31. Thoughts Under an Oak

Seff received a letter with the news three days later from Selene herself before it was publicly announced—that two of her Omegas gave birth, six pups altogether, safe and healthy.
Kiran’s outraged roar seemed to shake the Keep, causing every resident to retreat to anywhere he couldn’t find. He demanded Sienna or Sol find an Omega willing to be the scapegoat of his anger, but not even the most desperate wolf wanted to bear his brutality.
Seff wrote back to Selene how well he was taking it, sending Altan out to deliver it.
*I’ll be honest. It’s scary. But everyone is actually looking out for each other, keeping everyone as far away from him as possible. He just wants to screw someone even though he’s barely left the nursery. I guess even the Sun Alpha can feel paternal every now and again.*
Her pen hovered over the paper. Did she mention how Kiran was hellbent on making her love him? Did she end the letter with “I miss you”?
She settled on neither.
She and her two guards—her friends now, the only wolves who didn’t hate her, Altan and Elio—had the perfect alibi to send the letters. They went out on a daily walk through the orchard, chatting amicably until one or the other slipped out of view. The security anywhere was low. They were overconfident in the belief that no one would *want* to leave or dare to break in or out.
It became a sweet habit that they would all lounge at the base of the thick trunk of an oak at the edge of the orchard until they dozed off with cheeks on each other’s shoulders. It was a dangerous practice—an Omega in constant company of not one but *two* Alphas was an absolute threat to Kiran. If either of his lessers took too much of a liking to Seff, they were at risk of punishment by way of losing a certain part to a sharp knife for encroaching on Kiran’s property.
But it was purely platonic between the trio.
Altan returned to Seff and Elio playing cards and munching on golden apples half an hour later with Selene’s response. They leaned eagerly over Seff’s shoulder as she read the Luna’s old-style script from decades past.
*Seff,
I am glad you are being safe. Yes, no Alpha can resist our overprotective instincts. Which is why I am very preoccupied with my new pups. Many sleepless nights ahead. But I still think of you every day. I promise to bring you here again. One day permanently.*
“Luna really goes after what she wants,” Altan chuckled. He was the more playful of the two males. He had a certain kind of humor that teenage wolves found funny but adults did not—that is to say, cruder. But he was still kind and respected Seff.
Elio snorted and flicked Seff’s hair out of his face when strands were lifted by the breeze. He was milder but still had some growing up to do. He respected Seff, too, but if anyone was to be seen as Kiran’s threat, it would be him—he was actively trying to get physically close to Seff in hopes she would turn her head and accidentally kiss him more often than not. “No wonder everyone hates you so much, Seff,” he said amicably. “Neither Alpha has *ever* given an Omega this much attention. What’d you do?”
“She’s sexy enough to get this much attention!” Altan defended her honor.
Seff snorted and folded the letter small enough to fit under the strap of her underwear. She’d been hoarding the few others in a crack in the wall behind her bed. Though she spent more time in the couch pit entangled with the two young males in deep sleep. They helped with the nightmares of Kiran killing everyone she loved.
“You two are ridiculous,” she laughed.
“We’re *your* ridiculous,” Altan said with a lopsided grin.
Though they were sons of a Moon Omega, they took on the traits of a Sun wolf. They reminded Seff of Kiran’s harsh features, but Seff learned to look past that and see them beyond the tragedy that resulted in their conception. Seff did and did not want to meet their castrated father someday.
She’d asked them one day if what Lona said was true. That sobered their good cheer, exchanging glances across Seff’s lap. “Yeah,” Altan confessed, staring at his hands while resting his head back on her shoulder. “We didn’t know until our scents changed when we were twelve. Our mom Aura Baran told us that our sire wasn’t Selene but some Sun lesser Alpha.”
“She or Selene still won’t tell us who our sire is,” Elio continued morosely. “But at least it’s not Kiran. That bastard gave us our last name: Oriana. He won’t tell us our sire’s and he won’t let us use Baran.”
“It’s bullshit,” noted Altan.
*That’s exactly what Lona said*, Seff had wanted to sigh, heart going out to her fast friends.
Now, she laughed again. “That’s what it’s become.”
Elio pulled a pen and paper from his satchel. “Do you want to write back?” he asked, following the usual habit.
Seff considered. “Do you think I should? I…don’t really have much else to tell her.”
“You could keep her up to date with what’s going on with Allium.”
Her good mood dimmed a bit. Just when they picked up the frayed string of their friendship, Kiran’s summons to the nursery was a knife. Now the two females were right back to not speaking. Seff was even angrier at Kiran for it, and even more sad that she couldn’t have her best friend back. Even though the mystery of Aiden August could be the one thing that could tie them back together, Allium made no effort to pursue the possibility.
It made Seff wonder if Allium was ever a good friend in the first place.
“Selene already knows she’s the reason I’m here, and the reason I’m staying.”
“Yeah,” Elio said, exchanging a glance with Altan at Seff’s desolate tone. “And the whole situation is pretty fucked up. She says no one’s benefiting from it and cutting ties is the best way to fix it.”
Seff’s head shot up, startling the males with her ferocity. “I’ll never betray Allium like that. Even for an Alpha.”
Elio threw up his hands. “Okay, okay.”
She didn’t blame him because he was just the messenger. But it stung to know that they were almost Selene’s exact words. The Luna wanted Seff to choose her over her best friend. And what was even more painful was that Seff didn’t consider it before, but she did now. If Allium *was* going to choose Kiran over Seff…why should she choose either one? At least, that was Selene’s viewpoint.
If two Alphas wanted her to fall in love with them, why did they keep hurting her?