Omega

Chapter 15

With the car packed, I was left to return to the meeting. I wanted Brian and his family gone before I told the rest of the pack everything.

Alec gestured to the door. I shook my head.

"It's okay, you can leave it unlocked now."

Because there was a strong chance that many wolves would want to leave once they've heard what I have to say.

"What I've got to tell you may upset you, it may anger you to the point where you want to leave this pack. I just want to say that you can do that. You don't have to remain here if you are disheartened by my actions. I let my body rule instead of listening to the wolf."

Taking a deep breath, I begged the world for strength.

"When Konrad approached me at the funeral, it was not the first time that we met. I did not know who he was until that moment but we met and hooked up at the Midnight Festival. I should have said something at the funeral. It's no excuse but my mind was not in the right place. There is a problem though. I can blame alcohol, I can use the death of my father and brother but at the end of the day, I still did what I did. He was at the Jade Palace that night and we hooked up in the bathroom."

I could see the heavy frowns and heard the whispers that grew. Things were not going well.

"Konrad bought the Jade Palace as retaliation because I told him to go away after the interaction. He wanted an answer from me and vowed to return when I was sober, which he did. This time we only talked but again, I refused his demands and in retaliation for that, he bought Pete's Pizza. I am sorry to all of you but most of all to you, Liam."

He had a sad look on his face as his eyes lifted to me. With a shrug, he remained silent.

"You suffered because you defended me but I did not deserve it. He retaliated because I would not bow down to his demands. I could have just said yes with terms that no one died but I was a stubborn,"

"Stop," Frank said as he stood.

The group turned to look at the elder as he shook his head.

"You're an Alpha, Megan. You're supposed to be stubborn and not bow down to demands. I can guarantee you that Anders would have been far more stubborn than you were."

Gus nodded in agreement.

"As for that other nonsense, it's understandable. You were told that we expected children out of you, you had another Alpha sniffing around so it was only natural that your body and your wolf complied with the situation. The nonsense with the Jade Palace and the pizza place is just another example of you kids with your passive approach to situations like this. I think that Konrad was just as scared as you were. His tough guy act wasn't fooling any of us. As for the secrets you kept, well, a lot of leaders are like that. Most don't need to know the details of how a pack is ruled but your betas should. We are the ones that help you rule and if you keep something from us then our advice might be wrong. Take it as a lesson, Megan. We are not your enemy, we are here to help you. That is the role of a beta."

He sat down and I realised that I was staring at him.

"Uh, thank you Frank."

With a stiff nod, he made me realise that I had everything twisted out of proportion.

"You've taught me a lesson, that is true. A valuable one and I am grateful."

Turning to the crowd, I gave them an uneasy smile.

"So, this is where you get to decide. You can stay and accept my apology for my failings or you can leave. I won't be angry and you will be granted an amicable departure time allowance. I, uh, I found the forms. You can take a form now, think about it and return it later or straight away if you want."

Silence hit the room. No one moved. Not even a flinch. I didn't know what to make of it. Painful seconds passed until someone moved. When Joey stood, I felt my heart thud. Of all the wolves.

He smiled like he could read my mind.

"When Liam was attacked, we wondered. After all, you're young, hot and female and Konrad is not blind. It was a general consensus that he would be doing everything to pick away at you so we agreed to keep you company. Had we known that one of us was a traitor, we would have done things differently. She is just as much to blame, if not more. It is obvious that Shelly ensured that you were at the Palace the same night as Konrad. The day that he bought out Pete? How surprising that you're alone to get your lunch and Shelly's gone home with a migraine. I'm sorry too, Megan. I should have gone with you. I can't speak for everyone but I'd like to tell you where you can put that form."

I smiled as he curved his hand into a heart over his chest and then pointed at me. Yeah, love you too buddy.

"Thank you Jojo. I'll leave the forms on the bar for anyone else that might want them. You can hand them to the elders if you don't want to talk to me. So, I guess that's it for the meeting. Thanks for coming and again, sorry."

I didn't expect anyone to hang around. I thought they'd make a line at the bar where I put the forms and then leave. It was surprising to see the pile ignored. The pack were hanging around like it was just another meeting.

Feeling like I was not alone, I put a clean glass on the pile of papers and turned to Gus.

"It's okay to make mistakes. That is how we learn what is right and wrong, what is not ideal and what is amazing. Do you know what I take from your admission?"

"I don't know."

"That our leader can make another leader weak with desire. Bet your old man or your brother couldn't do that."

With a wicked wink, Gus wandered off.

"Now that's power." Alec said, leaving a drink on the counter for me. "Play your cards right and you could have that puppy chasing you."

"I think that I'd be happy just to ensure that he leaves me and this territory alone."

Which was the truth. I did not want to combine packs because it was dangerous for so many reasons. I looked around the room, seeing those reasons. They were the reason that I fought as hard as I did.