~Jodi~

It had been almost two weeks since we set up at the new location. Lyn had pretty much checked out when it came to running the base because of the suppressants. He was in a constant state of delirium, but his reaction to the drug compared to Colby's seemed much more severe. Senex begrudgingly assisted Colby through his miscarriage after me begging him to do so when the poor man turned so pale he looked translucent. 

He would also come and check on Lyn as often as he could, but the journey down the mountain was becoming too much for the old man to manage on a constant basis. I wondered if he was also dealing with the effects of his imprint on top of the drug. I would stare at him out of the window for hours just to see how he was doing. Even some of the dormants came down the mountain occasionally, bringing him blankets and food. We told them the truth about why we chose to live separately from them, and they all took it surprisingly well. Izzy and I still hadn't gotten any sign that we had a scent yet, but we knew it wouldn't be long because we could smell the pheromones of Roselyn and Colby more accurately. I would've talked with Lyn and Izzy about it, but Lyn wanted nothing to do with me.

He simply refused to come back inside after our argument or even talk to me for that matter. The stubborn bastard knew how to hold a grudge way longer than I did, that's for sure. Izzy would sit with him most of the time in silence, but at least he wasn't getting completely shunned like I was. If I went out to sit next to him, he would turn away from me, and on the days he had the strength to move, he'd do just that—move away from me as if I had cooties that only he could see. He even stopped giving me his infamous scowl with those soul-piercing eyes.

We'd argued plenty of times before because both of us have a temper, but it had never lasted this long. I looked over at Colby, trying to figure out how such a sweet-looking person made Lyn so willing to forget his morals. He seemed pretty reserved, and he never complained about the pain of the miscarriage. In fact, he didn't seem to care about the loss of his pup at all or about being injected with suppressants daily. It was as if he was accepting punishment for some unknown crime—or at least it was unknown to me.

Izzy refused to ask Lyn about it because he was afraid Lyn would stop allowing him to sit next to him. He was still convinced he was Lyn's mate even though he was clearly getting worse, and I wasn't going to apologize to Lyn first so I could ask him myself. He did threaten to shoot me after all, and that was taking things too far. Looking back out the window at Lyn, he looked tired. His hair was still in its now disheveled braids, with curly coils that went every which way. He hadn't showered or even changed clothes. Anything he could do to mask his sweet scent, he did it without regard for his appearance or his health. I was angry that he had the type of trauma that would make him go to these lengths, but I understood it all too well. That's why we were all so close to begin with.

Izzy and I never really talked about the abuse we suffered at the hands of our father. It wasn't easy talking about things that caused you pain. In Lyn's case, he probably felt more self-conscious about it now than he had before. Talking about trauma made you vulnerable, exposed, and weak in the eyes of most— all the things he hated to be considered. He often doubted that he had the strength to stand it, or maybe he doubted us. Was he afraid that we'd look at him differently because of his past? He was always insecure about being rejected by others. That's why he never really connected with any of the other dormants beyond learning their names, even though he did in secret. He never wanted to get attached to them, worried about when they'd move on or decide to leave when things got too hectic for them to handle. 

Was now the right time to be petty and hold on to my pride, or should I actually be by my friend's side? Did I make a mistake? Lyn was never the type of person to be unwarrantedly cruel. I didn't know, but I knew I wanted my friend back. I sat down at the table across from Colby with my arms folded and stared at him. He seemed to be in his own little world because he didn't notice me at all until I finally spoke. 

"What did you do to Lyn?" I asked, and he flinched from his thoughts.

"I—I'm sorry?" he asked, confused. "Who is Lyn?"

"Roselyn..." I said, raising a brow.

"Oh, right," he said, looking at the cup of tea in his hands.

"You didn't answer my question," I said again, and he continued to stare at his cup.

"What didn't I do?" he said quietly. "Y'know, for a long time, I felt justified in my actions all because I thought he wronged me somehow. It wasn't until recently I found out that I was a pawn in a much bigger game," he said, shaking his head and looking out the window. "I was willfully ignorant because my ignorance truly was my bliss."

I looked at him, confused, not understanding anything he said. "Whose game, and how are you involved?"

"What do you know of the royal family?" he asked with a blank expression.

"You mean the descendants of all the past Primes and the current Prime?" I said sarcastically. "I'm a rogue, not an idiot." I scoffed. "What about them?"

"Sometimes Betas and even Omegas born from the royal bloodline have traits or features that are unique—some more extreme than others. Sometimes it can be as insignificant as an eye color or slightly increased height. Other times, it can be having certain abilities," he said, finally looking at me.

"Okay, but what does any of this have to do with Lyn or what you did to him?" I asked, leaning forward on the table.

".....Rose can ignore Alpha commands," he said, causing me to smirk.

"Yeah, right," I scoffed. "And I'm the Prime of the Luna," I said sarcastically.

"I'm serious," he said, staring me in the eyes, and for some reason, he seemed like he was actually serious. "Even commands from the Prime himself," he continued with his unbelievable story.

"So you're telling me the person I've been friends with for seven years is the descendant of a Prime?" I asked incredulously.

"Not just a descendant of a Prime. He's the firstborn son of Lord Ember himself, our current Prime," he said, causing me to laugh.

"No, Lord Ember's first son died," I said, and he continued looking at me with a blank expression. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Lord Ember faked Roselyn's death to the public. I was assigned to be his friend and report back to him everything Rose did when we were children. You see, I was born from a very low-ranking family. So the chances of me finding a mate were slim to none. In return for my services, I was promised just that. As you know, Omegas aren't treated the best, but an Omega able to challenge a Prime's authority was even worse. Rose was treated like a plague by everyone, specifically his father because of his ability. He did many horrible things to try and make Rose obedient, but nothing ever worked," he said, shaking his head. "Until Alec arrived, that is."

"And this Alec person did what exactly?" I asked with a raised brow.

He looked at me with a quivering lip before speaking in a shaky voice. "Things that not even rogue prisoners are put through."

"And you helped him?" I asked in disbelief, slightly agitated.

"H-he was my mate," he said with a shrug as tears fell from his eyes.

I lifted from the table abruptly, causing him to flinch. "How long did this go on?" I asked, pacing the room, feeling my blood boil. "These, these things between him and this, this Alec?" I said his name with bitter hatred.

"Alec came when we were ten," he said, and I slammed my fist on the table.

"Five years?!" I shouted. "And you were a part of it the whole time?! You allowed me to feel sorry for you, and you didn't even deserve it?!" I asked angrily.

"IM JUST AN OMEGA!!" he shouted through his sobs. "I was cast out by my own family when Rose ran away, my pack, and this was my only chance at a better life," he said with a cracked voice.

"Did he touch him?!" I asked, narrowing my eyes at Colby.

"Wh-what?!" he asked, seeming shocked by the question.

"Did. Alec. Touch. Lyn?" I asked through clenched teeth, and he stared at me nervously. "Gods... and you knew," I whispered in disbelief. "Y'know I called my friend a monster for what he did to you?! When really, the monster was you all along!!" I said, pointing at him.

"I'm sorry I—"

"Just because you're an Omega doesn't mean you have to be such a shitty person!! What you did was a choice!! You could've found another way to survive, just like he did! I should've let him—" I stopped myself mid-sentence and kicked the chair across the room in anger.