Chapter 11 Special
/Nelson/
Seriously… I don’t even know why I kissed her on her forehead.
What the hell was that?
I don’t do things like that. I don’t get close. I don’t lose control. And yet, the moment she looked at me with those golden eyes, it was like something in me short-circuited.
Sunny had been humming in satisfaction ever since, the smug bastard.
By the time I made it downstairs, my beta Felix and Gemma Timi who are literally my best friends in the world were already waiting near the foyer both of them wearing identical we need to talk faces. That was never a good sign.
Felix crossed his arms, smirking. “So… how was your trip, Supreme Alpha?”
I gave him a look. “Don’t start.”
“Oh, I’m starting,” he said immediately, leaning back on the railing like he had all day. “Because rumor has it, you brought back a mystery omega from another pack because she maybe be the luna. And not just any omega the one everyone swears doesn’t even have a wolf. So spill, man. What’s going on?”
Timi and and his mate unfortunately just as bad raised a brow, hands on her hips. “Yeah, we’re dying to know why you of all people came back with an omega instead of a battle report.”
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Because it’s not what you think. She’s… different.”
Felix’s grin widened. “Different how? Different like wow, she’s hot, or different like wow, she stabbed me and I liked it?”
“Both,” I muttered.
That made Timi snort so loud a passing warrior actually turned to look.
“Wait, wait, hold up,” Felix said, straightening like he just heard the best gossip of the year. “You’re telling me that tiny omega the one who looks like she needs a nap actually fought you?”
“Not fought,” I corrected, a faint grin pulling at my lips despite myself. “Dueled.”
The room went dead silent.
Then Felix threw his head back and laughed so hard he actually bent over, clutching his stomach. “Oh my goddess, Nelson! You mean to tell me you the Supreme Alpha went head-to-head with a wolfless omega and almost lost?”
Timi was wheezing by then. “You didn’t spar with her gently, did you? You probably went all Alpha mode and she still kicked your ass.”
I glared at the three of them, but it only made them laugh harder.
Sunny was growling in my head, deeply offended. We were not losing. We were testing her. And we didn’t even take her that serious.
“Yeah, sure, tell that to your pride,” I muttered under my breath.
Felix wiped a tear from his eye, still grinning. “Bro, please tell me she at least didn’t throw you into a tree.”
I didn’t answer. She didn’t but i don't really want to give the details of what happened.
Which, apparently, was answer enough.
Jasmine gasped dramatically, her hand flying to her mouth. “She threw you into a tree?”
Felix howled, doubling over again. “Oh, I love her already. Please, please tell me you’re keeping her.”
“I am,” I said firmly, cutting through their laughter.
They froze mid-cackle.
Felix blinked. “Wait. For real?”
“Yeah,” I said, my voice even. “She’s staying here. On this floor. Near my room.... remember." where they not the ones that had the room arranged and cleaned..?
Jasmine’s eyebrows shot up so high I thought they’d fly off her face. “Ohhh, yeah... that"
“It’s not like that,” I snapped. “Sunny’s just… taken with her.”
Felix smirked, clearly unconvinced. “Taken with her? Dude, your wolf’s been single for over a decade. Taken is the understatement of the century.”
I ignored him, though the reminder stung more than I wanted to admit.
Jasmine’s tone softened slightly. “Nelson, you know what this means, right? If she’s not your mate… the Elders will still push that chosen-mate ceremony next week.”
“I know,” I said quietly. “Being thirty-five and unmated isn’t exactly winning me any favors.”
Felix clapped me on the back, his grin fading into something more genuine. “Then I really hope she’s the one, man. You deserve that.”
I nodded once, though part of me still didn’t believe it.
Timi, of course, couldn’t leave it there. “But considering she doesn’t have a wolf,” he said thoughtfully, “how come you’re so drawn to her? It’s not like she’s special or anything.”
That made me laugh softly the kind that came from somewhere deep, unexpected.
“She’s very special,” I said simply. “She fought me last night… and I almost lost because I underestimated her.”
Felix’s eyes went wide again. “Oh, we’re circling back to that?! You really got your ass handed to you by a wolfless omega?!”
