19. Mila

Chapter nineteen

Mila

A fter the movie with Oliver, I made a start on cleaning the house.

The upstairs is in desperate need of a vacuum, and it's as I said; I am going to make myself useful.

I never go into any of the guy's bedrooms. I only hoover the landing and the stairs.

Somehow, it feels wrong to intrude on their spaces.

I'm not entirely sure how much the guys would appreciate me touching their things, but the thought of getting my Beta scent all over their stuff just feels criminal.

After all, I am still an outsider. So long as I am under Governor Frederick's command, I am a threat to this pack and its happiness, and I have to remember my place.

I'm too distracted in my morose thoughts before I realize where I am.

It looks like I have ended up at the end of the hall.

The hall curves at a bend, leading to the one room in the house that I know for a fact I am definitely not allowed inside.

Oliver's nest.

I stare at the door. It has been left slightly ajar, where I get a slight glimpse of a forest green room.

My feet move before I can stop them, drawn to the room beyond that door.

I have never seen an Omega's nest before… I don't know what I expect to find. A room of riches and comfort? The one thing I do expect…

Oliver's warm, addictive scent.

I bet his scent is buried deep in those blankets—blankets that are made of silk, velvet, and cashmere…

My mouth salivates.

I won't just find Oliver's scent. I will pick up on Lachlan's sweet woodland grass too, and Barret's cool, fresh running water.

And don't forget Gryphon's campfire and marshmallows.

I want to be buried deep in those blankets.

I want to be buried deep in the pack.

"What do you think you are doing?"

My heart leaps to my throat, and I whirl around, coming face to face with those angry burgundy eyes.

Once again, they gleam bright red from the light that creeps in from the window, and I back away from the door, regretting my choice.

"I… I was…"

Gryphon steps forward, peering briefly into the nest.

Oliver is not there. He is spending the afternoon with Barret and Lachlan in his bedroom.

Which was why I decided to vacuum. I needed a distraction. Anything that would take my mind off the two Alphas and the Omega.

With a huff, Gryphon slams the door, and now Oliver's nest vanishes from my eyes forever. Then he spins, pinning me with a vicious stare, his nostrils flaring.

I make sure to look away from his eyes.

"You do not enter the nest by any means, Beta. You are not welcome in there."

My heart caves in my chest, and then my eyes sting.

Ever since I arrived here, I have been extra weepy. Extra hormonal, but I brush it aside.

Maybe my next period is due.

Not that it ever affected me in the first place.

Even during my time of the month, I perform at my best.

Nothing ever gets in my way.

Except maybe this… whatever this is that I am feeling.

I have no idea what is going on lately with me, but I have never felt so lost.

One thing I do know; I hate it here, and I miss my dad.

But some deep intrinsic part of me also wants to make this home mine, too.

Foolish. But there's just something about this pack. Especially their Omega.

I have a connection with them all. Even the grumpy one…

Finally, Gryphon points up the hall, and his blazing eyes never leave me. "Leave."

Before I depart, I meet his eyes.

I don't care if I forget my place, going against everything that my instructors taught me at the academy.

Gryphon is a bastard, and I want him to know that.

Where I expect him to growl and snap his teeth, he only stares, bewildered. I think he even swallows, but I don't stay around long enough to find out what he has to say about my insolence.

I run, run far away from that Asshole Alpha.

I can always count on Gryphon to make me remember my place in the pack.

I am not welcome, and I am merely a threat.

Forget vacuuming the stairs. What would be the point?

Nothing I ever do would be good enough, anyway.

I run past Oliver on my way down the stairs.

He flattens his back to the wall, concern written all over his perfect face. "Mila, what's—?"

I don't stop. I can't even bear to meet his eyes. I am too ashamed.

I almost trespassed on his territory, his nest. I bet he will hate me forever now.

I almost got my Beta stink all over his silk-green sheets. All because I had been a foolish, curious girl.

Finally, I find my room at the end of the house. My room is downstairs and away from the pack.

God forbid I should sleep anywhere near them.

The door slams behind me as I shut myself inside, and then I lean my back against the wall, falling down to the ground as I cry like a pathetic princess in a story.

As if I would ever be the princess…

I'm a Beta, and I am expected to be strong and tough.

I am trained to be a fighter, a protector.

Only Omegas get to be the princesses of their stories. While I am the background character. The forgotten one.

All I want is my dad. I want him to tell me that everything will be fine and that he will always be there for me.

But I can't leave. Because he would only suffer.

I could never be that selfish. I will just have to accept that I will never belong anywhere. I will just be passed from pack to pack, the unwanted Beta.

A threat to any pack's happiness.

That's the most I can hope for in this life.