone in their nests and even the pack house seemed unnecessarily quiet tonight.

There had been no discussions, no ugly comments, nothing. Just a simple dinner which went smoothly since everyone decided to ignore me as if I were nothing but a ghost shuffling around the kitchen while they ate.

I did not complain. It might have been the best dinner this whole house had in ages. I was happy, I was content, because tomorrow, my life was going to change! I could feel it! Even the latest bloomer would finally meet their wolf at the age of eighteen. I was certain I was going to meet mine as well! Tomorrow! And my mate… he’d come along as well! And even if he shied from doing so, I was going to be 18! And I could finally leave this hellhole behind.

Sleep doesn’t come easy tonight. After a while of tossing and turning, I decide to slide out of my pajamas, grab some cozy clothes and slip out of my room, so I could walk out and enjoy some stargazing as I count down the minutes left until midnight.

Darkness had swallowed everything around, but the moon and the stars were brighter than ever. The ground was cold, and the breeze was unforgiving. Early autumn was never merciful after the sun went to sleep. Not here at least.

With my hoodie over my head and my hands dipped into my pockets, I lose track of my time as I gawk over the sky, laid into the thick grass that was slowly wilting.

I can picture it. My life. My perfect life. My mate by my side… my flaws never pointed out, not a bother anymore, not something he’d easily discard…

A low shuffle pulls me back to reality and as I sit up and turn my head in the direction the sound is coming, my heart drops into the depths of my stomach, and my happy thoughts melt away instantly.

A tall figure approached in a rush. Green eyes shone brightly in the moonlight, and I wished I could hide in the grass.

I was aware I was not allowed out of the pack house so late, but I hoped everyone was asleep and no one was going to notice I slipped away.

Something ancient… dormant… stirs within me as my eyes lock with Alarick’s. He stops a couple of feet away from me, and I can’t bring myself to tear my eyes off of him. His breathing is uneven, his nostrils are flared, and his eyes scan the surroundings with unease.

“Who’s here with you?” He growls in a tune I have never heard before, his chest rising and falling rapidly with unspoken unease.

My lips part, but no sound is coming out as I close and open my mouth repeatedly. I couldn’t bring myself to articulate any words. He looked on the edge of sanity, and I knew that whatever I’d say would tip him over.

“Morrighan-“ he rasped, his eyes falling on me again, his jaw stiffening a little more and his fingers flexing at his side. “Who else is here with you?” He repeats the questions slower, accentuating each word, and I feel overwhelmed completely, tears welling in my eyes and a broken sob escaping me.

*ALARICK'S POV*

The early autumn wind feels lightly sweeter tonight. It wheezes through the slightly open window and the room much like smoke does. The sweetness is heavier than air and at first, I barely notice it as it starts filling the room. Half asleep, I make a mental note to stop sleeping with my windows open, as it seemed the breeze made it a little harder to fall asleep, and that rarely happened to me.

Fenris, my wolf, stirs, half asleep by now as well, but much more alert than I could ever be at this hour. And right when I think I am about to slip into a light slumber, the beast jumps wide awake and starts growing agitated. The room was flooded with an almost suffocating scent. Decadent, sweet and flowery, and I could feel every fiber of my being tense and relaxed at the same time, as it tried to grasp whether this was a dream or reality.

‘She’s here!’ Fenris howls with an urgency I don’t quite understand. ‘She’s near! I can smell her!’ He insists, and before I can process it, I can feel myself being pushed aside, while he forces my body to get out of bed and start walking.

He has taken control of my body, and before I fully wake up, I am already standing on the front porch of the house. He surrenders control as soon as my senses fill with the decadent scent that the breeze is carrying, and I finally piece together what is happening.

My mate.

My heart flutters, and I grow sick while Fenris seems to have no grasp of what wisgoing to happen, his excitement growing unbothered by the fact we were going to commit a grave sin.

Despite the heaviness in my heart, my body feels light as I start following the maddening scent. The moon, though yet not full, was bright and big enough to feel that I could reach for it and beg for Her to hide me from this fate. Lit the way as if it tried to guide my steps towards the one She had picked for me.

"Forgive me, Goddess…" I hum again and again, trying to make up with humbleness for Fenris’ pure excitement.

My steps carry me towards the hill, and I am striding through the tall grass, dreading each one of them that carries me further. I could feel beads of sweat gathering on my forehead and on my back, soaking the shirt I was wearing, making the breeze feel colder than it was.

As I make it to the top, the scent whips me mercilessly, maddening my senses, and clouding any judgment I could possibly have right now. Not too far away, in the grass, I can see someone. A dainty figure, really, and my heart breaks all over again.

She sits on her knees, and as the breeze picks up and the hood falls back, I grow nauseous, angry and disappointed altogether. It seemed she was all alone, and despite knowing this, I did not want to admit it. I did not want to admit that right in front of me, my mate stood, with teary eyes and hair whipping around her face.

‘Mate! She’s here! We found her! She’s ours!’ Fenris howls with determination, but I have no will to move and submit to my instincts.

It couldn’t be really! This must be nothing but a cruel joke!