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Bree only shrugged. She glanced up the stairwell, but there was no sign of Alex.
“I never wanted to be primary, you know,” Rose said with a sigh.
Bree’s gaze flew back to Rose. “But you were so good at it.”
“That didn’t mean I wanted it. I fought the ascension hard. My mother pulled me aside and gave me a stern talking to. She said I didn’t realize how lucky I was; said lots of people would love to not only have such a gift but such a purpose. She told me that, like it or not, I’d been given this gift and the pride needed me to get my act together. It now needs you to do the same. You’re going to tell me that it already has a perfectly good primary.”
“Well, it does.”
“True. I’ve met few omegas as strong as Dani. You’re stronger.”
“It was different for you. Your old primary was ready to step down.”
“Quite ready,” Rose agreed. “The position can take a lot out of a person, which is why most retired primaries stick to helping their loved ones as opposed to serving their entire pride. You can understand why Dani isn’t yet ready to step down.”
“I totally can. Would it really be so bad if she remained primary?”
“Your cat won’t tolerate taking orders from her. You know that, just like you know you may have to challenge her at some point.”
“I don’t want to fight her. I mean, I’d happily smack the shit out of her for being a bitch lately. But a duel? I’d rather avoid that. Especially because I think she’d rather die than submit and lose her position. I don’t want to kill her.”
Rose sighed. “Dani has come to let the role define her and she doesn’t feel that she’s anything without it—that happens to primaries sometimes. You should ask yourself something: do you truly not want the position, or are you worried that others are right; that you’ll fall like your mother did?”
Bree looked away. “She was a mess at the end.”
“It wasn’t her gifts that led to her death. They overwhelmed her, yes, but people can be overwhelmed by lots of things—not all end their lives. I find that it depends on the individual, not the circumstance, or those circumstances would all end in the same way.”
“You’re saying she was weak?”
“Not weak. Fragile. Charity was too compassionate. She could never switch off. Could never say no to people or set boundaries. She became overworked.”
Bree remembered that about her mother. Remembered her father nagging her about it, claiming she was pushing herself too hard.
“But it wasn’t until a pride mate she was counseling killed himself that there were any fractures in her shields,” Rose went on. “She took on all the blame; insisted she should have done more to help him. Nobody else blamed her, but she was sure it was her fault and that she didn’t deserve her gifts. In short, she gave up on herself.”
Bree didn’t remember that incident well. But she did recall how her mother retreated, crumbled, and lost all faith in her omega abilities. Yes, she’d given up on herself.
“What do you think she’d say about the Dani situation? Truthfully.”
“She’d tell me …” Bree sighed. “She’d tell me I was only thinking of myself, not the pride; that they needed me to pull my head out of my ass.”
“So do it. I see in you an emotional strength she didn’t have; a strength that Dani doesn’t have. What I don’t see in you is anything of Paxton, if that’s a worry for you—he was hollow; you’re his complete opposite. You’re fighting the ascension for all the wrong reasons, Bree. Stop letting the actions and whispers of others hold you back.”
The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs made them both look up. Alex soon came into view, holding a bottle of water in one hand and Bree’s jacket in the other.
Rose smiled. “Ah, Alex, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”
Resting the jacket on his shoulder, he gave the woman a brief nod.
Bree almost snorted. Always so polite.
Turning to Bree, he slid his hand into his pocket and fished out two pain pills. “Take these.” Once she gratefully grabbed them from his palm, he unscrewed the cap on the bottle. She swallowed the pills with the help of the water, and he gave a satisfied nod. “Here.”
Taking the jacket he held out, Bree slipped it on.
“Well, I have to get going,” Rose announced. “You two take care now.” She gave Bree a pointed look. “Think about what I said.” And then she disappeared into Benny’s parents’ apartment.
Bree looked at Alex. “So you’re even rude to old ladies, huh?”
“Yes. What exactly did she say to you?”
“A few things. But this pounding headache is kind of interfering with my efforts to take it all in.”
