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I blink, trying to process the sheer amount of information that’s being given here. If this is true, and Penelope has been lying to use this whole time…
“Is he right?” I ask her. “Pen. Have you been lying to us?”
She looks up at me, and her eyes are full of tears. Something about the look on her face makes my heart sink right down to the floor.
“It’s not—I…” She swallows hard. “I didn’t mean…” No more words come out of her mouth, and she shakes her head, biting back a sob.
Before we can say anything else, she pushes her way through the crowd and slips out the door, the bell over it jingling cheerfully as she disappears.
Chapter 43
Penelope
I leave the bakery behind and start running.
I don’t know where I’m going, but all I know is I have to get away. I can’t stay here for another second, listening to Isaac talk and watching Dominic, Xavier, and Tristan digest what they’re being told.
Tears blur my vision, the memories of the past washing over me as my feet beat the concrete sidewalk. There’s so much guilt. So much pain. I know I should have told my men, my pack, the truth before now, but I just never found the right time. And now everything is probably ruined because I was a coward.
A sob works its way out of my chest, and I cover my mouth as I run blindly, not paying attention to anything other than the frantic need to put distance between myself and everything that just happened.
I end up in a park that’s quiet for a weekend afternoon. There are some kids playing in the distance, and I stumble forward until I find a bench beneath the trees. I practically collapse onto it, putting my head in my hands.
It’s just like my dreams. All those voices, calling me horrible names, telling me I’m worthless, chasing me and not giving me a moment’s rest. I can’t shake it, and I was stupid to think I evercould. I’m trapped in the memories and the dreams, the two of them overlapping until my head is full of it.
I sob brokenly into my hands, trying to deal with the swell of emotions that threatens to drown me.
I don’t know how much time passes while I cry. No one approaches me, which is good, and I just want to go somewhere and curl up in a ball and hide. But there’s nowhere to go. I don’t even know if I’m going to have a home after this, considering what my men just learned.
A familiar scent tickles my nose all of a sudden, and my head snaps up, heart lurching.
All three of my Alphas are striding toward me with purpose. My stomach twists, and I don’t know if it’s anticipation or fear, but either way, it’s probably not going to be good.
They’re going to hate me. There’s no way they won’t. I’ve been lying to them this whole time. Indulging in my feelings for them and theirs for me, all the while knowing that I was keeping a massive secret from them. How could they not hate me for that?
How could they ever forgive me? They should be furious, and once they’re done with me, I’ll be alone again. With nothing. But maybe that’s what I deserve. Maybe all those things that Isaac, Mitch, and Vincent used to say about me have always been true.
They’re right about one thing at least. I am a liar.
I look up helplessly as the three of them approach me, and I don’t know what to say. They just look at me, like they’re waiting for me to speak, but my voice is stuck in my throat, and a fresh wave of tears wells in my eyes.
Dominic breaks the standoff, bold as always. His arms are folded, and he looks more closed off than I’ve seen him in a long time. “What’s going on, little bird?” he finally asks.
I swallow hard. There’s no more room for evasion, not anymore. I owe them the truth, even if they never forgive me for it.
“Penelope, please,” Xavier says, and I nod, clearing my throat.
“They… it’s true. What they said. I did present as an Omega years ago. My father took off when I was young, and I never had any idea where he went. My mom… she didn’t care what happened to me. She never supported me or anything. So I was basically alone when I presented. I went to the ORD and did the presentation and I agreed to be courted by Isaac and his pack.”
“What happened then?” Dominic asks.
I let out a shaky breath. “They were very charming and convincing at first. They gave me gifts and told me all the right things. It was like they knew exactly what to say to a new Omega who didn’t have any family, basically. For a little bit, I was happy with them. And then everything took a turn for the worse. The gifts stopped, the kind words stopped. They became cruel and controlling, making it pretty clear that they only wanted an Omega because they wanted someone who would serve them. Someone they could dominate, who didn’t have a choice but to obey. They took every opportunity they had to belittle me and remind me that I had nothing without them, and when I talked about getting away from them, they would just laugh and remind me I didn’t have anywhere else to go. And they weren’t wrong. I didn’t have anyone I could reach out to, and they made sure I couldn’t talk to the ORD for help or anything. So when finally saw an opportunity to get away from them, I took it.”
My chest hurts, dragging this all up. I’ve tried so hard to distance myself from this story, from these memories, and there’s a bitterness lodged in my heart that I don’t think will ever go away.
But the three Alphas are listening, even though I can’t tell what they’re thinking in the moment.
So I keep going, determined to finish the story before they tell me they’re done with me. “I ran away. I changed my name, changed my appearance. Whatever it took to be different enough that maybe they wouldn’t find me.” I glance at Xavier. “That day we bumped into each other? That was the first day I arrived in this city. I was overwhelmed and scared, and you being nice to me, that small connection I felt, that gave me the courage to try to find a place here.”