Omega

Chapter 14

Facing Konrad, I waited and wondered what he could possibly offer. Not that I was interested.

His mouth opened and then he huffed, looking up at the ceiling in a pitiful attempt at an eye roll.

"You could have told me but I guess that honesty is not in your nature."

"There is a lot more to this than just those photos. Do I get the chance to tell you everything or are you just going to assume that you know the facts?"

"Alright. You've got until I have packed everything away. Once my things are in the car, your time is up."

"I would prefer something a little more private."

"And I would prefer that my father and brother were alive but we can't always have what we want, can we?"

"Fine," he grumped. "Brian contacted me, pretending to be your father. The email came from the packhouse so I assumed it was legitimate. He requested a civil meeting between the two of us so that we could discuss the future. I agreed because as I've said to you previously that when Anders Nolan is breathing down your neck, you worry about your own life expectancy. When I got to the meeting, he introduced himself and said that he could help me gain territory and take down your father. Do you know how long I'd been an Alpha at that point?"

I shook my head, continuing to pack away the equipment. Luckily for Konrad, I was going slow.

"A year. I was still grieving for my father, I was trained as his Beta but that didn't make it any easier. Then this guy says that he can help me take down a threat and then makes it worse by telling me that he'd heard whispers that Anders was looking at the surrounding territories. I knew he'd pick me. When I got the email from your father, I was surprised. The photos that I took of that meeting gave me a lot of trust from your father which I did not want to take for granted. He asked something of me and there is no email for this one. Your father called me and we talked for a long time. He asked that I maintained the same course. Anders knew that Brian had set me up with Shelly and he asked that I continue that to make them think that everything was okay."

I snorted a huff.

"How convenient."

"He called me that night."

Konrad's tone was low. I faced him with a lot of curiosity.

"Who?"

"Brian. I missed the first call." he shrugged, a little uneasily. "It was after I returned to the festival. I guess it was too loud. He called again later and told me that they were dead. Then he advised that Anders had a daughter and that she wasn't in the car. He said that this daughter was marked as the Omega and she would be easy to control due to the obvious weaknesses. All I needed to do was stroll in and make my claim. I didn't know what to say or think. Brian never claimed ownership of their deaths, he just made the statement of the truth. I wasn't ready to believe that he wasn't involved so I kept my distance. We discussed the issue at an urgent meeting and my elders and Beta all agreed that it was better to have a fraction of control rather than nothing. All they wanted was to know that we were safe."

Rolling his eyes, Konrad stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"But I did it my way and made it a mess. The more I moved, the harder you fought. I could see that Brian was wrong about you. You were not weak, you never have been. I don't know why you were labelled as an Omega because you shouldn't have been. I began to freak out because I thought that you'd blame me for everything and it became obvious that you were just another Anders, ready to give me a hard time."

"So, you had someone stab Liam to make a point?"

"Nooo. That wasn't me. I didn't order that."

"You still claimed it as if you had." I said, dumping the first container onto the trolley. "You're running out of time and you're not convincing me of anything so maybe you should quit while you're ahead."

"I meant what I said about when I saw you at the funeral. You, the woman that rocked my world. I want to fix this, I want to find a path to a future together."

I put Anubis into my bag and glanced around the area to make sure I had everything. It was time for me to leave and his statements about the future were just making that come quicker.

"Konrad, I've just banished my best friend and her family because her father murdered my father and brother. They were the last of my family and I am alone in this world now. I have nothing left. You might say that it should be all the more reason to accept what you're offering but at the moment, I just want to do nothing. To just sulk and mope around in a baggy shirt, eat ice cream and watch movies all day. If you're looking for an assurance that your territory is safe then I can give that to you but understand that I'm not going to join our clans just because you think it's the right thing to do or because you've had a fun couple of nights with me. I want more than just a couple of nights and I can't accept a mate on those grounds. Now is not the time for me to be making plans for the future. If you truly care, you'll back off and that includes your plans to take over this territory. If you're wise then you will listen to your glowing admiration of me because you are right. I am not weak. I am an Alpha and if you try to take me down ever again, I will make you suffer."

I tried to move the trolley but Konrad moved to block me.

"I can't leave it like this."

"Okay. How about we leave it with the photos of you walking into Shelly's place yesterday and remaining there for several hours? Did you know that my detective actually got photos through her bedroom window? It's a charming series of images of the two of you in bed for pretty much all of that time. I'd be happy to show them to you if you're interested in seeing them. You never cared, just like she never cared about me. You both knew where our future was headed and still, you did the dirty on me."

Pushing the trolley to the side of him, I managed to get past. I was only a few steps away, weaving through the chairs that were slowly being packed away.

"I was doing as Anders asked of me."

I stopped and looked at the small crowd of my followers who looked up. They were waiting for Konrad to leave and he was determined to stay. I think that the only reason they haven't changed forms and ripped him to shreds was because my father started this mess.

"He said to keep them occupied. Make them believe that you're accepting their deal, don't let them doubt you. He wanted evidence and I knew that you were just like your father and that you'd be collecting information as well. You think that I didn't know about the detective in my territory? Do you seriously think that I didn't see the detective taking photos at the window? It broke my heart to carry on because I knew that you'd assume the worst. I did it so that you could have this moment. Shelly said that you were acting odd and hadn't called or messaged her. I distracted her."

"Oh good grief." I grumbled.

Turning around, I tried not to laugh.

"Are you serious? Actually take a moment and listen to yourself. Do you want me to be grateful that you took one for the team? Oh thank you Konrad for screwing my best friend behind my back and keeping her occupied from finding out nothing. You said that you knew that I would assume the worst yet you still carried on. Did you think that I'd accept your apology and then let it go?"

Letting go of the trolley, I walked to Konrad.

"Do you remember what I said to you in the change room at the dress shop?"

Konrad frowned for a moment and then gave me an awkward shrug.

"I said that I'm not taking a mate that thinks screwing the females in his pack for the rest of eternity is acceptable. Shelly might not have been in your pack at that moment but you believed that in the future she would be. When would it have stopped? I'm thinking never because if you'd gotten your way and I'd submitted to you, I would have never investigated the accident. You would be the Alpha, I'd be your mate and you'd be whoring your way around this territory and your own."

I frowned heavily as I stepped into his space, looking up at him with pure anger.

"I. Do. Not. Share."

Stepping back, I turned and began to push. Looking over my shoulder, I accepted that this was the end. It sucked, to be honest, because I liked Konrad.

"You've got one hour to get out of West River territory and not come back."