.10. She keeps avoiding me.

"Zane, where are you?" Kaiden yelled from the top of his lungs as soon as he entered the Alpha's family mansion. Blake followed in his footsteps, keeping his gaze down to his feet.
Both young men stood in the living room, waiting for Alpha-to-be to call back, letting them know where he was. But he never did, instead of an invite to join him in any room- they heard loud cursing coming from the kitchen.

Kaiden turned his attention to Blake, putting an extra effort into looking serious, and spoke: "Follow me; he's in the kitchen. Probably trying to burn down the fucking house."

"Hey, man, I brought Blake just like you asked. Where's my pizza?" Kaiden scanned the kitchen, eager to notice the pizza box anywhere. The main reason why he was in such a hurry was a particular food. His parents didn't allow him to eat any junk food, and Zane's house was like heaven for Kaiden.

"I don't know, ordered twenty minutes ago, technically- it should be delivered within a couple of minutes. Hey, Blake, sit down and feel yourself at home," Zane offered Blake a hand to shake.
Kaiden eyed his best friend suspiciously- Alpha-to-be wasn't the nicest person, especially towards Omegas. But now he was trying to make friends with a few.

"Yeah, thanks for the invite, not sure why, but thanks," Blake shook Zane's hand and smiled awkwardly.
There had to be a reason why he was asked to join both the most popular guys in their school. Blake, an Omega, hanging out with Alpha and Beta-to-be, in the Alpha's mansion.
All three of them exchanged weird looks at each other and stood in silence. The atmosphere was somewhat tense until pizza got delivered, and Kaiden hid away from both men. Zane didn't get to grab his wallet before the box was in his best friend's hands, and he bolted upstairs. Blake and Zane laughed, holding on their stomachs- Kaiden's behavior was a view to see.

"Want to play some video games?" Zane offered. Blake nodded his head and followed his future leader to the living room. As an Omega, he didn't have a bad life, but he didn't live in luxury. Zane, on the other hand, was used to everything extra and high end. A lot of things, in Alpha's home, confused Blake- especially the high tech things. He had a gaming console Omega hadn't seen even in commercials, and a TV in size close to the wall.

Blake stood next to the sofa, looking down at his feet and whispered: "May I sit down? I didn't get to change after school, and I don't want to ruin this expensive-looking sofa," he chewed his lip, becoming more anxious with each second passing.

Zane laughed out loud, tapped on the seat next to him, and spoke: "Dude, you're my guest, take a seat. I don't care about the sofa; it has been here for two months, and my mother will probably replace it within a week. She's like a freak when it comes to changing interior and following the newest trends. Grab the controller and relax."

"Thanks. You have a lovely house; Luna is very talented. I hope you don't mind if I ask this, but why am I here? I mean, we didn't speak before you argued with Camilla. I'm kinda invisible at the school." Blake didn't feel comfortable, especially knowing that he's sitting next to the soon to be Alpha. They haven't been friends and probably won't be in the nearest future. Zane is a pretty closed person, everyone in the school, and pack, noticed it. He had a couple of friends, and nobody got accepted in their inner circle. Yet, all of a sudden- Blake gets invited to hang out with them. There must be a reason why Zane wanted him there.

"She keeps avoiding me," Zane growled, throwing the controller against the wall. Blake watched how it dissolved in hundreds of tiny pieces. Alpha-to-be grabbed the sides of his head and groaned in frustration, his gaze suddenly averted towards the terrified Omega. Blake had a reason to feel distressed and afraid- he would never stand a chance against someone who has Alpha blood in his veins.
"Why the fuck she keeps avoiding me, Blake? Why the fuck she has to play hard to get? I don't get it- any other woman would drop on her knees just to get close to me, but not Camilla. She's a fucking Omega with more pride than most pack members have. Is it something I'm doing wrong, or is she playing a game to keep my fucking interest? I fucking don't get women, dude," Zane didn't sound hurt. Even the male who sat next to him knew that it was all about Zane's ego. All about his reputation. No woman before had rejected the Alpha's son, and someone with a lower rank just did. Of course, he's pissed off.

