Anders clicked his tongue, shaking his head, and something flashed behind his eyes. I looked at the clock on the wall, and it was in the middle of the day. Of course Sven would be working while I was here at home. Anders wasn’t dumb. He timed this out.
“So you want me to be here and help you tell Sven?” I shook my head, already disappointed with him.
Anders let a breath out. It said everything that I needed to hear, yet he spelled it out for me. “You heard him after we talked to Noah. He’s against it.”
I nodded. “Yes, and that’s why we agreed to revisit the situation. But you did this behind everyone’s back, and now she’s here and—”
The powerful cinnamon perfume was impossible to deny. She was an omega, and we couldn’t send her packing. That was Anders’s plan. He didn’t think it was right for Sven to say no, so he trapped us in this situation. My mouth opened again to start, but Isadora slapped her open palm on the table, startling both of us. Her eyes were blue, but she had fire behind them, and as she stood, they narrowed down to slits.
“You have to speak slower. I won’t stand here catching every other word when you’re talking about me.”
I was too old to blush, so I certainly didn’t do that. I dipped my chin. “I’m sorry for our manners. I was surprised to see you here.”
Surprise to say the least. Isadora nodded, her eyes still very much suspicious of Anders and me, but she sat down again. “Tell me what is happening. What I’m walking into.”
Anders took a look at her and then back at me. “I told her her father was a sensitive subject around here.”
I nodded. “Sven, our pack member, doesn’t like to talk about it. He never wanted to contact you, and Anders knows that.”
While she kept her chin up, I watched as her hands fidgeted over her lap, but that was the only way she gave away her real feelings.
“I don’t want anyone looking at me like I did something wrong,” she told me, and then turned to Anders. “You brought me here.”
There were a lot of accusations in her words, and it was understandable. He planned this whole thing behind our backs, and now we had to deal with Sven coming home tonight and seeing Karl’s kid? It wasn’t fair to anyone, and Anders knew that much.
“It was the right thing to do.” Anders gritted his teeth.
“For who?” she shot back. When he couldn’t answer quickly enough, she shook her head and looked away.
It was the right thing to do. He was right. The hope of a world with omegas of packing finding their mate was important to everyone, even the older packs like us. I knew I wasn’t going to find anyone. Not when we were in our late forties with a broken pack, but it was good to know that this wasn’t the end. Some pack would mate with her, and life would move again.
“I’m sorry for asking, but I can’t place your accent?” I said, breaking the silence.
“Brazil. I’m from Brazil. Dad taught me Swedish, but since he died…”
Another unnecessary dagger into my heart. This one sank deep quickly, and I found myself shaking. My eyes flew to Anders, who had the decency to look guilty. Karl was not only my pack brother but he was also my friend and family. Knowing that he died and we weren’t even notified at the time made me feel wrong in my own skin.
“I’m sorry to hear it,” I croaked out.
Maybe my voice carried enough pain and confusion because Isadora looked at me with those bright eyes in surprise, as if shenever thought sincerity was going to spill from between my lips. She'd better leave her preconceived notions at the door. I knew for a fact that even Anders, with that tough exterior, must be suffering from Karl’s death. Sven, who swore to kill him on sight, I bet would stay away from all of us in stoic grief for weeks to come.
People process their feelings differently. My pack brothers’ anger toward Karl came from love, from the emptiness that his absence caused when he left our village and us behind.
“Do I need to leave?” she asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“No,” Anders spat angrily. Isadora’s eyes narrowed at the man. “I told you there would be feelings about Karl.”
“And I told you where to shove your feelings,” she replied, fighting fire with fire.
I had to bite the inside of my cheek so as not to smile. She didn’t know yet, but that was the only way to deal with Anders. To push him enough, to show you’re just as strong.
“The emotions regarding Karl shouldn’t affect you,” I said, putting an end to their stare down. “Anders is right. Bringing you here was the right thing to do.”
She nodded, her eyes falling away from Anders and fixing on me. “And when can I take the test?”
“The test?”
She nodded. “To check if I’m an omega.”
