Aria's POV
The walk back to the omega's cottage was surprisingly short. I took a deep breath as the door to the cottage came into view.
Twisting the knob, surprisingly the door wasn't locked. I pushed the door open, and its creaking sound pierced the silence. The dim candlelit room showed the omega seated in an old rocking chair, her eyes closed while her back was leaned into an old wooden rocking chair. As the smell of apricot and cinnamon invaded my senses. Something about it reminded me of my home before the pack-house.
"I thought we were done talking?" she said.
She must have thought I was Simon so I didn't reply to her. Her eyes snapped open after a few seconds later.
"Aria? Is that you?" she said, squinting her eyes as if she couldn't see me. I froze for a second, and her recognition caught me by surprise. The last time she saw me was when I was a pup. The scent suppressant hadn't worn off yet, and I didn't think she would be able to recognize my scent even if it hadn't.
"You must be Aria," she smiled. "Come in, child—have a seat," she pointed to the only available chair, an old wooden chair opposite hers. I closed the door behind me as I strolled deeper into the old cottage and took a seat opposite hers. It was the exact seat Simon sat in when he was here a while back. Sitting in the same place he once sat made a wave of disgust wash over me.
"Hello, omega, it has been ages since I last saw you too!" I said, resting my elbows on the table and cupping my cheeks with my palms like a child. I searched around the little cottage with my eyes; it sure was an old cottage with worn-out furniture, but everything was so neat. Her kitchen was at the left end of the room, a couch was situated in the middle of the room, where as the little dinning table we were seating on was close to the couch. A door was situated at the right end of the room which I suspect to be her bedroom.
"It sure has been, Aria. The last time I saw you, you were just a little pup, always clinging to your mother's arm like it had been glued to yours" she smiled. "Speaking of your mother... how is your mother? The last I saw her was when she tried stopping me from leaving the pack after my little Jenkins death" Something similar to sadness flashed across her face and left it in a blink.
A dry laugh escaped my mouth. Did she just ask about my mother? This woman sure knows how to play dumb. We both knew the fact that my parents died years ago. She might have left the pack before their death, but I know she has ears and eyes all around the pack. Every ex-pack member does unless they were lone wolves that wanted nothing to do with their old pack.
"Please, don't play dumb, Bertha. We both know my parents died years ago," I said, drawing a slow but steady breath and placing my hands on my lap in the process.
She went silent for a little while, as if thinking of what to say. She parted her lips to say something but stopped in the process and let out a small chuckle instead.
"Well," I began, "I am not here for pleasantries or compliments, Bertha. If I wanted those, I know where to go, but sadly, it wouldn't be here," I said, leaning my back into the chair.
"I'm here for answers, and I don't think I will leave without them," I told her. "I want you to tell me what you and guy Simon are planning and what part you both played in my parents' death." My tone was firm.
"Oh dear child, how am I supposed to know all that? I left the pack years before your parents' death," she said. I couldn't read the expression on her face, but her heartbeat gave her away. The speed at which her heart was beating, after years of monitoring and eavesdropping on conversations, it's safe to say I know the exact pace of a liar's heart. Unless she has hyperthyroidism, which she clearly doesn't, then the only answer is she was lying to me. Or maybe anxiety? I could feel my wolf burst into a fit of laughter in my head.
"Bullshit," I spat. "Drop the act, Bertha, I am not a pup anymore, and you can't fool me."
"What are you saying, child?"
"I have two options for you" I said, gaining my composure. "And what are they?" The amusement in her voice was evident.
"You give me the information I need—we save time and everyone goes happily. Oh, and all the hairs on your pretty little head stay intact, or... we will have no choice but to go for the second option," I stated with a smirk.
"Which is?" She asked. "You kill me and feed my body to those creatures I heard you've been playing around with?" She was referring to the wood animals I treat or experiment with sometimes.
"Oh no, you've got it all wrong, Bertha," I placed a hand on my chest, feigning hurt. "Killing you and feeding you to my pets is something a five-year-old pup would consider. It's too easy, if you ask me," I smirked, staring into her eyes.
"Plus, if killing you was the case, I would be sure to make it slower and nicer for you." She froze in her seat, her breathing louder than normal.
"Oh child, you can never be capable of killing anything, much less a wolf like me. I may be a rogue, but I am also an omega…" her emphasis was heavy on her old title. My words must've bruised her ego; she is a wolf, after all.
"Was an omega" i correct.
She release an evil laughs in response.
"Don't test me, Bertha. You don't want to find out what I'm capable of," my tone was as calm as I could manage, and I stared straight into her deep hazel-brown eyes, trying my best to intimidate her.
"You are capable of nothing; your empty threats aren't going to work on me," she growled. The expression on her face showed ninety shades of fear concealed under an attempt to appear unfazed. "For your own good, leaving this place right now will be the best option for you," she yelled again, causing me to let out a laugh.
"Oh dear, Bertha, if you ask me, I'd say it's a little **too early** to start raising your voice. I promise you, you will need those lungs later on," I stood up, moving closer to her. "Like I said before, I came here for answers, and I am not leaving without them," I stopped behind her. I placed a hand on her chair, causing it to stop rocking.
"You better start talking, unless you want me to force it out of you," I threatened, gripping the syringe in my pocket my with my free hand. My patience was wearing thin, and time isn't something I have in abundance right now. Forcing the answers out of her seems like a fast and easier option, plus I'd really love to see her in pain, even if it was for a few seconds.
"I have nothing to say to you, Aria, and once again, I shall warn you. If you want to see the sunrise tomorrow, this is your chance to make a run for it," she threatened, her frown deepening.
"I'll take that as your answer then; you pick the second option I guess," I said. In a flash, I stabbed the syringe into her neck.