Part 5. Janet Bruno
She noticed the Alphas nose flare, brows knitted together in dismay. The Pack Alpha Zach was close to letting out another growl. Or so she thought as his eyes dug into her skin, almost making the tiny strands of hair rise up.
"What did you say?" Zach took a menacing step in her direction, appearing as the predator he indeed was. She gulped as the Alpha towered over her, gaze flickering towards Ares and Dante standing behind him, motioning her to be quiet. Their hands were doing the lip zipping action, which made her brows furrow.
"Exactly what you heard" She blinked at him. Ava was not scared of some Pack Alpha who thought of himself above everyone. There's no way she was going to be intimidated by him.
"You insolent little—"
Ares cut him off, wrapping his hand around his brother’s elbow. "Okay, Zach! I think it's time to go. Didn’t you say you had to interrogate someone?”
"Yes but I wasn't done talking to this brat!"
'Says you, a bigger brat,' Ava muttered to herself, hoping no one heard, but from Dante's lip twitch, the Alpha did. Blush crawled on her cheeks at that, eyes averting to the floor. It was not her intention to be insulting, but if someone acted entitled and caveman-like, she had every right to retaliate, even if it's not her territory or pack.
Zach grumbled something under his breath before turning his attention towards her. "I don't care what happens, but you will vacate this place as soon as you get better. Do you understand?"
"Loud and clear" She nodded her head, but when his glare intensified, Ava added the last part. "Alpha Zach"
"And there are some rules you have to follow while you stay in this clinic room."
Oh. Wow. More rules. She's leaving in three days anyway. Why was he making her listen to any of it? The omega merely hummed, patiently waiting for him to dictate some more.
"One, you won't step out of here. No matter what. You already have seen too much of our territory."
Ava would argue that Dante carried her unconscious, and she woke up in a clinic room. That's the memory she had. The omega didn't even know what their clinic looked like from outside.
"Second, you are not to interact with my pack members. Not unless you are approached. And lastly, shifting inside the clinic is forbidden. Got it?"
The third one was understandable given the delicate ceiling and size of the room. However, she's irked by the second one. Why could she not talk with other members of the pack? It was not like Ava would be turning them against their Alpha. Or whatever sick reason he might have held against her.
"Okay," She sighed.
"That's all..." He trailed, his gaze flickering around the room for a second or two. It appeared as if Zack wanted to say something but instead walked out of there.
Ava exhaled a breath she had been holding for a while now, feeling her chest tighten. Slouching her shoulders, she walked back to the bed before collapsing against the stack of pillows at the edge. All while feeling two Alphas eyes on her, tracing and following her moment.
Dante was the first one to break the dread silence that loomed in the room. "Sorry about my brother...he can be a little overprotective."
He continued, voice strained. "He always has Pack safety in mind and might have spoken rashly.
She noticed that Ares was quietly standing there, nose scrunched and lips in between his teeth. What was he thinking about? What if he's trying to figure out her scent as well? The omega needed to find a distraction.
"Is that your brother too?" Ava loudly asked, her attention shifting between both of them, lips pinched in a nervous smile.
Dante looked over his shoulder. "Ahh...yes. That is my older brother, Ares. We both are Pack leaders, too, but our brother Zach handles most of the duties."
"Umm...hi?"
Ares gave her a genuine smile in return.
Wow, he doesn't speak much, does he? She thought to herself. Before either of them could get a word out, Rayly barged in. The beta had some clothes tucked under her arm.
"Shoo now!" She pointed glared at her brothers. "You had enough time to annoy her. Please get out of here. This room reeks of your scents."
Dante twisted his lips. "Zach just left! We barely talked to her."
"I'm sorry, brother, but the doctor won't appreciate it if you kept on scenting the clinic. You can come back later."
"Okay" They both nodded their heads in unison before walking out of the clinic. Ava also managed to wave them goodbye before letting her head loll back.
Ava focused on how even the lighter linen summer clothes have begun to stick uncomfortably to her back with sweat. Rayly asked her to take a shower and even lent her clothes to change into. It's hot, and the omega was unsure how she would handle the rest of summer. Maybe it's something to do with being in a room with large windows as the only source of cool air.
Scratching her knee, she tried to inhale deeply, fully knowing it's futile to try and quell the itchiness sticking to her skin along with the thick onslaught of heat. She could feel the betas laser gaze heavy on her hands.
Itchiness. Tremors. Exhaustion. Migraines. An overwhelming need for physical contact. She was experiencing all those ever since the Alphas left her. It must be the side effects her omega was facing due to sudden withdrawal.
"Do you need something?"
Tempted to say yes, the omega still shook her head stubbornly. "I'll be fine," She said. It's not like Rayly would help much anyway. As a beta, her pheromones are present but subtle – just enough to soothe the burning for a while, but never for long. Never enough.
"So...do you have an alpha back at home?" The beta questioned.
She inhaled deeply at the question, biting her lip hard enough to taste blood. "No," Ava said after a pause, stilted. "No, I don't."
Rayly wisely stayed silent, but the omega could feel her lingering concern crystallise around them, making it hard to breathe. Ava leaned over to flick on the radio, turning up the dial so that the music can shatter the tension. Then she slumped back and continued staring out the window.
A knock went off the door, alerting the two of them in the room. Ava turned her head towards the door, blinking at the petite girl standing by. She's holding flowers in one hand, the other carrying a cardboard box. Her cheeks were bright red and a smile radiant as the sun—an omega who couldn't be more than sixteen years of age.
"Janet?" Rayly raised her brow. "What are you doing here?"
The omega shyly smiled. "I'm here to welcome our new pack member."
It took Ava a moment to realise she should reply, too busy caught up in staring at her appearance, before managing to stammer out a response, "Uhm, hello. I am Ava Pearl. Just Ava is fine, though." So much for her lessons on diplomacy. The omega was glad her parents weren't there to witness the disaster.
Rayly sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. "She's not our pack member, Janet."
"But she's in our territory."
"It's a long story, dear sister. It would be best if you weren't here. I don't think our older brother will appreciate it."
Janet huffed. "I can deal with him."
Oh. Another spitfire. Ava liked her already. Before Rayly could stop her, the omega was already rushing to the bed and handing Ava flowers in her hand. She graciously accepted them from the young girl.
"Do you like these flowers? I made the arrangement." Janet exclaimed, sliding another slice of pie onto Ava's plate even though she had declined politely when the omega offered a minute ago. It's been half an hour, and she's still practically vibrating with energy, hovering over her.
Ava was basking in it, all traces of itchiness and panic temporarily erased.
"I love to garden!" Janet said excitedly, eyes bright and fixed on her face, just like they've been for almost the entire time since she's arrived. She's practically glowing, words spilling out of her mouth at a million miles a minute.
It's a few more minutes of Janet talking about flowers the omega wanted to plant next season. How she ordered these adorable gardening gloves yesterday, she finally stopped and lifted her hands with a laugh. "Gosh, I'm just rambling at this point. Enough about me, tell me about you. I want to know everything."
Her tone was entirely teasing; Ava managed to offer a sheepish smile, indulging her for few minutes until someone called Rayly and Janet, ready to escort them to the packhouse. She was glad for that. Not because Ava didn’t enjoy their company but she’s not interested in revealing her personal details.
Much to Ava's relief, the rest of the evening passed smoothly.
She felt something akin to content curling up in a soft, warm bed for the first time in days, swaddled in blankets and clutching the pillow to her chest like a stuffed toy. As the omega closed her eyes, she tried not to think about how tomorrow Ava will be in the presence of those Alphas again.