The Traitor and her Hybrid Husband

Chapter 20~Demoted~

Gabriel

Everything has been hectic since Dove's arrival. She has settled down and has grown comfortable with everyone. If she wasn't with Raven, she was attached to Octavia’s hip. It took some time for her to approach me on her own. Now she comes to me to sit on my lap or when she wants to share her snacks. I've been learning sign language whenever I have free time and taking lessons from Raven.

Octavia wasn't avoiding me per say, she just wouldn't speak to me or look at me or acknowledge my presence. I know I messed up by not telling her the full truth, it didn’t seem relevant at the time. It was just another miscalculation. I don't know how to fix this. I can't even approach her without getting the cold shoulder. I shuffled my feet to the conference room to meet with the Elder of Green Ridge and our scouts. Octavia sat across from me. I offered her a smile and she looked away.

Abel cleared his throat, “Mija, were you able to get in touch with Hell’s Shield?”

“Yes, Alpha Nalina will be the representative from Hell's Shield and should be arriving soon.”

“Perfect, everyone, this is Elder James. He’s here as a representative for the Green Ridge pack.” Everyone murmured their greetings.

“Abuelo, she's here. I'm going to meet her at the door.” Octavia said, getting up to leave.

“Do you want me to come?” Kain asked.

She shook her head, “No, I'll be right back.”

The group broke into small groups, their chatter filling the room. I was left with Kain, who shifted awkwardly. “So... how have you been?” I felt like an idi*t as soon as the words left my mouth.

He chuckled, “I'm hanging in there.”

“And Octavia,” I cleared my throat, “Is she doing ok?” It was embarrassing to ask but I was desperate.

Kain sighed, taking pity on me. “With your permission to speak freely?” I nodded. “She's cried herself to sleep for the past four days. She hasn’t spoken to me about how she's feeling. She hasn’t talked to anyone really besides the children. She’s not eating either. I think you really hurt her.”

His words were tough to swallow. “Thank you for your honesty.”

“We're back,” Octavia announced.

Kain's head snapped at the entrance, his body stiffening. A possessive growl rumbled deep in his chest. All eyes turned to focus on Alpha Nalina, who stared intently at Kain. Octavia swung her head back and forth.

“Holy Hell!” she squealed, the first sign of joy in days. She tugged on Nalina's arm, dragging her closer to her mate. “Take my seat.” She said with a sly smile. She pushed her friend's shoulder, making her sit next to Kain. The two of them watched each other with an intensity that was making others around the table blush.

Caleb chuckled, “It looks like we have a position opening up for a new bodyguard.”

Abel clapped, “Congratulations Alpha!”

“Thank you.” Nalina murmured absentmindedly.

Octavia giggled and sat next to me. “Finally,” she said with a satisfied sigh. She placed a hand on my knee, grinning. “I was starting to worry-” She stopped mid sentence and snatched her hand away as if I was a disease-ridden rodent. My stomach clenched at her rejection. This was a living hell. I wanted things to go back.

“Let's get this started. Elder James, please begin.” Abel directed.

Elder James stood up, “Our pack has members that have gone missing. It went from one member a year to five each month. At first we had thought that they had decided to leave or that they had abandoned the pack. Shortly after, we had started to find remains throughout the forest. Now there are appearances of malicious spirits that are preying on our people.”

“How many members have gone missing in total?”

“Sixty.” Dismayed murmurs filled the room.

“Where are the spirits coming from?” Nalina asked.

A scout stood up, “We've found a rift in the forest.” He clicked the slide and brought up the photos. I clenched my teeth, the portal had tripled in size. Those fcking imb*ciles. I guess they figured that the future Alpha leaving the same day a rift was discovered was too coincidental. They most likely choose not to report it to avoid an investigation.

“Alpha Nalina, what do you recommend?”

“I've never seen a riff this large. We'd need some experienced casters to close it. We'd also need a few volunteers who are willing to go in to see if those who've gone missing are on the other side.”

Caleb inhaled, “That is a daunting request. Is there a guarantee that those who enter will return?”

“The time they spend inside might be limited. I cannot guarantee that all that enter will return unscathed, but a way back is available.”

“I don't think we should ask for any type of volunteer. We need warriors of the highest rank to enter the other realm.” I advised.

Nalina raised her eyebrows. “You talk as if you've been on the other side.” The vein on my forehead ticked.

“Because I have. Courtesy of my dear cousin.” There was a slight shift in Octavia’s demeanor, her eyes now cloudy with questions.

“Tell us what you know.”

I explained that the rift leads to the Spirit Realm and of the corrupted spirit that guards the portal.

