Mitch left the sitting room, to the garden. The wind was cool, brushing through the trees. Just as he expected, Edward was standing alone, his back rigid, , hands in his pockets, eyes fixed on nothing.
Mitch walked up behind him, quiet for a moment, then said, "Do you want to talk, or should I leave?"
Edward didn't turn. "If you're here to defend that omega again, don't bother."
Mitch sighed. "I'm not here to defend her. I'm here to tell you the truth."
Now Edward turned, his face hard. "The truth? That you betrayed your own blood in front of the Council?"
"No," Mitch said calmly. "That you pushed her away. That Lucille didn't reject you because she's ungrateful or rebellious. She rejected you because you treated her like she was nothing."
Edward scoffed. "She is nothing, Mitch. An omega. Chosen for me, despite my clean, blue blood line. I'm Edward Jones. I deserve better."
"The Goddess chose her for you, not for us," Mitch said gently. "She's wiser than us and must have her reasons. All you had to do was accept her choice."
Edward scoffed loudly. "Why me? She usually pairs elites with elites and omegas with other omegas. Why was it different for me?"
Mitch shook his head. "You're wrong. You're not the first. Many elites have been in the same situation."
"I've never heard of any!" Edward snapped.
"That's because they didn't make it public like you did," Mitch replied firmly.
"I didn't make it public, she did! She rejected me in front of everyone and made it known!" Edward growled, his angry eyes fixed on Mitch.
Mitch gave a small chuckle. "You did, Edward. If there hadn't been mistreatment, she wouldn't have rejected you. I asked around and found out what happened at your class party and during her four years at Ebonvale University."
Edward slowly looked away, the truth hitting him hard.
Mitch stepped closer, his voice low and firm. "She's smart, Edward. Smarter than half the people on the Council. Do you even know what score she got in the university ascension exam?"
Mitch stared hard at Edward, whose face had turned sour.
"She got every question right. First time that's ever happened in this country. Then she graduated with a perfect 5.0 GPA. And you thought someone like that didn't belong in our family? You could've had a true partner, someone with amazing qualities to pass on to your future pups," Mitch said seriously, letting his words sink in.
"She was supposed to respect me," Edward said, his tone rising. "But she looked at me like she was better, than me." Edward wouldn't easily accept he had made a mistake.
"Respect you? After you encouraged others to hurt her?" Mitch asked.
"You could have protected her, but instead, you just stood by and let her suffer," he added.
Edward's eyes flashed. "So what? I was supposed to bow down to her? To an omega? Is that what you're saying?"
"I'm saying you should've seen her," Mitch said quietly. "Not her rank. Her. She could've made you better. But instead, you crushed her spirit."
Edward's jaw clenched, fists tightening. "She humiliated me in front of everyone."
"No," Mitch said. "You humiliated yourself by mistreating someone who did nothing, than to be fated to you."
Edward turned away again, breathing hard. "The Council agreed. She belongs in servitude."
"They agreed to five years. No physical abuse," Mitch warned, sensing Edward's anger and knowing he might make things hard for Lucille.
"The servitude is meant to give a chance for a possible re-bond. Remember that. Treat her well, who knows, things might work out between you two again," Mitch said calmly.
Edward gave a cold smile. "I don't need any re-bond, and I won't touch her. But I'll make sure those five years feel like fifty."
Mitch's face hardened. "You do that, and one day you'll wake up and realize you destroyed the one person who could've fitted perfectly in your life,"
Edward didn't answer. He just stared ahead, jaw locked.
Mitch turned to leave but paused. "Don't forget, Edward, power means nothing if no one respects the way you use it."
And with that, he walked away, leaving Edward alone with the truth, he failed to accept.
TWO NIGHTS LATER. DOWNLAND PACK.
"Take this, use it to stay in touch with me," Louis said, handing Lucille a small button phone.
She hesitated. "Is this really a good idea? He might not let me use it," she said worriedly.
She knew Edward would make life hard for her, and bringing a phone might make him even angrier.
"And what will you use then?" she asked, realizing the phone belonged to his brother. If she took it, would he be left without one?
She had planned to buy a cheap button phone with her first pay once she finished university. But everything had changed since the night of the class party.
"I'll get another one. I've already paid most of the money for it, just a little left. Brian offered to lend me the rest until I can pay him back," Louis explained gently.
"You don't have to let Edward know you have a phone. Aren't you still clever?" he added with a small smile.
Lucille slowly nodded and took the phone, staring at it quietly. "Five years," she whispered.
"I'll be 26 when this ends," she said with pain in her voice.
Five years of her life had been handed over to Edward. Five years of her youth, gone. She had made plans. Plans to get a job, save money, and support her family.
But now, all of that would have to wait.
"It's better than the silver-suppressing injection," Louis said softly.
Her wolf stirred uneasily inside her. Just the thought of that injection made her tremble in fear.
"Who is that man?" she asked.
Louis shook his head. "I heard his name is Lord Mitch. I don't know anything about his family," he said with a frown.
"I'm grateful to him," she said quietly.
If it weren't for Lord Mitch, her wolf might have already started fading away.
"Go get some sleep and try not to worry. I'll go with you to the city tomorrow, okay?" Louis gently pulled her hand, giving her a warm smile.
"Yeah… tomorrow, my suffering begins," she replied, her voice filled with pain and sadness.
"It won't last forever. I believe in my sister, she won't let him break her," he said to lift her spirits.
"Yes. He can't break me," she said firmly, nodding.
"We'll talk in the morning." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, then walked out of the room.
Not long after, her mother came in. This time, she didn't look sad, she wore a smile.
"Omegas are always serving, so there's nothing new about this punishment," Veronica said as she sat down on the bed.
"We were made to serve. It's just five years, before you know it, it'll be over," she added.
Lucille almost scoffed. Omegas born to serve? She was an omega, but she didn't believe that meant she was made just to serve. Still, she was too tired to argue with her mother.
"I'll be leaving early in the morning. Louis will come with me, then go back once I get to that house," she said, gently changing the topic to avoid hearing more about how low omegas were.
"The wardens sent the address through the village head today," she added, and Veronica nodded.
"That's fine. The Goddess will be with you," Veronica said, offering a quick prayer.
"She will," Lucille replied quietly.
Veronica didn't stay much longer. She stood and left the room.
Left alone, Lucille looked at her bag, already packed and leaning against the wall. She let out a soft sigh and lay down on the bed, hoping to get a bit of sleep.