Page 17 of Cost of Courting (When it Raines Omegaverse #6)

Chapter fifteen

Selene

We’re circling each other, growling and snarling, but nothing is happening. I go down to the park and find myself relegated to the sidelines, watching the four guys play with the kids while the parents gush about how wonderful they are.

When I leave, no one notices.

I’ve lost my place, and I’m floundering. They’ve stolen my position, my job, my reason to exist.

What am I now? Who the fuck is Selene if she’s not taking care of everyone? I don’t even have a hobby.

“Hey, Mr Match, do you need a hand?” I ask. “I promised to come over and fix the roof, didn’t I?”

He smiles and waves a shaking hand up at the house. “No need. The pack came and sorted it out for me.”

“Oh,” I say and try not to let my complete dismay show.

The pack sure have sorted everything out.

I have nothing to do. They even managed to get me a month off of work.

Wolfie and Rain have taken to following Kingston around.

Dot has taken to talking to Edric, and I’m jealous I can’t be her friend in public.

Mael is on a mission to fix the neighbourhood.

Every single time I turn around, there he is working on a car, weeding a garden, fixing a porch.

I walk back home and go inside, pausing when I find Luna there.

“Are we fighting still?” I ask in exhaustion.

She slams the door shut, her eyes narrowed and flaring with colour.

“How dare you be so blasé about all this?”

I sit down at the kitchen table, vividly recalling my visitor this morning. Moira was so happy. She even gave me a hug as she went on and on and on about how wonderful Kingston is. He’d built and installed cat platforms all around the house.

“I don’t know what you want from me? Is this about Bailey?”

Luna shrieks and kicks a chair. I watch it slide to the kitchen cupboard and break. I can’t afford to replace it.

“Are you happy now, Lu?”

“You are dating Bailey. You were fighting, and you didn’t tell me. And you decided my Benson wasn’t for me and separated us.”

I jerk around at the last comment. “What?”

“He told me everything. I can’t believe you sabotaged our relationship.”

“Luna, no, I would never do that. He hit you. Have you forgotten?” The thought of her being involved with Benson is horrific, but she never gets to see the monstrous side of him that I do. “You need to stay away from him. He’s dangerous. What happened to Cary?”

“Danny? We broke up, and, yeah, I’m not so sure.

You hate those alphas. All they have done is help you, but you have all this miserable bitterness, and you just poison everyone around you.

Benson, Mael, Edric, Kingston, Bailey. You are the toxic one.

Benson explained that it was a mistake, and he’s sorry. He promised he won’t ever do it again-”

“That’s what they always say!” I explode.

She narrows her eyes. “Yeah, I knew you’d say that. Everyone is a bad person. But maybe, Selene, it’s you that’s the issue.”

“No, I-”

“I really don’t want to hear your excuses, Selene. I don’t even know what comes out of your mouth, whether it’s true or not. You lie so easily. It’s like I don’t even know you.”

She stalks out the front door while I sit at the table, trying to curb my impotent rage.

It builds, choking me and pushing at my insides like I’m an overfilled balloon. Emotion wells over and tears fall, easing the pressure. I push to my feet and check the fridge. There is nothing in there. I check the cupboards, also empty.

I remember the way it felt when Edric grabbed me, how it had taken everything I had not to press against him.

The door opens, and Luna stalks in.

The hunger transforms into an icy rage, and even Luna stumbles over the violence in the air. I focus on her and the question I haven’t had a chance to ask her yet. One I was going to ignore.

“Did the pack ring you over the years and speak to you? ”

She freezes, the stink of shame filling the room. “Yes. We’re friends. They are my friends.”

“So, you lied to me?”

“You hated them. What was I supposed to do?”

“Be on my side? After everything I’ve done to protect you, be on my fucking side, Lu.”

“They are my friends, too-”

“If this was simply a friend’s thing, you wouldn’t have hidden it.”

“It was for your own good!”

I bark out a laugh. “No, it wasn’t. No, fighting to make sure Mr Match doesn’t end up in a fighting ring is looking after someone. This was just you not thinking about anyone but yourself.”

