Page 26

Melanie

T he overpowering scent of hyacinths brushed over us. Without the smorgasbord of other scents closing around me like when I first met her, she drowned me. It was only the sweet amaretto by my side that stopped me from gagging.

Arms folded, a sneer on her lips, Caspian’s mum loomed over us in six-inch stilettos, her painted eyebrows arched high.

“Remind me who you are again? I rarely bother to learn the names of people I’ll only meet once.”

Before I could even reply, Kai pressed closer, a whisper of almonds fluttering around my nose. Leaning into him was simply instinct. He looked up at her with a wicked grin, and her lips thinned into a tight line.

“Come on, Zania. Keep up. We’ve already introduced you to our new omega. Or are you getting forgetful with your old age?”

She exhaled slowly, as if she was showing a huge amount of restraint. “I didn’t ask the opinion of some freak of nature.”

The world suddenly narrowed as shock ricocheted through my body. I gasped at the sheer contempt she threw at Kai as he stiffened.

I instantly stepped in front of Kai. I was used to pokes and insults, but I couldn’t stand anyone doing it to him. I knew how much stigma Kai had to carry just because he was a male omega, and I’d heard about what male omegas had to endure. I couldn’t have helped him then, but I was standing by him now, and my stupid omega instincts didn’t care how harshly he’d treated me the last time we were together. We shared a bite, and even if it faded soon, as long as we had our deal, I was his mate.

Now that we were alone, Zania could push her aura at us as much as she wanted. Even though I wanted to puke, it was like she was the one who was sick.

If she was really Caspian’s mum, it might explain what I’d seen of him so far. If I couldn’t handle a minute of her, what had he been going through his whole life?

“Now. Answer me properly this time,” she tutted, looking down at me. “Where did you come from? Where did you meet my son? And why do you think you have any right to be here?”

“They’re the ones who invited me.”

“Very cute,” she replied. “But you’re clearly reaching above your station. I don’t know why they even bothered when it’s so obvious how unqualified you are.”

Eyes wide, I realised she was completely serious. She actually spoke that way to people and thought she wouldn’t get called out for it.

“Why would I care about how qualified I am when they’ve chosen me?” I asked.

“I’m telling you both now to give up this charade. Sin and Caspian have bigger things to worry about than a low-class omega and a male whore.”

Kai jerked as the colour seeped from his face. Pain stabbed me, echoing from him through our bond. A shudder flew through my body, my heart aching at his pure emotion that fed to me. I couldn't feel him since the rejection, so the pain he felt must be staggering.

Zania sighed as if we were merely a frustration.

It was like she had flicked a switch inside me. As soon as those words dropped from her lips, the quiet storm that always rolled under my surface burst through.

If my breathing hadn’t changed, if my senses hadn’t expanded with my aura, I wouldn’t have picked up the slightest whine from Kai that nearly broke my heart.

“That’s so interesting,” I said quietly, trying to stop my knees from shaking as I straightened my back. “Because I was taught that a host should be gracious above anything else.”

“Excuse me?” she asked, arching a brow with a haughty smile.

“This is your party, isn’t it? You put in so much time and effort to arrange all of this. And a host should be overjoyed to receive their guests.”

In the Knottinghill Spa staff rooms, there were posters on the walls that listed the expected behaviour of the hosts and how they should treat the guests who bought them. I always thought they were preachy and extreme, considering what kind of service the hosts offered.

But now I was glad I’d read them when I was bored waiting for guests to leave their rooms so I could clean them.

“What nonsense is this? Do you seriously have the audacity to tell me how to manage my own parties?”

“I’m just curious,” I said, amazed at how I could speak through my nerves. “If you treat all your guests like this, I’m really surprised you have any at all.”

My ass was clenching so hard I thought it was going to go numb. Thank God Kai had sent me a dress that fell to the floor so that they couldn’t see how much I trembled. Terrified didn’t sum it up, but I had no reason to fear her just because she spat venom at us. But the problem was that the venom had seeped into my blood and I was already infected.

But hearing Kai snort gave me more confidence.

I copied her, sighing heavily. “It really is a shame because I was looking forward to meeting my pack’s family. But even after five minutes, it’s clear that you don’t understand what it means to take care of your guests.”

It was strange how challenging her was less nerve-wracking than asking Caspian to fuck me.

She went quiet, and I really felt like I’d won.

Until her bony fingers shot forward, clasping my arm and yanking me from Kai’s grasp.

“Hey!” I cried out as she dragged me backwards, and I lost my balance. She flipped me around so fast I didn’t have time to react. I shouted as she suddenly grabbed my hair and yanked me so my back slammed into her chest.

“Kai!” I yelled, reaching for him, my skull suddenly burning as she tugged my hair up and away from my neck.

Panic tore through me as Kai simply lifted his fan to cover his mouth, his eyes sharp as he observed us.

“What are you doing!?” I yelled, looking around for help. Everyone was too far away. Even when I called out, it was like they were blind or we were invisible. They wouldn’t come running no matter how much I cried.

Zania made a noise of triumph as her palm landed on my neck and she pinched me hard enough to send bolts of pain shooting across my shoulders and into my skull.

