Charlie's POV
Two months had finally passed since I had been accepted into our pack. My English had gone from one-worded sentences to being able to speak almost exclusively in English. The only thing I was having a problem with now was just getting a moment alone with Presley just to sit down and talk to him. It seemed like every time we were finally alone, and then someone would link him needing some sort of help.
I wouldn't voice my opinion on the matter either, and I understood he was the pack's alpha. I understood he had responsibilities I probably couldn't even begin to think about.
I only did the grunt work with August. He would show me what he would do daily. He would always go to the nursery ward in the morning, and he would bless any of the newly born pups with their parents. He had begun to make me do it within the past month, but some parents did not want me to bless their baby. It hurt knowing their bias toward me was because of some of the pack's hatred toward my father.
When we blessed a child, we presented them to the goddess, and we would say a prayer for the baby, wishing it strength and happiness. After that process was done, we would accept them into the pack.
Then in the afternoon, we would bless a pack member that passed away, cleansing the body of evil spirits before we lay them to rest.
I had been on the phone with my mama for about an hour, venting to her about my worries. "I don't know what to do, mama," I rubbed my face, frustrated.
I heard her sigh over the phone. "Well, baby, have you told him you just want to spend a day with him?" She asked.
"Mama, he's always busy. He's also planning for the next audit he's supposed to be conducting next month." I whined.
"You're his mate Charlie; you have to be able to communicate. It's the only way to make everything work. You said you know how to speak English pretty well now. So why don't you make your voice heard?"
"Mom, I see him for thirty minutes after he gets home. All he does is eat when he gets home, and it's always super cold because he comes home hours after I cook it. Then he showers and goes to bed. So I don't get to speak with him but a few sentences, mama." Tears began to well up in my eyes, ready to spill.
It hurt to work too hard to be able to communicate with him, just to feel as if I were being swept under the rug. I felt second best to the pack as if I weren't his number one priority. I had felt myself relating and relying more on Mateo than my mate. It felt ass-backward.
"Have you expressed this to him? Honey, you're his mate, his omega. I think you're letting your anxieties speak for him versus you trying to communicate this to him." I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.
"How can I express it to him, mama? Should I just take him away from his duties–" She cut me off.
"Your papa and I mated when he turned 18. He had a lot happen in the first year of us being mated. He took over our pack, but you want to know what your papa also did?" She asked. "He made sure he sat two whole hours for us to spend time together each night. His Beta knew only to interrupt him if rogues were on pack grounds. He was new to being an alpha and my mate. We learned to make things work no matter what. I'm not saying that our relationship has always been happy. We have fought every once in a while, but he made sure we wouldn't go to bed angry at one another. I guess I have to give that to him."
My mama was right, as always. How did I even ask him that I wanted more time alone with him? It wasn't as bad when Mateo held his lessons daily because I was occupied most of the day. Now that I could fluently speak English, I didn't spend as much time with Mateo learning as just hanging out with him.
"Maybe he doesn't realize that you're being neglected because you haven't said anything to him. Just like you, he went several years into being alpha without his luna." I could hear my papa's muffled voice over the phone. "So just talk to him, baby, anyways, your papa is calling for me; I have to let you go. I love you, baby. Let me know how your talk with your mate goes."
"I will, mama, love you, tell papa, Karsen, and Emilio I love them too." Times like right now, I missed my family. Things on my end seemed to get tough by the day. The longer it took for me to sit down and have an actual conversation with my mate, the more painful things seemed to get.
"I will. Bye now." She hung up the phone.
I sat the phone down on the end table, deciding to link Mateo. Hey, want to come over and watch that show you've been telling me about?
I'll be there in a few, do you want tea?
Do I want tea? I mocked, my lips turned upwards.
Chai tea it is. Mateo responded, I'll be there in a little bit.
I got off the couch and walked to the kitchen to make popcorn. I opened the pantry, grabbed a bag of instant popcorn, took it out of the packaging, and tossed it into the microwave for a few moments. The hum of the microwave filled the kitchen, the sound of the kernels popping soon after. I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet, placing it down on the counter, waiting for the popcorn to finish. Once the popcorn was done, I pulled it out of the microwave, opened the bag, and dumped it into the bowl.
I flopped myself back down onto the couch, placing the popcorn in the middle seat of the couch, and I grabbed the remote, placing the show that Mateo had been ranting and raving to me about for the past week or so on TV, ready to play.
About ten minutes later, Mateo entered the apartment without knocking, holding a drink carrier with our drinks and a bag of Baiocchi. I squealed, jumping off of the couch in excitement. I couldn't believe he remembered one of my favorite snacks I had told him that I loved from home. "You remembered." I grinned, he smiled back, holding out the cookies for me. "Thank you so much." Giggling, I opened the bag and stuffed one of the cookies in my mouth.
