The room falls silent all too suddenly and l have to fight the urge to open my eyes and see what has led to the cold atmosphere in the room. Not one person utters a word and it makes my heart beat faster. I have been nothing but discreet and if anyone has discovered my secret, everything and everyone would be in grave danger.
"Can we help you?" Antonio asks and the voice remains quiet making my heart beat faster than usual, l fear that l might go into cardiac arrest
"can you hear me or are you choosing to ignore me? if that is the case then could you please excuse us" he says
"mate," the voice says silencing the room. I find it hard to breathe after the four-lettered word leaves her mouth. The longer l hold my breath in, the more my heartaches. How could this unknown woman come into my room....my room and claim my mate as hers. How shameful can one be to try and force another into a loveless marriage all for power?
"excuse me?" Antonio asks spluttering the words like a fish out of water. The disbelief in his voice brings a bit of comfort to me and makes me believe that there is hope that he will not allow this newcomer to bridge a wall between us, further drifting us apart
We are too estranged to be newly discovered mates, most people in the stage we are in have already mated and are preparing to have their little ones. And we are no different than strangers
"mate" she repeats and l can't tell what her face looks like. Is she prettier than me, more built or fit? I can smell her scent and she smells like a higher-up. Further adding to the pressure that will be placed on Antonio's shoulders to take her as his mate
"l already have a mate and she is not you," he says and my heart swells with joy at the realization that he is publicly claiming me. but it troubles me that this is all happening without my permission. I wanted to be the one he consults before he tells the world that we are mated. I am not ready to be the face of the pack, not that they would be welcoming given my status and all that happened involving their alpha and myself
"l was not talking to you Alpha, if l was in any way talking to you, l would have approached the situation with a little more respect," she says and the room goes silent once again
"so that means...." he says leaving the words hanging in the air. I can only imagine that all eyes are on Akya and knowing her, she looks like a deer caught in headlights
"no, that's not what l mean. your Gamma is my mate and he is afraid of your reaction. He told me that he cannot be with me and l had to find you so that you can knock some sense into his head. I mean, what could be more special than finding your mate?" she says and l almost laugh
"l will try to talk to him but not right now, we need to find a way to help our pack member," he says dismissing her but l cannot hear her residing footsteps which can only mean that she is still present in the room
"anything else we can help with?" Akya asks this time around with so much attitude that could make anyone have chest pains but l guess it didn't have the intended effect on this woman
"not really, l just don't want to go out there and face everyone."
"and why is that?"
"they know that my mate rejected me," she says, the pain evident in her voice that l feel my heartbreak just a little
"l am sure that is not the case like l said l will talk to him later on in the day, l just need to sort a few things out first because Attica is my first priority... she is my responsibility as her Alpha"
"if only all Alpha's cared that much about their subordinates. With the way you are so protective over the woman on the bed, one would think that she is the mate you speak so highly of" she says and l hear him take a deep breath before responding to her insinuation, not that she is far off, l am his mate.
"well not all of us share viewpoints on how all members of a pack should be treated, some of us believe that a pack is not complete without Omegas and that is why we regard them in the same fashion as any other pack member," he says
"aren't you the Alpha who opposed his father's beliefs that Omega's should be treated like other pack members? If l remember clearly you were known for how much you dehumanized Omegas and wanted to oppress them the very minute you took over from your father?" she says
"a lot can change when you almost die," he says and the woman gasps out loud, surprised by the gravity of her words
"my apologies Alpha, l didn't mean to upset you or feel like l am judging you. I was merely stating an observation
"What is your name?" he asks a question that should have been asked at the beginning of the whole interaction. How could he have even spoken on her behalf to the Gamma if he didn't know her name
"Nothando...and no, you cannot call me No or anything of the sort," she says
"l wasn't planning on it," he says and it takes a lot out of me not to laugh
It is at this moment that l realize how silent Akya has been during this whole interaction which is unlike her. She has always been one to voice her opinions regardless of who is in her presence. Her silence worries me but there is not much that l can do given the situation l am in currently