Chapter 30

Ollie’s POV

Wes’s eyes narrow as he looks between Ella and me. He’s clearly suspicious, and in all fairness, we aren’t giving him much reason not to be. Ella and I both have wild-eyed looks while we sit up ramrod straight, her on the chair, me on the bed. For all the world, we look like we were up to something just now.

Why shouldn’t he be suspicious?

Yet, whatever he thinks we’re up to, he doesn’t call us on it. Instead, his gaze settles on me. He looks me over briefly, as if making sure I’m unharmed. Strange. Is he… checking on me?

“How are you feeling?” he asks me. “Do you need a doctor?”

My eyes go even wider still. He is checking on me! My treacherous heart leaps. From this small glimpse of caring, my thoughts run rampant.

Maybe the brothers do care about me. Maybe I don’t need to go to school in the tundra. If they care about me, then I could stay and we could –

“Omegas are known for their fragile weakness,” Wes says. “If you die in our care, it will make the entire family look bad.”

My flying heart crash lands down into my stomach. Of course he doesn’t care about me, just about the family’s reputation. I’m such a fool for allowing myself to think different, even for a moment. Why do I keep letting myself be hurt? I should know better by now!

It has to be the influence of the mating bond. The pull I feel to the brothers is so strong that I’m willing to accept even the tiniest breadcrumbs of caring as a full meal of love. I deserve better.

This is another reason I have to get far, far away from here. I can’t even trust myself while I’m near the quadruplets.

“I’m the same person I was before I was assigned Omega standing,” I say. “It’s only been a day.”

“Yet you fainted,” Wes says. “Does that not show the weakness of your rank? You’ve been overexerting yourself. Mother is partially to blame, asking you to organize the coronation. Omegas are meant for more simple tasks, like cooking and cleaning and folding the laundry. You should focus on those tasks from now on. Leave the decision making to those with higher standing.”

This is absolutely absurd. Wes is hitting me with every Omega stereotype in the book! I am the same person I was yesterday. I have the same mind, the same determination, the same work ethic, the same ability to make decisions. The only thing that has changed, other than my title, is the way the rest of the world now seems to perceive me.

“I don’t need a doctor,” I tell him.

“I’ll send for one anyway,” Wes says. “You probably can’t even tell if you need one.”

“She’s fine,” Ella says on my behalf. He won’t take my word for it, but maybe he will listen to her, a Beta. “She was just tired.”

Wes considers Ella’s words more than my own, which cuts into me.

“This is ridiculous,” I tell him. “I just need some sleep. I’m fine.”

Wes looks at me. “You will get checked out by the doctor, and you will obey the commands of me and my brother.” The eyes I once knew as friendly turn so cold that Declan would be proud. “As Alphas, it is our duty to look over the lesser members of our pack. You will trust us to make the best decisions for you.”

“I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions,” I snap.

“Yet, you fainted,” he says again, as if that proves his point. “Be lucky that I am the one to tell you these things. If you responded to any of my brothers this way, you would be punished.”

“You won’t punish her?” Ella asks in surprise. I feel surprised too, even though I still believe my outburst is warranted.

“Omegas can be emotional,” Wes says. “You will want to quickly learn how to get control of that, Ollie, before it gets you into trouble. You will not be speaking to me that way again.”

Unlike Conrad, who loves to dole out the orders here and there, Wes generally has a gentler touch. At least, he did with me in the past.

Everything changed when Sylvia came into the picture. But now it feels like it’s changing again, shifting even more for the worst.

Talking back to the Alphas, especially as an Omega, can land me in serious trouble, not just with them but with the entire pack.

Wes isn’t kidding when he says I’m lucky he’s the one giving me these commands.

But I hate it. I hate everything about it. In addition to keeping my wolf and the mating bond deeply buried and hidden within myself, now I have to keep my true personality buried too. It’s as if they want me to become a mindless servant, happy to be ordered about so I don’t have to think for myself.

Immediately my heart goes out to the other omegas who also had to deal with this kind of repression. How do they manage to keep their true selves so hidden? How will I?

Luckily, Wes seems pleased that he’s made his point and shows himself out the door.

The moment that door closes behind him, I look at Ella. “Please hand me that application. The sooner I get out of here, the better.”

I shouldn’t have put off meeting Hugh this long. I thought in two days, I would be feeling better. Instead, I’m so tired, my legs are aching by the time I trek through the forest to the cabin. There, at least, I can allow Scarlet to release my true wolf scent.

The effects are immediate, and I sigh in relief.

Moving quickly, I change into my usual disguise, my mask and my wig, as well as a silky nightgown. I roll out the blankets on the floor, preparing a place for us to be intimate together.

Then, as I sit in the center of the blanket and pillow pile, I start to get nervous.

What if Hugh doesn’t show up?

He’s read the message I sent, I can see that. But again, he’s given no reply. After my admittedly brutal rejection of him, there is a distinct possibility he might not show tonight. And I might even deserve it for playing this game of push-pull hot-and-cold.

It’s hard to regret my words, though. As much as I need – and enjoy – sex with Hugh, the way he smirked smugly at me during the coronation when I was labeled an Omega is burned into my memory.

The brothers don’t care about me as Ollie, and that hurts. In wanting to hurt him in a similar way, I lashed out as his fated mate.

But, in hindsight, knowing Hugh just went out after and had sex all night with other women, my plans to hurt him didn’t seem to go as intended.

Likely, he only wants sex from his fated mate. As I denied him that, he found it elsewhere.

He probably isn’t even mad.

But then… why is he ten minutes late?

Maybe he is mad, but not because he cares about me. He could be mad simply at the rejection. None of the Alphas are used to hearing no. That could have been enough to make him hate me.

Frowning, I look down at my hands. But what do I do now? Will I keep getting weaker?

And why do I feel so disappointed at not seeing him tonight? It has to be because I’m worried about my health… right?

Just as I’m about to sink into my misery, a knock on the door startles me from my thoughts.

Without waiting for a response, the door opens and Hugh is standing there.

He looks pissed off.