Page 46 of The Feisty Omega

TALIUS

I arrived at Irian’s house early in the afternoon. The driveway gates were closed, but after I pressed the buzzer several times, the intercom crackled to life. At first, the distorted voice on the other end denied me entry, but I made it clear I wouldn’t take no for an answer, and finally they told me to wait.

A couple of tense minutes later, during which I occupied myself tapping the cracked leather of the steering wheel and going over in my mind what I planned to say to Irian’s parents, the staticky voice of the beta informed me I’d been granted permission to enter.

With a reluctant groan, the gates eased apart and I passed through. Moments later I found myself waiting in the foyer as the beta strode off to announce my arrival.

This time, however, I wasn’t summoned to the office. Instead, a haughty-looking woman who I hardly recognized as Irian’s mother accompanied the beta as he returned to the foyer. Without the social veneer she wore while visiting at our pack, a baser, harder side of her nature was reflected in her face. A brief memory of the cruel way she compelled Irian in public skittered across my mind, but I brushed it away. I needed to be fully alert to deal with this woman.

She scowled.

“What are you doing here?”

“Alpha Mensen,” I inclined my head, respectfully. I could remember my manners, even if she couldn’t.

Her gaze was impatient, so I got to the point.

“I’m here to inform you that Irian has accepted my offer of union. Although of course that can’t take place until he is 22, we intend to lodge a formal statement of contract with the Council.”

Her dark eyes regarded me coolly, then the corners of her mouth twisted into a cruel smile. She looked like a self-satisfied feline, and it made my skin crawl to think we would eventually be family. She was as untrustworthy as a snake one couldn’t afford to take one’s eyes off. Fortunately, we would never be pack, since she and her husband had eschewed that lifestyle.

“Well,” she drawled, “I’m afraid you’re a little too late for that.” She made a great show of checking the old-fashioned clock on the wall, before continuing, “I personally delivered Irian to his new mate earlier this afternoon. By now, he would be formally mated.”

“What the actual fuck?” Shock stirred me of any politeness. “He’s not 22 yet, he can’t be mated.”

“We arranged special dispensation from the Council,” she informed me, eyes glittering maliciously. “You might as well go home now. It’s done.”

“How…?” but I stopped. It didn’t matterhow, she was on the Council and so was Marius’ dad… I mean, it had to be him, right? And between them, they’d have little trouble getting a few of their buddies to agree.

“Where is he? I want to see him.”

“He’s not here. And there’s nothing you can do. I think you should go home now, little alpha. You’re not welcome or needed here.”

I was stunned, almost speechless, chilled to the very core. The blood drained from my head and I felt light-headed. It was surreal. I didn’t give a fuck that she was rude to me. But my world was crumbling. If he’d been mated, it would have been against his will… my whole body trembled, revolting against that possibility. Nausea roiled in my belly. I was very close to spilling my guts right there on the Mensen’s precious carpet. I felt momentarily dizzy, panic sending my brain into a kind of static. I blinked, trying to drag myself together. Wherever he was, whatever they’d done to him, he needed me more than ever now. I needed to pull myself together and be the alpha he needed.

“I presume you mated him to Marius?”

“Of course, as was intended from the start. It’s a mutually favorable pairing. His social standing will be elevated, and I don’t think he’ll lack for anything, if you’re worried about that,” With that last comment, she looked down her nose at me, and I knew precisely what she wasn’t saying.

Without another word, I turned on my heel and stalked out of the house.

I was losing my mind, but by the time my car had exited the driveway, I had the start of a plan. If he wasn’t here – and I was fairly certain I would have been able to scent him if he was, because his fear would have been overwhelming – and he wasn’t at Alpha’s packhouse – and I knew he wasn’t, because I’d just come from there - then he must be in the Mensen’s country retreat. It was isolated enough that Irian wouldn’t be able to find anyone to help him there, unless the staff were willing. I didn’t know if they were loyal to his parents or not, but I knew who paid the wages.

I couldn’t think of anywhere else they’d try to pull off an illicit ceremony like that. Maybe the Council had authorized it, but the average shifter would be horrified if they knew.

I tried to calm my racing heart. I had several hours drive ahead of me to get to the retreat, and I didn’t know what I’d find when I got there. I couldn’t afford to have used up all my adrenaline before I arrived.

My wolf whined softly. I felt the rumble in my chest. I shivered, cold goosebumps running down my spine. Oh, my goddess, if Marius had so much as laid a hand on Irian, I didn’t think I was going to be able to stop my wolf from ripping his throat out.

I was afraid. Afraid of what I’d find, afraid of what I’d do.

Several long painful hours later, I turned off the main road onto a narrow dirt lane lined on each side with tall, dense eucalypts. It was right on the border of the state forest and very deserted. I drove more cautiously now, certain I didn’t want to be discovered before I knew what the situation was. The road curved ahead and through the trees I caught glimpses of a large, three-story house. The building was old but had clearly been restored. Narrow windows looked out over the grounds, the late afternoon sunlight catching the glass and glinting ominously though the trees, like eyes watching. I shuddered.

I pulled over, parking the car deep into a small clearing at the roadside, where the tall gums weren’t crowding the track so closely. A stack of timber piled high with the sawn branches of a fallen giant, would serve to hide the car from casual glances, though if someone looked from the wrong direction, they’d see it. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be there long enough for that to become a problem.

Getting out of the car, I closed the door as quietly as I could. Keeping alert for any sign of life, I hurried towards the trees lining the road and I paused amongst the dappled trunks, observing. I tried to calm the racing of my heart by taking some deep steady breaths. My body was urging me to hurry, but I needed to be cautious.

The lights on the second and third floors were already lit. Though the day was yet to end, the gloom was beginning to assemble. It was winter and soon darkness would fully capture the day. A wide swathe of perfect green lawn stretched from the boundary, up to the house, and some sort of path or driveway wound around from the right, terminating at a door more or less in line with me. The dark stain of the wood concealed details at this distance, but I guessed it was the front door.

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