The Alpha's Omega Mate-Chapter 88: The untrustworthy lady in a pink dress.

~Orion’s POV~

Silence.

It was what descended upon the room as soon as Zarek stepped out, obstinately ignoring the Duke’s presence and everyone else’s in the room, and now, I couldn’t help but wonder if he indeed lost his memories or if he was using this as an excuse to act the way he’s always wanted to around some certain people, like Duke Hathaway now.

My heart thrummed in my chest as everyone soon came to look at me, as if expecting me to take up from where he dropped off and I coughed, clearing my throat dramatically as I motioned to the door.

"He’s left... and I know he isn’t returning anytime soon." And then turning to Duke Hathaway, I continued; "However, I’ll talk to him about the agreed marriage between your daughter and him, and I’ll make sure he sticks to his end of the bargain."

While I said that— I knew I shouldn’t— but I felt some kind of immense pleasure, and a kind of weird satisfaction knowing that whatever Zarek did, he could never escape getting married to Jennifer.

I was glad that they were ordained to be together— brought together by some kind of pact that neither I nor anyone else in this room knew of.

A smile graced my face when Duke Hathaway smiled at me, and with forced grace, he rose to his feet whilst stretching out his hands toward me. I took it in a firm handshake and muttered;

"Thank you for visiting us, Duke."

"And thank you for taking good care of my daughter. She’s told me about all the things you’ve done for her, Beta Albescu." He greeted back with bravado and I bowed curtly.

I guess she never told him about how she nearly fooled me into marrying her.

"It’s my pleasure." I said, even though I knew fully well that it wasn’t.

"And I’ll take my leave now." He drawled.

The Duke soon left with his minions, and I, thinking that this gathering was probably over as well, stood up to leave too. However, just as I rose, one of the older Elders, the one with the name of Tyrion, called out to me.

He snapped; "Beta, sit back down!"

Usually, I was one to respect my elders. I was one to see an elderly person walking by and rid them of their burdens. But the sharp tone in which the elder had spoken to me with, and the way his eyes flashed like he was ordering me about, made my wolf respond with equal agitation.

I turned around, my eyes flashing with barely contained rage as I snapped; "And who are you to order me in that manner?"

The Elder bared his teeth at me but I couldn’t help but notice how he shrunk back. It was barely visible but I had seen it, and I smelled his fear.

He muttered; "I am Tyrion, son of Herodis... and the oldest Elder in the pack."

"And I am the Beta of the pack. When you next want to talk to me, despite your age or who you are, you refer to me with respect... the same kind of respect I’ll accord you with."

He gulped. "I understand."

Suddenly, all of my initial rage began to dissipate and I was left feeling empty. Tired. Deep down, I just wanted to return to the confines of my room, with my daughter sitting beside me while I told her a story about something that never happened, but I knew that that was impossible for now. I knew that today was going to be a long day.

"So what is it you want to talk to me about?" I snapped. I feared that this would have something to do with Zarek’s behavior earlier. However, nothing prepared me for the next words the elder said..

"You need to ascend the throne." He said, and I balked just as my heart plummeted.

Elder Tyrion’s tone was ice cold with a hint of finality to it that made me shudder. He sounded like he was giving me no room to argue, and while a handful of elders nodded in agreement, a vast majority seemed displeased. Their expressions were stoic and unsmiling.

Holy Poseidon, they even looked like they could murder me in my sleep.

"But the Alpha is recovering." I gritted out slowly, my voice almost sounding pleading.

The elder scoffed and so did the woman sitting behind him. He spat; "After that stunt he just pulled some minutes ago, I doubt he’ll ever come back to his senses!"

Again, a few elders nodded but a vast majority seemed irritated.

They hated this as much as I did. And Elder Tyrion didn’t give a shit.

However, as much I hated what this Elder was implying, as well as the responsibilities that came with taking up the throne, something in it called out to me. And I do not know if it was because this way, I could finally manage to rid Zarek off his hold on this pack— and on Dahlia— but I finally resonated with the idea of taking up the throne.

I smiled. "Let’s hold a meeting in two days to discuss this. Right now, I am quite indecisive, but I’ll get back to you by then."

"Alpha Zarek built this pack from scratch. From when you all were nothing but rogues and outcasts and discards of your packs. But due to some stupid setbacks, you want to betray him like this? I will not be a part of this!" A woman shouted from the back and I didn’t need to check to know it was Elder Kira, the lady of agriculture.

She was one of those people who would lick Zarek’s ass even though it was already sparkling clean and I nearly rolled my eyes when I saw that it was her who had spoken. Hell, maybe I would’ve, but I looked away instead, choosing to ignore that baseless sentiment.

"And I!"

"And I!"

More elders chanted as they rose to their feet, discarding their royal mantles to the floor as they did.

"He brought me in when he found me by the clear lake... almost dead!"

"And he took me in when I was sick. He managed to heal me even after everyone said I would die, but he never gave up on me!"

Elder Tyrion’s scoff was loud. He also rose to his feet, and turning around to face the Elders who were already standing, and ready to storm out of the room, he growled; "And the man who did all of those is gone! What we have now is a vegetable! A shell of who we used to have. I cannot deny that he still possesses unmatched power! I cannot deny that his wolf and aura is still as strong. Hell, we all saw the way he threw Elder Samwell out of the pack without batting an eyelash... but he is gone! He’s no longer who he used to be!"

"And you, Elder Tyrion, he brought you in when you were banished from your pack. And now, I cannot help but think that that was a mistake on his part because I can now see that you’re just as much the traitor as the Alpha of your old pack said you were!" Elder Kira shouted back, and I noticed how a few elders chuckled.

My anger flared.

"Enough!" I growled, but no one stopped talking. They all acted like they didn’t hear me speak. And I knew that they wouldn’t do that if I was Zarek.

"That doesn’t change the fact that he’s gone!" Elder Tyrion growled.

"And we can all agree to give him time!" A man called out from the back, but Tyrion was quick to respond.

He snapped; "What time?!" And I could only watch as the veins by the sides of his neck popped out. "Time until he no longer recognizes any of us? Or can you all not see that he no longer remembers his woman?!"

As soon as Elder Tyrion said that, the room broke into chaos. There were murmurs rising from every corner of the room and agitated growls coming from here and there.

My head spun as shouts broke out here and there, and I was already beginning to contemplate walking out on everyone, on leaving in anger when suddenly, a strange citrus smell wafted into my nostrils.

Then came a pink shiny dress.

Jennifer.

The wench was back from chasing after Zarek like a dog.

Her eyes seemed puffy as she glanced around the room, and when they landed on me, she smiled brightly— too brightly.

She stepped forward, immediately causing everyone in the room to go silent; and that irked me.

Guess I needed her after all.

"I’m on Elder Tyrion’s side." She said softly, her voice shaky. "Alpha Zarek is truly gone."

And unlike earlier, after she said those words, no one argued. No one even said a thing. The room was eerily silent.

Right there and then, I decided that I needed Jennifer— at least for now, until I got the throne, because she was the key to having the pack under my control.

The key to snatching that one power Zarek had over me.

I smiled softly at her, and she smiled back, whilst I wondered what must’ve transpired between them to make her change her mind so abruptly.

But frankly, I doubted I cared that much.