“Kelsey, this isn’t a male Alpha,” she glances up and down Cameron. “I thought your slutty ass needed a knot?”
“Please.”
“Shut up. Do you know how much you embarrassed me? How many people have asked what happened to my Omega? Why I couldn’t get you in line? You made me look like a weak Alpha. You’re coming back with me and Vernice.” When I look at her now, I don’t see the beautiful woman I once fell in love with. I see someone who hurt me deeply. I inhale and stand up straighter. Dom and Shyla aren’t far. I look around for them as Meera’s grip on my arm tightens.
It’s only then I look up and see Vernice. When I look at her now, she looks just as scared as I do. Has she finally realized that being with Meera isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? Emmett is trying to get over to me and Vernice keeps stepping in his way, but she looks sad.
“No… no, I’m not.”
She laughs in my face. “Still as pathetic as ever.” I squeeze my eyes shut, afraid of what she’s going to do. I don’t know if she was going to hit or push me, but I don’t get a chance to find out as Meera is ripped off of me by her hair.
“Bitch,” Meera hisses as she swings around. As soon as she sees it’s Shyla, she stops. “Shyla?” she asks.Fuck…
“What the hell are you doing with my Omega?” Shyla asks, Meera’s hair no longer clutched in her fists. Dom takes the moment to collect me and Cameron. Pushing us behind his large frame. I feel his anger pulsating off of him, but he doesn’t step in, letting Shyla handle the altercation. Shyla looks absolutely furious. I hold back the tears, my guilt at the forefront of my emotions. I instantly regret not telling Shyla everything in this moment, what a public and horrific way to find out.
“You mean my Omega?” Meera sneers, looking at Shyla, confused. Fuck.
Shyla looks at my face and back at Meera. “You’re Kelsey’s ex?” she whispers, but there’s a dangerous undertone in her voice. I should have told her. I glare over at Emmett and he looks just as guilty as me. My face softens, wondering if he was right. How is Shyla going to react? My hatred for Meera is overridden by how much I want to comfort Shyla and let her know that it’s okay, it doesn’t bother me. I love her regardless. I swallow the thick revelation down my throat.
“For now, she’s coming back with me.”
“She’s going nowhere with you,” Shyla barks. “How fucking pathetic. You turned out just like him.” Shyla sneers at Meera. I’m not sure who she’s talking about, just like who? Shyla is taller, but leaner than Meera, and I’m worried about her getting hurt as they get closer. I clutch Dom’s forearm wanting to intervene, but Emmett grips me around the waist, too. His eyes are enormous and I feel like he knows more than I do.
“Never compare me to him,” Meera hisses.
“What do you call hitting an Omega, Meera?” I wince, and Emmett presses light strokes down my back. I want to cry, memories flashing in my brain. But this time I have a pack who cares for me. Who are standing up for me. I don’t have a reason to be scared. They will protect me. What would have Shyla done before today knowing that my ex is her sister?
Meera growls. “You don’t know fuck all, Shyla. Get out of my way.” Meera tries to move and get near me. I don’t know why she wants me if she’s so mad. I guess not being able to bond and hold on to your Omega is a bad look, but all of this seems extreme. She’s the one who ended things. I was going to stay even though I should have been the one to leave. She doesn’t deserve the anger here, I do.
“She’s mine. You will not touch her.” Shyla says it with so much confidence that my heart swells. I knew how strongly Shyla felt about me, but to stand up to my abuser like this means everything. The fact that she is choosing me over her family weighs heavily on me. I don’t deserve it, especially since I already knew.
“I’ll do whatever the fuck I want with my Omega.” I really wish Meera would stop calling me hers. I never belonged to her. We were never bound. She treated me horribly in the end. After seeing what real Alphas are like, I would never go back to her.
Shyla snaps. She pushes Meera against the bark of the tree by the throat. Her breathing is labored, and she looks feral as she holds Meera. It shouldn’t turn me on as much as it does. But everyone around me gives me a glance as I perfume. I shrug my shoulders. “She is mine and if you come anywhere near her, I will…” She trails off.
“You’ll what? Sister?” Dom and Cameron gasp. They don’t have the same last name. While they may look alike, when it comes to personality they couldn’t be any more different. If Emmett wouldn’t have recognized Vernice, today would have been a huge shock to my system. But I’ve been mentally preparing myself for the different outcomes of when Shyla found out. This certainly wasn’t one of them.
“Fuck around and find out,” she says, squeezing her throat and pushing her harder against the tree.
“Looks like you have more of him in you than you thought,” Meera sneers. Emmett pushes me against Dom to intervene when she says it. Dom removes his hand from me to hold Emmett back. Those words make Shyla lose it, and I wonder about the significance. I can see the indents of her fingertips against Meera’s neck as Shyla growls. She looks like her body is shaking with frustration and anger.
“Fuck,” Dom grumbles. “Emmett, take Kelsey and Cameron to the car.” He nods, but he doesn’t move us.
We all stand frozen, not being able to miss seeing how this pans out. Dom is massive and easily rips the sisters apart.
“She doesn’t belong to you,” Meera says to Shyla.
“You’re dead to me, Meera. If you come near Kelsey, I will fuck up your whole life.” I’ve never seen Shyla this unrefined and upset. Meera grabs Vernice harshly by the arm and walks away, scowling. Dom and Shyla join the group. Shyla is not looking at anyone.
“Shy?” I ask.
“Can you take Emmett home?” she asks Dom. Not speaking to anyone else.
“Of course.” She doesn’t say goodbye, she just walks and turns toward the entrance. I go to follow and Dom lightly grabs my arm. I need to come clean. Tell her that I’ve known, that it doesn’t matter to me that I know she would never hurt me. She needs to know. But as I watch her form retreat and leave the festival, I sigh and give her space.
“Give her some time to cool off, baby.”
I’m nearing tears now but just nod my head. The closest place to sit is near a smelly trash can, but I don’t care as I sit down on the bench and try to hold back my tears. I hunch over, the stench of the Renaissance fair creeping in on me. It’s too loud as people cheer and laugh. I want to crawl into a ball and hide. How is this even possible? What does this mean for me and Shyla going forward? Is she going to be more mad that I knew and didn’t say anything or just the fact that my abuser was her sister? I kick the trash can next to me. I don’t even notice the pack of bees buzzing around the trashcan before it’s too late.