Chapter 17 CHAPTER 017
Soren walks down the hospital with a big smile on his face and both hands full of gifts he has single-handedly picked for Iris, but Soren isn’t alone; two bulky alpha guards are trailing him behind him like shadows. Soren tries to pretend they are not there as he walks in faster strides until he arrives at the front of his little sister’s door.
Soren smiles as he catches a glimpse of her through the small glass window; she is sitting up in bed, her hair tied into two messy braids, and a book resting on her lap that she probably isn’t reading. She looks smaller in the hospital white gown and fragile, but alive and getting better because that’s all that matters.
Soren shifts the gifts in his hands and pushes the door open with his shoulder while the guards stand outside, guarding the door.
“Look who got you treasures,” he announces cheerfully, lifting the gift bags, and instantly, her head shoots up, and her face goes brighter than the sun itself.
“Ren!”
Soren drops the bags on the floor and reaches her before she can jump off the bed to hug him. He wraps his arms around her and presses a quick kiss to her forehead, noticing she smells more of antiseptic and cheap soap than her normal omega scent.
He withdraws and cups her face, smiling at the sight of color returning to her face, and when she smiles back with a spark in her eyes, Soren realizes he is willing to give it all as long as that smile remains on her face.
"Want to see what I got?” he asks with a grin, and she nods eagerly. Soren leaves her side to retrieve the gift bag from the floor, but that’s when he sees the extra person in the room.
“Hello, Mom,” Soren eyes his mother, who stands at the corner, arms crossed over her chest, and staring at him with a gaze that displays nothing but disapproval and distaste.
“You finally showed up,” she begins with a scoff, not trying to hide the bitterness in her tone while her eyes throw daggers. “I thought perhaps you’ve abandoned us now that you are rich."
“I’m sorry, I’ll try to come visit more,” Soren keeps his voice light. The last thing he wants is for Iris to see them fight over things so stupid. He picks up the gifts and turns, but suddenly, his arm is grabbed. He whips his head back to look at his mother.
“What did you bring?” she asks, and before he can respond, she snatches the bags from him and starts ransacking, throwing items she doesn’t like on the floor like waste with a deep frown etched on her face. “All these are just a waste of money!” she spits.
Soren’s jaw pulls taut. He goes down to pick up the items. “I brought all of these for Iris.”
“What about me?” she asks in a mocking tone. “Don’t you think I deserve something for taking care of her while you were out there playing beta to rich alphas?”
Soren stills for a moment before he continues to pick the items, and when he’s done, he rises to his feet, eyes colliding with hers in a heated gaze. “Can you not do this now? In front of Iris?”
She snorts. “Oh, now you think I am being unreasonable? Fine, you can say whatever you want now because you are rich.” She steps forward and opens her palm, demanding. “Since you are so great and untouchable, I need some money.”
Soren stares at her hand blankly for a moment before he turns back to her and heads to Iris. “I have no money,” he says, sitting on the bed beside the little girl, giving her the gifts. “Do you like them?” he asks with a smile, and she nods eagerly. Soren tries to focus on Iris, but his mother is not done as she lets out a short, humorless laugh.
“You have no money?” she repeats. “Don’t insult me. Your face is all over the news as Reign Montgomery’s fiancé, so don’t give me that crap about not having money because I know you do. What did you do to get his attention, huh? Whored, perhaps?”
Soren doesn’t look at her; he keeps his attention fixed on Iris. He takes out his phone and earpiece. "Want to hear some music?” he offers, and she nods, probably realizing he doesn’t want her to hear the words coming out of their mother’s mouth.
“He hates omegas, doesn’t he? Does he know you are an omega pretending to be a Beta?”
Soren’s fingers pause for half a second over the screen of his phone. He immediately blocks Iris's ears with the earpiece, but his mother reads into his hesitation as she chuckles darkly.
“I see, he has no idea, does he? That has to be the only explanation why he would still keep an omega like you. What if someone tells him? Do you think he will reward the person?”
