Chapter 12. Confessions

"Will you explain to me why you would be behind closed doors with the enemy?" Mesalla asked fuming at me.

"Will you explain to me where you shoved the respect you have for your alpha?" I asked him in return.

Otis scoffed in the backround probably as shocked as I was by his outburst and how he broke my door. But for some reason, I understood where he was coming from. He didn't know Roman was my mate, and frankly speaking I wasn't ready to get to that topic. Or else everything else would be revealed.

Roman smirked while looking straight on at Mesalla. I rolled my eyes.

"Otis do we still have company outside?" I asked him seeing him on the other side of the door.

"No alpha. I had them all leave." He replied briefly. "But Joseph is here." He said referring to Mesalla's father.

Could this day get any more dramatic?

"Mesalla, you should leave." I said to him feeling more frustrated than I was five minutes earlier.

He was quiet.

"What pup?" Roman stated telling him. "Cat got your tongue?"

"You too Roman." I said rolling my eyes at him.

He stared back in shock.

They both walked out without question and as they did, I wondered if they would fight while I stayed in here.

'Join me.' I mindlinked Otis.

He was in in half a minute, leaving the door shut behind him.

"I know this isn't the right time for this especially seeing what we have to deal with now but I have a problem and I need an opinion." I said trying to grab his attention.

"Please. Tell me." He said sitting forward ready to pay attention to what I wanted to say.

"Roman really is my mate." I squinted my eyes as I said the words. "And I have been mating with Mesalla to get over my attraction for Roman. For, obvious reasons of course. But last night, Mes told me he is in love with me and now I am afraid that he is acting like it."

I hadn't realised until I was done that Otis was grinning widely. I frowned.

"Hey! This isn't funny Ot. Come on." I exclaimed at him trying to get him serious.

"Firstly, it seems like you are slowly accepting your mate despite the flaws he comes with alpha. And no one, can get in the way of that or make you feel bad about it. Especially for anyone who is already mated." He sounded serious. "However, I would love to point out how obsessed I am with the tension between those two." He laughed out like he wasn't so serious a minute ago. "Smooth play alpha. Smooth play." He almost sounded proud.

"At least I know Mesalla's weakness now." He said again to himself with a smirk.

"Otis." I growled.

He flinched. "Forgive my manners alpha." he apologized in an instant.

"I don't know what to do Ot." I said feeling and sounding worried.

"May you should tell them both the truth." He told me. "I mean it could avoid bloodshed." He added with a shrug.

This time. I laughed.

"You know," He started, "when he told me he was your mate, I was not particularly ecstatic about it. But then, I spent time with him while you were passed out and he looked so beat down and worried. More than I was. And, when he fell asleep, he happened to be experiencing nightmares. He murmured apologies to you for a lot of things and its clear he hates what he did to you. But, I am not saying it's reason to forgive him, no. I just think you could look at things from his point and maybe you may understand a little about him."

I sunk into the sofa. Face blank.

I never felt so strongly for Roman since I left his territory. Maybe because we had no physical contact, but since he held on to me in the park and everything that led to right now, I kept looking for reasons to keep him around, to accept him. Hence why I decided to use Nali as my excuse.

But would I have an excuse if she got out of the picture?

Every passing moment, thinking about him or thinking about being with him made me feel like I was betraying my father and mother. And I didn't want to feel this way.

"Thank you Otis." I smiled weakly.

"Anytime alpha. But hey?" He questioned. "Just let me see one round between them before you tell them huh? I am mad curious. My money's on Roman though." He smirked.

I laughed with him.

"Could you ask Joseph to join me?" I told him as he prepared to step out.

"Of course alpha." He said and then left the room.

"Alpha." Joseph said giving a small bow.

"Come on Joseph." I laughed.

He did too. "I see you are trying to make it work with your mate." He started.

"That is not the case and you know it Jo."

"Jokes."

"I kind of made a mistake along the way."

"What's that?"

"I developed a relationsip with Mes."

"Wait. What!?" He exclaimed.

"I am so sorry." I looked down feeling tears cloud my eyes

"Hold up. Did you mate?" He asked

I nodded.

"How many times? Or how long did this happen for?"

"I don't know. Over a month."

"You have a mate Arlene. That was careless of you. Are you trying to hurt my son?" He sounded genuinely disappointed.

"Of course not. I mean it wasn't serious until..." I stopped myself from saying more.

"Yes it was. I mean it was obvious with how excited he got the past few weeks. But that girl is you?"

I couldn't respond.

"Wait. Until what? You started to say something."

"Well.. he.." I stummered on the words.

"He told you he loves you didn't he?" Joseph said now realising how drastic this situation was. "Answer me!"

I sobbed at the sound of his angry voice. I realised that I hurt him and I would hurt his son.

"I could reject Roman." I started trying to ease him.

"That could never happen. I see him out there and the boy looks like he is in pain. And he is trying everything to get you to forgive him. I know you see it too."

"But he deserves to be rejected." I countered. "I cannot betray my father."

"Your father had this coming." Joseph said thoughtlessly. "He took you out there against my will because he wanted to please her. Because he wanted to give you and the luna to her."

"Excuse me?" I asked him. "I would rather you defend my father's honor than shatter it especially now that he is dead."

"Arlene, the last few weeks before his death, he spent his time with his mate. He crossed over the lands to meet her. Arlene staying away from your mate is not something you can easily do. I learnt that from him."

"What?" I whispered with a pained voice from the betrayal of my father. "He was protecting me...us."

"That's what it seemed like to everyone else."

"If you knew what he was doing, then why did you let him leave with us?" I asked him now wondering why he would say all this and now.

"Because he knew about my mate." He looked ashamed.

"I thought you didn't meet with her?"

"Well, I did. More often than not. And he threatened to tell my wife."

I sunk back into the couch feeling beat down.

Then, the door opened and Mesalla walked in.

"Did I hear you right father?" He asked looking distorted.

"Son." Joseph stood up to defend himself. "I wish you could understand right now, but I don't think you will."

He was standing in front of Mesalla now, who pushed him away, trying to make sense of the situation.

"You betrayed mother. You betrayed me, father." His voice was still even. "And you knew this Arlene?" After all we have shared, you hid this from me?" He directed his next words to me.

"No of course she did not." Joseph came to my rescue. "She only knew of her existence. Nothing more.""

"Make me." Mesalla said looking his father in the eyes. "Make me understand."

"I can't." Joseph whispered and with that walked out of the room.

"Roman is my mate." I said after a few minutes of silence.

He smirked. "I guess today is day of confessions huh."

"Don't." I whispered.

"Don't what Arlene? I mated with you! I told you I love you." He was shouting at me now.

This time, it was Roman who walked in, looking stunned.

"You mated with him?" Roman asked pointing at Mesalla in disgust.

"Yes, she did." Mesalla replied.

Roman looked at me, waiting for me to say something. But I just sat there, frozen.

"Before I harshly judge you," Mesalla started "When did you find out about this?"

"After her birthday." Roman replied. "Days before she left my pack territory.

Mesalla scoffed and with that, stormed out of the room.

Roman stared at me blankly now. I could not even read his facial expression. "Checkmate Arlene." He finally said and left the room too.