Chapter 15 CHAPTER 015
Soren wants a smoke, but every time he brings it out to take the least drag, he is being dragged to another event where he is forced to be so fucking perfect that all his mouth muscles ache from how hard he's smiling, or his back aches from how straight he’s standing, but Soren has decided he is done with that perfect image.
Reign said it himself: if his image can be easily destroyed by someone like him, then it’s not worth having. So, Reign doesn’t need Soren to strengthen his reputation; he only needs Soren to play his beta fiancé, and Soren is done playing, and it starts here.
It’s a so-called family dinner that no one seems to want to be part of. Soren doesn’t have his suit buttoned, and he has run his fingers through his hair so many times that it’s as messy as getting out of bed, and his breath smells of alcohol and cigarettes.
The only person Soren recognizes on the long dinner table is Sylvester and Reign’s mother, and the woman looks at him as if he had murdered her beloved pet; the look of disgust is so evident in her eyes that Soren is almost basking in it. And the others at the table—Soren doesn’t know them, but they don’t look pleased either at the sight of him. There are five of them, each of them dressed so flawlessly, while Soren looks like he’s a stain on white. He almost laughs at the looks on their faces, except for the man who sits beside Reign’s mother. His expression is cold and calculating, but there’s something warm and amused in the way he looks at Soren that reminds Soren of Reign, and the thought makes him believe the alpha is Reign’s father.
“Where is Reign?” Evelyn suddenly asks, averting her gaze to Reign’s secretary, who had escorted Soren to the dinner. He stands at the corner, looking like the most obedient pup. Soren wonders how long the Beta secretary has been with Reign to be that stiff and blank, just like the Enigma himself.
“Mr. Montgomery will be here shortly; he has matters that require his attention,” comes his reply, but the woman looks more displeased as she reels her gaze to Soren with abhorrence.
“I’m sure he wouldn’t approve of what his fiancée is, showing up here looking so unkempt. So disrespectful,” Evelyn states.
“How can he come out dressed like that?” A beta female on the table points out, and the others agree. Soren can’t believe none of his future in-laws like him, but then again, he doesn’t give a fuck.
“He looks fine to me.” Reign’s father states from the edge of the table.
Soren whips his head to the older man to see a smile on his face. Okay, maybe not every member of the Montgomery family is awful. Sylvester was also nice.
Evelyn turns sharply toward her husband. “Fine? He smells like smoke and alcohol. Don’t encourage such behavior.”
“It’s a dinner, Evelyn, not a coronation,” comes his unbothered reply.
“It is a reflection of our name, and he’s tinting it,” she snaps.
Soren stops himself from rolling his eyes, and he doesn’t get to speak because the older alpha speaks again.
"If our reputation really bothered you, you would have known that Reign sent his fiancée here first, and he's not even here. That shows poor manners for his future mate."
Soren is almost impressed by the man.
“You’re right, Uncle. Reign should be here with his mate,” Sylvester agrees, offering Soren a smile for the first time, but the room goes quiet after that.
“Don’t twist this into something it’s not.” Evelyn snaps.
“I’m not twisting anything. I’m simply stating facts.” Reign’s father replies calmly. “
“So now it’s Reign’s fault?” the beta female asks sharply.
“No,” the older alpha says smoothly. “It’s no one’s fault, but if we’re discussing respect, it should go both ways.”
Soren decides that he likes the older alpha more than he even likes Reign. As if Soren likes the Enigma. Soren already hated him the moment he threatened Iris.
Suddenly, the door of the private diner opens, and Reign enters, instantly owning the entire room with his presence as he strides forward. His gaze sweeps the table once, then it lands on Soren; his eyes rank the state of the Beta before his lips curl into an amused smile that sends a chill shiver down Soren’s spine.
“Reign, it’s great you are finally here. I was just telling your fiancée that appearances matter since he’s dressed like that."
“He looks fine to me.” "Reign says as he slides into the empty seat beside Soren while Soren swallows the gasp that almost rips through his throat at the words.
He frowns deeply, realizing Reign is not incensed or disappointed as Soren expected.
What the fuck happened to the man on his way here? Soren thinks to himself, but suddenly, his arm is grabbed, and he’s yanked towards Reign, their eyes meeting in intensity that has Soren almost folding, all forms of flight leaving his body, and before he realizes, Reign leans in and places a soft kiss on his cheek.
Soren’s eyes widen in shock, and all the alarms in his head beep red while a wild sensation flows through his body like hot lava.
“Did I keep you waiting, darling?”
Soren’s heart beats in a way that feels like it’s about to rip out of his chest. He blinks, unable to catch up but Reign doesn't stop; he softly brushes his thumb against Soren’s jaw and Soren painfully realizes that the Enigma is not wearing his black gloves, he’s not dressed in black either but in a white long-sleeved shirt that’s folded to his elbows, displaying a forearm full of tattoos on both hands that disappear into the rest of the sleeves.
Reign has a sleeve of tattoos on both hands.
Soren blinks at the realization, and he finally finds his voice in the chaos of his head. He reminds himself that Reign is only like this because they are in public, but still, it feels too much for Soren to bear. This image of him is more deviant than his usual cold demeanor. It’s unsettling. Oh, the duality of this man.
“I didn’t wait for long,” he finally says.
Reign gives a small smile before he lets go and sits properly in his seat, his gaze hardening as it drops on his mother. “You shouldn't criticize my fiancée over something so trivial, mother,” he speaks calmly, but anyone with two working ears can hear the warning behind those words.
“Now that everyone is here, let’s order the food,” Reign’s father cuts through the tension.
And for the rest of the night, Soren felt the tingles of the soft kiss on his jaw.
~~~
You are an omega. You can’t hide forever.
Soren bolts upright in bed, chest heaving, the sheets twisted around his legs like restraints. His heart is slamming so violently against his ribs it almost hurts. It takes a moment for him to realize he is in his bedroom in Reign’s mansion, and the whispers of those words are merely a dream—a nightmare.
He forces himself to calm down, resting his back on the bedstand, murmuring to himself over and over again that his secret is safe.
He looks at the window; the moon shines through the glass, surrounded by the darkness of the sky. Soren exhales a sigh; there’s no way he’s going to be able to sleep again.
Pushing the blankets off his body, he gets out of bed, his feet bare as he walks out of the bedroom and into the empty hall that stretches long and far.
Soren arrives at the empty kitchen, and instinctively, he opens his fridge; his gaze instinctively lands on a large ice cream. There is nothing wrong with a lot of midnight ice cream. He’s just an omega for crying out loud.
He takes the bowl out and walks over to the counter, making himself comfortable on one of the stools, and he starts to dig in, enjoying the taste of it melting between his teeth and tongue.
But on his fifth bite, the lights of the kitchen are suddenly switched on, and Soren immediately freezes with a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. He whips his head up, finding Reign standing there. Even in the middle of the night, he’s still dressed so well; not even a strand of hair is out of place, while Soren looks like a stray cat.
The enigma sneers at the sight of him before heading to the fridge to get a bottle of water. He twists the cap open calmly, like catching Soren in the kitchen at midnight with a tub of ice cream is the most normal thing in the world.
“You look ridiculous,” Reign says before taking a sip, and he doesn’t say anything else as he turns off the lights and walks out of the kitchen, leaving Soren sitting there in shock, once again because Soren is waiting to be scolded, but just like at dinner, all Soren gets is a look of amusement.
There’s no way the Enigma could have hit his head, or Soren is simply being paranoid.