The Pack Slut (The Fae Omegas Standalone Series Book 1)
Chapter 11

Imogen

My hand shook as I picked up the cup of coffee offered by Nate’s mother and took a sip. The pack trial had shaken me up, and I didn’t quite know how to react yet.

Tom and I were seated in the Alpha’s office waiting for him while my father was fighting a death duel with the Alpha of our pack because of what he’d done to me.

And he was most likely going to die.

I tried to check if I felt bad about it, but realized I didn’t. It felt weird to admit it, but a part of me was happy that the person who had tortured me all these years was finally going to pay for it.

Whether or not I liked to admit it, I had always been afraid of my father. He was so good at pretending to be normal that I was afraid that he would kill me one day and forge some sort of evidence that I committed suicide. Now that he was going to die, I couldn’t help feeling relieved and free.

I also felt numb from telling my horrible secrets to everyone in the pack. I would have preferred not to tell the entire pack all of my secrets under the thrall of a truth serum and instead, return someday to deal with my father.

I had hated the looks of pity from pack members who had little to do with me in the pack and the guilty glances from the others who had relentlessly made my life a living hell in the pack in various ways.

It was the fury of the pack warriors and enforcers of the pack that had fueled mine, giving me the courage to tell my entire story without breaking down.

We sat there for a few hours before Alpha Alfred walked into his office, obviously fresh out of a shower.

And I knew as soon as I saw him that my father was dead. Realizing that the source of my terror all these years was dead, my entire body went numb, and my hand trembled as I set down my cup.

I refused to let the thoughts of ‘what ifs’ that were clouding my head overwhelm me.

What if I had spoken up earlier? What if I had found a way to meet the Alpha secretly and told him what was going on with me? Was I dumb to have accepted my father’s abuse all this while without seeking help?

No one could answer my questions, but Tom squeezing my hand reassured me, made me feel better, and filled me with warmth.

No, I was right to be afraid. I had heard of a pack where a girl revealed that the beta of the pack was abusing her but instead of getting help, she was thrown out of the pack and eventually got killed while living as a rogue searching for a pack to take her in.

Alpha Alfred smiled at me as he walked into the office. When he gestured for me to get off the sofa and sit in the guest chair in front of his desk, I immediately obeyed.

With a sigh, Alpha Alfred’s face became weary as he said, “I’m really sorry, Imogen. I never knew that your father was doing such heinous things to you. I thought he loved Janice with all his heart, as he’d always professed. I’m so sorry that you had to go through that alone after your mother’s death.”

Staring into Alpha Alfred’s usually piercing dark green eyes, which were now filled with sadness, I knew that his apology was very sincere because it was evident that Alpha Alfred had really respected my mother and thus, felt responsible for being ignorant of my plight.

Avoiding his gaze, I said, “Thanks, um, thank you for killing him.”

His face darkened as he said earnestly. “It was my responsibility.”

We fell into a strange silence as he watched me for what felt like 10 minutes but was probably a few seconds. “You look like your mother, you know? Now that I look closely at you, I realize how much you look like your mother.”

“I...” I didn’t know what to say as a lump appeared in my throat at the thought of my mother.

Even though I didn’t like to admit it, I knew that since my father started abusing me, I had also started resenting my mother.

I hated that she had left me in his hands. I hated that she had died. I hated that she had made me make that oath. And I resented myself for resenting her and for pushing her to take the blame for my father’s actions.

Now that everything had been resolved, I didn’t know how to feel about my mother anymore.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know. Now, let’s get down to business.”

“According to Commander Thomas, you’re willing to follow him back to the Supernatural Council?”

“Yes,” I replied, even though I was surprised that Tom seemed to have a title in the Supernatural Council.

Alpha Alfred was quiet for a few seconds before he asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I replied again, and my voice was much more firm this time.

After telling all my secrets to the entire pack under the truth serum, there was no way I wanted to stay in the pack, even if I felt a little nostalgic about it.

“Let me rephrase my question. Are you sure about leaving the pack you grew up in for a Supernatural Council you know nothing about with someone you know little about?” This question exposed all of my insecurities accurately.

“Yes.” My next answer was less firm, but I still insisted because I trusted my instincts about Tom. He was safe.

“No, are you sure about leaving your mate? I know it’s Nate.” He probed.

I took a deep breath and said, “I am.”

I went quiet, so he continued, “Are you sure you can’t forgive him? Leaving him was exactly what your father wanted. Are you sure that you can live without him? I know that you love him.”

