Ever's POV
Reluctantly, I stood up. The others helped her get dressed while I headed towards the door anxiously.
I bit my lower lip, not knowing how to act as I got closer to the door.
My heart raced frantically against my chest as I pulled the handle, revealing him standing there.
A mix of emotions swept through me. I wanted to scream at him, hug him, kick him all at the same time, but I forced myself into composure.
His eyes rested on mine for a while. They held a mix of emotions too. Only that I couldn't properly name them. Without a word, he slid a note into my hand.
"Hagan?" Rhaeya called out from behind and interrupted whatever was going on between us.
His cold demeanor returned. He breezed past me like I wasn't even there to begin with. I squeezed the paper into the fold of my palms.
Kia extended a questioning gaze to me, and I reassured her with a subtle nod that everything was okay. Only that it wasn't. I was barely hiding my unease as she approached him in her bathrobe. My lips pursed into a thin line when she held his hands.
"Okay, girls, we'll continue this later," she dismissed us.
I left with the rest, trying to settle how uneasy I felt seeing them this close together. In Rhaeya's chambers at that. I felt Hagan's gaze on me as I left before he turned to talk to Rhaeya.
"Missing me already?" Her words to him met my ears as I left, and my eyes shut tightly, wishing I didn't hear it. His footsteps followed behind me, and I turned to look, but her chamber doors shut tight in my face. My stomach dropped.
"Ooo, I've never seen Alpha this way before," Mila remarked to the other omegas. "Why'd you think he shut the doors?" she let out, and they giggled amongst themselves.
I lowered my gaze as the volume of their giggles increased in my head. I wished I could take what they'd said as what it was, mere words. But for some reason, their words affected me strangely.
"Sorry you have to go through this..." Kia's voice let out from behind me. My gaze met hers as I tried to mask my unease.
"We should get going to the stables. It's almost light out," I brushed off, holding the note Hagan had given to me tightly.
"Yeah, we should," Kia agreed.
I paused on our way there to read what was on the note.
Let's meet at the lake tonight. I read in disgust. I miss you.
Happy tears filled my eyes to the brim.
"That fool," I wiped them off before Kia would notice them. "He has a lot of explaining to do," I told myself as I slid the note into my worn-out shoes.
Kia and I took our midday rations and headed to the stables after eating.
"Is blindness a common trait with you omegas?" a highborn she wolf let out, frustrated at the young omega kneeling at her feet. "So it's not enough that your kind is already loafing off our pack. Still, you have the audacity to go around, ruining other people's day with your rotten luck,"she yelled, attracting attention from other passers-by.
I clenched my fists furiously as memories of when I used to be treated like this during my time at the orphanage home came flooding back. I was too weak to stand up for myself back then, but I wouldn't let someone else go through the same while I just stood and watched.
I attempted to confront the highborn, but Kia held me back, shaking her head in disagreement.
"Not now, Ever," she told me. "You'll get both us and that poor girl in trouble."
"She's already in as much trouble as she can be. And if no one does anything, it'll get worse for her," I replied, and Kia dropped my arms in surrender.
"Where's your Matron?" The highborn kicked the girl who was still on the floor. "Answer me."She raised her hands to hit her when I caught it midair.
Gasps and murmurs flew around us following what I had done.
My anger had now hit its brim. Physically, it was clear I stood no chance. Her wolf was strong,even as puny as its host was, but I wasn't going to turn a blind eye either.
She turned to me, her anger now charged at me. I let go of her hand and hurriedly helped the shaky girl to her feet. She certainly reminded me of young me, bones very visible and her scrawny little figure.
The only difference was she didn't have as many scars as I did, each set I got every time I got into trouble with the Matrons. And I always did. Her scared expression as I helped her up remained.
"Go," I told the girl as she looked between me and the fuming Highborn. "Go on," I urged her.
"Did I say she could leave?" The lady puffed. I gave her a little boost forward, my eyes fixated on the Lady. She hesitated before picking up her pouch on the floor and running.
Just as she left, the lady crossed the distance between myself and her and choked me tightly. I winced in pain, struggling to get out of her grasp. "Seems you like to play the hero, don't you?"She tightened her grip as I began grasping for air pathetically. Her claws shot out as her eyes turned a deep amber.
"Just as I expected," she said, shoving me to the floor. "All talk, no action." I let out a choked cough, trying to steady my breathing. It felt like she had squeezed all the air out of me. I could still feel the fresh impact her claw had left on my neck.
My eyes searched frantically for Kia, but she was nowhere to be found. Well, she had warned me. But as usual, I didn't listen. So the consequences were definitely mine to bear.
She crossed the distance between us once again, holding me up by my neck. She choked the life out of me as I struggled for air. People nearby just stood by and watched without intervening.
This was it. The life of an Omega. You could be choked out, raped, stoned to death for all the world cared. It was all the same to them, our deaths meant a great favour to the Pack.
"Leave her," Rhaeya's voice rang out from the courtyard as people turned to where her voice was coming from, including the female who had me in a choke hold.
"That's the Luna." Whispers and murmurs began. "She's really here?" More followed.
"I said...leave her," Rhaeya repeated, now losing the calm her first order had. That was the first time I'd seen her that serious.
