Part 3

/Rowan's POV/

It's been a week since the funeral and meeting our omega. Erin. Despite the fact that we failed to acknowledge the bond all these years, an instant spark ignited within me. Reed felt it too. I could watch as his face almost scrunched for a second before he covered up. As the members had all their attention focused on us, we could not do anything impulsive. Besides, we were still mourning for our father. 

The days since that have been slow and draggy, almost torturous to get by. She blossomed into a beautiful woman, bold and unaffected by the prying eyes on her. The omega did not even flinch when my mother showed indifference towards her. Or when people started whispering the moment she blended into the crowd. At least tried to.

Erin stood out among those boring faces; everyone solely showed up with an ulterior motive. Mainly to get in the good books of their future leaders. I was all too aware of how these people thought and functioned. Courtesy of my late father. He taught us everything there was about pack, trained us till we turned eighteen and handed over the company reins.

Reed and I gladly accepted as we have been preparing ourselves for this. From a very young age, we were moulded to think about pack and business before putting ourselves first. That's the sole reason Armani Empire ruled the northeast province and proved to be the most substantial pack. No one dared attack us in almost a decade.

The omega, however, appeared devastated, like the loss was personal to her. She did not cry in the hall, but when the ceremony was over, I found her sobbing on the lone bench, her hair covering her face. I was tempted to sit next to the grieving omega but thought against it.

"Rowan!" A nudge to my shoulder almost startled me, dragging me back to reality. Blinking against the blurry vision, I stared at my twin, looking back at me.

"Huh?"

"Are you thinking about that omega again?"

The tone irked me. I sat up on the couch and nudged him back. "She is also your mate. Could you stop acting this way?"

"That changes nothing." He murmured, looking away with a book held upside down in his hand. My brother was in denial for so long that he started to believe the lie now.

"Your reaction after seeing her told me otherwise."

Reed huffed. "I was merely startled that she showed up. That's all."

Rolling my eyes, I nudged at his foot and crossed my arms against my chest. From the housekeeper, I managed to find out more about Erin. Simply because I could not stop thinking about her and our beta, Charles was too busy to indulge me. Beth, our housekeeper, told me that Erin often had dinners with my father and checked up on him constantly. No wonder the omega was affected by his passing and cried her heart out.

"Sure, if that helps you sleep at night."

Reed shut the book a little more harsh than expected before pinning me with a look. "Why are you suddenly so invested in talking about that omega? I hope you are not having any second thoughts now, brother."

I clenched my eyes shut as I remembered that fateful day. A lump formed in my throat as I shook my head and was about to answer him when a knock startled us. Tilting my head towards the door, I saw the housekeeper smiling at us.

"Beth. Come in, please.”

She took a step further, hands folded together in front. “Luna asked you both to

join the family for breakfast.”

“I am not hungry.” I curtly said, sliding back and trying to hide my face behind the iPad screen. The thought of sitting with the entire family for a meal had my stomach in knots. Due to the busy week, my brother and I mainly stayed in the room and avoided their dramatics. I want to keep it that way for a long time.

“Rowan.” My brother cleared his throat before turning to the housekeeper and giving her a forced smile. “Don’t worry; we will be there in a few minutes.”

Beth smiled and turned on her feet, exiting our shared room. As soon as she was gone, I turned to my twin brother, pinning him with a glare.

“Why did you do that?”

“Rowan, we cannot avoid them forever. Come on now!” With that, he placed the book on the coffee table and stood up, a wince escaping past his lips. Reed has been sitting in the same position, for now, so his leg must have fallen asleep. It serves him right.

“Who says we cannot do that? I can try.”

“Have you forgotten we will be living in the same town now?” He arched his brow.

“No.” I lamely replied, picking at the strap of my watch, my head cast down. “But we won’t be under the same roof as the rest of them.”

“The cabin is not yet ready.”

“How much longer? We were supposed to move in this evening.”

My brother twisted his lips. “Charles is looking into it. I am guessing it will take a day more, at least considering the amount of stuff we both have.”

With a sigh, I stood up and followed his lead out of the room, dragging my feet.

***

Silence lingered in the dining room as Reed, and I walked in, their faces tilted to our side. Our mother sat at the head table, her back straightened and an emotionless look on her face. We bowed and greeted her before taking a seat on either side of the table.

“Good morning, Roro.” The youngest of our family, Anya, my cousin, beamed at me before turning to Reed. At five years old, the omega was a delight and the only reason I tolerated our stay here.

“Good morning, Rere.”

My brother grunted in response before pouring himself a glass of freshly squeezed juice.

“Use your inside voice, Anya.” Her mother reprimanded with a scowl on her face. My aunt plastered a smile when I faced her before picking at her food. Her husband, Philip, was sitting next to her, completely focused on the strips of bacon on his plate.

“Sorry, mummy.” The pup apologised.

Looking around the table, I noticed our two other cousins, Valerie and Ryan. They were my Uncle Philip and Aunt Claire’s children and stayed in the packhouse. We did not get along with them despite what the pack members thought of our siblings bond.

“Are you both busy in the afternoon?” Our mother's voice startled me.

“Uh…we are looking into dads finance and meeting with the companies he invested in. Why? Is everything alright?”

The Luna folded her lips. “I was hoping you could start with the basic Pack Alpha duties from today. We should also prepare for the announcement and ceremony soon.”

Philip, who had been stuffing his face for a while, broke out in a nervous laughter. “Luna, what’s the rush here? My nephews just got back, and they must be still mourning my brother. I am sure the pack members can understand the delay.”

I was not even shocked at his reply, knowing full well the reason behind it. He wanted his son Ryan to take over as the Pack Alpha instead of us.

“Since when do you speak on their behalf Philip?” Our mother blankly replied, setting her fork down. “Besides, the Council won’t stop intervening in our internal matters till we declare the Pack Alpha. I want us to be done with this as soon as possible.”

Reed placed a hand on her clenched fist, patting it, his features softening. “Do not worry, mother. We will try to finish up our work soon and start with the basics.”

“Good.”

***

Charles joined us in the study after we were done with breakfast. My mother wanted to sit and have tea with us, but the Council summoned her for an urgent meeting. So she left with her bodyguard and a few guards.

The beta rushed in with a stack of files in his hand, his glasses almost sliding off the bridge of his nose. He waited patiently as he set the files on the desk, lips folded together. After our fathers sudden death, we had a lot to deal with, especially finances, since he invested without making any profits.

“Does this contain all the names of the companies my father invested in?”

Charles bobbed his head. “Yes, arranged in alphabetical order.”

“Excellent!” With that, I started flipping the pages when a name stood out to me. My fingers froze, eyes widening as I stared at the owner's name and the company name—Woods Publishing. A low breath escaped past my lips.

“Reed.” I nudged my brother's side. “See this.”

“Interesting.” He mumbled, his eyes narrowed together and lips pursed in a straight line.

“I think we should start with this company. What do you think?”

***

Their second meeting is in the next part yay :D