30. Truth about Eric

Alyssa stared at Nicholas, waiting for him to continue. She was curious, alright. The omega wanted to know the reason behind her boss, acting like an absolute entitled brat. Folding her hands together, she focused her attention on the Alpha in front of her.





“He got cheated” Nicholas whispered like a secret, his voice thick.



She stilled as those words echoed inside her. Alyssa blinked for a few seconds, hoping that it wasn’t real. How can anyone cheat on Eric? Eric Bellini of all Alphas was a dream come true. He had everything you would ever want in a mate except for manners. But maybe he can work on that some more, and he’s golden to go.





“W-Wow” Alyssa filled the sudden silence in the room as Nicholas let out a sigh.




“It broke him. A lot than we thought” The Alpha stared at the wall behind her. She knew that he was referring to Adrian and himself. “We were sure that he would move on from that and forget about it eventually. He moved on but didn’t forget”




Alyssa opened and closed her mouth, not knowing what to say. She knew how it felt, not exactly but not being able to forget. The mark on her wrist was a harsh reminder of that.




“Why did his mate cheat on him?”



Nicholas made a sound. “She’s not his mate.”



“No?” Alyssa quirked a brow.




“No, but he treated her like that. Penelope. Eric was the happiest when she’s around. In general, he was a happy go, lucky guy, but when she entered his life, he was on top of the world.”




Alyssa was having difficulty picturing her boss as the happy go lucky guy. He only had a scowl on his face when he saw her. Occasional twitch of lips when he’s amused at something she did. That's all. She shook her head.





Nicholas weakly smiled. “We were happy for him too, you know. He’s the first guy from our group to find an omega. But things started going downhill after a year.”



Her throat felt dry at the pained expression on Nicholas's face. She couldn’t even imagine what Eric must have gone through, what he must have endured.




“We were fresh out of college, and our families wanted us to take over the pack. You know how it is with the Alphas” Nicholas rolled his eyes.



Alyssa nodded her head. Their pack Alpha had to do the same. He took over when he graduated high school, and that's why they suffered. He had no real knowledge of the outside world and lived in his little bubble of packhouse and nearby forest. That’s why he refused most people to go in the city and explore. It’s still a miracle that he let her go.





The omega made a sound, urging him to continue.




“We had thought of setting up a record label to represent the indie bands—the ones which were often ignored but had a lot of talent. Penelope got frustrated with Eric because we used to work a lot, and she wanted to be mated and settled down. It was impossible during that time.”




Nicholas huffed. “It’s not like he was against the idea. He asked her to wait till BEFORE gets recognition. To appease her for the meantime, they even moved together in his apartment. She pretended to be happy but went ahead and started seeing the Alpha of our rival company. Liam Ness. I still don’t know how she covered her scent. But one day after Eric returned from his meeting, he found them on the bed together. In his bed.”




Alyssa almost let out a painful sound at that. Her heart went out for Eric. No one deserved that. Especially after the way Nicholas described Eric's love for Penelope. How could she have the courage to do something like that?




“T-That's awful.”



“Yeah, he asked her to move out and never saw her again. But Liam often crosses paths with him as if to taunt him.” The Alpha gritted his teeth.




Her jaw clenched at that. Why must he do that to Eric? He suffered enough.



“Don’t think me telling his story is excusing his behaviour. I just want you to know he’s not a bad person. Bad things have happened to him, and that’s why he does what he does.”




Alyssa bobbed her head, almost distracted. She couldn’t help but think about all the times he brushed her off. The times he questioned her competence. No wonder he rejected Paris too.




“I’ll talk to him” Nicholas cleared his throat, bringing her to the reality.



The omega quietly hummed. Just then, their lunch arrived, and Nicholas changed the topic to which she was glad. The more she thought about it, the more she felt for Eric. And that’s dangerous. Very very dangerous.
***

Later that night, she sat down on the bed and ran a hand over her face. The entire day she was hoping to see Eric, talk to him, but he didn’t buzz for her once.





Shaking her head, the omega laid her head back on the pillow and groaned because she should be happy about it, right? How could she not see what was happening? He has clearly affected her. Now more than before as she knew about Eric's past.


 

“Shit.” She whispered into the quiet room. The omega didn’t know what to think anymore or how to respond to any of her questions. She closed her eyes shut, pretending like nothing’s wrong. That’s how she fell asleep.
***

The next morning she stepped into the building. Eric Bellini's peculiar personality filled her mind as she walked the flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator. The kindness and sincerity that erupted from the rumoured cold-hearted man jolted her more than once. Adrian and Nicholas talked about him so different than what she heard from others. Which one was the real Eric? The one who yelled and challenged her or the one who protected her from the drunk Alpha and took her for dinner? For a moment or two, she almost thought about their kiss but dismissed it instantly. No, Alyssa was not going to think about that particular memory. Two actually.




As soon as she reached the floor, she looked around before walking towards the hallway. In the middle of the walkway, she jerked to an abrupt halt and widened her eyes at the figure walking out of his office.




Not five feet from her stood Mr Eric Bellini. And fuck she wanted to be so furious at the glaze to his stare…but she’s distracted by the warm sensation that’s crowded the hole in her chest. Why cant she be angry at him like usual? What changed? It’s still there, the anger and that’s the worst part.





As she took him in, the omega could see the change in his features, his eyes.




God, those stupid beautiful eyes; thin jade rings, gleaming to the point that the haunted darkness was nothing in comparison. Distress screamed in her belly. There was something wrong with that stare.



In numb desperation, the omega took further steps in his direction, not allowing herself to stop in the middle. Her heart bled as she thought more about the person standing in front of her. The pain and pure agony he might have went through not to respect and love another omega again.




He looked different–good different with his ironed fancy suit and pale skin. His hair wasn’t slicked back like always, but instead, the silky waves framed his face. She half a desire to tangle her fingers in between them.




“Hi,” The Alpha croaked in that rasp of his. At the sound, butterflies stretched their wings in her tummy. At the sound, her omega, previously docile and annoyed, stirred with so much life. What kind of witchcraft was that? It’s like he cast a spell on her and she flourished all over again.




Alyssa refused to say anything. Too numb to talk.




“Good morning, Miss Rivers.” The sound of her surname paired with that deep Alpha drawl caused her to tilt her head, narrow her eyes at him.



There’s something about how he talked to her that made her leave feeling all vulnerable and raw. As if the Alpha was peeling away all of his barriers until he had nothing left to hide behind.




Eric made her body feel things, it’s never felt before and while it’s all thrilling. Then again, it’s bloody terrifying at the same time. The omega didn’t know how to respond anymore; all she knew is that she wanted to be around him most of the time. Now that her mother told her to find an Alpha she’s not going to deny herself anything anymore, and instead is just going to play it by—see what happens.

 

“We need to talk” The Alpha announced as his voice cracked a bit.



A low whine like sound escaped from her throat, but she quietly followed him to his office.
***

To read exclusive bonus chapters of your favourite characters follow me on Patreon: San2045
***
Facebook: The Scripturient (Join “San_2045 squad”, a private group on Facebook to be the first one to know everything!)
Instagram: San_2045