The Alpha's Omega Mate-Chapter 138: Strange Occurrences.

~Zarek’s POV~

My breaths were frantic, maniacal even as I gulped in lungful of them. The air felt thick with Dahlia’s scent, but surprisingly, there was something more. Something that I couldn’t wrap my fingers around but gave me the chills and a strange warmth all at once.

My eyes darted around the room desperately, hoping to see a sign... or anything. Just anything that could give away the fact that Dahlia was here. But there was nothing besides her intoxicating scent hanging over the damn room like a damn cloak.

I turned to Kai who for some reason looked surprised, and then he fixed his face as he turned to face me. "Are you satisfied now?"

But I wasn’t.

How do I tell him that I could feel the presence of my mate in this room even though there were no traces of her here? How do I tell him that her scent was on everything... caressing everything, and making me go mad?

So I didn’t. Instead, I muttered; "Then why did you take so long to open the door?"

"Because obviously, Elodie is in here and I do not allow strangers in."

He was lying. I could smell it.

"And why were there three different dishes on your table when I stepped in?" I continued asking, not stopping for a moment to think my questions through. "Do you now eat on different plates? And on different chairs? All at the same time?" I continued probing, noticing the sheen of sweat now glistening on his forehead— And the weather has been crazy cold since morning.

"What I do in my pack, Zarek, and in my house is none of your business." He seethed, drawing himself to his full height as he stepped closer to me.

But I knew him too damn well to know that he wouldn’t hit me. Knew him like the back of my hand— at least that was what I thought until two and a half years ago.

His response further sparked my suspicion and I tilted my head to the side as I regarded him, my eyes thinning into slits as I stared straight at him.

"Did anyone from my pack seek refuge in yours in recent days?" I asked slowly, my voice as cold as ice, and I swear, I didn’t miss the way he visibly flinched as if he’d been physically struck by my words.

He was hiding something.

Alpha Kai gulped before fixing me with a deathly glare. He spat; "You and I know that I will not take anyone from your pack in... after what happened."

At his words, my eyes shot to the angelic sleeping girl on the bed and a pang of pity lanced through my chest when I caught Alpha Kai watching me carefully, his expression unreadable, his stance predatory.

I knew I couldn’t go close to Elodie’s bed. I knew I couldn’t touch her because Kai would strongly disagree, but something within me, something strange that called out to me like music to a dancer made me feel like I could.

As if to take permission, I glanced up at Kai who now was looking at me with a softer gaze, I whispered; "May I?"

"You’re to remain by the door, remember?" He snapped despite the glaze in his eyes. "You’re to stay away from my sister, you and your accursed Beta."

I sighed dejectedly, my hands hanging in the air for a moment before it dropped to my sides. Another look at Elodie’s unconscious form made the lump in my chest grow bigger and I glanced away, turning to face Kai.

"You know, I am not Orion... and it wasn’t even like this was Orion’s fault."

"You’d say that because he’s your Beta." Kai snarled, his lower lip curling as he bared his teeth at me. "You’d say that because it’s not your sister lying in a coma for two years. And you know what’s even worse? The fact that she was sick for a year before slipping into a coma!" He seethed,

His words felt like a butler’s knife to my chest— sharp, precise and cut so damn deep, I could literally feel it in the depths of my soul.

I shook my head. "He tried all he could. He even lost his soul for it and all you can say is—"

"I don’t care what your pathetic excuses are. You have no idea how I feel!" He spat.

But something about his words made my once suppressed rage bubble towards the surface. It made some things I’d tried so hard to forget stir in my mind’s eye like broth in a pot.

I shook my head at him, my jaws hard and glowered; "Maybe I don’t know how it feels, but maybe you should also know that I’d trade everything in my goddamn possession to have my family... even though it means seeing them in this state. So yes, I have no idea how you feel."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I ground my teeth together and looked away, the corner of my eyes burning with tears— tears due to years of pent up rage. Tears of frustration.

Now, Kai was panting like a wild beast as he stared at me with pity. And goddess, how much I hated that! Ignoring his softened glare and the ache rising in my chest, I continued; "Orion may not be a saint but this is not his fault. And you certainly cannot pin it all on him."

Kai’s expression darkened again. Good. "Maybe I cannot... but maybe I’d have felt better if he lost his life for it." Kai snapped, his eyes wild. Now, gone was every trace of warmth I’d once seen in them. Gone was the pity... the compassion. "Maybe that way, this burden will be less heavy for me to bear!"

"And what about the little girl? What about Tiffany?"

"I don’t care about the damn child!" Kai snarled, and as soon as he did, something in the air shifted.

The atmosphere suddenly became thick, choking, and in desperation, I clutched at the collar of my tunic, my eyes round as I stared straight at the sleeping woman on the bed— face pale, lips devoid of color. She hadn’t moved.

But Bloody Thanos, there’s something eerily suffocating in the air. There was something strange about this room!

Something wild... dark. I desperately need to be out of here!

As if seeing through my thoughts, Kai’s eyes widened as he glanced at the figure of his sister sleeping peacefully on the bed. He whispered; "I’m sorry. I really am."

Goosebumps spread across my skin— tons of them as the world seemed to shift in its axis. The suffocating feeling stopped, and in its place, an eerie chill ensued.

I stole one last glance at the room before turning away. "I wanted to talk to you about a business proposal, but maybe not today."

"Zarek—" Kai called out to me, but I didn’t stop walking, I continued to storm away, despite the strange voice in my head asking me to stay.

"The person I thought was in there isn’t. And there’s something dark going on there."

"I can feel it too."

"Maybe you should call on the mages." I supplied. "I just cannot help you this time. I really can’t." I whispered, walking away and not stopping to notice how faint Dahlia’s scent gradually became with each step I took further away from the room.

She must have been there at some point, or not... maybe it was just my silly mind playing tricks at me.