Chapter 2 ii

Ayana's POV The rest of the week went by for me in a similar fashion: wake up by 6am, shower and get dressed, have breakfast, get my list of tasks for the day, think about Alpha Callum, have lunch after completing some of my tasks, think about Alpha Callum again, complete the rest of the tasks, have dinner, clear up the dishes, go to bed. Oh, and before I sleep, I would still think about Alpha Callum. I could not stop even if I wanted to.

How could I; he was everything any woman would want in a mate – handsome, strong, a good Alpha to his pack... It was even worse now that I had found out by listening in on conversations that he was actually unmated! Very rarely were werewolves of his age – particularly Alphas – unable to find at least one person compatible enough to be made his mate by the moon goddess. It just goes to show that it took a special kind of person to be worthy enough to be Alpha Callum's mate. In my week of being in Vale Pack, friends were hard for me to make, as always. I seemed to be the only one with such problems, as another girl named Willa had been brought three days ago, and had managed to ingratiate herself with three girls. Granted, they were all in their mid-20s rather than early 20s, like me. but for some reason unknown to me, the other Omegas were wary of me. Therefore, I barely spoke to any one of them, except it was related to work duties. However, I had managed to make friends with a lovely girl named Emily. We did not see each other often as we were often assigned to different parts of the pack compound, and she lived in a different part of the Omega Quarter. Whenever we did meet, though, she was always so nice to me. Already, some of her tips she gave me about some pack members had come in handy. I had even managed to impress Agathe, who had now gotten off my back. She would invite me over to her house for tea and a nice chat, and often I would leave her home with something she wanted me to have – like a tin of cookies or a dress she did not want anymore. In return, I shared some details about my life with her – how my parents had no choice but to sell me off, and how my experiences in my previous pack differed from the one I was having so far in Vale Pack. What I had not told her, though, was about Callum, or rather, my crush on Alpha Callum that was beginning to grow stronger with each passing day. Being an unmated Omega, I was not sure whether she would hold the same views as me on anything regarding romance. After all, she was mated – to a brilliant (in her own words) guy named Trevor, who was also an Omega. I had just finished my tasks and had managed to beg off plate-washing duties for the night, so immediately after having a bit of my dinner, I took a stroll right to Emily and Trevor's home. As always, I knocked, and I could hear her voice from hear away shout at the door, "Coming!!" A few seconds later, she opened the door, her face lighting up when she saw my face. "Ayana! Come in," she hurried me in, and I removed my shoes by the door. Like most homes in the Omega Quarter, Emily's home was small, a bungalow with a narrow hallway and a bigger porch than bedroom. The place, however, looked homely, and I was sure it was all due to Emily's warm touch. Speaking of which... "How's your mate?" I enquired. I had yet to meet him. "Oh, he's out," her voice rang through the room as she moved to the kitchen, giving me a signal to sit and stay put. "He has a job to do." "Night duties again?" I fiddled with the hem of my sweater sleeve, sitting down after a few seconds. This was the third time I had been there after all. "As always," came her voice from the direction of the kitchen. Soon, she emerged, bearing a tray with two cups of tea. I took one gratefully from her as she handed it to me. "So," she asked me after she took a sip from her cup, "How are you?" "Fine, how are you?" My reply was automatic. "You have to stop doing that, Ayana," She flashed me a smile, shaking her head. "You do that a lot. You're going to rip a hole into that if you don't stop." "Wha?" I looked inquisitively at her, and she gestured to my hands fiddling with the bottom hem of my sweater. "Sorry," I dropped my hand from my sweater, clasping my hands on my lap instead. "Nothing to be sorry for," she quipped. "I wanted to tell you something," I said after a few comfortable seconds had passed. "About? You're not having trouble with the other girls, are you?" I shook my head at her show of concern, smiling reassuringly at her. "It's not about work, Em." I paused, trying to gather my thoughts. I must have taken too long though, because Emily spoke. "Ayana, come on. Spit