The Rebellious Omega
Chapter 52

Blair

POV

I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do, so I followed Braedon into his study as he stomped into the pack house, embarrassed by James's words. James was chuckling, following behind at a leisurely pace and I wondered how he had the nerve and decide that he must be good friends with Braedon, to still be alive after the comment he'd made. Braedon was seated behind his desk, glowering, and I tentatively walked inside the room, sitting myself on the opposite side. His ears tinged red and I pretended not to notice. The poor guy was already embarrassed enough. I didn't need to make it worse. James sauntered in and if looks could kill, he would have spontaneously combusted from the look Braedon gave him. "You are lucky I haven't killed you" Braedon snarled.

James looked unfazed. "I'm sure your mate felt like it was a compliment that you were turned on by her."

I tried not to choke. James was literally provoking the Alpha King and what's more, he was enjoying himself immensely. Braedon stared at his friend, looking as though he would like nothing more than to rip his head off his shoulders and toss it to the wolves. I wondered if coming into the study was such a good idea after all. James just raised an eyebrow and grinned, leaning against the wall and looking mischievous.

"Come on Braedon, relax, you look like you have a stick up the a*s" he chortled.

I made a strangled sound. Braedon looked menacing. James just winked.

"Maybe we could um, discuss the rogues," I said in desperation.

Braedon's eyes turned to me and they softened. James looked disappointed. Clearly, he was hoping to get more of a rise out of his friend. "Yes, the rogues," Braedon said with a snarl "They managed to enter our territory undetected and that is a huge concern" he snapped as James finally began to look a bit more serious and nodded, looking thoughtful.

"Either they managed to slip past patrol or..."

"We have a traitor in our midst. There should have been no gaps for them to take advantage of." Braedon's voice was chilling and left no room for negotiations.

James looked a bit skeptical. "Come on Braedon, these are good men. You can't honestly tell me that you think that one of them is a traitor to you? I mean, what would be the motive behind it?"

Braedon looked at him as though he was an i***t. "How about in order to get my mate?" he said coldly.

James swallowed hard. Evidently, he hadn't thought of that. "But these men are loyal to the pack. I'm certain of it" he continued to protest.

Braedon glared at him. "I want every man that was meant to be at his post today, investigated thoroughly. That means looking into their financials, relationships, backgrounds, everything" he snapped "Is that clear?"

"Yes King Braedon," James said bowing his head.

Braedon snorted. "Call me King again and I'll wallop you so hard you can't walk for a week" he threatened.

James laughed. This was a strange relationship the two of them had, I thought with amusement but one that I envied. I wish I had a friend like this. Braedon glanced at me. I yawned. He sighed. "I forgot about how tired you were. Let's get you back to the room" he said promptly, standing up as James looked at us both with a grin.

"I can find the room myself," I said indignantly.

To be honest, I wasn't sure I could, but I didn't need him to treat me like I was some sort of burden. Braedon just lifted an eyebrow.

"How about I take her?" James suggested smoothly and Braedon sighed and then nodded.

I rolled my eyes. Protective much? I got up and headed for the door. James tapped me on the shoulder "No kiss for your mate goodbye?" he said enquiringly.

I blushed and glanced at Braedon who was intently studying the paperwork on his desk. I glanced down at the ground. "Bye Braedon" I mumbled.

He raised his eyes and smiled at me. I turned and walked out, James sauntering behind me.

Of course, I made several wrong turns and James had to correct me. "Man, for a shifter, your sense of direction is awful," he said with a wince.

I glared at him. He smirked. We finally reached the bedroom but he stopped me, reaching out to grab my arm, halting me before I could open the door. I glanced at James skeptically, wondering what it was he wanted. We had hardly talked on the way up here, but now it appeared he had something on his mind. Something that was niggling at him. He looked sheepish as he let go of my arm. "What is it?" I demanded impatiently, thoughts of climbing into the big comfortable bed filling my mind.

He eyed me sideways. "He's different with you," he said simply, as though I would understand what he was alluding to. "Excuse me?" I asked faintly.

