The Alpha's Omega Mate-Chapter 102: Spilled food.

~Dahlia POV~

"Ma’am, please explain to me what to mean by that." I rushed out, my voice trembling as a surge of several emotions slammed into me like a freight train. And for a minute, I momentarily forgot about the searing pain coursing through my body or how my pulse seemed to quicken with each passing second.

Right now, I could not ascertain the emotions coursing through me. It felt like one minute, I was mad that someone now knows about me, but at the same time relieved... and then I became scared that she would tell someone about it.

Grandmama Lupe sighed loudly but made no attempt to form around. Instead she began to trace invisible patterns on the wall as she spoke. She said; "Reign in your guns, child. I’m not going to tell anyone about you. I can smell your fear from a million miles away." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

I gulped. "Will you blame me?"

"Of course, I wouldn’t blame you. But I am old, child. I am the crazy old woman who lives at the edge of the pack and sells cotton for a living, no one would believe me even if I told them." She said, and even though that was meant to make me feel a little better, it didn’t.

Instead, I felt sorry for her. I felt bad that she was living such a secluded life at this age.

My left hand shot out before I could stop myself, and thankfully, the space between our beds was so large, if not, I would’ve been brushing my fingers against her hair right now.

Embarrassed, I withdrew my hand and asked; "So how do you know what I am. I don’t look like it. I don’t feel it. In fact, everyone believes that I’m a measly Omega."

"Everyone but Alpha." She interrupted, still not turning around to look at me. "And I know because I felt it in your energy as soon as I stepped into the room. Others may not feel it because they’re blind to things like these, but I’m not."

I froze. "W-what?"

A bone shattering pain slammed into my spine just then and I groaned, arching my back off the bed as tears fell freely down my face. My body trembled with pain so deep that it made spittle fly out of my mouth uncontrollably, and I convulsed as more and more of it continued to wrack my entire body, almost knocking the life out of me.

"Be one with it! Accept it!" She growled at me, and for a moment I was torn between understanding what she meant by that and wondering how she was suddenly sounding so healthy... so full of life. Like it wasn’t only minutes ago that she almost went on a trip to see the moon goddess.

I gasped, my insides quaking. "Ho-w?!"

"Close your eyes and accept it. Right now, it feels like a lot of pain, but... wait, have you shifted before?"

I shuddered, crying harder as the pain became too much to bear. Tears streamed down my face but I made no attempt to wipe it off, hell, I felt too stiff, too frozen in place to move.

"Y-yes, once... u-unintentionally."

"Good. Now, embrace the pain like you did that one time. Accept it like you first did when you realized you could swift. Take in deep breaths."

I quietly did as told as more tears fell, but this time, I wasn’t sure I was crying out of pain or out of confusion. Just like she’d advised, I soon began to take slow deep breaths and after a few minutes, the white hot pain searing through me began to fizzle out. Relief replaced pain and deep sighs replaced my pain-filled groans.

And after what felt like forever, I fell limply into the bed and closed my eyes.

Hell, even my leg no longer hurts so much.

I whispered; "Thank you."

"Anytime child." She replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

I watched her quietly as she turned back to the wall, and began to retrace the invisible patterns she was once tracing on them. And I knew deep down that this was the point where I was supposed to let her sleep... rest, but I didn’t.

Instead, I asked; "And what was that you were saying about Alpha Zarek earlier?"

I saw Grandmama Lupe’s shoulder tense for a split second before she eased up. She mumbled; "Do not mind me, I am no one but the crazy old lady. At least my reputation precedes me."

"But you’ve not said any crazy thing to me today, so I cannot believe that." I answered stubbornly, and as I did, she spun around to face me, her silvery eyes glinting with an emotion I couldn’t name.

"If you easily believe me, then you’re a gullible young woman. Maybe Lady Jennifer might’ve been right about that."

I didn’t know whether to feel insulted by that or ignore it, but deciding on the latter, I shook my head. "Okay, since you say they’re words of a crazy woman. Then I am not Nyx’Zariel and I cannot help with your ailment."

She froze.

I saw something akin to fear fleet past her features and I instantly regretted my actions. But my regrets soon dissipated when she muttered; "He doesn’t think you’re a mere Omega... he thinks of you as his mate."

’Okay maybe now, you’re indeed crazy’ I thought to myself but didn’t dare say that aloud. Instead, I chuckled darkly. "The only woman that can ever be his mate is Ms Jennifer. She’s the one the pack chose for him."

"But not the one he chose." She said, and I immediately squinted my eyes because that statement sounded vaguely familiar. Like something I’ve heard before... or must’ve been told; but for some reason, I just couldn’t remember where and when.

I couldn’t remember anything.

"Also, be wary of those who offer friendship and support unbidden... and those who smile the brightest, for some have hearts darker than the bottom of the ocean and plots to ruin you in ways you can never imagine."

I frowned. "What are you saying?"

"I’m proving to you that I am the crazy old lady, child, now would you please let me sleep?" She snapped, her voice rising a few octaves, and I glanced away in embarrassment before turning to look at her.

"Okay," I whispered even though now she was no longer paying any attention to me. "But I can still get to treat you right?"

She nodded.

"Okay."

"Speak of the devil and he shall arrive like Hades on his way to rape Medusa." She giggled, distinctively reminding me of a skirmish teenager.

I rolled my eyes at her back and snorted; "Didn’t Poseidon rape Medusa? Since when did it become Hades?"

"I’m old!" She snapped, "...and I may be wrong but I’ve seen enough to believe that Hades did!" And with that, she turned away from me just as the door creaked open.

A sweet smell— a combination of pine, wood and something excruciatingly sweet assaulted my nostrils and I glanced up just then to see Alpha Zarek standing by the door with a ceramic bowl containing something I do not know in his hands.

He muttered; "I know you may not wish to see me right now, but I told you I would come back earlier... and because I figured you must’ve not had dinner yet."

Speak of the devil and he shall arrive...

His words made something stir at the base of my stomach, coming to rest at my abdomen, but despite the swarm of crazy butterflies fluttering around my belly and the memory of how he’d left the last time he was here, I nodded at him.

"Thank you, Alpha."

"Anytime, Dahlia." He drawled and with that, stepped further into the room.

I saw his eyes widen when he noticed another presence in the room but he soon shook himself out of his shock and came to sit on the chair beside the bed, whilst unscrewing the lid from the ceramic bowl.

My breath caught in my throat and my mouth watered when I saw what was in it— a slice of manchet bread and venison dipped in sweet sauce. I smiled as I sat up in bed; "Thank you again."

But just as I was about to scoop the bowl into my arms so that I could dig into the mouthwatering meal, Grandmama Lupe’s words echoed in my mind;

...be wary of those who offer friendship and support unbidden... and those who smile the brightest, for some have hearts darker than the bottom of the ocean and plots to ruin you in ways you can never imagine...

This is an unbidden support.

And I’ve experienced how bright Alpha Zarek smiles could be— which was a stark contrast to how devious and dark he really was.

My hands trembled as I let the bowl slip from my hands and Alpha Zarek, thinking that it had slipped ducked to grab it, but missed.

It fell to the floor with a loud clatter and shattered as soon as it hit the ground, spilling its contents onto the floor.

But instead of feeling bad for wasting good food, I didn’t.

Instead, I felt relieved.

Grandmama Lupe can try to dismiss her words as anything but I knew as hell that she was definitely not crazy.

And I could see it in the way she turned to face me when she heard the loud clatter, her eyes shining with a mischievous glint as she stared between me and the spilled food.