Right beside her was a panting Kia. Did Kia go to call her? What? Why? Why her of all people?
I felt the grip on my neck drop as I fell to the floor, trying to find my breath.
Kia ran to help me up.
"But Luna, you can't possibly be protecting her. She's an Omega. She...she insulted me.
Everyone here saw it," she tried explaining.
"I'm sorry for the trouble she must have caused you. She's my servant. I'll decide how she should be punished," Rhaeya apologized, and I became furious.
"I didn't do anything. You were assaulting that poor girl. What exactly did she do to deserve that? Just because she's Omega? You prey on weaker people to feel better about yourself. Your kind sickens me." The words slipped out faster than I could think twice.
Rhaeya facepalmed hard.
"What did you just say to me?" The lady furiously approached again, and this time Kia stepped in front of me.
"I apologize for how she's behaved. She's been very stressed lately. I promise I'll keep her in check," she said and pulled me away.
"You better do," she shot, and after bombarding me with glares, she finally left. Rhaeya dismissed the crowd as well and everyone disappeared.
Kia helped me up and out of the courtyard to Rhaeya's presence.
"Thanks for intervening, Luna," she thanked Rhaeya and gestured to me to do the same.
"I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Luna," I reluctantly let out.
"You didn't. I don't need the full story to know she definitely started it." Her response surprised me. "Hope you weren't seriously hurt?"
"Um, no, I'm fine, thanks. Just a few scratches," I explained.
"Glad to hear that." She beamed me a smile. "Although I still have to keep my word. You'll have to serve punishment for a commotion in the courtyard." She let out, and I almost scoffed. I called it. She was no different. I just didn't expect I'd confirm it this early. Kia and I exchanged glances.
"I'll accept any punishment you give...Luna," I forced out.
"Well then," she let out. "You'll be part of those touring me around the Pack house." She smiled.
"You...and your friend." She beamed at Kia, who was also lost for words at her offer of punishment.
"It would be my honor, Luna," Kia replied, bowing. Rhaeya looked to me for my response. I tried hard to find one but couldn't. All I could think of was how she'd once again made me feel like the bad person here. Because how could I bring myself to hate her when she kept giving me reasons not to.
"She'll be happy to, Luna," Kia nervously replied on my account.
"Great...I'll see you girls tomorrow then." She smiled and left.
I turned to glare at Kia.
"What? She was the best option I could think of."
"I know, it's just..."
"Yeah, I understand." Kia placed a hand on my shoulder. "Well, let's get going, those horses won't feed themselves, we'll get to talk freely there," she tried to lighten my mood. I forced up as mile and we headed there.
Fortunately, we got to the stables just in time. And finished up before midnight.
"And that's the last horse," Kia pushed a dark stallion into his stable.
"Kia?" I asked her.
"Hmmm?" She turned to me.
"Do you like Rhaeya?" I asked her. That was too stupid a question, even I myself knew. What was there not to like about her?
"Well, if she's going to be the reason my best friend gets sad... I don't," she let out, and I smiled.
"Do you think the Alpha really likes her?" I asked. Why was I even asking her these questions?
Kia wasn't Hagan. How was she supposed to know?
"I don't know that...but knowing you, I do know he does have a lot of questions to answer," she let out, and we shared a laugh. "Why not talk to him and find out for yourself?" she urged.
"I will," I reassured her. "And thank you," I beamed at her.
"Of course, what would you do without me? Every pen needs paper. You're my pen, messy and unfiltered. And I'm your paper," she let out, and we both laughed.
"What an awkward way to describe us. But yeah, sounds promising." I let out, and we shared another laugh.
"So should we get going, it's pretty late?" She asked, preparing to leave.
"You, go on without me, I have someone to meet." A blush crept up my cheeks.
"Ooh, we're back to the late-night meetings, are we?" She teased.
"No, it's not like that, just something I need to clear up." I tried to hide how red my cheeks were.
"Well, I'll be in our room when you get back," she told me before retiring back to the pack house.
"And I'll be reading, anticipating all the juice." She flexed her brows.
"Eww, Kia. No. What the. There definitely will be no juice. God, you're disgusting." I locked up the stable doors.
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. How'd you know what I meant by juice if you weren't already thinking it?" she said, mimicking smooching sounds.
"Kiaaa!" I chased her off and she ran away laughing.
"Whatever you do, Ever," she yelled out in the distance. "Remember, Pups are pretty expensive to manage," she yelled as she took another look back, smiling. I shook my head at her as my cheeks turned red. She would never change.
With one big exhale, I made for the Lake. It had been one of our secret meeting places for all the time we'd been together. And the only place besides his chambers where we got to actually talk.
I made for it, my heart beating rapidly against my chest. The moonlight was bright enough to see where I was going but not enough to see clearly. Or maybe it was my anxiety that made vision hard.
When I got there, my eyes caught sight of a familiar silhouette on the close side of the lake as the rhythm in my chest got louder.
"Hagan?" I whispered. The figure took slow strides to where I was. I slowly shut my eyes as a familiar sandalwood scent hit me. Large arms wrapped me warmly from behind.
"I've missed you, Ever."
