Chapter 14

Chapter

Fourteen

ELLA

W hen I arrived in front of Lidya and her alpha. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't expect them both to be looking at me with solemn expressions on their faces. I didn't expect them to be silent.

I glanced around, wondering if they were waiting for other omegas to wander past. But there was only me.

"What's going on? I asked.

Adam looked hesitant.

"Lidya?" I turned to look at her.

Why weren't they saying anything now? It was bad, wasn't it? Is that why I haven't heard from Prestford Pack? Had something gone wrong or was one of them hurt? Were they being held liable for keeping me for so long in the house with them without me being registered?

"What's going on? Did something happen?" I asked. "Are they all okay?"

Lidya shook her head, waving her hands in front of herself to stop me from my mental spiral.

"It's not bad. It's ok." She turned her attention back to her alpha. "Stop worrying her and help me explain."

"It doesn't look good," Adam finally admitted, not looking down at Lidya who was trying to swat him still to give a little more details than that.

I wanted every little detail.

"What…" I didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

Adam paused, taking in my distress. "The pack is… By the looks of things Prestford Pack is starting to fall apart."

"What?" He had to be mistaken. The Prestford Pack– they were… closer than brothers. "How do you know that?"

"I was able to see Liam the other day when I went to the college under the pretense that I was there for Rylan. He looked rough. He didn't appear himself."

"Rough," I repeated. Liam who was always pressed and put-together looked rough .

Lidya placed a reassuring hand on my arm, her eyes filled with concern. "We don't know all the details yet, but something is wrong. We need to be prepared for whatever comes next."

I nodded, trying to quell the rising panic within me.

The stability of our pack was everything; without it, we were vulnerable to internal strife and external threats. And if Demetri, the alpha we all looked up to, was facing difficulties… it didn't bode well.

"What can we do?" I asked, my voice tinged with fear.

"I told you there had to be something," said Lidya.

Adam spoke up, his usually calm demeanor strained. "There isn't anything we can do now, Lidya. That's a pack business and if I pack decides on an omega or not…" He glances at me.

Lidya shook her head, shaking off Adam's hand on her shoulder as well. Her expression remained grave.

I felt like I had been just told there was a death. Worse.

"Ella, we need to be prepared, but not for the worst. There's still hope."

I looked at Adam again who was staring at his omega. "Is there?"

"The pack dynamics are shifting."

"I don't know a lot about pack dynamics but it doesn't sound good."

"It's…" Lidya took a deep breath. "Not. Not usually anyway. It seems that Demetri has been taking a step back from the pack and into the family business that he previously shied away from. Liam has been distant from the pack as well from what Rylan has seen and what we can tell, avoiding his usual responsibilities and showing signs of aggression towards other alphas."

"Even Cal?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But Liam's also teaching less as well. It's as if he's losing control. Not feral, just… I would consider it under mental breakdown territory. But I'm not a doctor or anything."

My heart clenched at the mention of Liam, the alpha who had always been a pillar of strength and guidance within our pack. The thought of him struggling sent a wave of unease through me.

"But it could just be like what you are going through. The withdrawal," said Lidya. "Right, Adam?"

"It could be." Adam met my eyes. "There are many reasons that an alpha can go rabid. Can choose to."

"What about the rest of them?" I asked. "What about Cal? What is going on with Marco?"

"Marco has been distant, too. Avoiding his usual duties and spending more time alone," Lidya added, concern evident in her voice.

I felt a knot form in my stomach at the troubling news about my pack—or maybe just the Prestford. The unity and stability we had always relied on seemed to be crumbling before me, leaving me vulnerable and uncertain about the future.

Maybe this lie I had in my head was wrong. What if they weren't coming for me? What if they forgot about me?

God, I should've never left the library. I should've never said yes to a date with Cal that day.

I swallowed, feeling a thickness in the back of my throat.

"Thank you," I said. "For checking in on them and letting me know."

"We were also able to find your friend, Rita," Lidya said. "I let her know where you are and that you are safe. She seemed relieved."

A weight on my shoulders I didn't know that I was holding relieved, at least at that. "Good."

