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"No," she stated, breaking away from Fen's gaze and staggering out of her chair. This could'nt be happening. Her father couldn't actually expect Fen to marry her? He was her friend. Her protector growing up. It felt wrong to even consider it. She must be like a younger sister to him surely? She couldn't become his wife.

"Alaya. Sit down. Don't just stop listening once you think I've finished. I haven't finished," her father commanded. She slowly lowered herself into the chair but not because her father instructed, more so because she knew Fen would get to her before she even made it to the door. Alaya could see his eyes upon it subtly and she didn't have quite the head start on him like she had at the hospital.

"I won't do it. I won't do it to you Fen," she declared, looking to Fen once more to hopefully get some back up. She understood why he would of agreed. He couldn't disobey his Alpha, especially with something like marrying his daughter. Not if he wanted to live.

"It was my idea," he stated instead, his eyes showing no worry, no regret. They held her truly for the first time and her breath caught a little at what he was implying.

"Oh," was all she managed to get out. She didn't know exactly how to feel about that particular revelation. She had never sensed that feeling from Fen. Ever. But then again she had been besotted with Alaris since she was 14 so she hadn't really been paying attention to anyone else.

"See Alaya. You are not as unworthy as you believe yourself to be. And by marrying Fen you won't be seen as anything other than you are. A daughter of an Alpha and a wife of the future one," her father said with such happiness in his tone. She looked between them both in disbelief. Had he just implied that he would name Fen as his successor? If he ever needed to of course. But that was crazy because Fen was a Beta? It didn't work like that and her father knew it. Alaya had to consciously close her mouth before she caught flies, swallowing loudly as her throat became dry.

"This isn't making sense. I'm an Omega. You both understand that right? I-I-I-I can't ever control a pack, I'm too weak. And Fen is a Beta? We couldn't just take over control of the pack and we certainly couldn't hold control," she stuttered out, her brain not understanding exactly what was happening. An Omega couldn't just up and decide they were as strong as an Alpha, that's not how it worked. Marrying Fen would raise her status in the pack for sure but not high enough to become an Alpha. He wasn't even an Alpha. That's absurd. They were both acting absurd.

"You are anything but weak," Fen growled from behind her father. She looked up at him and smiled at the reassurance, even if he was lying, the thought was there.

"You're both ignoring the main reason here. I'm an Omega," she repeated, the word feeling heavy and odd on her tongue. She hated saying it. Using it to describe herself. But they weren't listening to themselves.

"I'm asking Tunika to read you again. She might of been wrong," her father replied, his tone darkening. Alaya realised in that moment that it was what he had been counting on, what they both had been counting on. That Tunika, the pack reader, was wrong. That Alaya wasn't an Omega and it was all some big misunderstanding. Like at the supermarket someone thinking you wanted mild cheddar when actually you were a mature sort of girl. As if just because they were both cheeses they were the same but they weren't. They were two very different types of cheeses. Two very different strengths.

"She wasn't wrong. You know she wasn't wrong," Alaya replied bluntly. Tunika had been the pack reader since before she was born. She didn't simply get it wrong. If she read her as an Omega that meant her wolf was an Omega.

"She might be. We won't know unless we ask her to read you again. Your eyes never changed," her father reasoned and Alaya knew there was no point trying to argue with him. Stubborn, that's what he was. Fen should know better and she would make sure they had a long chat after she left here.

As she tried to find his gaze again she noticed how still the room had become suddenly, how silent. It was like she could actually see the quiet around her, the sound of her breath feeling deafening against it.

"Um. Father? Fen? What is it?" Alaya asked, feeling the change in the room. The baby hair that wisped on the back of her neck stood on end, warning her that something was coming.

"Alaya go through to your mother. I'm sure she is anxious to see you," her father replied, ignoring her question but his tone was forced, the glances exchanged between him and Fen telling her something was going on.

"But what's going on?" she asked again, stepping in front on the door so they couldn't get out quite yet. Fen could easily lift her with his pinky but she was hoping he wouldn't.

"Alaya go share our news," Fen said, his gaze flicking to her as she blocked their path. They burned a luminescent green, his wolf at the forefront. That meant danger, his wolf pushing for control showing he was on edge.

"Nice try. Why won't you tell me?" she pushed again, getting annoyed at their refusal to at least let her know why she had to leave.

"Intruders on the outskirts of the community," her father said calmly, as if he were informing her he wanted sugar in his tea. Her wolf growled within her and she hushed it, thinking to herself what on earth did her wolf think it would be able to do right now? It wouldn't be able to protect itself let alone anything else.

"Let me come with you," the words slipped out before Alaya even knew she wanted to go but something odd called to her, stirred something in her wolf.

"Don't be absurd. Remain here and wait till we return. It is probably someone lost, in which case we will simply guide them home," Fen instructed, before trying to calm her at the end. An attempt to pacify her like you would a child, making sure they didn't think they were missing out on anything exciting. Alaya knew better.

"In that case there should be no issue with me accompanying you," she replied, smiling when Fen looked over at her again but this time with a frown on his face, his eyes glowing for a whole 'nother reason.

"I said no Alaya. Go through to your mother," he commanded and Alaya glared at him, smile completely gone.

"Please," he continued, taking her hand softly in his. Her frown softened and she nodded her head, not missing her father and his grin in the corner. This discussion wasn't over but she could tell Fen needed her to stay here and she would do so for one simple reason. He had asked. Not instructed, not forced even though he could.

"Wait till I return and I can walk you back over, no running away this time OK? Especially if youre not using your wolf to protect yourself," he said as he stepped past her gracefully, halting a moment before opening the door, "Please."

