Chapter 12

"My sincerest apologies, my Alpha," She replied, her eyes still averted, "I swear it will never happen again."

In the silence, Erick started to calm down, though he was still fighting the urge to hurt Keric. He wouldn't dare touch Adeline. His father had taught—rather instilled—him that females were never to be harmed or hurt by males no matter what the case. As much as he wanted to, he wasn't going to start now.

"...What is her name?" Erick finally asked in the silence, calm enough to regain some of his senses.

"Jessica, my Alpha," Keric replied, "Of the Méraudin pack."

"The dead pack in Northeast Quebec?" Erick asked, looking back at him in slight surprise.

"The last known survivor, sir," Keric nodded.

Erick took in a breath and slowly let it out, "...Jessica." Her name itself calmed him down even further.

"Erick," Adeline spoke softly and slightly hesitant.

"What?" He looked at her, rage no longer held in his eyes, but he was still annoyed with her.

"There is also something you should know," Adeline spoke hesitantly still, "...She's an Omega."

Erick's eyes turned to that of confusion as he angled his head as if to rehear her, "...What?"

"She's an Omega, my Alpha," Adeline repeated.

Erick didn't believe what she said as he looked up at the ceiling in silence.

"An Omega? My mate?" He thought, "It couldn't be possible...unless—" He took a deep breath as he thought about this before looking back at Adeline.

"That doesn't matter," Erick replied.

Adeline's eyes filled with shock and disbelief, "What?"

Erick's eyes narrowed at her, his upper lip twitched in aggravation, "I have no reason to explain myself to you, Adeline. That. Doesn't. Matter. Now get out of my sight."

Realizing her mistake in spiking his mood, she nodded. Adeline looked at Keric, "...Keric, could you have others come and put Conroy and Marco—"

"No. He can't," Erick interrupted her coldly and looked at Keric, "You will have a few of the lower ranks clean up and fix the mess, then order a new coffee table and carpet. Now."

"Yes sir," Keric bowed and left, disregarding his sister's order entirely.

Erick glared at Adeline as his voice came out cruel and hard, "Your place does not include commanding my betas when I'm here, Adeline. And as for Conroy and Marco, leave them. They'll heal."

Adeline gulped once more and nodded, leaving him as she headed upstairs to her room, knowing better not to question or talk back to him at all.

Once Adeline was out of sight, Erick felt relief that he was finally alone with her; he turned back to face his mate, his Jessica.

He stopped when he turned around. Disbelief and renewed frustration filled his face.

Where did she run off to now?!

~*~*~*~

As they were talking, Jessica slipped slowly back into the kitchen, trying her best not to draw any attention.

"...You?" The sound of Katalin's voice started her as she turned around.

Jessica's eyes shook as she saw the look of fear and shock etched across Katalin's, Kamilla's, and Oscar's faces.

Oscar was against the wall, sweat trailing down the side of his face from his fear.

Kamilla was frozen stiff, the Honey BBQ ribs forgotten in her shaking hands.

Katalin's eyes were glued to her as well; she was no longer cutting potatoes.

"...It's you?" Katalin's words existed in a whisper, disbelief stitched in her words, "You're the Alpha's...mate?"

Jessica gulped hard as she backed away from them and exited through the kitchen door, closing to behind her. Her body shook as she stood there, but then took off into a sprint.

She shouldn't run, she shouldn't, but Jessica couldn't help it as she ran past everyone as fast as she could, several of them stopped and sniffed the air as she ran past, many of them gasping, and looking at her in disbelief.

"Impossible!" Jessica thought, the snow crunching hard under her sneakers and the wind slashing past her face, "This is impossible! Wasn't Keric the Alpha?!"

She tore down the path to the Omega quarters, dare not looking back at the stares she knew was there, or worse—if he was there chasing her down. She shook her head as she ran.

Her wolf whined at her. Stop! Go back, that's our mate! Ours! We must not let any other females claim him!

"Are you insane?! That's an Alpha! The Alpha of the Delaney pack!! No! We are not going back there!!" Jessica ran, her thoughts running wild, "How is this even possible?! My mate's supposed to be an Omega like me! Or at least a Theta! Nothing more!!"

When she got to the house she ran in, and locked the doors with all three locks and ran to Kamilla's room and locked the door there as well. She shut the blinds, locked the windows and laid down the bed designated for her, her body trembling, her blood racing, and her breathing rapid.

How stupid.

Even if he wasn't the damn Alpha, as a werewolf it was easy to rip down locked doors, shatter open locked windows, knock off the blinds, and take their mate's in a bed—

The very thought scared Jessica, tears forming in her eyes, "No! He's not our mate! The Alpha can't be my mate...My mate can't be an Alpha! Oh what difference does it make?!"

However, as much as she denied it, her thoughts couldn't help but drift back to him that he was. It hurt her and her wolf inside to say any different, no matter how much he and their bond scared. Jessica bit her lip as she pulled the pillows over her face.

Her wolf whined once more. He's ours. There is no mistake in this. We just have to claim him.

Her wolf projected on how safe they felt in his embrace, how when he breathed on her neck. She projected them running together as wolves, him nuzzling her muzzle with love and care, promising to protect her and whatever cubs may come. She then projected her thoughts on their dreams, when he would caress her skin, kiss and nip at her neck and shoulders, message her breast as he fingered her.

Jessica rolled over, feeling her arousal start up, heat forming between her legs. She closed her eyes as tears rolled down her face.

She did want him.

She wanted him so bad it hurt, but couldn't—shouldn't—allow herself to want like this, "He's an Alpha...he's an Alpha... I...I can't—"

A faint knock on the front door snapped her out of her immediate thoughts into thinking nothing. She didn't even have to guess to know who it was.

It was definitely Erick.

She didn't move as the faint knock happened again.

"Jessica," For the first time in years, she heard a voice mind which didn't belong to her or her wolf's, "Open the door please."

Jessica's lips quivered. She wanted to, but she didn't want to; her wolf wanted to tear the doors down that separated them from their mate.

"I don't often request. Open the door now, Jessica," Erick's voice was gentle in her mind.

With a thunderous heart beating, she slowly got out of bed, wiped the tears away, and hesitantly unlocked Kamilla's door, heading towards the front one.

She licked her dry lips slowly, her hand shakily reached for the first lock...

then the second...

and the third, before she tentatively opened the door to reveal the handsome, tall, and powerful male. Her mate.

"Why did you run away from me, Jessica?" Erick's voice was surprisingly calm, gentle, and soothing to her.

Jessica took a step back and he took a step forward in pursuit. Jessica's heart was moving way too fast to her and she gulped, "I...I-I....I'm so...sorry, my Alpha—"

"Don't call me that," Erick took another step forward as she took another backward.

"My...my apologies, sir—" Jessica continued to walk back.

"Don't call me that either," Erick's eyes never left hers as he continued to follow.