“Stop it! Get off me!” I swiped my hand behind me, but the grip on my hair was so strong that the more I struggled, the tighter it grew. I couldn’t get away.

“Kai, help me!” I shouted as her pointed nails scratched at my neck.

“Oh, don’t bother asking him,” she scoffed. “He’s so placid, I doubt he can even speak. That’s what he gets for being born a freak. It’s a miracle he even survived when he presented with a body like that.”

I hissed out at how deeply her words cut through me. How could she talk about Kai that way? I didn’t care that she was hurting me. I looked for Kai amongst the chaos of my hair over my face, and all I saw there was indifference. Like he was watching an uninteresting play.

But I could feel him too. The whispers of pain and regret fluttering through me weren’t mine. And I didn’t miss the way his hand tightened around the base of his fan, my bite mark showing clear against the black wood.

“Not a single bite,” Zania scoffed again. “How can you even call yourself my son’s mate if he hadn’t buried his teeth in your neck? What’s the matter with you?”

I gasped as her hand plummeted, and she snapped my head back, exposing my throat.

“We’re saving ourselves for the Selection Ceremony!” I choked out.

“How romantic,” she said with so much scorn I felt it deep in my body.

I wanted Kai to move. I needed someone to do something. I was too weak to protect myself.

But he just stood there, staring. His body stiff, his arms trembling. I had to believe the empty look in his eyes was fake just so I could make sense of what was happening.

Her nose pressed against the back of my neck, and disgust swelled as she inhaled.

“You reek of Sin.” She sneered before she flung me away. I toppled on the heels Kai chose for me, crying out as I fell into his arms. He caught me, spinning us so that I clung to his side, my heart thundering and aching at the same time.

“Always so judgmental, Zania,” he tutted, none of the anger he happily laid on me all the time in his voice.

My mind raced as I caught my breath, but it was like all of me had stopped working. Something was going on with those omega senses inside me, but I couldn’t understand what they were screaming. I just had a need, but I didn’t know if I was angry or hurt or horny. Or just overstimulated from being buried in Kai’s arms.

Zania folded her arms. “No bites, not a single trace of my son’s scent on her. You say this is your mate, but don’t make me laugh.”

“If I ever make you laugh, it will be an accomplishment,” he replied with a hitch to the corner of his lips.

I didn’t know if it was an accident, but he began stroking my arm with the hand that gripped his fan.

His scent grew thicker, his aura stronger, and he held me close.

How could she speak to another person so viciously?

Zania’s gaze snapped to Kai, and he suddenly went quiet.

“If I hear another word from either of you tonight, then the deal with my son is off.” Her sharp nails tapped against her forearm as she glared at me. “I am being lenient by allowing you to remain here tonight, Ms Sanderson, but I will not take any disobedience.”

Kai sucked in a quick breath through his nose. Zania’s face spread into a horrible smirk as he didn’t reply. It felt wrong for him to be so quiet.

“Yes, I thought so. So don’t talk back to me again. You know what’s at risk. I’m not Camille’s mother, and it would be far easier if you chose an omega from the list now, rather than us having to wait until the Selection Ceremony.”

Kai hummed, hugging me from the side. “We’ve chosen our omega,” Kai replied.

“Don’t lie to me either. I won’t tolerate it.”

I needed to ask what they were talking about, but I was sure it would only lead to more abuse from her.

“And I must tell Sin to get that thing under control,” she said to him. “She’s even worse than you.” She waved a hand as she sauntered off, and we were both left alone in silence.

We watched her go, both of us still. I wanted to look at him, to check on him, to make sure he was okay, but my heart stung so much that I could only push out three words.

“What was that?” I whispered to him, my eyes panning the crowd. The few people in the foyer had gone back to their conversations by the time Zania had turned around.

Kai wasn’t my sister, or Mum. He wasn’t someone I had to take care of. Actually, I should stay a million miles away from him, but the pain that burst in my chest couldn’t be ignored. Memories of all the abuse hurled at me since I began working as a maid at the Spa filled me. Zania could have just been another angry omega who demanded special treatment before her heat. I’d had people call me a whore before—it was one of the reasons it hurt so much when the Rislers thought I was one—but it didn’t mean I could pretend I hadn’t heard that.

More and more memories assaulted me of all the times I’d swallowed my anger, of how I preserved myself so I didn’t hurt others. But even if Kai tried to hide it, I didn’t need his bite to tell how deeply her words cut him.

“It’s part of being their family,” he said as he pulled away from me to glare. “I didn’t know what they were like before they bit me. And guess what? You won’t have to go through any more of that shit. Because…” He dropped his gaze to me, another one of his cruel smiles beating out. “You’re not our fucking mate,” he hissed. “So just shut up and endure it until we get rid of you after the Ceremony.”

I dropped my head and bit back anything else I had to say.

I knew instinctively that Zania had treated Kai like this since he first joined their pack.

He’d had to put up with those words, with her scorn and disdain, all because of who he was and his designation.

He spoke about having a choice, about me choosing to come to this party and see them and be with them, but how much of a choice did he have when people who were supposed to love him treated him like that?