My Alpha's Mark

172 Dodgy

The three of us stared back and forth between each other. We were all standing at the edge of the cliff of change. There was so much that needed to be said, talked about, and decided. Before I could do any of that I needed time to think. There was a lot to figure out and I couldn’t do that if they continued to crowd me.

“I want to be alone,” I said.

“Kacie,” Viktor sighed.

“I think we should talk-” Jake’s phone buzzed again, cutting him off.

“I want to be alone,” I said firmly this time.

Jake’s phone vibrated in his pocket. The sound of it filled the quiet room. I watched as he pulled his phone from his shorts and glanced down at the dimly lit screen. He tapped the screen and his eyes slid left to right across the screen. His jaw flexed as he stared at it for a moment. He typed something out and Viktor followed my gaze. The two of us watched as he tapped the screen and the light turned off. He looked up and slowly returned his phone to his pocket.

“Care to share who could possibly have your attention at such an important time?” I asked.

“No one is more important than you, My Queen,” Jake said.

“It must be, seeing as you’re focused on your phone instead of us,” I said.

“I can’t do this with you right now, Kace,” Jake sighed.

“Oh, I’m sorry that this is too overwhelming for you to bear right now, Beta,” I spat.

The selfishness of men. He was worried about his thoughts and feelings right now. He was focused on himself and what he was going through. As if what I was going through wasn’t as big or as important as what he was dealing with.

“Didn’t you just say you wanted to be alone?” Jake asked. He shook his head. “Allow me to give you what you want.” He turned from where I sat on the bed. I watched his back as he walked toward the door. My vision was blurry from tears as the door slammed behind him. I turned my attention to Viktor. His shoulders slumped and he came and sat next to me on the bed.

“I hate this,” Viktor murmured. “I hate it so much. We had our first official fight and we didn’t fix things. We spent days here waiting for you to wake up and now that you’ve woken up, we should take this time to make up. But instead we’re fighting again. If we don’t try to repair things soon, we might not be able to.”

“We can’t fix anything with secrets standing in the way,” I said.

“I know.”

“Are you going to tell me you don’t find anything wrong with the way he just acted?” I asked. “It was dodgy. He ignored his phone multiple times. When he did look at it, I could sense something wasn’t right. Then he blows up and walks out like that? Come on, Viktor. Something is going on!”

“Are you doubting our mate?” Viktor asked. “I’m not stupid and I’m not blind. He’s acting weird and I’m not going to pretend that everything is fine.”

“He just needs some time…” Viktor said. “Waiting by your bedside was a living hell. I never want to go through that again.” “You didn’t answer me. Do you or do you not think that Jake is acting suspicious?” I asked.

“I’ll admit that he’s acting weird, but suspicion? I trust him. Do you?” Viktor asked.

“There’s something going on with Jake.”

“I think he’s overwhelmed. I’ve been in wars, Kacie. I’ve killed men and women, but nothing came close to not knowing if you were ever going to wake up. I was going insane.”

“I need to be alone,” I sighed. “This isn’t going anywhere.”

“Do you not hear me?” Viktor asked. “Do my feelings matter to you?”

“I hear you, Viktor. Do you hear me? Or are you only focused on Jake’s feelings?” I asked.

“Kac-” “Please leave,” I plead.

“Kacie, I-”

“Please, Viktor. I need you to leave before I say something I don’t mean. Give me some space,” I said. I was exhausted.

“Okay.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“But I’ll be back to check on you,” Viktor murmured.

“Okay.”

Viktor stared at me for a few moments before he leaned over and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I fought the urge to break down and beg for him to stay. I didn’t want to be weak and his presence was only stressing me out. I needed him to go. I needed the space. I needed time. He got to his feet and I stared at his back as he retreated.

He stopped in front of the door, reached out for the handle, and opened it. Before he stepped out, he looked back over his shoulder at me one last time. He turned from me and walked out, leaving me alone in the room just as they had four nights ago. I was finally alone. I now had the time to sort through my thoughts and feelings.

I looked down at my torso. There still wasn’t a bump but I knew I would be showing soon. I wrapped my arms protectively around my stomach. It was as if a switch had flipped. I would protect the child in my belly. I’d leave it up to the Goddess. She knew my fate, and the fate of my child.

What she couldn’t give me was answers. I needed answers to make decisions. I needed to know everything before I decided what to do from here on out. I should take this time to figure out what needs to happen between the two of us, but I can’t help but wonder about Jake. I need to know the truth. I don’t know when I decided but with Jake on my mind, I sprang into action. I pushed the sheet off and threw my legs off the edge of the bed. My head felt dizzy as I sat up.