Gossip Girl

We take our time getting back to the group.

It's already dark and it's obvious everyone is done with the game at this point. When we arrive, our teammates are chatting together like one big happy family.

Elliot’s crazy eyes find me immediately even though we’re so away and he walks towards me before I can escape, like my 'best friend' who abandons me as soon as the alpha approaches us.

"Are you going to keep doing whatever the fuck you feel like doing every time?" He spits with much more anger than necessary, coming way too close to me again, trying to intimidate me, "Where the fuck were you?"

"We hid behind a tree as a survival strategy, but then we had a little mishap and a snake came at us so we ran for our lives pretty far... I think I ran the two miles I saved myself from in the morning," I joke, mistakenly thinking that after our dry conversation at the hospital we are friends, but his face at this point is not very friendly.

I've never had such a hard time getting someone to like me before. I've never even tried. Usually, people just come up to me naturally and start loving me without having to make that much effort.

"I want this to be the last time you do something like this. You weren't even involved in the game. I'm really getting tired of your fucking spoiled princess attitude," he says the last in a super angry whisper. Out of the corner of my eye I see his dad approaching so I immediately start crying. My tears start falling in half a second.

It's a gift I have.

"I'm so sorry," I dramatically exclaim, "I didn't mean to run so far away from the group but a giant snake came at us and we didn't know what to do. Alpha, I will do anything to make you realize that I want to change that spoiled princess attitude you say I have. I deserve another punishment. I accept that I was wrong, and I am here to correct my mistakes. Please, just forgive me. I’m begging. I’ll get down on my knees if I have to."

"What the fuck..."

"Elliot, what's going on here?" his father asks, putting a hand roughly on Elliot's shoulder, making him open his eyes wide. I'm still crying, of course, "Your main concern is the welfare of these people, it's not all about punishment and obligations. It's also about counseling and helping. You have to let go of that black and white thinking of yours. There are occasions where things are gray."

His words may be, within reason, kind, but his voice and tone are anything but. Also, he’s pushing out alpha pheromones so I have to pretend I feel affected by them.

I venture to guess General Thorne is not quite the sweet man who told me about the adventures he had with my father earlier.

It takes one master manipulator to recognize another.

"Nothing is gray with her, General," he mutters, reeking of hatred. If Elliot wasn't completely horrible to me, maybe I would have felt bad for him. I don't know how but I'm sure they don't have a loving father-son relationship. In fact, I don't think I'm the only person Elliot hates. And no one hates their father without a strong reason, "She was sent here to..."

"To learn responsibility, teamwork and discipline," his father finishes, with a charming smile at me, "Not to be annihilated by you for every little thing that happens to her. She's just a sweet omega, do you think the poor thing got dehydrated on purpose, or that she’s pretending to have seen a giant snake? Come on, give her a break."

"Yes. I think so, actually," he whispers with narrowed eyes at me. I clear my throat and wipe away my fake tears.

"I'm not faking or lying, I promise on my life. And I assure you, you won't have any more trouble with me."

"Good, I like your attitude," the General smiles and squeezes his son's shoulder harder than necessary, "Go back to the group and go have dinner now, sweetheart.”

I nod and run back to the others as the General and Elliot walk a bit to chat, but for some reason I don't have a good feeling about this, so I decide to quietly walk back to them to listen to what they say, like the gossip I am.

"Where is this bullshit kindness to a fucking delinquent coming from?" Elliot asks, trying to keep his voice low. I'm crouched behind a rock where they can definitely see me if they look this way. These are the risks I'm willing to take just to find out what Thorne's dad is up to, "And don't tell me it's because the girl is your old friend's daughter."

"Of course it's because of that," the General replies, his voice definitely not as warm as it was with me, "I owe that alpha my life and he's asked me not to hurt his cute little angel. I personally don't approve his type of parenting and I think Angelique is spoiled and rude, and unless she gets the proper treatment, she will continue to be like that. But she's his daughter, not mine.”

