The Alpha's Omega Mate-Chapter 128: The devil

~Zarek’s POV~

It’s been two days. Two whole days since Dahlia left my pack without a trace. Two solid days since I found out that Jennifer was pregnant with my child.

Two days since my life suddenly felt darker. Bleaker.

And I didn’t know how to feel about all of that.

I didn’t know how to console myself or Jennifer, even though deep down, I had no idea what I would’ve done if the child had survived... if Jennifer had succeeded in pining me down with a child.

By the gods, I didn’t want to be with her. Hell, I didn’t even get her pregnant on my own accord and this would’ve never happened if she hadn’t done that stupid scent swap/stealing thingy she had done with Dahlia’s smell; But still, it doesn’t change the fact that the child was pure. Innocent. Untainted by the evils of its mother.

And it was just terrible for its life to be lost even before one’s fully formed.

"You’ll drink yourself to stupor one of these days." A small voice said from behind me, and at first, I almost smiled, momentarily thinking that it was Orion— and that we were back to how we used to be until he tried to covet Dahlia.

Until he tried to take what was mine.

However, when I spun around, coming face to face with Drogon, I sighed, wiped my face with the back of my sleeves and muttered; "Drogon, you’re here."

"Yes Alpha," he murmured, bowing.

Slowly, I rose to my feet, swaying slightly from the alcohol but I soon got a hold on myself. "So what’s the update?"

Drogon stilled ever so slightly. His mop of hair fell over his eyes as he bowed his head again, and right now, for the first time, I noticed how exhausted he was. How pale his skin looked under the harsh sunlight.

He was over exerting himself— all for me... all for Dahlia.

"I’ve gone into all our neighbouring packs and I’ve spoken to some soldiers of these packs. Many claim that they’ve not seen her yet, but that we’ll be informed first as soon as they do."

I swirled the wineglass between my fingers, my eyelids twitching in frustration. Goddess, that was the same old story I’ve been hearing for days. The same broken promise that no one seems to keep.

As if noticing the change in my countenance, Drogon sighed. He whispered; "I’ll go out to check again this evening, I’ll see if I’ll find somethin—"

"Drogon..." I drawled tiredly, interrupting him. His mouth snapped shut as he raised his head to me. "Rest today," I said softly, "you look like you need it. I’ll go myself tonight, and I’ll make sure to slip into the closest human village."

"Oh..." he gasped, his eyes snapping open as if a thought had just suddenly struck his head. "Why did I never think to check these human villages?"

"Because it happens." I replied dryly, the ache in my chest filling now to a quiet throb. "Dahlia is an Omega. And if she’s trying to escape... to really get away from us, the first place she should go to is a human village."

"Why did you never bring this up before?" Drogon asked excitedly, his eyes alight with wonder.

Again, I sighed but not because I was tired, I did because my heart felt too heavy. There was a weight crushing against my chest, pressing down on my windpipe. It made breathing difficult. It made something foreign well up at the corners of my eyes because I finally understood it.

Because I finally accepted it.

"I was hoping that she wasn’t trying to flee from us." From me. "I was hoping that she had been taken... or that she was taking a break from all this madness, not really leaving."

"Will you punish her?" Drogon asked suddenly, causing my eyes to widen in surprise. "I mean, for leaving? I remember you did it once when she tried to run away the last ti—"

The memory felt like a bounty blade driving into my chest. Crushing. Hard. Painful. I shook my head to rid myself of the images of a badly beaten up Dahlia, bleeding and desperately crying for help; but it was difficult. I shuddered.

"I remember. But after all she’s been through, I don’t think she deserves to be punished that way, or at all. I think that her attempt at fleeing this time is pretty logical... So I will not."

"But that will make others question your judgement." He argued but I simply held my hands up, unwilling to hear his gibberish about power play.

I frowned; "I don’t care Drogon, she did it because she just wants to be safe, moreover she didn’t steal this time. Did she? Moreover, as much as I try to delude myself into believing that she’s safe here, I am wrong. I have always been wrong."

"Alpha..."

"I almost want to let her go. I should let her go, but what if wherever she goes is worse? What if she’s even in more danger there than here? What if she’s been taken by rogues...?"

My mind vaguely drifted to the day we met, how we met, and how scared she’d been at the auction house, and pain as sharp as daggers gnawed at my chest. A shaky breath slipped past my lips at the thought and I muttered; "What if she’s been taken by evil men? The type that traffics Omegas? The type I’d acquired her from in the first place?"

I sa whim shake his head, saw the defeated look on his face before his head dropped and I sighed.

"Don’t worry, have some rest. I should go now." I said with conviction as I began to storm out of the room, but before I could I walk out, Drogon called out from behind me, causing my steps to falter before I spun around to face him.

"What?"

"Don’t forget to check on Ms Jennifer too. Words have it that she’s a shell of herself ever since the incident... and then..." he trailed off, hesitating, "...there’s your daughter too who was recently discharged from the hospital."

As I listened to his words, I realized that he was holding back. That there was a hidden message hiding beneath each syllable. A warning in his tone that he’d tried too hard to hide— but failed woefully.

Take care of your family first; Dahlia is an outsider.

And maybe he was right. Maybe the words he didn’t say out loud were true. But my wolf would rather chew its tail off than see Dahlia as an outsider. Than treat her as one.

She was his.

Ours.

And she’s more of mine than anyone else could ever be.

Nodding briefly, I spun around and left, and call me the devil for as long as you want, but I didn’t go to Jennifer. I didn’t go to Nyx or her daughter.

I headed straight for the pack’s borders. For Dahlia. And then I shifted before breaking into a full sprint.