Nalina let out a sigh, “We will need more than a few casters. This is a mage level crisis.”

The room erupted with concerned gasps. Calling in a mage was as serious as it could get. They were a special race of magic users that had the strength and power that was almost on par with the gods. They used to be extinct. Their sudden resurrection was only a few decades ago and their numbers were still sparse. The realization of my escape of the cursed land was just pure luck.

After discussing the best course of action, the meeting was adjourned. It was decided that myself and an elite group of S-Rank warriors and a mage would enter the rift and search for any survivors, then close the portal. We would have three teams consisting of a magic user and three warriors that stayed back and dispersed any remaining souls that were roaming. We only had one day to fully prepare.

Nalina stood up, Kain swiftly following suit. Octavia giggled, “I'll let the two of you be alone for a moment.” Both of them were hesitant. “Go on.” She shooed them with her hands. The couple left the room, leaving us alone.

“Octavia-” I started. She stood up, ignoring me. I grabbed her waist, pulling against me. She tried to push away but I held her close. “How long are we going to do this?” She turned away. I grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at me. “I'm sorry that I didn't tell you the truth about Isabelle.”

Her eyes were defiant but she stopped trying to escape. “I was naive and vulnerable back then. Isabelle hurt me in ways I never thought possible. She plotted with Jacob and the others. They tried to kill me and leave me in the rift. We barely made it back to the other side. I left immediately after the incident. I was so hurt by their betrayal and left in such a hurry that I forgot to reject her.”

Octavia relaxed in my arms, “Do you still love her?”

“No.”

“Did you feel anything when you saw her?” She watched me intently.

“I did feel something but it was just the bond making me react to her. I don’t want her.”

“And Atlas, does he want to be with his mate?”

“He does.” I told her honestly.

“Then how can you possibly reject her? Atlas is a part of who you are. You wouldn't betray yourself.” Her voice was quiet.

I felt like my whole life depended on my answer, but I didn’t know what to say. “I will find a way.”

“How?”

“I will, when all of this is over, ok? You understand that rejections are physically painful. Especially when it involves high ranking wolves. Rejecting her now could result in possible hospitalization. I need to be at my best for our mission.”

She raised an eyebrow, “As soon as it's over?”

“As soon as it's over.” I promised, my thumb caressing her cheek.

She closed her eyes for a second, enjoying my touch. She gently pushed me away as she came back to her senses. “I want to believe you, Gabriel. I just don't know if I can trust you. You never know what will happen when the mate bond affects you.” My arms dropped, letting her walk away.

Octavia

I sipped my tea as I watched the children run around the courtyard, waiting for Nalina and Kain to return. I've just been going through the motions trying to piece together this catastrophe. My initial anger had worn off and all I feel now is grief. It hurt knowing that Gabriel never wanted me. He never saw me as his pair because his mate was already in his heart. How could Atlas accept me when his mate is alive and well? Why would he choose me when he’s been waiting all this time for her?

Nalina walked up to me. “Why are you alone? Where's Kain?”

“Kain was called to meet with the other warriors that are going into the portal.”

I grinned, “So how does it feel to be a mated woman?”

A shy smile crept on her face. “It's not what I expected. He's not what I expected.”

“What happened?”

She shook her head. “Nothing , he just talked to me about his past and his concerns as my mate.”

Kain was always quiet when it came to his past. He never talked about his pack or his family. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“He's a demoted Alpha.”

I spit my tea out. “What?!”

“He has a faternal twin brother who wants to be the Alpha. He willingly stepped down for him and accepted an omega title. After the ceremony his brother had him banished from the pack out of fear that he would later challenge him for the title.”

“Holy Hell!”

She grunted her agreement. “He cut all ties to the pack and abandoned his family name. His parents never agreed with him completely disappearing. They wanted to marry him off to a powerful pack for political reasons and to raise their status.”

Everything was starting to make sense. Kain had an amazing education, ridiculous business skills and was a natural leader, not to mention his skills as a warrior. This also explained his secrecy. He didn't let anyone see him whenever he shifted, not wanting to risk someone finding out that he was an Alpha.

“He's worried his family will find out about us and try to manipulate him into getting back into the pack and using Wisteria's connections. He's also afraid of how my family will react and if they could accept an omega as the pack's new leader.”

“What are you going to do?”

Nalina snorted, “You know what my family's like. They’d accept him even if he was the devil himself, as long as he'd cherish me. We decided to take it slow. But honestly, he sounds like trouble.”

“Yeah, but you love finding trouble.” I teased.

She cackled, “I've had nothing but trouble since I've met you.”

I scoffed, “It was only one small fire! The pack never used that part of the forest anyway.”