Chapter 77: The Mate
Ramona Vye paced her room restlessly as she stared out of the window.
Her heart ached in a way she could no longer ignore. Why did he have to be like this? Why did he always find new ways to hurt her?
Three years. It had already been three long years of silence, of punishment, of being shut out.
He had cut off their communication as if she meant nothing, and she had borne it, waiting, hoping, swallowing her pride for him to return.
And now, after all that, he had to shove this in her face. An Omega.
Her breath hitched as the thought repeated itself in her mind. An Omega... what was she supposed to make of that? Was he trying to tell her that he no longer wanted her because she was not an Omega?
But Omegas were weak. How could an Omega possibly take on three mates at once.
Her nails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists, forcing herself to stand tall even though her insides were trembling.
It wasn’t her fault that Kael was not lovable. She had tried, but his presence always unsettled her.
It was as if he could look straight through her, past the mask, down to the very core of her being.
And she knew he could. Kael Stormhold was an Empath. That was what made him the strongest second-in-command. Pretending in front of him was useless-he would sense the truth of her emotions even if she said nothing at all.
Ramona shook her head and drew in a steadying breath.
Tonight, the council had proposed to announce the date of their official mating ceremony. Once the bond was sealed, things would get better. They had to, she tried to assure herself, even though the knot in her stomach refused to go away.
She tried to assure herself that everything would be alright. Since, Kael understood her feelings more than anyone else, he had always kept his distance.
He never crossed boundaries, never pressed closer than she allowed. Even when they first discovered their bond on her eighteenth birthday and formally proposed to her father for courtship, Karl had understood her discomfort and had stayed away, even when tradition had dictated it was his turn to be spend time with her.
She had thought that it would be Kael who would ultimately be a problem in sealing the bond.
But now, Zen was the problem. When Zen realized that she had been getting closer to him and to Lance, but keeping Kael at arm’s length, he had gone ballistic. His fury had been like fire, scorching, unrelenting. He had even refused to touch her.
She bit down on the panic rising in her chest. She would not break. She would not cry. What she needed was the truth. She would uncover who this Omega was and why she was with Zen. She knew Zen had many women over the years. And she didn’t blame him. After all, they were not yet mated...
But he had never favored another woman over her. Even when they had not discovered their bond, Zen had taken care of her and protected her. So, why did he ask her to leave because he wanted to get into bed with another woman?
She had to know what kind of hold this girl had over him. And there was only one person who could tell her. The one, she was waiting for right now. Her brother.
Just then, a faint rustle from outside broke her thoughts, and Ramona snapped her head up. Someone was outside. Without waiting for the person to approach closer, she pulled open the door and stepped out quickly as she raced to him.
"Damien."
The man paused mid-step and the scowl on his face eased for a moment as he watched her come towards him. Without so much as a greeting, she asked in a rush, "Tell me. Who is this Omega that is with Zen? Why did he bring her here? Is she one of those who were rescued from traffickers yesterday?
She watched Damien glance at her warily before he sighed and said," I think it is better to ask your mates about this."
Ramona frowned. "I am asking you. Tell me."
Damien shifted on his feet as his gaze flickered away, but Ramona’s eyes remained locked on him coldly. Damien wanted to refuse. But... she was their future Luna. And when she ordered that she be told, he had to tell her.
He shuffled once more, tightened his jaw and said, "She’s from the Moonville Pack."
Ramona’s brows knitted together. Moonville. She knew of the pack. It was on the border of the the Werewolf territory.
One of the few Packs that still clung to their outdated ways, treating Omegas as nothing more than weak, disposable creatures. A Pack that had never embraced the changing order, never recognized Omegas as anything of worth. They were also known for still having the old, ancient magical knowledge that others had slowly lost with changing times.
She also knew that Kael and Zen had discovered some mysterious and dangerous activity on the periphery of the Moonville Pack. Was that why they had brought the Omega from there, here?
As she continued to stare at him, Damien shuffled and said in a low voice, "She asked the Princes for protection."
"If she asked for protection, they would have sent her to the safe haven packs that were in need of Omegas. Why bring her here?" Ramona asked slowly with a furrowed brow. She was sure he was hiding something.
"And that," Damien said, clearing his throat as though eager to leave the matter behind, "is all there is. I’ll take my leave now. I need to prepare for the evening."
He started to move past her, but Ramona stepped into his path with narrowed eyes. "Wait."
He paused and looked at her stiffly.
"You’re hiding something," she accused softly. "What do you mean, she asked for protection? They could have given her safety in a dozen other ways. Why drag her here?"
Damien hesitated. His hand twitched at his side, betraying his unease. His gaze darted anywhere but at her face. Why did he have to answer this? She should go and question His Highness’. Why him?
Finally, in a voice low enough that she would hopefully not understand, he muttered, "Because she sought protection the ancient way."
Ramona froze, her pulse thundering in her ears. "The ancient way?" she repeated slowly, as if she had misheard.
Damien gave the smallest of nods, his eyes still averted. "She... she is their bonded slave."
For a long moment, the words did not register. Then, like ice water poured over her head, the meaning struck. Bonded. Slave.
Her lips parted soundlessly, rage and horror colliding in her chest. Her vision swam with red as her thoughts spiraled. Zen... her Zen... had allowed an Omega to bind herself to him and his brothers? The bond of absolute ownership, absolute submission? He’d allowed himself to mark someone before he marked his fated mate?
Ramona staggered back half a step, and shook her head in denial, "No. That isn’t possible. He wouldn’t..."
But the look on Damien’s face told her it was the truth. It wouldn’t have mattered taking a slace if they’d been bonded or even if everything had been fine between them! But this? It was almost an insult that was not acceptable to her!
Her jaw tightened, her eyes narrowing into sharp slits. She forced herself upright, straightening her spine as fury burned away her shock.
If this Omega thought she could steal what belonged to her, she was gravely mistaken.