The Alpha's Omega Mate-Chapter 129: Pity… and guilt.

~Zarek’s POV~

The wild wind blew against my face like a vengeful ex, and with it came the bitchy scorching sun threatening to rip my already hot skin into pieces.

I squinted against the blinding sun as I marched through the dirty streets of this pretty worn down village, not ignoring the way the passersby l, or locals like the likes to be called, occasionally stopped to stare at me like I was something straight out of Pegasus.

I scrunched my nose in disgust, not because of their stares but because of their smells.

Gods, humans smell filthy!

Maybe it wasn’t them but the dirty muddy water covering the entire floors of the town like a dark paint; maybe it was the rotten tomatoes and pepper seeds stashed in baskets and lined on display— like anyone in their right mind would buy that. Maybe it was the pigs clustered together in a small pigsty close by. Or the curiosity reeking off of them in waves.

But all in all, it was filthy.

Desperate to be out of here quickly, I began to look for people or anything I could interrogate. Someone I could ask about the whereabouts of Dahlia or if they’d seen anyone that fits her description as she was a very difficult person to miss.

After a few minutes, I finally found my first target; a small old woman sitting underneath a shed. She had piercing green eyes and a mop of dirty grey hair. A dark filthy croak draped around her frail shoulders and in front of her, a small blue bowl sat.

Peeking into the bowl, I noticed a few shillings, all of which didn’t amount to much. A beggar, I smirked; "Perfect."

I matched up to her whilst pulling out a small pouch containing silver and then I crouched in front of her, almost barking out a laugh when her eyes lit up expectantly.

"Young master," she greeted formally— almost too formally. A friend tugged at my face as I glared at her, and deciding that I didn’t want to beat around the bush, I immediately asked her;

"I am looking for a girl and her daughter. Have you seen them?"

The old woman smiled, exposing her pink gums that didn’t even have a single tooth stuck to it. The sight made me stumble backward in surprise but after quickly catching myself, I breathed out;

"I’m sorry, I didn’t..."

"Oh, son, you don’t have to apologize." She answered, waving her hands dismissively in front of me, "You were asking about—"

"A girl and her child. Ginger hair, full, long and wild. They both have that. They’re striking and hard to miss. I just want to know if they’ve been here." I rushed out, sounding pretty desperate.

The woman’s eyes latched on mine for a brief second, but that short moment felt too long, too dragged... too eerie. Goosebumps spread across my skin as she regarded me with keen interest and then she shook her head.

"Your family."

"What?" I snapped, stunned.

"The girl and her daughter are your family members?" She said softly, and I shook my head, unsure if it was a question or a statement.

She looked up at me again, her eyes sharp and in a moment of discomfort, quickly rose to my feet, unable to stand her for much longer. "Your fiery haired beauty hasn’t been here, and neither has her daughter. If she had, I’d have been the first person to see her."

I sighed, more out of frustration than despair, and then turned away. I had even taken a few steps forward when I remembered the money I was supposed to give to the old woman, and with that in mind, I spun around, selected about eight silver coins— which was a lot, but too small compared to what I initially planned to give her, but wouldn’t as she didn’t tell me exactly what I wanted to hear— and dumped them into the bowl.

"Oh, good lad! Thank you!" She shrieked excitedly, but then as if suddenly remembering something, she dropped her tone and leaned in closer; "and for this money, I’ll tell you a little something."

"Which is?" I whispered back curiously, sounding almost impatient.

"You need to get to her quickly, son. I can see that she was in danger, but now she’s better... she’s out of it."

"Oh."

"Also, quit searching human towns for now because the woman you seek is not in one of these villages." She added quietly, causing my eyes to widen in surprise.

"Wait, how do I believe that? How do you even know—?"

Sniff sniff. I froze, my words turning to ash in my mouth as soon as I finally caught her scent amidst the stench of all the filth covering the streets and the grime lining the walls.

This woman was no human. She’s a warlock disguised as a human. Living amongst humans... and that is why she could see things that aren’t even here.

Despite my obvious discomfort and the nausea I could feel stirring up within my stomach like a storm, I managed to bow at her and muttered; "Thank you, old one."

"Anytime, Alpha."

Again I froze, but deciding not to allow the effects of her words affect me so much, I turned and fled, rushing toward the closest wolf pack I could find.

Today is going to be a lot, I could already feel it.

—

By the time I finally returned to the pack, it was already late at night, dark, with only the sounds of birds chirping in the distance

The guards were patrolling the streets, but most of them were scattered around the fortress’ fence. When they saw me approaching, they stopped to bow, and in response, I nodded at them in acknowledgment, before tossing one of them the pouch of silver still half filled with coins.

"Get yourselves something to eat tomorrow while on duty." I said with a smile, mostly because their wild cheering was contagious.

"Thank you Alpha!"

"Thank you Alpha Zarek!"

"May you live long!"

Their laughter and excited words rang in through the silent night like a strange contrast to the heaviness in the air.

The fortress felt quieter than usual as I made my way into the house, as if it, too, sensed the tension. My boots crunched softly against the gravel, each step echoing louder than it should have.

I paused at the edge of the dark hallway, eyes scanning the familiar shadows of the several pathways all leading up to this main one. The lights were out. No chatter, no laughter, no sign of the usual midnight patrols of maids running here and there cleaning up the house or something like that.

Something was wrong.

Or maybe I’m just being paranoid.

Then, I caught the scent—faint, but unmistakable. Blood.

My heart skipped a beat. I shifted my weight, muscles tensing, as I spun around. The peace I’d hoped for was gone, and whatever I’d come back to... it wasn’t the house I’d left.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward. Only to crash right into Jennifer in a flimsy night dress and the saddest, most forlorn expression on her face.

Her usual vibrant hair and skin looked pale in the darkness, and for some reason she looked a lot thinner than she’s ever been before. Something gnawed at my chest at the sight of her like this— pale, weak, in pain— but I instantly shook my head at it, and helped her stand steady before taking a single step back.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed in disbelief, but snapped my mouth shut when I saw her wince as if in pain.

Her long blonde lashes swept up and down as she took in my entire body. She scoffed; "I had to look for you. Since you didn’t want to see me."

Oh shit. Frustration immediately slammed into me like a freight train. I wiped my face in annoyance before taking another extremely necessary deep breath. "What’s that supposed to mean?" I gritted out, noticing the way her eyes instantly filled with tears and her lips trembled.

"I lost my child... our child. And you never for once came to see me. Do you even care about me? Do you even care about the life that was lost? Do you hate me that much?"

"Jennifer..."

"Do you care about how I feel?"

My throat worked, my mouth opening and closing continuously, but no words came out. I didn’t know what to say to her. Didn’t know how to console her, especially now that she seemed almost hysterical.

My heart ached, and for the first time in my entire life, I felt something I have never felt for her before.

Pity... and guilt.