The Alpha's Omega Mate-Chapter 80: The lies we tell.

~Dahlia’s POV~

My hands trembled as I dabbed the makeup brush onto Amara’s shoulders and face, and then the bronze powder that smelled like talcum onto her lips.

Her green eyes watched me with confusion while I worked, but she said nothing. She didn’t even pull away when the raw silver glitters burned her skin slightly or when I accidentally dabbed too much talcum to her face. She was just docile.

Unmoving.

Anyways, this was all Sadie’s idea. She’d hoped that these products would ensure that Amara manages to appear pale, and her skin blotchy in certain areas. We wanted her to seem sickly— just the way she was supposed to— not the vibrant creamy texture that was now the color of her skin.

When I was done with the application, I took a step back and sighed, satisfied with my results and then I plopped into the chair beside her.

However, I was wrong for thinking that Amara would simply let this slide. She turned to me, her striking green eyes piercing into mine as she asked; "What is that for, mommy?"

I paused, stunned that she’d been so direct with her question. I fumbled with the right words to say to her. I struggled with how to explain to her that all I did was due to me desperately attempting to protect her. My throat worked, but when I realized that no words were coming out, I snapped it shut and took Amara’s hands in mine.

"Mommy?"

"Nothing baby," the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

Amara frowned at me, her eyes thinning and her brows furrowing as she glared straight at my face. She retracted her hands from mine so fast that one would think I burned, and instantly I knew that she was mad at me.

She knew I was lying to her and she was pissed.

"I don’t want anyone to know you’ve healed so quickly, especially those who bully me around here. They’d make assumptions or call us witches." I rushed out, explaining quickly, but purposefully making the situation sound as light as I could. I sighed when her frown slowly disappeared and the usual softness in her eyes returned.

"Mommy, I thought you said no one bullies you anymore?" Her voice was soft when she asked this. It sounded like she was sad... like she pitied me.

And it made me sad.

I shook my head quickly at her, unsure of what to say that she wouldn’t find suspicious, and when I couldn’t come up with anything else, I quickly said; "I lied about that... but I did because I didn’t want you to worry about me. As long as no one bullies you."

"Beta Orion’s wife still bullies me." She croaked out and for a minute, I froze. "She used to until the night you took me out of his house."

Beta Orion’s what?

Wife?

What the hell was that even supposed to mean?

As if noticing the confusion on my face, she explained; "Ma’am Jennifer. She said she was his wife, and told Tiffany to always call her mom."

Oh, that!

However, as soon as I heard those words, especially Ms Jennifer’s name and the fact that she still bullied her, a strange kind of anger rushed through my veins. I could vaguely see her lowering herself onto Alpha Zarek’s cock, even vividly remembering the way she moaned wantonly, her limbs trembling as she went up and down on him... grinding back and forth.

I could also remember the way she’d smirked when she’d noticed me watching before turning around to scream so loud, I was so sure she’d faked being that pleasured; and she would have let me continue witnessing that if Alpha Zarek hadn’t caught sight of me standing by the door.

If he hadn’t snapped his head up just he did.

Several times, I told myself that I would get those images off my mind... that I would forget about him and about both of them, but several times it came back worse. It hunted me, made my heart throb painfully in my chest whenever it slipped past my mind’s eye.

My hands trembled when her smiling face flashed again in my mind and subconsciously, I squeezed tight at the only thing close enough to wrap my hands around, until I heard Amara worriedly calling out to me. I blinked just then to see her looking up at me with wide eyes, a small smile on her face. She said; "Mommy, your hair had lights in it."

I froze.

I had been squeezing her arm. But for some reason, she wasn’t affected by that. She was, however, drawn to something on top of my head.

"What...?"

"It’s glowing." She supplied, smiling as she watched me with awe.

Her eyes didn’t leave my face for even a second. And it didn’t for the next few minutes of awkward silence that descended between us, until she muttered;

"And it has gone off."

I let out a breathy exhale, my shoulders slumping as relief coursed through me.

I couldn’t believe that I had let myself lose it in front of her... and not just that, in the pack’s hospital— and in broad daylight!

I smiled softly, one that didn’t quite match the turmoil raging within my chest and then I whispered; "You know, I can make it happen sometimes."

"Really?" Her eyes were wide, her face flushed with childlike excitement.

"Yes, but don’t ask me to show you now. I’ll do that later. In our room, whenever we’re alone."

"Oh, yes! I want to see! I’d get better pretty soon too so that I can be allowed to go back with you... and you can show me." She squealed and I smiled, for real this time, because I couldn’t help it. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

She was indeed a child, and her cluelessness was a blessing in disguise .

However, the serene environment was soon disrupted when the door creaked open, and I turned around instantly to see who it was just as Beta Orion slipped into the room with a single piece of pink dahlia flower clutched tightly in his hands.

"Dahlia, Amara." He greeted us in a sunny voice. Even his face was so bright, I could’ve been easily blinded by his glow.

He seemed happy.

And I should be happy for him, but I couldn’t. Instead, I felt uncomfortable.

"Beta Orion," I bowed in respect. "Good day, your highness."

He froze, the smile instantly leaving his face. "Since when did you start to greet me so formally?"

"Since we’re in such a public space." I answered easily with a small smile. "And I figured that since you’d come for your usual routine check..."

"Oh, no. I’m not here to check on the affairs of the pack’s hospital and how things are being held up here. I came to see her," He quickly supplied, interrupting me as he pointed to Amara.

I gulped. "Oh."

"I heard about Amara’s illness earlier today, and Tiffany became worried. She insisted that I come to see her to be sure she’s fine."

"Oh, she is." I ground out through gritted teeth, and then turning to Amara who seemed partly happy, and partly confused to see Beta Orion here, I added; "She’s getting better."

He nodded. "That’s good."

But it wasn’t.

It wasn’t good that he was only here because ’Tiffany’ was worried. It wasn’t good that he was sometimes cold to me, and then on days when he wasn’t, he was either asking me to marry him or asking me to come live with him. And it wasn’t good that he would continue to be this way until I agreed to be with him, even though he knew I was mated to someone else.

"I brought this for you." He said suddenly, holding out his hand with the flower to me, but I didn’t take it. I couldn’t.

A frown etched its way onto my face as I took a subconscious step back, and then I muttered; "Thank you for coming, by the way. However, I wanted to put Amara to sleep, so it’ll be nice if you just—"

"I also came to see you." He drawled, interrupting me, and again I froze.

"What for?" The question was off my lips before I could stop myself.

Beta Orion watched me for a long minute. His eyes trailed over my body— coming to rest on my bosoms—in a way that made me quite uncomfortable, and then he said;

"I want us to talk about Alpha Zarek... and it is quite important."

A shudder ran through me as his words registered. It was the last thing I had expected him to say, and usually I would’ve refused, seeing as I wanted nothing to do with Alpha Zarek at the moment; But one look at Beta Orion had the words dying in my throat.

I gulped. "Okay."