Turning, I headed towards the residence hall behind us, keeping my steps short and quick away from them.

"Ella!" Lidya called.

"It's fine," I called back. "I just need some time. Alone."

When I got back to our room, I crawled into my bed which had slowly accumulated with blankets and a few particularly soft pillows.

I fell asleep, better than having to deal with anything else the day held, and didn't wake up for dinner or even to hear Lidya come back. I only woke up late at night, the room pitch black and my legs tangled in sheets that scraped against my delicate skin.

My stomach cramped. Sweat was already thick on the back of my neck. It felt like I had been thrown into an oven.

I was all alone.

I was always going to be all alone and when it was for real it would be even worse. Because I would rather be alone than be with the one person who was going to make certain that I was never going to be alone again.

I was going to be bound to Benjamin Davinson.

Tears started to track down my cheeks before I could stop them. "It's ok. It's ok," Lidya kept repeating. "It's just a heat flare. Right?"

She checked my face as if to confirm.

I nodded.

She sat on the edge of my bed, her hand gentle on my shoulder as if to offer comfort in my distress.

I tried to focus on her voice, anchoring myself in the present moment rather than spiraling into the unknown future that awaited me.

"It's just a heat flare, Ella. It'll pass. You're not alone, remember that," Lidya reassured me, her tone firm yet compassionate.

Just a heat flare.

Why did it feel like so much more?

I sniffled, trying to compose myself as I wiped away the tears that stained my cheeks. The fear of what lay ahead lingered in the recesses of my mind, but for now, I clung to Lidya's presence as a lifeline.

As the minutes passed and the heat flare began to subside only to bolster itself, I felt a sense of clarity washing over me.

Despite the uncertainty and turmoil within our pack, I knew that I couldn't let fear dictate my actions. I had to face whatever challenges awaited us head-on, alongside my fellow omegas and all.

"It's ok."

It didn't feel ok.

Before I could tell her not to, Lidya was climbing into my bed and holding me. "I don't know if this is alright, but I think it's the best I can do to help you. Just breathe."

I whined and though I didn't want her holding me, or at least, I thought I didn't, I leaned further into her touch, crying against where she held me in a tight hug.

"Shhh. This sucks," she said.

It really did.

"I can't believe they're doing this to you."

"They're going to give me to him," I tearfully said. I needed to say it aloud. I needed to tell the truth of it all. I was never going to be Ella the omega of Prestford Pack.

Just like I was never meant to be Ella, the beta.

I was always going to be Elena… Elena Davinson. Just like I was sold off.

Promised to be from the day me and my brother thought we had it all figured out.

How gullible we were.

"They won't. I won't let them," Lidya said with determination.

"You won't be able to stop them," I said.

At that, Lidya didn't say anything. "Yes. Yes, I can."

"Lidya." She needed to get real. I was starting to. Finally.

"If I have to beg Adam to bite you, I will."

The heat flare was subsiding, but I decided that I certainly was not hearing her right still. "What?"

"A pack can have more than one omega," she said, though she looked a little sick while saying it.

"No, Lidya."

"No. I'm going to keep you safe, Ella. I promised, didn't I?"

Not like that. I shook my head. "I'll figure this out."

"Uh huh."

"I will," I said again. I wouldn't let this hurt anyone else.

As I lay in the darkness of our room, the weight of Lidya's promise hung heavy in the air. Despite my initial reluctance, a flicker of hope sparked within me at the thought of someone willing to go to such lengths to protect me. But deep down, I knew the challenges ahead were not so easily overcome.

With a heavy heart, I realized the magnitude of the decisions that lay before me. The impending fate dictated by tradition and hierarchy loomed over me like a dark cloud, threatening to engulf any semblance of choice or autonomy I had left.

As Lidya held me close, a sense of determination began to blossom within me. I couldn't change the past or the circumstances that led me to this pivotal moment, but I could shape the future. Maybe not both of ours or even any of the other omegas here.

But I owed it to myself and to those who cared for me to stand up and fight against the injustices that plagued us and not let them spread.

I'd made hard decisions before. I could make more. If I had to.

And I did.