Chapter 5

AXEL'S POV

I gripped Zarek’s arm tighter than I probably should have, practically dragging him out of the packhouse before he could do something truly reckless. His muscles were tense, his breath coming in shallow bursts.

He was barely keeping his wolf from snapping. I knew that feeling too well. 

An omega? He was taking that omega as his mate of all women?

The door slammed shut behind us, cutting off the murmur of voices and gasps from inside.

The tension followed us through the doors.

I crossed my arms, my gaze following him as he paced back and forth. 

"He’s right, Zarek," I finally said. 

"We rejected her. She’s free to choose, and so is he." 

A snarl tore from his throat as he hissed. 

"Don’t you dare say that to me." He roared, and I sighed; he wasn't making this easy on me. Hell, I was stunned too, and trying to wrap my head around our father’s decision was not something I wanted to do right now anyway.I didn't have time to process my own thoughts though; I had to stop Zarek from blowing up the whole damn pack, which was weird because I was the one who always blew a gasket. 

"Calm down," I growled as I yanked him away from the door again. 

Zarek ripped his arm out of my grip and rounded on me, his eyes blazing with fury.

“What the hell, Axel? You’re just going to let him take her? You’re okay with this? With him claiming Lunette?”

I felt the sting of his accusation, and for a second, I want to throw it right back at him.

"No, of course I’m not okay with it. But what do you want me to do? March back in there and challenge him? This is the Alpha, Zarek, our father.”

His eyes flash, a dangerous gold shimmering beneath the surface.

His wolf was close—too close. I took a step back, giving him the space to vent.

"You would’ve made it worse in there," I say, crossing my arms.

"Causing a scene, getting in Father’s face—what do you think that would have accomplished?"

He’s pacing now, every line of his body taut with frustration.

"I don’t care! She’s my mate, Axel—" 

"My mate too, brother," I replied, and he waved a hand distractedly.

"This is all wrong!"

“Look,” I said, keeping my voice calm. 

“I get it. I’m pissed off too. But storming back in there, challenging Father, or tearing the house apart won’t change anything. You think he’s going to let you take her back just because you’re angry?" 

"Besides, he's the alpha of this pack. He’ll rip you apart to keep stability if he has to," I muttered. That was the truth, and we both knew it.

Our father may have loved us, but there was only so much insubordination he could tolerate.

No, the problem was the omega. Seeing Lunette sitting here beside our father, eyes cast to the ground like she’s some docile little thing, as she accepted his proposal... It had twisted something deep inside me.

She was the one ruining things here, and I couldn't forgive her for that. 

"None of us knew," I interrupt, sighing deeply. 

"Believe me, I’m just as shocked as you are. But standing here screaming about it isn’t going to change what happened."

“We rejected her, Zarek. We made that choice.”

He glared at me like I just slapped him.

"Then what the hell do we do?" Zarek snapped, throwing his hands up in frustration. 

"Let him take her? Watch her become his mate."

"I’m not saying we let this happen," I say quietly.

"But we need to be smart about it."

Zarek scoffs, his eyes narrowing at me. 

"Smart, how?" he asked. 

"I can't let him take her," he hissed softly.

I stepped forward, meeting his gaze head-on.

"Neither am I."

He blinked, his mouth parting slightly in surprise. For a moment, I could almost see the wheels turning in his mind, as he realized that I wasn't just placating him.

"You really don’t want this either?" He asked, his voice quieter now. 

"No, Zarek. I don’t. But we’re not going to fix anything by acting like impulsive idiots." I mumbled, running my hands through my hair. 

"You were very against her in the beginning; I didn't think you'd do anything," he whispered, and I shrugged. 

"Charging in, threatening Father—it won’t work. He’s made up his mind."

"So what then?" He asked, his jaw clenched so tight I was surprised his teeth didn’t crack.

"No." I cross my arms, thinking carefully about my next words. 

"We make sure she wants to leave."

He frowned, confusion flickering across his face. 

"What are you talking about?"

I let out a slow breath, trying to keep my voice level. 

“I’m saying we make it unbearable for her. We make sure she knows exactly what it means to reject us and to choose him.Father can’t keep her here if she decides to leave. He can’t force her to stay." 

Zarek stared at me, andslowly, I saw the anger in his eyes shift into something else—something calculating.

"So torment her, you mean?" He asks, his voice low, and I nodded immediately. 

"Lunette may have agreed to this now, but we can make her regret it. We can make her life so unbearable that her only choice would be to leave." 

His lips curl into a slow, cruel smile.

“You really think she’ll leave?” I nodded

“If we push hard enough, she won’t have a choice. No omega can survive in a pack where the Alphas hate her. She’ll leave. And when she does, Father will have no claim on her.”

I nodded.

"Exactly."

There’s a beat of silence as we both stood there. Zarek was calmer, which was good, even if a little scary. Maybe I was corrupting him, but I couldn't let Lunnette become our father's mate. 

"I can’t believe we’re doing this, but I'm with you," he mumbled, staring me straight in the eyes.

“We have to be careful,” he warned. 

“Father can’t know what we’re doing. We need to make it look like it’s her decision to leave.” becoming the voice of reason again

I scoffed 

"Like, I care what he thinks.” Zarek glared in my direction. 

“You should, because if he finds out we’re trying to push her out..." he paused, and I sighed. 

"This is why you should always be the calm one," I muttered, and he laughed.

"The omega has no idea what she's in for."