Timi and his mate burst out laughing all over again. “Oh, the mighty Supreme Alpha, defeated by a five-foot-tall kitchen worker!”
I groaned, rubbing my temples. “Why do I even talk to you three?”
Felix grinned, throwing an arm around my shoulders. “Because, my dear Supreme Alpha, deep down, you love us and we’re the only ones who can laugh at you without dying.”
Sunny snorted in amusement, and for once, I didn’t even argue.
Because they were right.
I had no idea what I was doing.
But I knew one thing for sure whatever Edlyn was, whoever she was, she’d just turned my whole world upside down.
The laughter between Timi, Felix, Jasmine and me hadn’t even died down when the faint sound of heels echoed through the hall. That sound alone made my shoulders stiffen.
Felix noticed first. His grin vanished instantly, and he muttered under his breath, “Oh, hell no.”
Timi shot his mate a look then me a look that said good luck surviving this one, before straightening. “We’ll, uh… go check on the patrol updates,” he said quickly.
“Yeah, urgent Alpha business,” Felix added, already half out the door. “You got this, boss.”
The way they slipped out so fast you’d think the building was on fire and the way the three of them avoided looking back told me everything.
They didn’t like her.
Honestly, neither did I… not anymore.
“Nelson,” came the familiar, sultry tone that used to make me smile years ago.
I turned.
Jackie stood there tall, beautiful, confident. Every inch the daughter of an Elder. Her deep auburn hair fell in waves over her shoulders, her lips painted the same color as trouble.
“Jackie,” I said, keeping my voice even. “Didn’t expect to see you so late.”
She smiled that slow, practiced one I knew too well. “You know I don’t like waiting when it comes to you.”
Of course she didn’t.
Jackie and I had history messy, complicated history. Years ago, when we were both younger and foolish, we’d dated for a while. It was convenient. Our packs were close, our status aligned, and she had a way of getting under my skin. But it ended as quickly as it began when I realized what she really wanted a title, not a bond.
When her mate finally appeared, I thought that was it. I even congratulated her. But then she did the unthinkable.
She rejected him.
For me.
The Elders loved it. They saw it as “fate aligning.”
I saw it as madness.
I never wanted someone to throw away their true bond for me. It went against everything I stood for everything I was.
And yet, the Elders had chosen her as my “suitable mate.” Because of course they did.
“Word travels fast,” she said, stepping closer. “I heard you returned with a new omega… from another pack.”
I didn’t respond, watching her carefully.
Her smile sharpened. “You’re not replacing me with some half-trained kitchen girl, are you, Nelson?”
The way she said it that mocking, superior tone made Sunny growl in warning.
“I’m not discussing this with you,” I said, keeping my tone clipped. “And you were never mine to replace.”
That made her laugh softly not the kind of laugh that reached her eyes. She stepped closer again, her perfume hitting me like a wall of roses and smoke.
“I missed you,” she whispered, fingers brushing my arm. “You’ve been avoiding me since the Council’s announcement. I thought maybe you’d forgotten how good we were together.”
“Jackie,” I warned, stepping back, but she didn’t stop.
Instead, she reached up and cupped my cheek, her touch calculated deliberate.
“You can’t deny it,” she said, her voice low, almost purring. “You felt something once. We could still—”
Before I could finish the sentence, she leaned in and kissed me.
For a split second, shock froze me.
Then all I felt was wrong.
It didn’t taste like warmth. It didn’t feel like fire. It was cold, heavy, empty like kissing a ghost from a life I didn’t want anymore.
I pushed her back, firm but not rough. “Enough.”
Her eyes flashed with hurt that twisted quickly into anger. “You’re rejecting me now? After everything? I turned down my mate for you, Nelson!”
“I never asked you to,” I snapped, my patience thinning. “You made that choice on your own a mistake I told you not to make.”
She stared at me, breathing hard, then laughed bitterly. “So this is about her, isn’t it? The wolfless little stray you brought home.”
Sunny snarled inside my chest. Watch your mouth, he growled.
I clenched my jaw. “You should leave before you say something you’ll regret.”
Her lips twisted into a cruel smile. “Fine. But don’t come crying when she turns out to be another mistake you can’t fix.”