Alaya looked up at him before she moved out the way wondering if this was the answer she had been looking for, a way out of this hell she was destined to. Fen was nice. He was safe. Like her father had said he would make her happy eventually, once they found their feet together, she was sure of it. So she nodded again and it wasn't just to his last request.

"I, we, won't be long," Fen continued as he and her father left the office and Alaya behind. She stared long after the front door closed, standing alone in an office that now seemed awfully big without her father's presence in it. Her hand softly drifted to the mahogany desk that had lain in front of her when she had sat. At the pictures that graced it once more and then at the high backed chair her father always sat in. Alaya was rarely in here without company and she really wanted to know what it felt like to sit on that chair.

Noise coming from the kitchen into the hallway pulled her out of her head and she realised that her mother and sisters must have been alerted to their father's abscence. Alaya stepped into the shadows slightly then chided herself at her cowardice. She was strong enough to face her mother and sisters for a few moments and hopefully Fen kept his promise and really wouldn't be long.

"Alana," Alaya called to her sister who by then was stood fully in the hallway. She watched as her outburst caused Alana to jump, obviously not expecting anyone to be in their father's office.

"Alaya? Oh my God is it actually you? Where's father? We heard the door go and mother sent me to investigate," Alana continued, walking towards her with the biggest smile on her face.

"Dad had an errand to run with Fen. They said they wouldn't be long," Alaya explained, hesitant smile on her own face as Alana came ever closer. It had been weeks since Alaya had been in their company, the night of the Ascendants ceremony to be exact. She dreaded what they were going to say to her.

Alana didn't stop when she neared where Alaya stood. Instead she kept going, enveloping her sister in the biggest hug she could muster. The sweet smell of strawberries filled Alaya as Alana's hair tickled her nose, reminding her of summers picking berries and climbing trees, skinned knees. Alaya hoped Alana would remember that too.

"Mother is cooking some chicken," Alana said as she released her sister, turning back to where she had come from. Alaya smiled at the offer that didn't even need to be made as she followed her little sister, feeling a little lighter after their embrace.

Maybe it had all been in her head? After Alaris had broken things off mere hours after the ceremony, Alaya had been worried that her family would of done the same and she couldn't of taken that rejection. Not from them. So she had avoided them, fearful of how they would treat her now she was nothing. But it seemed that would never of been the case and the only one acting differently in this family was herself.

As she followed her sister into the kitchen Alaya tried to relax despite the little voice in her mind that tried to twist and turn reality against her. As the door swung open, revealing them to her mother and other sister, she met both of their gazes. Her mother looked shocked for a moment but recovered instantly. She looked just as she had in the picture on her father's desk, deep red hair in loose curls tumbled over her left shoulder, stark contrast to her pale skin and soft rose lips. She was still the beauty who had raised her. Her green eyes sparkled as she tended to whatever was on the stove, her mouth tilting into a soft smile. The smell of mushrooms, leeks and cream wafted over to Alaya making her mouth salivate and her tummy remind her she had skipped dinner due to playing cat and mouse with Fen.

"Alaya. How was your day?"

Her mothers soft velvet voice drifted over to her as if on the wind of a lullaby, wrapping around Alaya and easing the tension that had seeped into her bones these past few weeks. She spoke to her as if it had been moments not weeks since they had seen each other last, just like her father had done. Alaya smiled at her mother before attempting to answer her question, wanting to make sure her voice was steady as emotions swept through her, threatening for it to be otherwise.

"Fine mother. I didn't kill anyone today so that's a plus," she joked, trying to keep the conversation light. Alaya didnt actually want to discuss her day, Luther and his rambles or his behaviour. Especially his behaviour. She didn't miss how her mother eyed her sceptically obviously not believing her in the slightest either. Nobody was believing her lately.

"How's Alaris?" Alana piped up, reaching across the counter in an attempt to steal a mushroom from the tub open on the side.

"Choking hopefully," Alaya retorted before she realised what she had said. She had no doubt that her mother was aware of their breakup but Alana was only 12 and cared little for anything but books and painting. She probably hadn't stepped out of the house apart from school so she could see why she didn't know.

"Alana," Alexa chided, rolling her eyes at her youngest sister.

"It's fine Alexa. We broke up," Alaya replied, trying to keep the anger from her tone despite wanting to scream all about the events that had lead up to that. But instead, we broke up was all she could say to sum it all up.

"Oh. I hated him anyway," Alana continued in between bites of her mushroom. Her dark brown hair was tied up out of her face, her fringe framing her beautiful blue eyes. She was so pretty, effortlessly so. Alaya worried about her, knowing full well when she was of age, many would want her as their own. Her middle sister Alexa had the same dark brown hair but it fell loose around her shoulders. Her fringe was longer and to the side, half covering the same beautiful blue eyes as Alana. She was a thing of beauty too but she hid it well from others, caring more about her studies than impressing anyone else. Alaya hoped she stayed that way, away from those that could hurt her.

Their mother started to dish up onto the plates that were already placed on the table. Alaya frowned slightly upon seeing all 8 places having a plate infront. Even with herself, their father and brother that made seven? Had they expected her to bring Alaris? Or did Fen eat with them now? For some reason that unsettled her a little, how involved Fen had become in her family suddenly. She had only been AWOL 6 weeks and in those 6 weeks he had gone from her dad's right hand man to best friend it seemed. And now future husband.

"Whose the extra seat for?" Alaya asked before she could help herself. She forgot to hide the accusation from her tone and chided herself for sounding more angry than curious.

"For the men of this house," Her mother chided, removing two of the plates and dishing them up first before placing them in the oven, obviously to keep them warm till their return. Alaya doesn't press further, silently choosing her normal seat next to her sister Alexa. In the future she should just stay quiet. Pity her mind would always forget that sentiment next time.