Different how? Braedon seemed the same to me, but then I hadn't known him as long as James had. James ran a hand through his hair and then glanced at me again, striving to make me understand. "The Alpha King, he's different when you are with him," he said quietly, his expression more thoughtful "he's more relaxed and his eyes are sparkling. He's not as stiff and unyielding as he normally is. You seem to have made a difference in his personality in the short time you've been here."

Was that a compliment? "Braedon and I have been friends for a long time, but he's always put duty first, until now. I've always said he should learn to relax and have some fun, but he's never done that. I'm hoping you'll be able to persuade him to do more of just that, simply by being with him."

Ah. "Anyway, I should leave you to get your rest and sleep. But if you ever need anything, anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask. As his mate, you are also automatically my friend and Luna, so there is nothing I wouldn't do for you" he said gravely. I gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you James, but right now I am fine," I told him sincerely, turning the knob and opening the bedroom door "But I thank you for the offer."

He nodded and turned, walking away as I stumbled into the room and shut the door behind me, locking it. I wiped my eyes, feeling tired, and headed for the bed. I was sleepy, so incredibly sleepy.

I wondered if Braedon was going to be coming to bed soon. How much more work could he possibly have to undertake? Maybe I should have stayed with him? I gave a nonchalant shrug. If he needed me, he would have said. I headed into the bathroom and had a long leisurely shower, taking my time, and relaxing. I wrapped a towel around myself and then headed back into the bedroom, dressing quickly into some comfortable pajamas. No sign of Braedon. I felt slightly disappointed, but then again, it's not as though we were going to be doing, that, anyway I thought to myself. I wasn't ready yet and I wasn't going to do it just because I felt pressured to.

I was so intent on my musings and thoughts, especially certain erotic ones of Braedon being naked in the bed with me, that I failed to notice at first, that there was something very wrong with the bed. I, in my naivety, assumed that with the door being locked that it was safe and nobody had access. I was wrong. As I sat on the corner, ruminating and feeling exhaustion sweep over me, it suddenly hit me that the sheet on the bed was moving. There was something underneath it. I swallowed hard. It could have been anything. My eyes narrowed. I hadn't smelt anybody's scent when I came in here, but there were all sorts of different ones due to the omegas who cleaned. It was impossible to discern which one didn't belong. I hastily stood up and backed away. I could scream, but what if the thing was harmless? I would look like an i***t. I grabbed the end of the sheet and gathered my courage. I whipped the sheet back and spotted a large tarantula on the bed, moving quickly. This wasn't an accident. Somebody had put the spider in the bed on purpose. I eyed it, before grabbing a large container off the nearby bedside table and gently coaxing the spider into it. Whoever had done this evidently didn't know that I wasn't afraid of spiders. Not when I had spent the majority of my life in the dungeon where there were multitudes of them. I walked to the window and opened it, letting the spider loose on the balcony, and then walked back inside, shutting the windows as the spider went free.

I frowned. The spider seemed like a harmless prank to me, something that a teenage boy or girl would do. Was it maybe just some hazing for the Alpha King's new mate? I wasn't sure. I debated whether to tell Braedon or not. Coming off the heels of a rogue attack it did seem suspicious but it was also relatively harmless and Braedon had enough on his plate as it was.

Why burden him with something else when I could handle it on my own? Besides, if it was a prank, giving attention to it was giving the prankster exactly what they wanted, I thought nonchalantly. I checked the bed for any more surprises and underneath and then climbed in, turning the lamps off.

For now, I was going to keep this secret as it was a one-off and I was new to the pack. Braedon didn't need to know, not yet, I thought, closing my eyes and allowing myself to try and go to sleep.

In fact, the only thing that concerned me about the so-called prank was how they had managed to gain access, as the door seemed to still be locked when I came out.

Could the spider have already been in the bed when I went in initially and I didn't notice? Anything was possible, I thought drowsily and then I knew no more as I passed out, my mate joining me sometime during the night as I woke up to the feel of his body pressed against mine and his arms wrapped tightly around me.