After lunch, James informed me that he'd been in touch with Simon, and it had been decided that I was to be demoted to omega. "Simon agrees that it was not a wise idea to promote you," James said, his eyes flat and unfriendly. "You've learned too much and it would not be wise to have you in a position of power when the time comes for us to deal with your half-sister."
I sighed in relief, but James wasn't finished. "To this end," he said, "you'll be treated the same as the other omegas, and you will, of course, be linked to one of the enforcers to ensure you complete your tasks."
I winced. I didn't mind Samuel, but I hated Ethan with a passion. "Of course," I said, bowing my head as I did so.
James grunted and took my head in his hands. One excruciating minute later, I was on the floor, my head spinning as I fought to regain control of my disoriented senses. As the pain slowly ebbed, I got unsteadily to my feet, marvelling at how amazing it was to have my mind to myself again. Of course, I knew it wouldn't last long, and my heart sank when Ethan came into the room. His dark golden eyes regarded me impassively as he placed his hands on either side of my head, and I screamed as his mind invaded mine. The process was much more painful than I'd anticipated, and it took me a lot longer to recover. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I wobbled to my feet, and I shivered as Ethan's mind skittered across mine. I knew better than to try and block my thoughts, knowing full well what the punishment would be, but I did sigh in relief when Ethan withdrew the contact.
"This doesn't mean you're off the hook," James added, breaking into my thoughts. "Simon needs you. For what, I cannot say, but I am sure he'll make good use of you in your depleted state."
I bowed my head once more, still shaking. "Yes, Beta," I said, and James grunted again.
"Dismissed," he said.
Never had I been so glad to leave his office.
As it was too late in the day for any useful work to be found for me, Ethan told me that I had the afternoon and evening off. I sighed in relief, but old pain resurfaced as I realised I now had to make amends to my fellow omegas.
And I wasn't sure if I was up for the task yet.
So, as the rest of them played at the shallow end of the pool, I walked to the deep end, and though I was still shaky from recent events, I was beyond thankful I now had more freedom - of sorts, given my new rank - to do as I pleased. When I wasn't working. And I was immensely relieved I now no longer had to report directly to James. Ever since our argument in the forest - and last night's incident - he'd been colder than normal towards me, and I knew that he'd probably painted me in as bad a light as possible to Simon to ensure I was demoted.
Being demoted, I reflected, was a good thing. It meant I no longer felt guilty for being so close to the two males I hated more than anything, and I no longer felt like I was betraying my old pack. Still, as I dove into the pool, I knew Simon was going to pay me out for this latest setback.
Then the water surrounded me, and I forgot everything else
I swam along the bottom, kicking slowly, the water flowing over my body. Sunlight gleamed on the tiles, and I let myself sink right down, until I could touch them, brushing my fingers lightly over each tile as I swam past. My hair flowed freely behind me, and I closed my eyes, concentrating on the cool sensation. Once more, I lost myself in the simple bliss of swimming, forgetting the rest of the world for awhile. Down here, I was, once more, just me, and I truly felt better than I had for a long time. I was no longer in a position where I could be forced to betray my surviving family, and that made all the difference to me.
Eventually, I returned to the surface to take another deep breath before going under again. This time, I let myself fall backwards, watching as the surface moved further away from me, allowing my body to sink to the bottom again. When my back hit the tiles, I let some of the air out of my lungs, allowing myself to lie flat, looking up at the sun as it shone through the water, admiring how white my skin looked down here, with the light chasing itself in ripples over my body. It was just me, here at the deep end, and I let myself relax, everything floating away from me in a blissful tide of peace that had once eluded me.
After a short while, I turned over and began swimming again, gliding along the bottom of the pool, and though my lungs were burning again, I fought down the urge to surface. This time, I wanted to stay under as long as I could, before I had to return to the world above. I could already tell from the silence on the surface that the other omegas had gone back inside, so I swam along the bottom until I reached the shallow end. By now my lungs were on fire, and I broke the surface, breathing heavily as I pulled myself out. A few clouds had formed in the sky while I'd been underwater, and the air slightly cooler, carrying a faint smell of rain. It seemed our run of warm days was at an end, and I felt the pain come back as I walked over to retrieve my towel and dry myself off. But storms were common in this part of the world, and it wouldn't be long before the sun came out again.
And as I made my way inside, I decided to use the approaching storm as a chance to make amends to my fellow omegas. They'd been my friends once, and now that I was on the same level with them, I knew I had a much better chance at winning their trust back.
At least, that was what I hoped.
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