it out already. See, I'm trembling with anticipation," she held out her hands and began to shake them. "I think I'm in love with Alpha Callum," I said in a rush, willing myself to breathe afterwards. "Is that it?" she sighed, shaking her head at me again. I felt like I had missed something. "That's not newsworthy, Ayana. Every woman in the pack- Hell, even women outside the pack – has had a crush on him one time or another." "This isn't a crush, Em," I tried to defend myself, feeling put on the spot. "I don't know how this happened, but I really think this is love." "I see," She sighed again. The 24-year old dropped her teacup on the tray and turned to me, giving me a look. "How long have you been here, Ayana? It can't be more than a week right?" I nodded, frowning at her tone. I felt like she was scolding me for something. "And you met Alpha Callum on the day of your arrival, yeah?" "It was two days after," I mumbled, shrinking as she tilted her head at my comment. She looked incredulous. "You mean to tell me that you only got to meet and speak with Alpha Callum five days ago, and you're already in love with him?" I cringed, knowing I had not even spoken with Alpha Callum. He did not even notice me that day. Emily kept on speaking, trying to keep her voice calm but firm, "Ayana, please help me understand what you mean by love, because I don't get it. You cannot fall in love with someone you have only just met. Unless there's something you aren't telling me." I looked into her hazel eyes, shaking my head as I bit my lips, trying so hard not to tear up. She was right. Her expression softened as she held my gaze. "Ayana..." She took my hands, holding them in hers. "Let me remind you of something. We are Omegas, you and I. It is very unlikely that anyone above our station would even want to mate with you. I am sorry, but it's the truth. I am mated to Trevor now, and could not be happier. He respects me, and we share a deep bond. I love him. I don't think I could have said the same if he was a higher-ranking werewolf." "Why not?" I knew my tone sounded childish, but I could not bear to have my hopes dashed. "Because, Ayana, they would likely not understand you. Everyone deserves a partner who can understand their struggles, and support them. And I hate to say it, but they would not understand the struggles of being an Omega of a pack. They have their own struggles as well, and we likely might not understand them either. There's also the matter of respect, Ayana. How many Alphas do you think respect their mate if it was an Omega?" I sniffed, feeling even worse as her explanation went on. "I am not saying that there are no exceptions to the rule, but it is a tried-and-true fact that all we Omegas can hope to ask for, is to mate with a fellow Omega. Anyone who goes beyond their station usually gets burned. You know of that story, about the man who flew too close to the sun?" I nodded, recalling the story of Orpheus. I don't remember much of what else happened during my visit, but I know I had begged off taking another tin of cookies, and left the house quickly. I remember that I cried myself to sleep that night, wishing that I was not an Omega after all. The next day, as I went on with my tasks, I kept thinking of what she said. A tap on my shoulder brought me back to the present. It was Lia, Agathe's assistant and fellow Omega. "How done are you with your tasks for the day?" she asked me. "Almost," I replied. The tasks today were not much, and they were fairly easy for me to complete. "Good, because you need to join Margaret to complete her task. You both will be going to the main house today." My heart thumped in my chest; I had not been to the main house, ever. The main house – that was where the Alpha lived. Would I see Alpha Callum there? "Okay," I managed to say, and turned to Margaret who stood beside Lia. "What are we to do?" We made our way to the main house, and Margaret took the lead, moving up the stairs and into the hallway. We walked down the carpeted floor past several doors until we reached the one that was obviously our location that day. She wasted no time in fishing out the keys we were given, opening the door to reveal a bedroom. "We will be receiving a guest tomorrow, so this bedroom needs to be clean before then." "Guest?" I wondered to myself, not knowing I had asked the question out loud. The bedroom was big, and I could see a small layer of dust everywhere. It would likely take the rest of the day to clean. "Alpha Callum's friend. A female friend." A funny feeling in my stomach made me queasy as I digested what Margaret had said. Oh, I breathed to myself, feeling bereft.