Luna narrows her eyes, but they shine with tears. “You never would have let me speak to them!”

“Because they hurt me!” I scream at her. “Why are you so set on excusing the behaviour of alphas that hurt us? Why is it okay that they treat us so badly? Why are their feelings more important than mine?”

Luna opens her mouth, but nothing comes out.

“They are important to me,” Luna whispers. “And our dad loved us. You just didn’t understand him.”

I stare at her. “Dad tried to kill you and beat me every day. He didn’t love us at all.

If their feelings are important, what about mine?

” Her silence fills the kitchen as she stares at me.

I wait, disappointment crushing me when she doesn’t say what I want to hear.

“Don’t bother answering that. I’ve got somewhere to be. ”

I get up and walk out of the door she just walked in, leaving her alone in the house. I don’t know where I’m going. My head is so full of horrible words and accusations. I just know I need to get away from everything.

From all these people.

I go to the garage and open the folding door. Inside is a beat up, rusted out piece of shit memorabilia to the past. My dad’s car. I tried to get rid of it, but it was actually going to cost me more to dump it than it would to keep it.

I snatch up the keys, get in, breathing the horrible smell of my father that still hasn’t dissipated. I start the car and listen to it splutter and cough. When it catches, I put it in gear and drive before anyone can think to stop me.

If they even notice.

My first stop is the petrol station. I fill up the tank and then just drive. I don’t think about where I’m going, I just let the roads guide me .

Day passes into night. My phone was ringing, so I switched it off. But now I’m sitting in an affluent neighbourhood with my beat up shitty car bringing down the glory of it.

The tank is showing its on empty, and, judging by its dying coughs, the car is done for. Could also tell from the black and white smoke billowing from it.

I push open the driver’s side door with effort and get out of the car. There’s nothing for it. I just walk away, leaving it behind.

I walk until I reach a shopping center, but it’s unlike anything I’ve ever shopped at.

There’s no graffiti, no broken windows. No gang members hanging out the front of the doors threatening anyone.

It’s open and light and inviting, even at night, like there’s no danger here.

Like it’s safe to be out at night time with hundreds of dollars of purchases.

I wander inside, ignoring the curious looks from people.

There are clothes that are pretty but completely impractical.

Light, airy, bright colours like pink, sky blue, and lilac.

There’s a shop with cutlery that costs hundreds of dollars and a bowl that has me wondering why you’d want a bowl that expensive.

I stand out. I don’t belong, and it’s painfully obvious.

The floor is marble and gleams white. The lights are bright, and the people who walk inside are happy and smiling. No one is sporting bruises or carrying weapons.

There is classical music playing in the background.

What even is this place?

I’ve almost done a lap, and my head is reeling. The place sparkles with all this newness I’ll never experience. I’ve seen places like this in movies, but I didn’t really think they existed. I guess it’s hard to see past the world you’re trying to survive in.

The distinction between their world and mine is clear as day.

I turn to go back when I spot someone I recognise. Bailey is walking with a guy who looks like he could be his twin. I don’t mix them up at all. Bailey looks different. However, he’s got a blond woman curled up into his side. She’s beautiful, all golden skin and the sweetest smiles.

This cheating, lying asshole.

A stunning woman with long black hair catches up and grabs his other arm. My rage grows.

It’s too late to move. I’m standing in the middle of the corridor. Any movement will alert him to me, so I just wait, my hands clenching into fists.

He spots me and stumbles to a stop, his smile spreading wide. I’m going to kill him.

Bailey says something to his girlfriends, and they look at me in surprise.

I widen my legs slightly, putting my weight on my left leg. He leaves the girls behind and approaches with his arms wide.

“What are you doing here, babe? ”

Babe? Does he think calling me a child is going to win him points?

I wait until he’s close enough and attack. A round-house kick followed up by six consecutive jabs that leaves him wheezing on the ground.

“BAILEY!”

The blond rushes towards us, but she’s pulled up by a man in leather. A man I recognise as Alpha Zaden Mirakill. I bare my teeth at him, daring them all or any to come close.

