Chapter 30

After the call with Rachel, Allie stepped out of the room, phone tucked somewhere in her pillows. She put on a fake smile, trying to remain calm and composed. A storm was raging inside her, nerves gripping onto her as she trudged to the lawn. The omega noticed a large man entering into what looked like a ring drawn with the red mud in the middle of the lawn. Her interest piqued at that, and she huddled closer.

"What is this?" She asked to no one in particular.

"Duel," Finn whispered, smiling at her. "Every week, one of our trained guards is challenged for a fight by the pack members. The winner gets to carve the animal barbecued, and a toast is dedicated to them."

Allie knew what she had to do to get her mind off things for a while.

"I want in!"

Finn made a sound. "Are you crazy? Keith is our best soldier, which is why no one has challenged in yet. Also, you are pregnant, so don't even think about it."

"Sorry, I already made my mind."

Allie walked in the ring and shook hands with him, which left everyone murmuring amongst themselves. Keith, the soldier, stared at Nate for approval. The Alpha pulled her aside, and she somehow managed to convince him, going as far as fluttering her eyelashes and grinning.

It worked.

The omega smirked at the warrior Alpha while she cracked her knuckles, back, and shoulders, preparing her body to make the sharp movements it would need for success. She heard Nate explaining the rules, but she didn't listen at all, crouching down into a position and sucking in a breath.

"Allie!" Nate called out for her, instantly halting her imminent advance. "Did you listen to a word I said?"

"Yes. Now can we start?"

The Alpha sighed, then stepped off the ring to give them room and let out a short-lived and piercing growl. "Let the fight begin."

They began to circle each other like vultures, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

Keith found his window and lunged for the Omega, fully expecting to end it right then and there. Shockingly, he was far too slow, and Allie glided away without so much as a hair blown out of place.

He tried futilely countless more times to reach her, just getting a hand on her but never touched the Omega, getting outsmarted every time. It was nothing new to her. An overconfident Alpha Hellhound. She was three steps ahead of the Alpha no matter what he did and began laughing out loud as she dodged his every advance. This greatly insulted the Alpha's nature, and he accidentally lost control of his instincts, shifting into a Hellhound in the middle of the duel.

That didn't take long. She thought, staring at the giant breathing hound in front of her.

Still, Allie was wholly unbothered by the sudden change in gameplay, remained in her human form, merely picking up her pace and heightening her jumps, expertly avoiding Keith all the same. The temptation to shift grew more insistent the longer she dodged the lunges, but she would not adhere to her instincts— the omega would finish this as a human.

With grace and quick agility, Allie flung herself into the air, carefully twisting and spinning through it to land perfectly atop the Hellhounds back and constricting her arms around his thick neck. No matter how many times the creature tried to buck her off, the omega would not let herself budge. A sadistic grin overtook her featured when the Alpha was gasping for breath, and the struggle was drastically lessening when Nate rushed towards them.

He made her finally release Keith and jump off, landing noiselessly onto her knee beside her fallen opponent.

"Okay, that's enough for today!" Nate cleared his throat, tugging her back on her feet. She pulled her arm away from him, tight hold, eyes into slits.

"Walk with me", He added quietly. "Now"

***

"That was very dangerous, Allie." The Alpha whispered furiously once they were away from prying eyes.

She sighed. "I know."

"You need to hide the fact that you are different from everybody else," Nate said bluntly, his voice turning an octave lower as he talked.

Goosebumps prickled along her flesh, and her heart rate jumped quickly from the sudden change of the topic. Allie tilted her head while licking her lips, her mouth opening to form words she tried to find. The more she thought about the Alphas words, the more she began to panic. Did he figure out that she's one of the assassins killing Hellhounds?

"What do you mean?" The omega asked him unnervingly, unaware of whether her acting at the moment was right or not.

Nate rolled his head along his shoulders, causing a few loud pops to permeate the air between them. The Alpha sighed before he met her eyes again, his green eyes full of bright curiosity.

"You know what I mean," He responded lazily. "About you being a Pure werewolf omega. They would have known if you shifted"

"Oh," Allie sighed. "That"

The Alpha took a few steps closer to her, the air between them becoming thicker with tension as he stopped just a few inches from the Omega. If Nate were to take one more step, their chests would be touching, and if that was to happen, Allie wasn't sure if she could hold her inner Omega back from whatever its instincts indefinitely wanted from the Alpha.

Nate slowly raised his hand to brush his fingertips against her cheek gently, the soft flesh of the Omega feeling like cold silk under his hot touch. She watched as the Alphas green eyes surveyed her face, gathering every detail and crevice hidden.

And all the while, Allie felt like she could blow up from all the emotions she felt at that moment. Excitement, panic, curiosity, and so much more.

Someone cleared their throat, making them jump apart. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed the Pack Alpha, Nates father, eyeing her with a weird look on his face. She gulped, hoping that he was just there to congratulate her and nothing more.

"That was so impressive, Allie!" Nates mother gushed, patting at her side.

The Pack Alpha cleared his throat. "Mhm, what did you say your pack name was again?"

Her blood ran cold at the question. She never mentioned her pack name to anyone, much fewer Hellhounds of all. When another pair of eyes fell on her, she swallowed loudly. Should she lie again? The omega was tired of keeping her facade, lying to everyone about her identity and past.

Nate cleared his throat. "Dad, please don't start again. Come on"

The Alpha motioned his father to the table while she relieved a sigh. That was so close. Once they know about her pack, it wouldn't take long to find out her past. She had to be careful and not show off her skills in front of another pack.

***

The next day Nate dropped her off to the dorm room early in the morning. He promised to call her as soon as he's done with his football practice. They had a lot to talk about, but both needed to be alone for a while, too tired from the drive. Bidding him goodbye, Allie stood in front of the dorm room, exhaling a breath.

As much as Allie would like to avoid going in there, she knew it couldn't be prolonged any longer. Rachel must be waiting on the other side of the door with several questions, and frankly, it scared her. When the omega decided to hide her identity and suppress her scent, she didn't think it through. Clearly.

She should have thought about Rachel and Ashton for the past six months. The omega lied to their faces. Only now, it became much more evident. The fear of losing her friends. What if they never forgive her? A lump formed in her throat at the thought. They knew her longer than Nate and shared many memories, so it might be possible that they won't take the news lightly.

Her steps were heavy on the way up to the front door, and she entered the security code, which was still tattooed to the back of her mind, into the number pad with shaky fingers. When the door clicked open, she expected for a short, ridiculous moment that Rachael would be waiting on the other side — waiting for her with a dimpled smile on her face.

When she pushed the door open, though, the omega was greeted by nothing but darkness and chilly, dusty air. Allie coughed drily, the air thick and heavy, finally making her way to her bedroom.

The omega froze, staring at the stiletto in her bedroom, their back facing her front. Before Allie could react, scream or run for her safety, the stranger turned on his feet. His face curved in a weak grin, hands tucked in his pants pocket. "Hello, dear sister."

Allie choked on her breath, eyes wide. "Sam?"

***