"I don't know; we didn't have much time to talk today. She was packing her stuff, and Beta arrived. Apparently, Camilla can't leave before your birthday party or something like that. She is a nice girl, but she had to go through a lot- even more than you think. It's hard for her to trust people, especially when the person already hurt her in one way or another. With all due respect, I know it is not my place to talk about such things, but you shouldn't play with women's feelings. Your birthday is literally in a week, after that you'll find your mate and things will get better. Trust me, you'll forget about Camilla as soon as you lock eyes with your soulmate. Who knows, maybe she will turn out to be the one," Blake tried to sound careless, this was his choice to get out of the outcasts. He cared for Camilla, but she would leave anyway, and he didn't want to be left alone. If anything- Blake would have Alpha and Beta as his friends.

"Yeah, as if. She's an Omega, no way in Hell an Alpha will be mated to such low rank, dude. I don't mind hanging out with you, at least you're more mature than Kaiden, but it doesn't mean that I want her to be my mate," Zane laughed. He did feel oddly driven to Camilla, but he was sure that it couldn't be an early mate bond. It must be frustrating for her to pretend being hard to get, as a wolf Zane did enjoy a game of chase- and Camilla would be the first woman to give him the pleasure of the game.

"As you say. Is there anything more you wanted to ask me, aside from why she is avoiding you?" Blake raised an eyebrow, watching Zane's facial expressions change like a hawk.

"Matter of fact..." Zane didn't get to finish whatever was on his mind as Alpha and Luna entered the mansion. Both of them smiled brightly, apparently happy for finally getting back home.

"Weren't you supposed to come back after a couple of days?" Zane questioned his parents. He wasn't the type of person who greeted everyone or even the wolves who gave him life.

"We were, but your mother kept nagging me about the damn party. I will have video conferences while she will start planning your birthday celebration. Excuse me; I should get back to work now, Hello, Blake, hope we could catch a moment to talk one day," Alpha excused himself and left, leaving his grinning mate in the living room.

By the look on Luna's face, Zane knew that she had a plan already, whenever it came to parties- his mother kept pushing herself to outdo the previous years. She sat between both young men and threw her hands over their shoulders.
"I can't believe that my baby is to become a mated man so soon. Does time fly when you have fun, tight boys?" Luna grinned, mentally planning small details for the party before speaking up again. This time she turned her head to face her son: "Zane, can we talk a bit? In privacy, just two of us. Blake could watch TV, play some games or get snacks from the kitchen as we do," the Omega nodded and headed to the kitchen. He would never dare to refuse his Luna.

"Let's go to the master bedroom, it's the best place to talk about such things," Luna stood up and grabbed her son's hand, dragging him to the room.

"Mother, can't this conversation wait? Kaiden's hidden in the damn house with pizza, Blake had to leave the living room, and you just returned from the trip. Couldn't we just enjoy some time together and breathe in relief at once?" Zane whined like an annoyed child. His mother never wasted time on unnecessary discussions, but he felt as if one like such would come. She's too worked up.
Luna opened the bedroom door, pushed Zane in, and closed the door behind her.

"It can't wait, Zane. I am your mother, listen to what I have to say," she sighed, leaning against the massive bedroom door.
"Listen, I know you want to have some fun, it's completely normal. You're a young man, trying to take whatever life has to give, but your life can't keep going on the same way. You are to become the Alpha of this pack. Your father worked days and nights for the well being of this pack. He put everything into his people and saw where we stand today—one of the strongest packs out there.
You might meet your mate soon, and if you do during your birthday- you'll officially take the title from your father as soon as you mark her. Zane, you are our child, only one we can count on. Think about it. But before you go- think of your mate. She might be a lower rank than you are but never think of rejecting the Moon Goddess gift. There won't be another mate in your life. There will be enough women, but none will ever be able to fill that hole in your heart."

"Mother, I don't care, really. If she's a low rank, I won't hesitate to reject her. I'll need strong pups, not something in between," Zane rolled his eyes. His mother shouldn't know a thing about his plans, but maybe it's better to find out before anything happens.

"As you wish, but... But think again, and give yourself a little more time to answer any questions. As you do- imagine having a daughter. Imagine your flesh and blood to suffer for someone rejecting her. I will leave you here for a bit to think. Don't go out of the bedroom until you think of three emotions you would feel in such a situation. Then think about your mate, whomever she is- she is someone's daughter," Luna shook her head in disappointment and left the bedroom, silently closing the door behind her.

"Someone's daughter..." Zane mumbled. He jumped on his parent's bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to bring out any emotions. There was only one outcome he could think of- him, killing whoever hurt his imaginary child.