Page 16 of Marked By the Alphas

“And Rose, can you keep the Omega occupied and do your best to keep an eye on her while we’re out of the house?” I added. Rose gave a nod of understanding before exiting the room.

I turned to Smith, and he swallowed, taking a swig of his water before speaking.

“The Omega. Do you really think it’s all just a coincidence? I’ve tried to perform a background search on her like you requested, but there’s no information on her, none at all. It’s almost as if she appeared from thin air. How is it possible that she just shows up right at our borders, not only bearing the mark of the moon that has been whispered about for a long time, but also as the mate for you, Rhys, and Rowan?” Smith concluded, with a seriousness that was not typical for him.

I sighed heavily, rubbing my temples with my fingers. “I wish I could say that I had an answer to even one of your questions, Smith. I’m as confused as you are about everything, but I guess we will just have to make things up as we go along,” I said. Before Smith could respond, the door was pushed open to reveal a wide-eyed Rose.

“Alpha Rowan is not in his room sir. A-and the girl is gone, too.”

My heart skipped a beat, but I remained calm.

“That’s okay. Thank you, Rose,” I dismissed her.

I knew Rowan was somewhere around the house. I would have felt his presence leaving if he had gone somewhere far away. That had to mean that he was in his favorite place: the training ground.

I had thought Elara had gone up to her room after walking away from breakfast, but if she wasn’t in her room, then it also meant she was somewhere else around the house, maybe even with Rowan.

“I’ll be right back,” I said to Smith, who only nodded as he continued to eat.

I made my way to the back door that led straight to the training field at the back of the house. As soon as I stepped out, my eyes landed on Rowan and Elara, who were sitting at the other end of the field. They looked to be in a serious conversation, and for a moment, I wondered what exactly they could be talking about.

I took a second to admire her, taking in the way the sun cast an ethereal glow on her. She had such beautiful features that it was actually a struggle to look away from her.

I watched as Rowan leaned in to say something to her and she immediately threw her head back in a laugh. It was the most beautiful and genuine laughter I had ever seen, and I felt a twisting in my guts. Seeing her laugh was a stark contrast to the wary apprehension she normally displayed around me. It wasn’t the laughter or their closeness that bothered me. It was the ease, the familiarity they shared. I longed for this kind of ease between us.

I told you,my wolf said, and I huffed, deciding to ignore him. I approached Rowan and Elara and they both raised their heads in my direction as I got close.

“Rowan,” I called once I was close enough. “Council meeting. Daniel has been wanting to give a piece of his mind for the last couple of days. You don’t want to keep him waiting,” I added, clearing my throat to ease the knot that had formed in it.

“Of course, I’ll go prepare now,” he said with a smile, pulling himself to his feet. Elara stood up as he rose and held onto his arms.

“Can I come too? Please?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, but I caught the words, nevertheless.

Rowan immediately looked in my direction, and I frowned, stalking even closer to them.

“I’m afraid not,” I replied, my tone sharper than I intended. “This is an internal matter. You will stay here with Rose. She’ll keep you company while we’re gone,” I said with an air of finality.

I watched as her lower lip trembled with helplessness, but her shining emerald eyes held defiance in them as she looked to Rowan for help. Guilt washed over me. I only meant to be assertive, not cruel, but my tone had betrayed me.

“But you’ll be discussing me, right? You’ll be talking about my mark and my fate here. Let me come with you, please. I deserve to know what you all decide,” she pressed, and I cut a sharp look to Rowan. He immediately had a look of guilt on his face.

What have you told her?I growled through our shared mind link.

She asked some questions, and I only told her enough to satisfy her curiosity,he replied, and it flared up my anger even more

You shouldn’t have done that!

My phone dinged with a text, and I pulled it out of my pocket to find a text from Rhys.

He had sent, “Kai, the meeting is set to begin. The officials are a bit impatient today. You might want to be on your way.” I sighed heavily.

“Fine, you can come, but sit quietly and do not say a single word!” I instructed, putting emphasis on each word to make sure she understood. She nodded her head rapidly.

“Thank you,” she said softly, and Rowan excused himself to go dress up.

“Come on, this way,” I said as I ushered them both away from the training field. We waited in silence for Rowan, and when he stepped out, we all piled into his Jeep and headed for the administrative office where the meeting was set to take place.

The drive to our destination was filled with an uncomfortable silence, and it felt longer than usual. Eventually, we arrived. Rhys waiting for us in the parking lot. He frowned when his eyes landed on Elara as she walked in front of us, and he immediately looked between me and Rowan in confusion. She gave him a small wave and quickly masked his worry with a smile as he returned her greeting.

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