The dark-haired woman makes a distressed sound, and, suddenly, I’m surrounded.

Some people I recognise. Fate’s Destiny is here. He’s friends with a band? What the hell for? The rest I recognise as the Mirakill MC. I do not recognise the red-haired beta or the guys who draw her away.

I glare at them all and prepare myself for their attack.

Bailey laughs. “You love me. I was starting to wonder.”

I risk tearing my eyes from the MC to him. “You’re deluded. This isn’t love, this is hate.”

“Fine line between love and hate, babe.”

I let out a growl. One of the MC reaches for me. He’s got a dangerous risk-taking vibe. I lash out at him and kick him hard enough to send him back to his brothers.

“Don’t fucking touch me.”

Bailey rises up, putting himself between us and backs into me. “She’s right. You don’t ever touch her.”

The blond pauses, cocking her head to the side. “But, Bailey, she hurt you.”

“Lying, cheating piece of shit. Have you told her about all your other girlfriends?”

“Other girlfriends?” The dark-haired woman asks, her eyebrows rise, and she glances between us, clearly shocked.

She looks really familiar, but I can’t place her.

Bailey laughs, and I have to resist the urge to kick the back of his knee and send him to the floor.

“You must really have the feels.”

I snarl and launch myself at him, only to be grabbed by one of the MC.

He immediately lets go and backs off with his hands raised as a dark shadow slips between us, letting a feeling of such deep menace that everyone takes several steps back.

“Hey, babe, meet stalker. Stalker, this is babe.” Bailey’s dark chuckle has an edge to it that pulls my attention, but the threat is coming closer.

I turn my head very slowly, and my eyes collide with a person I would never have thought to find here.

“Mael. ”

“Nobody touches Selene,” Mael says with a finality and a promise of cold-blooded murder in his eyes.

The MC backs off, reluctantly giving ground. The blond pulled into their arms.

“Lia is Bailey’s sister. Ryn is his cousin,” Mael explains, while Bailey laughs and leans on him. His eyes gleam as he stares down at me, almost begging to be hit again.

“Why are they listening to you?” I growl at Mael.

“Do you remember my cousin, Shale?”

“The shithead who broke Luna’s bike? Yes.”

“Ah, I forgot about that. Still holding a grudge, Sel?”

“Always. Took forever to fix that bike.”

“Shale is in a very committed bonding with Bailey’s cousin Kelly.”

I consider this for a long moment. “So, these pussies are going to listen to him?”

Bailey barks out a laugh.

The others disappear, leaving the three of us alone. Which just makes me feel exposed in this bizarre shop.

“Why are you here?” Mael asks.

I snarl at him and step into his space. “That’s none of your damn business. I’m not your omega. I can do whatever and go wherever I want.”

Mael grins. “You never stop fighting, do you?”

I growl and spin away from them, padding towards the exit. The pair of them stay with me, and when I go to walk off, I’m picked up by Bailey, who shoves me into the back of an SUV and slams the door. I try to get out, but it’s locked.

“Let me go or I will set it on fire,” I warn.

Bailey slides into the backseat from the other door and covers my body with his. Before I can think, his tongue is pressing into my mouth, silencing my protests.

And I’m suddenly drunk on the taste of apple pie and vanilla. My control snaps, it evaporates. It’s just gone. This is Bailey, and I want this more than I want my next breath.

Our tongues tangle, his teeth scrape over my lips, his hands move over my body, setting me on fire.

He draws back and smirks down at me. The car is moving. When did the car start moving?

“You look so beautiful when you’re like this, though I really love it when you’re kicking my ass, too. And when you’re jealous.”

“I was not jealous.”

Bailey laughs and slides a hand under my ass, squeezing my cheek and dragging me up against his hard length.

“Yeah, you were, but it was cute as fuck, so it’s okay.”

I snap my teeth, but it doesn’t make him back off. He just kisses me again, stealing all my will to resist.

And the heat in the air, that shimmer that has my pulse pounding, gets stronger.