My sins (on hold)

An obsession

DANTE'S POV:

When Caden said he found his mate, I had expected it to be a mistake. Mates were extremely rare and almost impossible to find. I would understand if the Gods blessed him with a mate. But, they knew who he was surrounded by, the darkness we each had inside ourselves. How could we be lucky enough that our omega found his perfect match? Was it a blessing or a curse to have two omegas, two weaknesses?

I was convinced it was a hoax. Somehow she must have known Caden had a well connected, powerful pack. I assumed she was after money or power. Whatever it was, I was reluctant for change. I had everything I could ever want in life. I wasn't ready to meet her, the one who I thought was going to manipulate Caden and break the pack up. 

This pack was the best thing to ever happen to me. Maybe the only good thing that occurred in my life. They breathed life back inside of me when I was dead. I loved each and every one of them. I would protect them all with my life. I wasn't going to let some mystery girl steal that from me. 

Then, Caden came to me first. 

He wanted me to meet his mate, Odette. His large, aqua eyes held so much hope, I couldn't say no. I couldn't voice my worries about this girl. Not when he was this happy. So, I went along with his plan. I told myself I only agreed for Caden's sake, nothing more.

I could care less about some girl. The pack dealt with enough stress worrying about one omega with our ties to dangerous associations. We didn't need another one. We only needed Caden. 

I only want Caden.

As I sat in a secluded room at Atlas's restaurant, waiting for the omegas to show, my senses picked up their scents.

Caden's familiar syrupy sweet perfume with a hint of cinnamon mixed perfectly with the caramel syrup spread across cold vanilla ice cream that was his omega's scent.

Suddenly, the idea of another omega didn't seem like a burden, more like a blessing. An image of the two sprawled across our bed, exhausted after their synced heat finally passed. Maybe this pack needed a woman's love. The pack was functioning well, but not thriving. We were each broken and mostly separated ourselves unless our omega went into heat.

Throughout the dinner, I couldn't get close enough of Odette. I was entranced by her presence, her innocence, and her scent. Instead of the manipulative, snobbish girl I expected to meet, she was an angel, gifted to us from heaven. It was funny that the universe gave us, of all people a pure and uncorrupted little girl.

Don't they know a demon lived with us.

It had to be a mistake. The Gods would never place her with us. With me.

The others pretended not to notice how deep the parasite was buried inside me. They tried to help. 

They couldn't. 

The only thing that pulled me out of the delirious haze of my daily routine was when I got my hands dirty. Not with dirt, but with blood. Although, sex gave me a fresh breath of air, it wasn't enough. Alcohol, drugs, and adrenaline were never strong enough to be my fix either.

I was molded into a monster, there wasn't much for me to live for. Only my pack and Caden. But, as the night went on, Odette started to grow on me. Her scent, with hints of Caden's forced their way down my throat and swirled into my heart, pumping it full of blood. 

Odette didn't know my past. She didn't see the blood on my hands. She didn't know the horrible things I've done for money, survival or my simple enjoyment. It was a new experience for someone other than the guys to look at me like a person.

Odette treated me with respect. She looked me in the eye without cowering in fear, without seeing the darkness that leaked from my pores. Something so simple meant so much. To her, I was just Dante, a man who's in her mate's pack. 

I leaned in closer and closer, trying drown in her compelling scent. I made inappropriate jokes to see the blush creep up her cheeks. I barely focused on my own meal and watched her like a hawk. I monitored her reactions and her movements. For example, she pushed away the green beans, but felt guilty about wasting food so I ate them. She was uncomfortable under my intense stare, so I only watched her more closely.

My beautiful omega, Caden, only glowed brighter in my eyes with Odette's presence nearby. They complimented each other. Not only their scents, but their pureness appealed to me. Caden was my first obsession, the only person I thought I would ever feel this way for, I was proved wrong. 

Was this why Caden wanted us to meet? Did he know Odette would capture my obsessive attention? How could he trust me with Odette? She seemed so delicate. She knew nothing of this world. She needed our protection. Now that I met her, I could never let her go. She was mine, just as Caden was mine.

In that first meeting, I decided that no matter what happened between my omegas and the pack, I would choose my beautiful omegas. They needed me and the protection I could give them. It was refreshing to be needed. Especially by someone with an innocent soul and solely pure intentions.

When the gunshot rang throughout the restaurant, I acted on the instinct that had been branded into my soul. To kill. I dragged the balding idiot outside and beat him to death with my bare knuckles. He pleaded with me, begged me to spare his life. I didn't care. It was his punishment for disrupting my time with my little obsessions. 

Overcome with my rage, my overdeveloped senses didn't take note of the gang of armed men approaching until it was too late. They riddled me with poison laced bullets that put me down before I could blink. Of course, Atlas hunted them down while I was in the hospital. I wasn't positive if he did it because he cared for me or to get his own revenge. However, I did know he had a name to uphold and therefore, he couldn't let someone harm his pack member without any repercussions. 

The unbothered haze threatened to take my life. I knew I needed my omegas and that Caden wanted to come back to live with the pack. He refused to come back and leave Odette alone, it was chipping away at him to chose between his mate and his pack. 

So, I devised a plan. One of the students at the school owed me a favor, I instructed him to started the fire at the school and in exchange, I would bail him out through a secret, untraceable  identity.

Although, I never told anyone of this plan, Atlas, Caspian, and Ronan quickly put the pieces together. Caspian could care less what I did, but the other two kept throwing long disapproving looks in my direction. I refused to let them affect me because both of my omegas were home where they belonged.

I gave Odette space and made sure not to crowd her. Every moment I wasn't around her, my skin itched to be near her. To be touching her. To simply breathe in her scent. I acted composed on the outside, keeping up my unbothered front. I didn't want to scare her off, not when I just got her. The others would not understand how taken I already was by her, how far I would go for her. 

I snuck away that one night to fight in the ring, but stopped after Odette had followed me and gotten hurt. My blood boiled when I saw the healing bruise on her face. One that I had caused unintentionally. 

I pushed her towards Caspian's room thinking they would have a moment together. I was wrong. I should have known he would freak out. Then, Atlas took Caspian's side. As usual, it was Atlas and Caspian against Caden and I with Ronan sitting on the side lines, never taking a side, but always trying to calm the situation down.

I went to her, to comfort her. I didn't know she would make the drastic decision to leave all together. I knew she was upset and I pretended to understand her side. I faked empathy for her situation. But, I didn't understand. How could she leave her mate so easily? 

How could she leave me? Did I mean nothing to her? 

She was my whole existence. I would do whatever it took to get her back.

Finally a new chapter. 

Did Dante's confessions surprise anyone?