Chapter 28: 28: An Act Of Kindness
My eyes widened with horror as I tried to back away as far as I could. However, there was only so much space for me to retreat to, and so much distance I could stretch the curtain so that it still shielded my body.
"Oh, come on, pet," the first man said. I recognized him. Patrick, one of the warriors who was old enough to be my father. He had two mates― one fated and one chosen, and his oldest daughter was older than me by two years. "We just want to have a little fun."
"There’s no rush to leave," said the second man.
He was a little younger, but that didn’t make him any less greasy. Jonas was one of the newest recruits. Word on the street was that he had rejected his fated mate just because she was older than he was. Yet another man who couldn’t appreciate the Moon Goddess’s design. If I had to say anything about it, his rejected fated mate had dodged a bullet.
"No, I’m good," I said, firmly shaking my head. "Shouldn’t you guys be at the wedding right now?"
"The wedding has been paused," the third man said. I didn’t recognize him, but he looked to be the youngest out of the three, maybe even my age. He, unlike the other two, didn’t look at me. In fact, his eyes seemed to find everything other than me interesting.
"Paused?" I echoed, my heart skipping a beat. "Why?"
"Shouldn’t you have other things to worry about right now rather than the wedding?" Jonas asked, stepping forward. He all but closed the distance between us, using his finger to prop up my chin so that I would look him in the eye.
"Hmm..." he hummed. "Such a shame. You’re too beautiful to be executed, don’t you think?"
"Well, we can still have a little bit of fun with her before she gets dealt with by the Alphas," Patrick said with a hearty laugh. He slapped his round belly before clapping the third man’s back. "Don’t you agree, Ralph?"
The third man — Ralph — jolted forward due to the force. His face turned red when his eyes accidentally landed on me before he quickly turned to look away.
"N-No..." he meekly replied. "I think we should go. If the Alphas find us not at our posts when the wedding ends, we will be dead―"
"Live a little, youngin’," Jonas said with a chortle. "Not everything is about work, you know? Or perhaps you are just saying that because you have yet to experience the pleasures of women."
I didn’t even know it was possible, but Ralph’s face had turned so red that it was basically purple. He looked even more embarrassed than I was, and for a second, I nearly forgot where I was and what situation I was in.
However, Patrick and Jonas didn’t let me forget for long.
Patrick came forward in a few quick strides and, without warning, placed his arm across my shoulder. I yelped in surprise when he tugged me out of my cover, and I desperately yanked at the curtains in an attempt to shield my modesty.
"Maybe we can find a spare room, or even a broom closet," he said with a wide grin. "You might just beg us for more―"
"Get your hands off of me!" I yelled.
A sudden, unknown energy surged through me. Clenching my hands into fists, I punched Patrick right in the cheek, watching as my knuckles collided with his face. His skin rippled from the impact. The punch had so much force that he was knocked off his feet instantly, his body flying back before it eventually slammed against the wall.
"What the fuck?!" Jonas exclaimed, his eyes widening with shock.
I was equally as surprised as well. I had been desperate, I admit, even a little reckless, but I had never expected that punch to actually work. My jaw was slack as I stared at my own palm. I might not even be this surprised if I had grown another finger.
"Ugh..." Patrick groaned from the ground, but his body was still slumped over and weak. He didn’t seem to be able to move any time soon.
"You’re just the pack bitch!" Jonas growled. "How dare you attack a warrior?"
Enraged, Jonas charged forward. Instinctively, I clenched my hands into fists again, trying to catch him unawares. However, with Patrick as an example, Jonas was much more careful. He dodged my hit, and it wasn’t long before he cornered me against the wall.
He raised his hand, and I held mine up as well, preparing to block the blow as best as I could. However, the pain never came.
Instead, Jonas let out a gurgle of pain before he stiffened and fell to the floor. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Ralph standing where Jonas stood, his hand up in the air from having freshly karate chopped the back of Jonas’s neck.
I let out a shaky breath.
"Thanks..." I muttered, still a little revved up.
"Here," Ralph said. He shrugged off his jacket, holding it out for me, but his eyes still refused to look my way. I didn’t miss the red that tinted the tips of his ears. "You might want to return to the omega quarters before anyone sees you."
"Thank you," I repeated.
I didn’t hesitate. Reaching out, I grabbed his jacket and wrapped it strategically around me.
Ralph had broad shoulders and was fairly tall, though not as huge as the Alphas were. But nevertheless, he was a grown man, and his size was still bigger than mine. The jacket successfully covered every essential place, and I ran down the hall once I was sure the clothing was secure.
I didn’t dare to stop or look back until I had safely reached my room. And when I did, I shut the door behind me immediately, clicking the lock into place before leaning against it. I shakily exhaled the air that I didn’t realize I had been holding, sinking to the floor in relief.
Truthfully, I hadn’t expected there was still someone left in the pack kind enough to help me. The jacket still faintly had Ralph’s scent clinging to it, and whenever I breathed, I would inevitably take in a huge gulp.
However, the more I smelled the jacket, the odder the scent became. I grabbed the collar, bringing it closer to my nose. There almost seemed to be a trace of Soren’s scent on it. But at the same time, it smelled a little... wrong.
Before I could figure out where I had smelled that familiar scent before, pain rippled through my head. I gritted my teeth, my hands clutching the top of my skull as my ears began to ring and the world began to tilt.
For a second, I couldn’t understand what was happening. I hadn’t been injured, and the injuries I sustained at the ceremony shouldn’t kick in only right now.
When the pain eventually traveled down my spine and through the rest of my body, it felt as though someone had injected lava into my veins and set me on fire. My vision began to pulse, and all of a sudden, it clicked.
The wedding ceremony had resumed, and my fated mates had married someone else.
