Chapter 5: Key

“Hazel.”

“Hazel.”

Someone knocked on the door.

“Hazel!”

“Goddess, what?!” I yelled back finally in anger, as I flung upright from my bed. My covers flipped over with my body, causing the book I had fallen asleep reading to fly across the room, hitting the floor at an alarming speed. 

I ignored the chaos as I opened the bedroom door to Jari in the hallway leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and brows raised. I copied his pose. “What do you want, Jari?”

“You were bugging me about meeting the omegas before so I’ve gathered them together,” he explained quickly, pushing upright. “But there’s something more to this meeting and I want you to make me a promise.”

“What?” I sounded snappy.

“You want to be trusted here? Don’t misbehave when I take you downstairs to meet the omegas.”

My body shifted. “Downstairs?”

He nodded.

“Why have you… this is just a test, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” he admitted. “I can’t say that I’ll let you out after it, but I’ll definitely think about it. It’s more for the pack to see that you are calm and mostly reasonable. Which reminds me, it won’t bode well for you to strike up an argument with me when we’re down there, so if you have anything to-”

“I fucking hate you for locking me up like this when I’m supposed to be your mate. To take me on a walk like I’m a dog is horrific. If we ever do have kids, I’m telling them all about this so they love me more.” I paused to think, then nodded. “That’s all. Can we go now?”

A ghost of a smile briefly crossed Jari’s face before he turned for the front door. I quickly slipped out of my room, fixing my hair as I followed him.

It really felt like I was being let out of my cage, but for the moment, that was enough. Meeting the omegas would be my first big step to leaving this place, which seemed like a complete dream. I could pretend for a little longer to be content with what Jari clearly thought was a huge gift to me.

Downstairs, in a line that looked alarmingly sinister, were the omegas I had seen coming and going from the suite two floors up. Each omega was accompanied by a warrior I had never seen before, and Beta Omari stood protectively off to the side, watching my every move.

Jari stepped around me, one hand hovering at my back, not quite touching me but giving the illusion that he was. 

“Omegas, most of you have seen her already, but this is Hazel Irwin” - some of them flinched, whilst others lifted their heads bravely; meanwhile, Keely was giving me a soft smile - “and she’s my mate, which means you have to treat her with respect. We’ve already talked about this.”

Playing along, I looked up at Jari questioningly, asking for permission. Although I doubted he believed the little act, he lightly nodded. I stepped forward. “Hi, I’ve only met a few of you before.”

I didn’t specify who.

“Hello, Miss Irwin,” said the bravest of the bunch as she reached for my hand. 

We shared a respectful handshake, and from there, the others gained the confidence to greet me, too. Keely was the most excited, though she had quickly figured out that I was pretending as if I didn’t know her.

I acted casual, moving from person to person in the group. I couldn’t get close enough to steal any keys.

“Ladies,” Jari said, pulling me away from the omegas. “I give you express permission to speak with Hazel - I believe she even wants you to call her by her first name. But if you do this, you know the rules, and you know that you must be mindful of her current situation.”

I’m right here, I thought to myself. Why is he acting like I can’t hear him right now?

“And,” Omari added, “keep an eye out. You never know when Miss Irwin may… need a mental break, shall we say.”

I looked at Omari blankly, and he stared back at me with the same expression on his face. His distaste for me was clear - I didn’t think there’d been even a second so far where he hadn’t questioned my right to be here. But I did not take it personally, for I was desperately trying to act innocent, and starting a fight with Jari’s beta would not get me anywhere but locked into my bedroom, let alone the suite.

My spine automatically crunched at the thought, a shiver trickling down my back. Being locked up was really starting to get to me again. I had to do something soon before I went insane.

“Beta Omari is right, sometimes it’s a little quiet in the suite and I need a break from that.” I said this confidently, but when I glanced at Jari’s face, I found him looking almost annoyed. I followed his gaze over my shoulder and, realising he wasn’t angry with me, curiously searched for what it was that had irritated him.

“If we ever pass by your room,” Keely said, “then I am sure some of us would be happy to stop by.”

I smiled at her. “That is very nice of you. I’d appreciate that.”

She nodded, and Omari stepped forward.

“You have met the omegas, now I think it is time for you to head back up to the suite, Miss Irwin. It’s in everybody’s best interests.”

I opened my mouth to disagree but Jari was already guiding me back toward the stairs. My freedom was being lost almost as quickly as it had originally been taken.

“Yes, Beta Omari, you are right.” Jari was gentle with me, but I could feel how eager he was to get me out of view of everyone else. “Some of the omegas may follow, though,” he added, rectifying the situation.

I walked obediently back upstairs with Jari and into the suite, which smelt different now that I was coming in; it was somehow cleaner than I thought, the air filled with soft scents. They were almost unidentifiable.

But my distraction did not last long, as I paid close attention to which of the omegas locked the door on the way in; she was a short blonde who looked about forty, with an old-fashioned dress that almost swept the floor. She kept her key on her belt, which was not only directly in sight, but also far too obvious and dangerous.

I could not go for someone who would miss their key.

At that perfect moment, Keely pulled off her little jacket and hung it on the hooks next to the door, before she joined the omegas on their way into the kitchen.

Jari had stopped dragging me around like a dog to instead wait for us to be alone. “Hazel, are you going to behave yourself with the omegas? They will tell me if you step out of line.”

I innocently nodded. “I have company, that’s better than before.” My words hadn’t cut deep enough. “I’m realising company is about all I’m getting.”

Jari looked away. “I’ll be in my office - emergency email. Be good.”

“I’m not your dog or your child,” I muttered, as he ignored me.

I waited until he had closed his door to step into the kitchen, leaning against the archway with a polite smile on my face. One of the omegas who hadn’t noticed me jumped, but she played it off.

“Hi, sorry, I’m just going to take that book back to my room.” I picked up the book I’d brought in the previous night, then slid out into the hall.

The omegas were talking in a second, completely distracted by one another, so I took my chance at the coat hooks by the door. Keely’s shiny key sat in the very pocket I had seen before, and it was plenty small enough to fit into the gap in my book.

Once the evidence was safely stashed in plain sight on my nightstand, I walked back out to have some meaningless conversations with women who were scared of me.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\///////////////

What time is a good time to escape from your oppressive mate and his superstitious pack? I figured - once nighttime fell - that there was no answer to that question, because no time was a good time, so I just had to go for it.

I still had my key, which I held in my hand now as I waited for Jari to make the move from his office to his bedroom. He had been good through dinner, not leaving my side until the sun had already set, but he received another emergency email that he just “couldn’t” ignore, so I said I would get some more reading done and left him to it.

It had been almost an hour since then, and finally, Jari was headed into his own room. He didn’t visit me, so I stood in my doorway watching him as he kicked shut his bedroom door with one foot, his head down, focused on his phone. I could have slipped out right then, but I still waited.

After approximately ten minutes, I slid out of my bedroom, key in hand, and rushed up to the front door. My bare feet were silent on the floor and there was nothing on my person that could possibly make any noise except for the key. But I had it in the lock, turned, and out again without any trouble whatsoever.

The door was open, and the hall had never looked so beautiful.

I closed the front door behind me hoping I wouldn’t arouse suspicion too early if it was left unlocked. Moving quietly, I headed straight for the stairs just a few feet in front of me.

But the second my foot touched the top step, I almost screamed, as a hand wrapped around my bicep and a voice spoke.

“I fucking knew it.”