Free Web NovelChapter 44: A Golden Retriever Is Still A Dog
Oracle Pov frёewebnoѵēl.com
"I’ve never been in love before," I say suddenly, my thoughts drifting as I walk through the grass field with my hands clasped behind my back. "Oh really? Does that mean you don’t love me?" Lorali exclaims, turning her head to face me. The setting sun gleams behind her, painting her in gold, while the wind brushes through her short hair, lifting strands that dance in the fading light.
"No, no, no," I explain quickly, shaking my head. "It’s just that I haven’t been in love since before I met you, so I’m new to all of this." She gives me a small nod before turning her back to me, her shoulders stiff, her voice steady. "So you do love me," she confirms.
I nod, even though I know she can’t see it. "I do love you, more than you can imagine. When I am away from you, it feels like my skin is on fire, like my heart could stop beating if you are not near me." She suddenly laughs at my words, the sound unexpected and somehow feeling me with dread "If you love me so much, why did you reject me?" Her voice rings out in my head, echoing, specifically focusing on the word rejection. The air between my lungs catches, and a sharp pain hits my shoulder.
"I... I..." I stutter, unable to defend myself, my tongue heavy, my mind blank. And then everything goes black.
"Wake up!" A familiar male voice shouts in the hollow darkness. My eyes snap open, and I see the familiar white ceiling of my bedroom above me. Tears stream down both sides of my face, and a hollow feeling fills my stomach. Even in sleep, I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. The same dream, over and over again still haunts me.
"Do you always cry in your sleep?" Torin’s familiar voice questions, his musk scent invading my room. His voice makes me remember the amount of pain my face is in currently, not that I blame him for any of it. I sort of deserve it.
I clench the veil in my hand and use it to cover my face. If I don’t make eye contact with him, he’ll have to leave me alone, right? Wrong. Torin isn’t going anywhere. For the first time in his life he’s staying and he makes it clear he’s not leaving by opening my curtains, letting in a bright, blinding light that penetrates the veil on my face and stabs at my eyes. I quiver from the light like a vampire hiding from the sun.
"Torin, please leave," I beg, but my begging falls on deaf ears.
"This room is filthy. I’ve seen pigs live better than this," he says, opening the windows, going on and on about how fresh air is good for the brain. His words drag me back to my high school days when it was the weekend and my mom made it a point in her Saturday calendar to do the exact same thing Torin is doing. She’d barge into my room, throw open the windows, blast music through the house, and force me to clean. Those Saturdays were hell on earth like she’s the one who decided to clean but we all had to help.
"Seriously, would it kill you to put your dirty laundry in the laundry basket? That’s why you have the basket to begin with," Torin exclaims, stressing over a couple of trousers and socks on the floor. He uses his pinky to lift them from the ground and toss them into the laundry basket in my closet.
For a man unwanted in this room, he sure is moving like he belongs here, like who told him to open the window? Who told him I wanted fresh air? I was perfectly fine inhaling carbon dioxide. I’m already counting down the days until he goes on a business trip. At least then I’ll be able to be depressed in peace.
"Torin, what do you want from me?" I groan, my words dragging, my voice singing with irritation.
"Oh, glad you asked. I almost forgot, looking at your filthy room." Torin focuses his gaze on me and walks over to where I am on the bed and stands beside me with his arms crossed tightly across his chest.
"Why do you hold that veil? Is it like a blankie? Where did you get it?" he questions, his eyes narrowing on the fabric clutched in my hands.
I let out a long breath, annoyed, my fingers tightening around the veil. "Torin, I am not in the mood for talking right now. Please, just tell me what you want," I ask again, my voice strained.
"Oh yes... you are going to apologize to Lorali for marking her without consent. It’s disgraceful that you even did that. I understand you lost control, but come on now, you need to take responsibility instead of pretending this never happened."
"What?! You want me to apologize for marking my mate?" I say, flabbergasted, my voice rising.
Torin lifts his brow at me, his eyes flashing with something I cannot quite put my finger on. "Mate? Before you put that mark on her, did you ever intend on being a faithful mate?" His voice sounds as if his on the verge of losing it and hitting me.
"What does—" I begin, but he cuts me off mid‑sentence. "No, you did not. You never intended on being a faithful, true fated mate. You knew you could never be with her, because that would mean choosing between Walter and the pack you’ve known since you were a child, or her. You knew you’d choose the pack, yet you still bonded with her. You made no effort to stop yourself from placing that mark, and now you’ve ruined your life and hers."
