-Flint-
Despite being bare footed, each of my heavy steps down the stairs seemed to shake the house. I was absolutely seething with rage. Who the hell was Vilkas? Who dared to hold the heart of my mate besides me?
"Stop right there!" Lupa's shrill voice followed after me, but I didn't want to hear any faux words of comfort she might offer. Nothing she could say would make my chest feel any less tight. The only thing I wanted to do right now was rip the head off of whoever Vilkas was, and the only person who might know of them was the scientist rotting in the cells.
"Would you stop being a moron for just one second?" She shrieked from the foot of the staircase just as I was about to round the corner and be free of her. The only thing that stopped me was the stark disparity between her usually calm demeanor and how brazen she was being.
"Excuse me?" I was half a second from causing her physical damage, but she was faster with her sharp words.
"You were never a bad Alpha." She folded her arms and stared me down with a poisonous glare. "But you're acting like a pup."
Though she voiced the words I'd been thinking from the start, my anger only doubled. "Do you think-"
"No! You listen to me now!" She threw her hands to her side as she scolded me. "We've all been patient with you. Goddess knows your son has," she spat. "But you need to start acting like your normal self, or else you're going to do some real damage to your mate."
My jaw fell open and I gaped at her dumbly for more than a moment. "You heard her." I finally said as I gestured wildly at the ceiling in a meager attempt to convey my whirling thoughts. "She doesn't want me!"
"And did she say that?" Lupa scoffed. "She barely understands what's happening right now."
I palmed my forehead and spun on my toe with a groan. Instead of answering her, I continued my trudge through the house, but with much less vigor. Maybe my Mate hadn't outright rejected me, but she surely didn't want me. That was clear. Last night had been a fluke.
"Don't ignore me." She called from behind me. "This was her first heat and you're acting so cold toward her."
I'd barely made it down the hallway, but once again, my steps faltered. "Her first?" I muttered, turning around again. "I didn't know."
Lupa immediately crashed into my chest and would have fallen if I didn't steady her. She swatted my hands away, but by now she had my full attention.
"Of course you didn't know!" She spat, stepping back from me and brushing herself off exaggeratedly. "You've been a shit mate to her."
I flinched. Lupa surprised me yet again. She'd just chided me for using rude language upstairs, and now she used it on her own accord, and her words stung.
"Do you know Dot hasn't even been outside once since coming here?" She emphasized this with a finger in the air and hand on her hip. "Koda has taken Spots out a few times. And the families with the other omegas have made efforts too."
I frowned. "I thought Conri-"
"You thought Conri what? Dropped all his Luna duties to take care of your mate?" She sneered, roughly stabbing her pointer finger into my chest. "And what have you been doing?"
At this point, I noticed Lupa's trembling, both in rage and uncertainty. Never in my days had anyone spoken so brashly to me and remained unscathed.
"I had to-" I started to explain myself but she cut me off again.
"Had to? Had to what?" She screeched. "You're not Alpha anymore, you're family is grown, you barely have any responsibilities as an Elder." With each word, she jabbed her finger in my chest even harder. "Stop being embarrassed for how you met her, and figure out how to communicate! She's your Mate, for the Goddess's sake!"
Her speech ended, but not before she spurted out more random expletives and slapped my chest one final time. I inhaled deeply and held it, a trick I found that helped me deal with my anger. Now wasn't the time to take my heartbreak out on Lupa. She was right and was the first person to call me out on my stupidity. I owed her that much.
"What do I do?" When I finally spoke, my voice cracked, but fortunately Lupa called no attention to it.
Instead, she offered me a weak but encouraging smile. "Ask Koda." She patted my arm. "He and his mate are in your same boat. He can help."
I furrowed my brows. To think such a young Beta male was going to be my mentor left me speechless, but Lupa had a point.
"You're gonna be on your own for a while." Lupa added. "It seems several other Omegas went into heat last night too, so Conri, the other Elders, and I are gonna be spread thin for a few days, okay?"
"What happened?" Panic seeped into my voice. Was something wrong with them all? Why was it happening all at once?
"Don't worry. It's a good thing. Many of them have reached a more healthy weight, so their hormones are getting under control." She explained as she turned from me and walked toward the far end of the hall to the staircase to the first floor. I stayed glued to my spot as I watched her ponytail bob behind her.
"There's a lot to be done to prepare for the Shifter Nomad festival, too." She called back with a grin. "Maybe you and your Mate can help?"
I didn't know the first thing about preparing for the festival the Nomads brought with them every autumn. It was usually the Luna's duty to assist with that, and even when Aspen left the pack, Conri had taken on the role back then as well. I shook my head. I needed to win over my mate, not plan some stupid party.
I just needed to think of how to do that.