Part 6
/Rowan's POV/
I awoke with a startle, my eyes flinging open as I felt a sharp, metallic poke at my cheek. My hand swatted at the object as I sat up as fast as my body could manage, a groan escaping from parted lips. I didn't see anyone when I came to until I heard a childish giggle from behind. With my brows furrowed together, I twisted my body to see the unwanted visitor, my back cracking as I did so.
The pup blinked at me; her silky blonde hair appeared messy with a tiny hand clamped over her mouth. I had to squint from the harsh glare from the ceiling lights to observe her on her knees beside the bed in an attempt to hide.
“Anya, love, what are you doing here?” I slowly tugged on her wrist and nudged her closer, making the pup sit opposite me. After the afternoon meeting, my whole body was drained. Or it might be because my Alpha saw Erin again after years, and the withdrawal was taking a toll on me.
Staying away from our mate, my wolf disagreed and had troubles for several full moons. I managed to get by, caging myself in the room, hoping no one around got hurt while Reed did moons know what. He never told me, but my brother was equally affected by the pull. The next day we both look like a car has run over us.
She twisted her lips, “I want to shift…Help me, RoRo.”
My eyes travelled to the clock hanging on the wall, a grimace taking over my features. It was seven in the evening. How did I manage to take a nap for so long?
“It’s late, Anya. We will go tomorrow.”
“But ReRe went to the woods now. He would not take me.” She huffed, crossing her hands together and placing them against her chest. “So mean!”
A laugh escaped past my lips, eyes glimmering. “Is he now? I will talk to him.”
“Yes, please.”
With that, I slowly pushed the sheets away and exited the room. If my brother was running in the woods again, he needed space. Reed’s Alpha must be still reeling from seeing Erin in the office and having her so close to us only if it was that easy for us to ignore everything and give in to the wolf's desires. I thought to myself with a sardonic twist of my lips.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I spotted Beth replenishing a supply of bonsai trees on the wall's built-in shelves. The housekeeper wiped a gloved hand across her forehead before taking notice of my presence; her downturned lips turned into a wide smile.
“Good evening, Rowan. Had a good nap?”
She said, voice rich with kindness. The simple greeting made my lips twitch in reply, and I waved at her, returning her greeting.
“Yes, I did.”
Anya rushed to help the housekeeper while I wandered off in the kitchen. From the hushed whispers of the maids around, I came to know the Luna was locked in her study for an hour now. What was going on with my mother? She had a council meeting this afternoon, and I haven’t seen her since then.
Just then, I noticed Reed rushing in through the doors, sweat clinging to his body and hair matted on the forehead.
“Reed!” I called out to him before taking hold of his wrist and tugging my brother towards the study. He was extremely confused by my behaviour, so I explained the situation.
Standing in front of the study room, I knocked on the door, shifting on my feet.
“Who is it?”
“Mom.” Reed cleared his throat. “It’s us.”
“The door is open.”
I exhaled loudly before stepping in, Reed following in tow. My brother closed the door behind him with a dull thud before standing next to me. Our mother was sitting in her usual chair, hands clenched together and resting her chin atop.
“Mom.” I made a soft sound in the back of my throat before pulling the chair and slumping, the creak echoing around. “Why are you sitting here all alone? Did something happen in the meeting?”
She scoffed. “Something? A lot of things. The Council Leader has lost his mind, that’s for sure.”
At the mention of the Council Leader, I tried not to grit my teeth together. Reed clenched his jaw, eyes turning into slits. Ever since our father refused to cooperate with him for some lousy voting, he made it a mission to trouble us. The Leader held grudges like no other, excluding us from festivals and important meetings. If not for our company’s success and our family’s never-ending fortune, the Pack would be left in shambles and the members affected.
“What did he do now?”
“Kevin thinks that it is mandatory for the Pack Alpha to have a mate, or at least be courting an omega before taking over the throne. If not, they will intervene and take matters into their hand.” Our mother exclaimed through her teeth, her hands curling into fists. “According to him, I am grieving, and in no position to handle the responsibilities, so he wants me to step down. How dare he suggest that?!”
I flinched, clenching my eyes shut. Of course, Council Leader Alpha Kevin would be the kind of person to take advantage of our situation. He very well knew that we had no omega or had publicly acknowledged a mate.
Reed cursed under his breath. “What do we do now?”
The Luna looked up at that, her eyes softening as she shifted gaze in between us. “Trust me, this is not how I imagined your mating ceremony, but we have no choice, boys. Charles will bring me the list of eligible omegas from nearby packs, and you both can choose one.”
It was a witch prediction that we would have one omega, and the entire pack knew it. Still, that did not mean we would pick anyone.
“Mom!” Reed huffed, his nose flaring. “Are you kidding me?!”
I hummed in agreement. How could we pick anyone from the list? This woman, whoever it may be, is supposed to be with us for a while.
“This is not a joke!” My mother sat up straight. “Your father worked hard for this pack, and I am not letting that Kevin ruin all his hard work. Either find your mate in a week or pick someone from the list. My decision is final.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but she pinned me with a look. That was enough than words, so we turned around and walked out of the study room.
Charles came in to see us after dinner, a sad look etched across his face. Our friend might have tried to convince Luna as well, but she’s stubborn. The beta rushed to Reed and handed him a file.
“What is that?”
“Nothing”
“Woods Publishing financial year statement.”
Reed and Charles answered simultaneously, my eyes narrowing dangerously towards them. The beta quickly confessed that my brother had asked him to get the statement from the bank in secret.
“Thanks, Charles. Will you please excuse us? I need to discuss something urgent with my brother.”
As soon as our friend left, I turned on my heel to face Reed, who appeared red-faced. He raised his hands in defeat. “I just wanted to see if they are capable of paying us back.”
Just then, an idea formed in my mind, devious albeit the only way for the three of us to solve our problem. When I told my brother about it, he fell into silence; lips rolled in between his teeth. Taking Erin as our mate would solve our problem and hers. Besides, it’s not like we would be deceiving anyone, given the omega is our true mate.
“Are you sure about this?”
The question settled heavily between us, its weight resting on my tongue. My gaze settled on Reed with an eyebrow raised in response to the prolonged silence, his right hip propped against the translucent mull post lining the glass door frame.
“Reed,” I started, subtle desperation lacing my tone. “Tell me, is there any other way we could get out of this? I am all up for it.”
My brothers narrowed pupils tried to sense the urgency and earnestness in my response. While he kept on assessing me, I tried my best to conceal any evidence of anxiety, willing my hands to tighten; its grip on the edges of my shirt, forcing me to fix my line of vision on the furrow between Reed’s eyebrows.
“You are right, brother.” He let out a huff, shaking his head, and I found my tightly folded lips morphing into one of genuine delight—a sag in my shoulders that were previously wrought with tension. For a second, I believed that he would come up with a solution of some sought and ruin everything I thought of. “We will go and see Miss Woods the first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Perfect!”