Part 4. The Rogue Accusation

"Are you out of your mind?!" The Alpha bellowed in a jarringly intimidating timbre voice that had Ava grabbing the duvet tightly to stabilise herself. Her ears rang with the intensity of his voice, making her head drop down. She hoped that no one caught the omega action.

Exhaling sharply, she stared with wide eyes as the Alpha glided forward to stand over Dantes defeated form and bark in his face. "What the hell did you think you were doing bringing a rogue to our pack? Did you even stand and think for one second how this may reflect to the council?"

In his blind anger, the Alpha might have not yet registered Ava standing in the room or that she was the one he's talking about. It didn't feel great to be ignored.

Rayly winced. "Brother, this is a clinic. Will you keep your voice down? Stop scaring the poor creature.”

"No. I will not, Rayly.” He pinched the tip of his nose, jaw clenched. “As one of a Pack Leaders, I have to interrogate this rogue Dante bought in."

Brother. Oh. So they were all siblings. She could not see much resemblance between them except for the same dark brown hair colour and pointed roman nose.

Rayly palmed her forehead. "I have to apologise to the doctor on your behalf now. He won't be happy." She turned to Ares and gave him a pleading look.

"I'll handle it here." The grey eyes Alpha nodded his head. Rayly beamed at him, shooting one last look in Ava's direction before walking out of the room.

Once their sister was gone, Zach's eyes turned to slits, boring into his brother. "Dante, do you have an explanation for this?"

"She's right next to you, brother; why don't you ask her?”

Ava had been motionless this whole time, but with Zach rounding on her and stalking forward like a predator, the Omega instinctively scooted behind.

It innately stunned the Pack Alpha, and he halted his advance, staring straight into the defensive creature in astonishment. She had been well-prepared to fight for her life, but unfortunately, when their gazes met again, her arms fell uselessly at her sides, whole body unable to threaten the Alpha. She merely stared at him without speaking a word, replaying all the unexpected events that had just occurred.

She was panicking; for the first time in all of twenty-three years of life, she hadn't been able to threaten an Alpha. The Omega was frantically searching her mind to solve this colossal problem when she noticed Zach closing the remaining distance between them. She stiffened like a tree as he leaned in dangerously close to her and deeply scented her neck, flaring his nostrils as he pulled away and making a face of offended confusion.

"What do I smell on you?" Zach interrogated, mouth twisting.

Her blood ran cold at that. Did he figure it out already? Ava didn't want to believe Zach was smelling the remedies in her hormones; nobody had ever been able to detect them before, and she prayed they weren't losing their potency or something of the like. It could be possible she was developing a tolerance, and if so, this was an enormous problem.

Ever since she found out that she's an omega, her pack members asked her to take extra precautions. Like the rest of the omegas did in her pack. Ava had been blocking her heats with the suppressants while dulling her overall scent with neutralisers, masking to be a beta just like they taught her.

Did those herbs lose their power? Is that why the rogue detected her true self? Or maybe he said that to spook her out. After all, Dante couldn't recognise the omega, or their bond so she's safe.

Despite the genuine concerns in her thoughts, Ava responded with a bland shrug of her shoulders, hoping she painted a picture of innocence and naivete to the Pack Alpha. "That's my beta scent."

"Bullshit!" Zach growled, the sound sending chills down her spine. Her toes curled under the duvet. "Loss of distinct scent is the first sign of a rogue!"

"I'm not a rogue!" The omega declared as she shakily stood, wincing at the sudden headache that had rippled through her skull. She was relieved that his conclusion was going in a different direction. As she wobbled, Dante was immediately by her side, trying to assist Ava. The omega held her hand up, using the bed stand as her support. She didn't want to feel any more helpless than she already did. All thanks to the specific alpha who could not stop screaming.

Zach merely huffed.

What was that reaction? Why did he not believe her? What motive could Ava have to lie about herself? From the moment he walked in, she noticed that his attention was solely focused on his brothers. Like he was trying to protect them from something or maybe someone. That could be the reason why he's been acting so hostile towards her.

"Should I just take your word for it, rogue?" He snorted, crossing his arms together. It made her flinch, almost recoiling into herself at the way he's acting towards her. Why did he have such a difficult time trusting strangers?

"My name is Ava Pearl, and I'm a beta of a reputed pack, Alpha Zach." She cleared her throat, trying to make herself more clearly. With their thick scents clouding her brain, it was getting difficult to focus. All she wanted was to give in to her basic instincts and drop in front of her Alphas.

The Omega heard stories of their kind submitting to their Alphas in the first meet itself. That's how strong bonds are between mates, especially triads and quads. The omegas often go in heat at such exposure of scents, only settling after being knotted or marked. Her cheeks flushed at the latter part.

No one in the right mind would ever believe her story if she came clean about her status. An omega shifting into wolves form and chasing a rogue? Pfft. She would be admitted instead to the nearest hospital. Or exploited.

Ava had too many bad experiences to go against her judgement and reveal the truth.

Omega wolves were seen as nothing but helpless little creatures who are incapable of shifting themselves. That's why most of the packs don't even bother training their Omega children; instead, they give them kitchen duties.

"Pray tell what are you doing on our grounds then?" Zach gritted his teeth. "Do you not know the basic rules? Or did your eyes fail to see the boundaries of our pack?"

Ares made a sound. "Zach!"

The omega clenched her jaw. Can he talk without insulting her in the same breath? She was getting tired of his attitude. Ava did not knowingly step into their territory. It was an honest mistake. Besides, Dante was the one who bought her to the packhouse in her unconscious state.

"I was chasing a rogue when I stepped in your territory a few days ago." Ava licked her lips. "He disappeared in the woods to be never found. You have to believe me. I have no other intention of being here. My pack is on the other side, but I cannot find my way back."

Dante hummed softly while Zach scoffed under his breath. He took a step forward in her direction, almost making the omega freeze. "How very convenient! Anything to mask your true identity, hmm?"

Ava suppressed a groan. It was like talking to a rock who didn't budge no matter what. Her eyes helplessly flickered towards Dante. The Alpha stepped forward as well, nudging his brother.

"That's enough, brother. Why would she lie about it? I saw her being attacked by a rogue in the forest. He would have killed her if I hadn't been there on time. Now let it go!"

He was not the rogue she was chasing, but they did not need to know that—especially Alpha Zach, who's hell-bent on proving her wrong and believing her to be a rogue. Ava froze when Zach turned towards her, his eyebrows knitting together before letting out a sigh.

"Fine! Bring me the rogue then."

Dante rolled his eyes, mouth set in a firm line. "He's dead, Zach. You can go check in the forest if you don't believe me."

His shoulders immediately slouched at the snark coming from one of his brothers, face softening. Ava was taken back by the sudden change in his demeanour.

"I do believe you."

"Then stop this interrogation right away." Dante pointedly stared at him. "Ava was unconscious when I bought her here and needs lots of rest. Can you stop this now?"

As if something dawned on him, Zach dared to look embarrassed. He turned towards the omega, face blank. No regret on his face whatsoever. "You can rest now. This is not over. Don't think that just because you were bought here, you can stay."

That was the last straw. She could not take any more of his temper tantrum. Ava met his stare. "Good. I don't have the intention of staying in a pack with such an Alpha anyway."