The Omega Mated To The Four

Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

The day dragged on longer than I thought possible. Every class felt endless, every hallway another gauntlet of whispers and stares. By the time the final bell rang, I was more than ready to go home and leave the suffocating atmosphere of school behind.

As I wheeled my bike out of the parking lot, I spotted them-Elijah, Isaiah, Alex, and Austin. They were leaning against Elijah's jeep, waiting for me like they always seemed to be lately. Their presence was as predictable as it was infuriating.

"Need a ride?" Elijah called out as I passed them.

"No," I said, not even looking in their direction.

I hopped onto my bike, gripping the handlebars tightly as I pedaled past them. I could feel their eyes on me, but I ignored them, focusing on the road ahead.

The ride home was uneventful until it wasn't. About halfway there, the familiar rhythm of my bike chain suddenly gave way with a

loud clink.

"Damn it," I muttered, coming to an abrupt stop. I hopped off the bike, inspecting the chain, which had slipped off completely. It dangled uselessly, smeared with grease and dirt.

Before I could even begin to figure out how to fix it, the hum of Elijah's jeep engine filled the air. I looked up to see the black vehicle pulling up beside me.

"Need help?” Elijah asked, rolling down the window.

"No," I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended.

The door opened, and he stepped out, followed by the others. They approached cautiously as if they were afraid I'd lash out, which wasn't entirely off base.

"Stormi," Isaiah began, his tone annoyingly calm, “it's just a bike. Let us help."

"I said no!" I barked, shoving the bike forward.

The twins exchanged a look, and Austin stepped closer. "Come on, little mate. You don't have to do everything by yourself."

I turned on him, my anger bubbling over. "Yes, I do! I've always had to do everything by myself!"

They froze, clearly taken aback by the venom in my voice.

don't get to pretend to care now," I continued, my voice shaking with frustration. "Just because I'm suddenly your mate doesn't mean you actually give a damn

miserable?"

his hands in a placating gesture. "Stormi,

doing

I never have."

tangible. For a moment, none of them

handlebars of my bike and started walking, the broken chain

They didn't leave.

1/3

Chapter Twenty

bike along the side of the road. They followed at a crawl, keeping just enough distance to avoid another outburst

my nerves, but I refused to give them the satisfaction of looking

being ridiculous," Alex called out from the

voice was loud enough for

my hands gripping the handlebars so tightly my knuckles turned white. The afternoon sun beat down on

Elijah's voice called out, softer this time. "At least let us give you

ignored him, my jaw

is stupid," Austin said, clearly frustrated. "We're not trying to upset

doing a terrible job of it," I

and my

could feel their

of the forest, my arms and legs were screaming in protest. The cabin was still a good fifteen minutes away, and I

came to a stop a few feet behind me, and

of them getting out,

are you doing?" I demanded,

the rest of the way," Elijah said

stared at him, incredulous. "You've got to be

"And we're not

didn't have the strength. Instead, I turned

which was a small mercy. But their presence was impossible to ignore, their

me.