We were all so concerned about whether or not we could trust her; I hadn’t once considered whether she could trust us.
The question of it sank in deep, making me uncomfortable. Could she trust us? We wouldn’t harm her, not physically, at least. Even Owen wasn’t so blinded by hisemotions to do something like that. Emotionally, though, there was another question. We had been cruel to her. Unnecessarily cruel.
If we were going to make this work, we had to address the past. We had to figure out how to get over it. Since nobody else seemed to be very interested in pulling off that bandage, it was up to me. Owen wasn’t going to be happy about it, but maybe if we laid things bare, he’d stop growling and snapping at Jasmine constantly.
At least, I hoped that's how it would go.
“I would like to have a discussion,” I announced as I set up the table. “Can we all gather, please?”
Killian and Jasmine, who had found a spot of horsetails near the water, looked over and made their way back. Owen slumped into his chair, his expression softer than it had been in quite a while. Renz grabbed a pack of cards and tossed them onto the table. When I gave him a look, he shrugged as though to say, “Just in case.”
Once we were all seated, I found myself at a loss for words. Admitting mistakes wasn’t easy for me. As an alpha, I felt like—
Hmm. I should have been saying this out loud.
“As an Alpha, I feel like I should always be confident in my decisions. Making mistakes doesn’t feel like an option,” I said, the words feeling strange on my tongue. “But I also believe that there are many times when admitting mistakes is necessary. And so I want to do that.”
I didn’t want to look at them, so I looked at the lake instead. It was really more of a pond, with clear water that glistened in the cool spring afternoon. Plants had come burstingto life all around it, seemingly further into their summer readiness than the ones in our territory. Even the air felt lighter. The Burgess territory really was clear of the darkness that threatened Tyrell.
“I don’t know how to apologize for the past,” I said at length. I was surprised that they let me sit in silence for so long. “At the time, it felt like the natural thing to do. Omegas were the enemy. And you were more of an enemy than anyone else. It was wrong. I regret our behavior, mine in particular. I wish things had happened differently.”
Finally, I turned my gaze to Jasmine. Her liquid black eyes were wide, mouth slightly open. Her cheeks were slightly colored.
I stared at her, waiting for her to speak.
“So…you’re sorry for how you treated me?” she asked, voice hushed.
“I…yes. I’m sorry,” I said, the word like a strange marble on my tongue.
Jasmine leaned back in her chair. “I’m not sure how to respond. I’m not sure I really believe you. I want to. I want to believe all those of you who have apologized.”
I nodded once. She wasn’t accusing us of lying, which was a start. “I want to take this time for us to get to know each other, so that you’ll understand that we are genuine.”
Though she did say, ‘those of you who have apologized.’ I had a feeling I knew who hadn’t.
“You’ll be surprised to know that I was the most rebellious of us growing up,” Renz said, chuckling. “I used to get into all sorts of trouble, but Killian was usually there to pull me out of it. Owen and Jace were always straitlaced and never let ushave any fun, but sometimes I could convince Killian to help me with my adventures.”
Jasmine turned toward him. “What sort of adventures? I never heard anything about you getting into trouble.”
Renz launched into a story of when he had decided to become a hermit in the woods. He’d stolen a carton of eggs from the grocery store, then found a place in the woods to bury them, intending that they would end up as his food store. After he ‘ran away’ a week later, Killian found him just in time to stop him from eating said eggs.
“Then he told Owen, and Owen made me confess to the store and pay them back,” he concluded, shaking his head with an exaggerated sigh. “And that was the end of my hermit dreams.”
“Lucky you have such good friends, then,” Jasmine said.
I took the opportunity and leaned forward. “And you? What friends do you have?”
If we could find out more about her, maybe Owen would trust her more. But even as I asked, the guardedness came back to her face. She dropped her gaze to the table and lifted one shoulder. Killiam cleared his throat, but before he could speak, Owen did.
“What about the Omega in the trailer park with the twins? The one you gave flowers and tea?” he asked gruffly.
Jasmine’s head shot up. “How did you know about that?”
Owen coughed. “Followed you. So, who is she? She seemed like a friend, but also like she didn’t want to be seen talking to you.”
Jasmine stared at him for a long moment.
“She’s the one whose job you asked me to look into, right?” Killian probed gently.