"I saw them at the mall the other day and remembered you said you liked them, so I decided grabbing a bag wouldn't hurt." He chuckled, setting our drinks down on the coffee table and plopping himself down on the couch.
"You were right," I spoke with my mouth full. "So remind me, what makes this show so great?"
"It's thrilling, and you don't know what's going to happen next." He grabbed the remote and pressed play. "Just watch it; I promise you'll like it." Mateo patted the couch beside him, and we watched the show together.
—
"Charlie," Someone called my name, making me wake up. My eyes snapped open, Presley stood there with his arms crossed, and his face was neutral. I rubbed my eye, sitting up straight. My neck was stiff from having it cocked to the side for some time.
"Hey," I yawned. "What time is it?"
"It's midnight," He answered shortly. I looked over. Mateo was sprawled out asleep on the couch next to me.
"Oh, I'm sorry I forgot to cook dinner," I got off of the couch.
"It's okay. I ate in the cafeteria for dinner tonight." He answered, making me frown in confusion. So he could eat dinner with pack members, but not me? Given I had fallen asleep halfway through watching the season. But he wouldn't take that time to spend with me. It made my heart begin to pound in my chest from hurt.
"Why didn't you come home? We could have done something for dinner together?" I bit down on my bottom lip.
"My brother and his mate wanted to tell me some news." He raised a brow. "Plus, it looks like you were a little busy." Presley pointed to Mateo.
"News that I couldn't be there for?" I furrowed my brows.
"Hey, I tried linking you to meet me in the cafeteria, but you weren't responding to me." He shrugged his shoulders.
"Okay, the cafeteria is like two minutes away. So you couldn't have just come up here to get me?" I crossed my arms, getting upset with my mate. "Clearly, I was asleep." I motioned behind me.
"Clearly asleep on the couch, with another man whom I've trusted thus far. Yes." He nodded to Mateo. His face began to harden, and I could tell he was getting angry. His eyes were blazing with passion.
"We wanted to watch a show together, what's the harm? It's not like you make any moves or motions to spend time with me anyways." I bit back, narrowing my eyes at him.
He took in a sharp breath, "I'm going to my parent's house for the night before I say something hurtful, and I don't mean to say. It's been a really long day for me, and I'm speaking from frustration."
I swallowed, "Okay." He nodded his head, leaving our apartment, leaving me with a sleeping Mateo on the couch.
I woke Mateo, telling him he needed to go home and that I would talk to him later. He didn't protest; he just groggily got up from his seat and stumbled out the door lazily, waving goodbye to me.
Once I was alone, I sat back down on the couch I was sleeping on, curling up in a ball. I was upset, beyond upset. I let the tears fall from my eyes with ease, coming easy as they went. As time went on, I would get upset over small things like tonight. Couldn't he just come up here and wake us up? What did his brother need to sit down and have dinner with him for? Was I even invited?
Why didn't he just come and get me? I craved for his attention, and I didn't even know how to tell him I wanted time for just the two of us. I could feel the strain in our bond at times like these. We hadn't even done anything as mates should since I mated with him. I didn't even know how to sit down and just have a normal conversation with him.
We were nothing but strangers. That hurt me the most.
Strangers.
Strangers with a bond, strangers who slept next to each other every night, strangers who would kiss every morning before he went out for his morning patrol, and it hurt my heart.
I made no moves to communicate with him, and he did the same.
Leaving the two of us in limbo with what felt like there was no escape...
I clutched my hands over my chest and let out a gut-wrenching sob. I bit down on my bottom lip, trying to suppress the sound, knowing that possibly the downstairs neighbors had heard our stupid little argument. The first time in weeks that we had spoken more than two or three sentences to one another was one born of malice. I didn't want to fight with Presley. I didn't have it in me to fight with him. I mean, it wasn't a whole fight, but I could tell he was agitated, and I matched his energy as well, but for a different reason than his.
Sleep didn't come easy for me that night, too many worries were on my mind, but I knew I dreaded the conversation I would have with him tomorrow. If I even saw him, that is.
A/N: Hey guys, I'm going to take a break from The Alpha's Secret until I have that plot planned out. But with this one, thiiiiis is just the beginning of the DAAARAMA ;) Can't wait to write all of the angst that happens in a little while. K love y'all. Follow me on Patreon and get ahead on my three stories. Next update is going to be highness on patreon, we're getting close before we get some chapters on the other platforms. I'm super excited for these two. I'm hoping you guys will too. Mafioso, will be rated M to the MAX, and will be filled with as much shitty action as I can write lol. But y'all just stick with me. <3 https://liinks.co/neonskies95