"Of course you don't approve, you would beat the shit out of her if you could," Elliot spits. Even if I didn't know his voice, I would recognize the amount of spite in that little sentence, "If you don't want the cute little angel to suffer, change her station. I can't be nice to her. I don't even want to try."

Oh, boy.

"No. I want her with you," his voice leaves no room for any kind of refusal, "I can't believe it's so hard to deal with a fucking omega. Even for you."

"Fine, have it your way. But I'm not promising anything," Elliot mutters, "And if it's not too much trouble, get the hell out of here already. I'm sick of looking at your face."

"Watch your tone. I have to keep a close eye on you before you fuck everything up as per usual," he says. I peek out a little, just a little. The General has his back to me, Elliot is facing me and he looks angry, as always. I duck back out of sight before he can see me, "If you can't handle ten useless delinquents, how do you expect to handle eleven Alphas at war? You don't have what it takes. I've always known that."

"Fortunately, I stopped caring what you think a long time ago," Elliot defends himself without showing even a hint of submission and I quietly cheer for him when his father makes a disgruntled sound with his throat, "Get out of here, Daddy. It's bedtime and I don't think you want to read me a story."

"I'll be back tomorrow," he warns, his voice heavier than before. I make myself as small as I can in my hiding place until the General takes off. But Elliot stands there, breathing heavily.

I'm a sensitive soul, an omega created to be motherly and kind and all that shit, so I can't help the wave of sympathy I feel for Elliot right now.

His father is horrible, he treats him like shit and from what I heard, I think he beat him at some point. I think I can understand his hatred for everyone now.

I get up and walk over to him. His eyes get big and I can swear his cheeks are reddening.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" he demands with a frustrated tone and raises his hands to scrub his face.

"Spying on you. Your father gave me a bad feeling. I have good instincts," I say and he doesn't seem completely mad at me so I consider it’s safe to move closer to him. I think that talk with his father left him in a momentary state of vulnerability. And I have to take advantage of it, "I'm sorry about your shitty father, Elliot."

"Go back to the group, Monroe. I'll let this go just because I'm sick of you and your stupid face."

"Can you stop pretending you're a rock for a second? I'm trying to express how much I dislike the General. I'm on your side."

"Well, you're not the only one who dislikes him," he rolls his eyes and walks toward the group, trying to get me to follow him. But I'm not going to let this moment pass me by, it may be the only one I get where he's hating on someone and it's not me. I hurry up until I'm in front of him, "Stop this. I don't want to deal with you anymore, we have to get back to camp."

"Wait," I put my hands on his hard, delectable chest, but when he gives me an exasperated look, so I let go and let my hands up so he knows I won't do it again, "He used to hit you when you were little?"

"That's none of your business," he mutters, teeth clenched, "Don't ever touch me again."

"Why not?" I pout a little and touch his chest with a finger, making him close his eyes and take a deep breath, as if he's asking the universe for patience not to murder me, "I'd like to tell you that you don't have to listen to your father because he's a worthless abuser, but I won't because I'd really like you to treat me with the gentleness I deserve."

"If I do that, you're never going to learn anything and you'll have wasted your time here."

"That really doesn't matter," I smile brightly, he just shakes his head. But to my surprise, he lets out a tiny involuntary laugh, "Ohhh, you like me already, don't you? I thought it was a bit much..."

"Easy, don't get so far ahead of yourself. I just laughed," he gives me another one of his bored looks, "Stop trying to talk to me and I'll try to leave you alone as long as you don't do or say something stupid."

"Goddamnit. What do I have to do to..." the cute exchange of feelings ends when Elliot puts his hands on my shoulders, turns me around sharply and then pushes me to start walking, ignoring my words of complaint, until we’re close to the group. He releases me and then walks towards them as if nothing ever happened.

"Move along, it's time to get back to camp," he orders, and everyone immediately gets up.