“Alpha Alfred!” Tom, whom I’d almost forgotten was seated beside me, reprimanded Alpha Alfred in a sharp tone.

My answer was quiet yet again, but now my hands were shaking again. “I don’t...know. Won’t he hurt me again?”

Tom held my hand in his and glared at Alpha Alfred.

But Alpha Alfred refused to back down and ignored his glare. “Of course, he’ll hurt you. You are going to be in a relationship, and misunderstandings are inevitable. Aren’t you willing to give him just a little chance?” Alpha Alfred seemed hellbent on convincing me to stay in the pack but with the comfort of Tom’s obvious support for me and the memories of many of the things Nate had done and said to me still echoing in my mind from when I was forced to tell the truth under the truth serum, I was sure that even though I still had feelings for Nate, I wanted space from him.

“I don’t know about that, but I do want to leave the pack. If I really feel that I can’t live without him, I’ll come back. If he can’t wait for me, then he wasn’t meant for me.” Now my voice was firm.

“Alright,” Alpha Alfred sighed and pulled a folder from the stack of folders on his desk.

Handing me some papers from the folder, he directed. “Just cut your thumb on this, put your thumb on this and use the blood to put your fingerprint on the paper. Then place it here to confirm your withdrawal from the Paxon Pack.”

***

By the time we were done with the conversation with Alpha Alfred, it was late in the evening, so Tom and I simply decided to stay in the rooms offered to us by the Luna.

“Can you sleep with me tonight? I-” My voice broke for a moment, but I didn’t clam up like the old me would have, instead I expressed myself. “I’m afraid the nightmares will come really strong tonight.”

Tom stared at me, held my left hand, and squeezed it comfortingly. Then he turned the knob on the door to the room I’d been given and pushed it open for me. “I’ll stay with you anytime you want, Imogen. I just need to take a quick shower and I’ll be back, okay?”

“Sure,” I replied, nodding and trying to smile.

He sighed and then gathered me in his arms for a big and warm bear hug. Then he kissed me on the forehead before walking over to the room next to mine to take a shower.

When he returned, I was done with my shower, too.

He knocked and after getting my permission; he came in with steaming plates of food, which made me realize that I’d forgotten about eating.

After placing the food on the table in the room, we sat opposite each other and ate the delicious meal provided by the Luna.

Later, as I lay in Tom’s arms with his body spooning mine, unable to sleep, we started a conversation.

“Did you know? I never actually told you one thing.” He said.

“What?”

“That you’re also my true mate.”

“What?!” I sat up, turning back to look Tom in the eyes.

He sighed, holding my palm to his lips and dropping a kiss on it before he continued. “I suspect that you’re someone called a fae omega.”

“What’s that?”

“Did you know that fae hybrids are hardly ever conceived? There are only 1 in 1 million instances where the fae has successfully bred offspring with another supernatural. So your mother was special, but she wasn’t a fae omega. Among the few fae hybrids ever born, there has been only one special instance of a supernatural called a fae omega.”

“You still haven’t told me what a fae omega is.”

“Fae omegas are specially mutated supernaturals who somehow have more than one true mate from different supernatural factions.”

I went quiet for a few minutes and then imposter syndrome kicked in. “How can you be sure that I am one?”

“Have you ever seen any werewolf with two true mates? Or better yet, have you ever heard of any supernatural with more than one true mate? Even with the fae who sometimes have multiple mates, they usually choose their mates based on compatibility. In actuality, every supernatural has only one mate in their lifetime, except a compatible fae omega shows up, I guess.”

I turned over what he’d just revealed in my mind.

“I suspect that your mother locked your powers away. Probably with that strange manual spread by the head of the Supernatural Council. When we get to the Supernatural Council, we’re going straight to him so he can tell us how to remove the spell.” With his hands, Tom urged me back into his arms.

Without thinking about it, my body complied and as we cuddled, I fell deep into contemplation, trying to interpret everything he had revealed to me.

“Listen, I know you feel overwhelmed, but I just wanted you to know that you have me. Even...even if you don’t want to mate with me. I’ll still stay by your side to help you and protect you if you’ll let me.”

Turning my head to look him in the eye, I saw that sincerity in his eyes again. The sincerity he had always treated me with all the time we’d known each other.

“Okay,” I replied, pecking him on the cheek and twining our hands together before facing forward again, and leaning back to let my body curl deeper into his.

I had no idea what the future held or what would happen, but I knew that Tom would always try his best to help me and that he was sincere to me.

And for me, that was enough.

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