My Omega Queen
Chapter 15: Cat’s Out of the Bag

POV: Emily

There were a few seconds when all I could hear were my heart beats. My olfactory senses had announced me whose face is awaiting me the moment I turned around, yet I had no excuse for my actions. I gulped and slowly turned my head and body towards my foil.

“Hi, Emily” says Michael, with a smile. Then he goes ahead and sits on the sofa, gesturing me to join him: “Would you like to sit next to me on the couch for a second?”

I nod and follow his actions.

“I couldn’t help but notice that your activities today have been… uhm… quite interesting, if you asked me. Now, is there anything that I can help you with?”

I think about it for a second, I was obviously doing a poor job eavesdropping and I would make a fool of myself trying not to take responsibility for it. But now, the question lingers in my mind “What is Michael doing right now? Why talk to ME about my eavesdropping?”. I decide to play it safe for a bit:

“I heard some rumors about Edward and Rachel and I wanted to find out more about it. You could say that curiosity got the best of me.”

“I see.” he says, looking at his feet, thoughtful. Afterwards, he lifts his head, looks at the office’s door and then at me: “My apologies, maybe we should have gone for a walk instead. Would you like that?”

I nod and we proceed to exit the mansion and head towards the backyard, which reminds me of a miniature forest. The mansion’s backyard spreads on a huge area, surrounded by rectangular, tall hedges. The ground is covered by a neat, soft layer of grass and a few benches placed under the trees’ crowns for shade during day time. There are several bird houses here and there, completing the calm, relaxing forest scene. The moon is shining brightly on the sky and the light, cold breeze is foretelling the arrival of a harsh autumn.

We were walking side by side on the path, when Michael begins: “So, how do you like the pack until now, Emily?”

I thought he would peer deeper into my previous mishap, hence his question took me my surprise. “I am impressed by the layout of the village and especially the feeling of safety these mountains give off. “

Michael keeps nodding at my words, then says with a mischievous grin: “What about the dungeon? I heard you were quite interested in it.”

I gulp and answer with a shaking smile: “I just thought a soon-to-be-Luna should know where the dungeon is. For any case.”

“Yes, indeed, a Luna should know where the dungeon is. Also how Edward’s office looks like, for that matter.” Michael replies, stopping in his steps and looking at me. The moonlight is shining on his confident, questioning face.

“He knows.” whispers Accalia, sharpening her senses.

Am I being followed?! This is outrageous! My breathing gets heavier at the thought that perhaps exactly the mountains that made me feel so safe could turn out to be my cage. I straighten my back, take a deep breath, and confess: “I guess there’s no hiding it anymore. A rumor has reached my ears that Edward had killed his own father in cold b***d, using wolfsbane and petty tricks to murder his own parent. That sounds like quite a dangerous mate, if you ask me! Salt on wound, barely my second day here and I wake up to see two pack warriors, more dead than alive, being taken away from his office and everybody avoiding to tell me anything about it. Don’t even get me started on the divided behaviour of the pack members, which seem to have expected another “you-know-who” as Luna. To top it off, it appears that I am also being followed. Considering this, how would you like this pack, Michael?”

Strangely, it feels nice to get this off my shoulders. However, my fists clench instinctively as I look in Michael’s eyes. His smile has diminished to a surprised, almost pitying expression.

“Oh, dear Emily. Is this what you’ve been carrying in your heart?” Michael says painfully. “I see now what must be done. Let’s return to the mansion, I am convinced that Edward shall be more than glad to explain everything to you.”

Is this a trick? Are they just going to beat me, too? My anxiety is over the roof and I’m sure he can hear my racing heart beat. However, Michael doesn’t wait for a response and heads back towards the mansion. Now that everything is out, there’s no going back. I follow him inside. Edward was preparing himself a toast inside the kitchen area when we got back. He was surprised by Michael’s sudden entrance as he dropped his freshly toasted slice of bread on the floor.

“Michael!” Edward shouts, sighing.

However, Michael couldn’t care less of his toast, as he gets closer to Edward and tells him, in a grave voice: “You two must have a talk. Tonight.” and he points towards me, standing in the doorway, fumbling my way inside.

I would have been startled by Michael’s attitude towards the Alpha King if only her smell wouldn’t be lingering everywhere. Just thinking about it makes my fangs sharpen and nose twitch. Edward was definitely in shock over his Beta’s conduct, as he stared at him bewildered for a few seconds before looking my way.

“Alright. Let’s have a talk.” he says, proceeding to wipe his hands on a towel. Afterwards, he opens the door to his office and invites me in, holding the door for me. I gulp and enter, making my way towards the couch that’s in front of the desk and sitting down. As I had expected, despite leaving the window open, he couldn’t get rid of her reek.

“That b*tch, for how long did she even stay in here for her smell to be all over?!” spits Accalia, turning in circles agitated.

“Maybe this will help, for now.” I hear, as he suddenly sits down next to me. His sweet smell invades my nostrils and seizes the room, calming Accalia and receding my fangs. “Now, I can count on the fingers from one of my hands the number of times my Beta lost his composure. It must be a matter of high importance that he requests something of me. What exactly should we talk about?”

The fact that he’s staying so close to me when I’m about to say something that he might not like makes me feel a bit uneasy. However, cat’s out of the bag now. I make myself more comfortable on the couch and say:

“Why did you kill your father?”