- Be Shameless
Kier
I’m staring.
And it definitely isn’t at the Crest in her hand.
I noted her bleeding hand first, before my eyes snagged on the parts of her that were on display, as well as the bruises and marks that are taking far too long to heal because she’s an Omega.
She’s covered in cuts and bruises and… I’m not sure what to feel about myself as my eyes keep circling back to her perky nipples, peeking through the scrap that is left of her shirt, and the unreal dip that is her waist.
Her pants are in shreds and I swallow hard as she climbs out of the water, water dripping from her wet hair, down her shoulders and chest, between her breast, down her diamond shaped bellybutton and disappears into her pants.
There are a few scars on her belly. Old claw scars that peak my interest.
“For the love of the Goddess, someone please cover her up,” my mother mutters, and for some reason, my legs move.
Lloyd is faster, moving in a flash and he drapes his jacket over her shoulders, pulling the flaps together to shield her chest from me and
everyone.
She looks at Lloyd and her eyes squint in a dazzling smile. It has my guts squeezing unnaturally, and I shift uncomfortably in my seat.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was sharing Lloyd’s bed,” Randale murmurs and his words strike a nerve, earning a low growl from me.
“Lloyd wouldn’t be that stupid.”
1/5
Randale’s eyes narrow at me. “Yeah, I know that. Just saying. Maybe she’s trying to seduce him too. It’s working, far as I can tell,” he says nonchalantly, inclining his head toward them.
Lloyd’s wiping blood off her cheek and…my breakfast rushes up to my stomach as disgust churns through me.
Not at Lloyd’s actions, but at the stab of jealousy I suddenly feel. watching her give him that smile that she hasn’t shown me yet.
“You should throw her out. Should she win another round, chances are she will win the Selection,” Elder Timon remarks, drumming his gnarled fingers on the armrest of his chair. “How could an Omega wind up with the Crest? This is utterly disgraceful.”
“I had her looked into. My sources say her mother was mad. It must run in the family,” my mother inputs. Her hazel gaze finds mine. Her eyes tell me what she won’t say.
She doesn’t approve.
“The council is rallying against your decision–”
“And it is your job to make them understand, Timon.” My voice is thick with irritation and I stand from my throne, somewhat pissed. “See to it
that her wounds are tended to.”
I pause, tossing a side glance in my mother’s direction. “Cut down her chores. I suppose it’s clear enough that it doesn’t matter what you do. She won’t desist from this.”
Mother looks away, lips pulled in a tight line. She gets like this. sometimes. She knows she can’t go against my orders, but she’ll try anyway. She believes it is what’s best for me and the pack.
But it isn’t up to her to decide what is good for me. Especially not when all she tries to do is control me..
I am not my father. I won’t make the choices he did. I will not put the pack in danger. I have worked all my life to ensure I do not walk in his steps.
“Find all you can on Jessamine Everhart, discreetly,” I tell Randale as I walk from the lake, hands resting on the pommel of my sword. “I find something strange.”
“What other than the regular *everything*?”
“We assume she’s an Omega because her aura is non existent, but she doesn’t smell like one. Sure, hanging around other Omegas have rubbed off on her, but up close, she smells distinct. I can’t place it.”
Randale pauses. “Up close? How do you know how she smells up close, Kier?”
“I don’t–She was-” My cheeks and ears burn. “Don’t question me, Beta. You forget yourself.”
Randale frowns, straightening. “I’ll get to it immediately.”
Jessamine
A knock on my door has me pushing myself up. My muscles groan in protest and I whimper, limping over to the door.
It’s probably Lovette. She’s the only visitor I ever get. She’s still giving. me the silent treatment, but seeing as she’s at my door, I’m glad she’s come around.
When I pull the door open, it’s Luna Renae.
My back hunches on instinct and I bow. “L–luna, I wasn’t expecting you–”
She huffs a breath. “But then, why would you? It is unbecoming of someone of my station visiting the servant’s quarters.”
Luna Renae sniffs and pinches her pointed nose. It could be the stench of the toilet right beside my room. It is horrid. We try our best to maintain it, but it doesn’t stop it from reeking horribly. I have lived with the stench for so many years, it’s become normal now.
“If there is something I can do for you…” my voice trails off when I see Luna Renae pull out a fat envelope from her sleeve. She hands it to me.
“Surely, that is more money than you have seen in your life. Take it and leave the pack before dawn.”
I stare at the envelope as I take it from her. I unseal it and stare inside. My heart squeezes. It is a lot of money actually. More than I have seen in my life. “You would pay me this much just to leave?”
She waves dismissively. “It is nothing much.”
Huh.
I close the envelope. “That isn’t enough to make me leave. That you’re here, offering me money to leave your son shows your fear. You think I have a shot at winning. I won’t throw that away for a price like that.”
Her eyes shine with surprise. “You want more?”
I nod, though I have no intention of taking it. “Give me your weight in gold and I will leave.”
Luna Renae laughs, and she suddenly lashes out, grabbing my chin. Manicured nails bite into my skin and I wince as she squeezes hard, staring deeply into my eyes. “You runt, how dare you make such demands? Take the money and leave while I’m still being nice. My son will have nothing to do with the likes of you.”
I smile at her. “I change my mind. I want triple my initial request or I’ll tell everyone you begged to make a deal with me. Triple your weight in gold.”
Alpha Kier is rich, but I know there’s no way Luna Renae can get her hands on that type of money. And even if she could, I don’t want it. Money has never been a drive for me.
But since she currently has her claws cutting into my cheek, I might as well show her what she wants to see.
A vile, shameless money who wants the Alpha for nothing but all he’s worth.
She lets me go, taking the extra effort to put me down. My already trembling knees give out and I fall. She leans down and takes the fallen envelope. “You will come to regret your choice today. You will plead for mercy and I will not show it to you. There are dangerous things in this world, Jessamine Everhart, much more for Omegas who cannot defend themselves.” Her cold eyes assess mine. “I strongly suggest you be careful from here on out.”
