Julien’s brows pull together. “We’re in the middle of something. Can you—”
“It’s important,” says Remy, his gaze darts toward William and then back to me. “It won’t take long.”
“Okay…,” I say slowly, confused as to what Remy could possibly need from me. I squeeze Julien’s shoulder, then head out of the office. Once I’m in the living room with the office door shut behind me, I turn to Remy, taking in his furrowed brow.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
Remy releases a slow breath, his expression softening into sympathy as he reaches out to touch my shoulder. “I don’t know exactly how you guys left things last night, but Ben’s gone.”
“Gone?” I repeat, an uncomfortable feeling settling in my stomach as Remy nods.
“Mom asked me to check to see if he’d gotten any breakfast and when I got up there, the guest room was empty.” He holds out a folded sheet of paper. “He left a note at least.”
Forty-Three
Julien
WilliamwatchesKeirleavewith an unreadable expression, then turns his attention to me. He seemed caught off guard by Keir and I standing together when he first entered, but he quickly reverts to his ‘I know what’s best’ attitude as soon as the door closes behind my mate. The elder lifts his chin, doing his best to look down his nose at me, and purses his lips like he just sucked on a lemon.
I wish I could just throttle that condescending attitude out of him. Or at least take a swipe at him with my claws. But neither of those things would be a good idea.
As much as I hate the current situation with the elders, their input can be helpful and, if possible, I’d rather have their support than not. As a group, they have enough sway with the pack that they could make my life very difficult if they wanted. So, for now, I’ll play nice…. well, I won’t draw blood anyway.
I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms in front of my chest. “How can I help you, William?”
“You can help me, this pack, and yourself by getting rid of him.”
Straight to the point, huh?Not that I expected much different.
I let out a disbelieving huff. “I’ve already told you that’s not happening. Keir is my fated mate and whatever you think—”
“You see, that’s the problem,” he says, cutting me off. “Your bond has never been verified. How do you know he’s your fated mate?”
My brows draw together, and I straighten in my chair. “Excuse me?”
“How do you knowforsurethat boy is your fated mate?” William speaks slower this time, emphasizing each word as he studies my face. He tilts his head to the side. “How do you know there’s not some…feature of male omegas that allows them to fake being an Alpha’s fated mate?”
“That’s ridiculous.” I shake my head, immediately dismissing the idea. “How did you even come up with that nonsense?”
William pauses, a calculating glint in his eyes. “It has been brought to my attention that there are recorded instances of male omegas tricking pack Alphas into mating bonds in order to gain control of prosperous packs.”
“That’s impossible.”Is this guy insane?“There’s no way to fake a fated mate bond.”
“It’s entirely possible,” he replies. “That’s why, historically, male omegas are considered abominations. They have a reputation for leading Alphas astray, resulting in the ruination of any pack they are a part of.”
I narrow my eyes. “If that’s the case, how come I’ve never heard anything like that?”
William shrugs. “The records surrounding male omegas aren’t as comprehensive as they could be.”
“Okay, let’s assume that what you say is possible. Why did you wait until now to bring it up? Why didn’t you attempt this argument in front of the other elders?”
Those questions give him pause. His gaze darts to the side as he appears to consider his answer. Finally, he says, “I did not have a chance to verify the information I received in time for that meeting.”
“Information you received from whom exactly?” I ask, my voice dropping low. Whether or not what William is saying is true, I don’t like it. Not because I doubt Keir, but because I know how much Keir doubts himself.
Keir’s first instinct is to run. If there’s any truth at all to these claims of William’s… Keir will convince himself that he’s done something wrong and he’ll be out the door before I can try to convince him to stay. Even if there’s some truth to William’s assertion, I don’t want Keir to go.
If male omegas can have more than one fated mate or if they can choose them somehow, Keir didn’t know that. There’s no way he’s been faking this whole time. What we have is real, and I’m damn sure not planning to give him up.
