“It’s not a joke, Rach,” Elias said.
My head whipped around to look at him, and my stomach clenched when I saw his straight expression. It wasn’t a joke. He really meant it. The Oracle wanted Sam and me to become mates.
My mouth parted into a perfectOas the words hit home. No. There was no way. Anyone but Sam.
In a flash, I was a teenager again, running away, my cheeks flushed hot with embarrassment. When I glanced at Sam, I could tell based on the expression lurking behind his brown eyes that he was remembering the same encounter. We had never discussed it. As far as I knew, he had never told Elias what happened. I didn’t know how he felt about that day. I didn’t particularly care. It was in the past.
Not anymore, a voice in my head said. It was right. The Oracle had dug up a long-buried past and dusted it off for everyone to see.
I remembered my promise to myself, one that I had kept since that day. I barely spoke to Sam unless absolutely necessary. I went out of my way to avoid him. He had broken my heart. I had healed, but I wasn’t going to let the Oracle hand me off to someone who didn’t know my worth, who had made it perfectly clear what they thought about me, how they found me lacking. He had told me I wasn’t good enough to be his mate, not strong enough. And now I was supposed to be tied to him for the rest of my life.
A rush of frustration washed over me. I had made a promise to myself years ago that I was over Sam, that I would only deal with him as much as I had to. It was as if the universe had some perverse sense of humor.
Searching for some semblance of sanity, I twisted to stare at Elias.
“You’re actually going along with this?” I asked Elias.
He shrugged, unsmiling, his fingers drumming on the table. “It’s not up to me,” he said in a tone that said, were it up to him, it wouldn’t be happening at all.
This couldn’t be happening. Surely, someone had to see just how ridiculous this all was. Desperate, I turned to Sam, knowing that he was on my side here. He knew how absurd this was.
“You’re okay with this?” I demanded.
I could tell by the flicker in his gaze that he knew precisely what I was really asking: whether he was okay with tying himself to someone he had called weak and not worthy of being his mate. It seemed he hadn’t forgotten that encounter, either. To my astonishment, he gave a shrug almost identical to Elias’s.
“I don’t see that we have much say in it,” he said.
Scoffing, I stared at all three of them. Sam wouldn’t look at me. Elias’s attention darted between me and Sam, his eyes narrowed. The Oracle simply watched me, something that wasn’t quite a smile playing on her face as she watched, waiting for my response, which would surely be “okay.” After all, what else could I say?
I pushed myself away from the table, the chair scraping as I got to my feet. “No,” I said.
The Oracle blinked, the only indication of her surprise. Elias and Sam didn’t have the same restraint. They both stared at me as if I’d grown a second head in the last five seconds, eyes wide and nearly bursting out of their sockets. It would have been funny were it any other situation.
“What?” Elias asked, a slight edge of harshness to his tone, while Sam stared. Sam’s eyes darted across my face, scrutinizing every feature.
“I’m not going to mate Sam just because you tell me to,” I said.
All my life, I had been an outcast. One of the only things I had ever wanted was for a mate who loved me for me. I had thought I would get that chance. It was one of the things that had kept me going during hard times when I had felt like an outcast, when I’d had to deal with my mother frowning down at me and the constant reminders that I wasn’t good enough for her, when my boss had called me worthless. I wasn’t going to let that be taken away from me.
“This is what fate has decreed,” the Oracle lectured, her voice stern. “This isn’t just for my own amusement.”
“I know,” I said, dipping my head in deference. “And I’m sorry, but I can’t go through with this.”
I expected more of a fight. Instead, she just sighed, as if she had expected and prepared for this reaction.
“Give it some thought,” the Oracle said, her tone surprisingly gentle. “I’m sure this is a shock, but believe me when I say it’s for the good of the pack.”
I didn’t care whether it was for the good of the pack or not. What I cared about was getting to make this choice for myself.
“Can I leave now?” I asked.
“Rach—” Elias began, his eyes narrowed, but the Oracle held up her hand.
“It’s okay, Alpha,” the Oracle said. “This is a shock for Rachel. It’s no wonder she needs some time to adjust.” To me, she added, “Of course you can go, dear. Give it some thought. Just remember that the pack needs this. I don’t know what it is about you and Sam, but the fates have told me your union will help us defeat the wraith.”
My lips curled inward as I bit back a retort. I didn’t know what fates the Oracle was talking to, but they were wrong. I shot a look at Sam. His eyes met mine, those brown eyes deep and inscrutable. Something sparked between us, a flutter running through me that I couldn’t fully explain. I tried to read what was behind that gaze, but it was like trying to read a stone wall.
I couldn’t be here anymore. With one final look at the Oracle and my brother, I spun on my heels and marched out of the room.
