Savage Instincts

05: The Other Girl

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L A Y L A

Zenna took me to the second floor of the gigantic house. We climbed a set of short stairs that reached a corridor with two rooms on either side, their doors painted white. Zenna opened the door to the right. My mind was still consumed by the vision I saw, so I didn't notice where she had brought me.

"Here's your room, right next to the Alpha's," she said, snapping me to the present.

I roamed my gaze around the room. It was a beautifully decorated one with paintings on the walls, a queen-sized bed, a wardrobe, a couch, and an area that opened to a small balcony that had vines twisting to the railing. It appeared to me like a room plucked from a fairytale. The scene before me had my mouth parting in surprise. The Eclipse pack seemed to have their finances well maintained to afford such beautiful architecture.

Then, the rest of Zenna's words sank into me. I turned to her, stunned. Being next to Khaos wouldn't go with my plan of not giving in to him. The closer I stayed with my mate, the more my need for him drove me to the edge. I couldn't be anywhere near him, especially at night, in the dark.

"Can't I get a different room?" I blurted, hopefully.

A dent materialized between Zenna's eyebrows. "Why?"

"Just." I hugged myself, my backpack still dangling on my shoulder. "I don't feel comfortable being so near to your Alpha."

Zenna's confused expression morphed into a relaxed one. She laughed. "Relax, he won't do a thing. He can be scary but inside, he's a big softie."

"Still?" I urged, the hope still lit up like a candle's flame.

She frowned. "We don't have any other spare rooms. The Beta and Gamma stay here too. You've met them."

My eyes flared up, the thought of staying with three men in a house sending an uncomfortable chill through me.

"Rowan and Nate?"

"Yeah," she confirmed casually. "But don't worry. If you are in need of female company, Griselda lives downstairs."

It was my time to be confused. "Griselda?" I repeated.

"Oh, the cook." She waved a hand, shaking her head in sync.

"Okay." I pulled at my bottom lip with my teeth, the wheels turning in my head but not reaching for any more excuses. "Can you please ask Khaos to give me my phone back?"

"I'll try. But honestly speaking, I don't think you should hope much on it. You're still a captive in some way. Alpha might say you're free, but I'd be careful if I were you. He might not completely trust you yet."

"Do you?"

A sad look caught her eyes before it quickly dissipated. "It doesn't matter what I think. I'm not that important."

"Why?"

"I'm an Omega," she confessed, her cheeks flaming as she turned her face away from me. "I'm not anyone whose opinions you should be worried about."

She spoke so softly that I could feel her pain. Hierarchies in our world weren't stringent but some packs followed the rules closely right by the book. Khaos' pack appeared to me just like my father's.

"Your opinion means a lot to me," I declared, keeping my chin up. "I don't care about the hierarchy."

She raised her gaze to mine, her pupils expanding. "Are you an Omega too?"

"No...I'm not."

A brief flicker of sadness reached her. She sighed, then smiled again. "Whatever you need, let me know. I'll keep in touch with you. If you need to shower, there's the bathroom."