Soren finally looks at his mother, standing to his feet. If he didn’t know better, he would have believed this woman never gave birth to him, but he knows she did. There was an uncanny resemblance that Soren shares with her that he hates so much: the color of their eyes. Why is she hellbent on making his life difficult? Why does she hate him so much?
“What do you want?”
She breaks into a smile, and her eyes glimmer deviously. She strolls closer to him, placing her hand over his shoulder. “I told you already, I need money, and as long as you give me any amount I ask for and whenever I ask for it, your secret will forever be safe with me. I’ll take it to my grave."
If looks could kill, she would have dropped dead from the harshness of his stare while his hands clenched into fists at his side and his jaw clenched so tight that it hurt. “Fine, I’ll give you money,” the words leave his mouth flat.
He hates that she can force anything out of him like this, hates that she knows exactly where to press to make him bend, and he hates how steady his voice sounds, like this is normal, like being blackmailed by his own mother is just another Tuesday.
She smiles slowly. “I knew you would understand,” she says, her voice suddenly softer. “And as a bonus, I will take care of Iris too while you play the perfect beta; we both win, don’t we, Ren?”
Soren's hands clench so tightly that his knuckles turn white as something dark twists inside of him as he looks at her with disgust and anger. Disdain burns deep in his bones until he feels like he is on fire.
He needs to get Iris away from her. He needs to get away from her.
~~
Hours later, Soren finally walks out of Iris's room, ready to return to Reign’s mansion with the guards once again trailing behind him. He walks down the white hall, realizing again how easily he lets his own mother blackmail him. Maybe it’s because she knows him too well, and she knows the weakest point in his body to strike, while Soren does nothing but fail because he doesn't have a choice.
She wants money when Soren barely has anything left in his account. Ask Reign. The voices in his head advise, and Soren almost laughs out loud.
‘Reign, can I have money to pay my mother so she doesn’t expose me as an omega?’
The image alone makes his stomach twist and causes a bitter laugh to rip out of his throat. How ridiculous. He continues walking, head buried in thoughts, until he hears the sound of his name.
“Mr. Fox,”
He lifts his head sharply to see Sylvester and a lady dressed in a doctor’s coat heading his way. The alpha smiles as he comes to a stop in front of Soren. “Mr. Fox, fancy seeing you here."
“Just Soren is fine,” he tries not to grimace at his surname. Fox only feels right when he has his knuckles buried in an alpha’s jaw in the ring.
Sylvester tilts his head. “What brings you here?”
Soren offers a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes as he says. “My sister is here."
“Oh,” he says with a small smile before turning to the doctor beside him. “This is Beta Dr. Mira Resse; she works here and is also working with my group for Omega advocacy."
Soren acknowledges the doctor with a nod, but the woman with glasses at the bridge of her nose reaches her hand out for a handshake, wearing a smile. “Hello, Mr. Fox, I’ve seen your face a few times in the news. It's an honor to meet the only one who manages to capture the heart of the only Enigma in our country.”
Soren stares at the hand for a moment, but he accepts, and Soren notices how firm her grip is before she lets go.
“You have a unique scent for a Beta,” she states.
Soren’s heart skips a beat. “I can’t say the same for you,” he says, hiding the defensive bite in his tone that wants to argue that betas have no unique scent and she, as a beta, can’t smell other people’s scent; that’s what makes betas immune to alphas’ and omegas' pheromones, but it’s a pointless argument when he’s hiding a secret.
She chuckles at his words. “Of course, as Betas, we are not meant to have scents; I must have mistaken your perfume for your scent. My apologies."
Soren eyes her. She couldn’t have detected something from him, could she? She's a doctor after all, but Sylvester cuts through his thoughts.
“If you need anything, you ask Dr. Mira; she’s considered more than a friend, and you are family.” The alpha smiles in a way that feels eerie when his words are genuine.
Soren offers the two another smile. “Thank you, I will be on my way,” he says, and with a slight bow, he leaves, walking down the hall in longer strides, but somehow, his guts twist weirdly, causing him to reel his head back to watch as they disappear around the corner. Soren looks away.
She couldn’t have detected anything other than the perfume Soren has on, right?”
Fuck. Soren hates his fucking life.