I look away from Torin, my gaze drifting back to the ceiling. My chest feels heavy, worse than when I woke up from that terrible dream. I know I’m to blame for most of the chaos in this house. If only I had controlled myself, none of this would have happened.
"If you’re here to make me feel worse than I already do, then please leave," I sigh, my voice hollow.
"No. I am not here for that or for you. I would prefer none of this had you involved, but it does. So I am actually here to help Lorali feel better, and that involves you." Torin’s voice is not optimistic, but firm.
"How am I involved? And since when do you care about Lorali?"
"Since you fucked up. And you’re involved because you bonded her, idiot." He shouts the words idiot and bonded, his voice echoing against the walls. Then, calmer, he adds, "The doctor says Lorali needs her bonded mate in close proximity. The distance between you two is part of the reason she looks the way she does."
"I can’t go, Torin. I can’t face her." My voice cracks. It’s bad enough that I’ve been the cause of her suffering over the past few months, but to also be the reason for her ill health makes me ashamed to face her even more. All I can remember is the look on her face when I rejected her right after bonding with her. I feel like the piece of shit that I am, and there is nothing I can ever do to set things right.
"Would you relax? It’s not like the bond you placed on her is killing her. It’s just part of the reason she looks ghostly, as the doctor said. All you need to do is be in close contact for a couple of hours a day, and she’ll be perfectly fine." Torin claps his hands together, pulling me out of my spiraling thoughts.
"Torin, no. I physically cannot be in the same room as her," I say, my voice trembling.
He scoffs aloud, his patience snapping. "Oracle Spade, I will drag you to that room." His voice is stern, leaving no room for complaint. I know he means it. He will actually drag me to that room just like he punched me in the face multiple times yesterday.
I quickly force myself out of bed and onto my feet. My body feels heavy, my legs weak, but I stand anyway. I’m still wearing the same set of sweats I wore yesterday which are now stained with my own blood sprinkled across the fabric.
"Good. Thank you for cooperating. I really didn’t want to drag you, I felt as though it would ruin my image in Lorali’s eyes." Torin’s voice is calm, but his words carry a smug undertone. He straightens his posture, adjusting his tie as if preparing for an audience. "I want her to think of me as a soft guy, someone dependable, someone like a golden retriever. Omegas love that kind of alpha, and I can see she does too. She’s warming up to me."
I stare at him, confusion running through me and suspicion twisting in my chest. My brows knit together, and I tilt my head slightly, studying him. "Torin... what are you up to?"
"Fixing your mess. That’s what I’m up to." His tone sharpens, his eyes narrowing as he points a finger at me. "Now, put a smile on that pretty face and go be a loving mate to Lorali."
I roll my eyes at his words, instantly uninterested in finding out more about whatever scheme he’s plotting. My hand rises to my forehead, rubbing at the tension building there. His voice drones on, but I let it fade into the background, my thoughts circling around Lorali instead.
Torin notices my lack of enthusiasm and steps closer, his arms crossing again, his gaze heavy on me. "Don’t think you can ignore me. You’re involved whether you like it or not. If you don’t put on a proper act, she’ll see right through you, and then everything you’ve tried to hide will come crashing down."
I exhale slowly, my chest tight, my patience thinning. "Torin, you’re acting like this is some performance. Like you’re auditioning for her approval."
He smirks, unbothered by my accusation. "Maybe I am. Maybe that’s what it takes to fix what you broke. If she sees me as reliable, if she sees me as the one who cares, then she’ll start to heal. And you—" he pauses, his eyes locking onto mine, "you’ll have no purpose and matter that you bonded with her." Is he jealous? No, impossible.
I shake my head, my lips pressing into a thin line. His words feel manipulative, rehearsed, yet there’s a strange conviction behind them that unsettles me. My fingers tighten around the veil in my hand, the fabric crumpling under my grip.
"Torin, I don’t care what image you want to project. Just tell me the truth. What’s your real plan?"
He leans in slightly, his voice dropping lower, almost conspiratorial. "My plan is simple. Lorali deserves better than the chaos you’ve given her. If I have to play the golden retriever to make her smile, then I’ll do it and as much as I want to be her only salvation in this dark time in her life I can’t cause I need you to stand beside her, whether you want to or not. Because if you don’t, she’ll break, and when she breaks, so does this pack and most importantly Spade."
Damn, I thought I was bad, Torin planning on using Lorali for the sake of Spade. He is basically playing with her emotions for gods know how long. Who have I never seen it before? This man is the Devil.
