AllFreeNovel
Share Us
One year later
Walking down the hallways of the gallery, I gaze at the paintings on display. Soft, ambient music plays in the background, adding to the atmosphere.
There’s a recurring floral theme in all my paintings. The flowers are painted quite realistically with extreme details added to the textures and patterns on their petals.
While an onlooker would be impressed with the visuals at first glance, they’d have to take the time to understand the meaning behind each piece of art.
I halt before a painting of wilting sunflowers and stare at it.
The whole plant is kept in an ornate gold pot but since the arrangement stands in a darkened room, the flowers have no chance of surviving. Petals of gold turn into shades of brown before finally dropping to the ground.
“This is the most thought-provoking piece in the entire collection,” a soft, feminine voice speaks from beside me. “You can put a plant in a gold pot but without sunshine, it’ll perish. I guess you’re trying to represent our spirits here.”
Turning my head, I stare at the face of an old friend.
“Kaida!” I gasp.
“Hey,” she says, grinning at me. “So, this is what you’ve been up to over the past few years.”
Kaida’s known me since we were both studying and training at the omega academy. She was always a champion of radical ideas. She firmly believed that omegas need to be strong and independent instead of depending on their alphas for everything.
Kaida was my one true friend who kept warning me about Jake. Back then, I hated her for trying to come between me and the man I loved.
The last time I saw her was the night Jake revealed his true face to me.
My respect for her grew after I came face to face with reality. I paid with my life to understand the things she kept telling me.
It feels like an eternity has passed since I last saw her.
“You’re absolutely amazing!” she gushes, moving closer to hug me. “I’m so glad you ditched that asshole and claimed your purpose in life. You’re an absolute gem of an artist, Rory!”
A grimace forms on my lips at the mention of my ex-boyfriend.
“I wish you stayed in touch with me,” Kaida says, looking suddenly hurt. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”
“I’m sorry,” I say in the sincerest tone I can muster. “I needed time to get sorted with everything. It took a while to get out of the shitstorm Jake unleashed on me.”
An understanding look descends into my friend’s eyes. Nodding, she hugs me again. “I’m glad you got out of his clutches before he could hurt you further,” she says. “Did you know he was associated with the Black Widow?”
A hint of regret washes over me. I wish I’d been smart enough to ditch Jake before he could hurt me.
“Let’s forget about him,” I say, trying to smile.
“Yeah, there’s no point in wasting our breaths talking about that piece of shit.”
Kaida’s disgusted look makes me smile. She’s still the same old person who hates overbearing, cruelly dominant alphas like Jake.
“I thought you’d never understand the things I’d tell you,” Kaida says, glancing at the painting before us. “Omegas need to get out of the archaic mindset that they need alphas to protect them. It’s vital to find our own identities before settling down with a pack or we’d miss a very important part of our hearts and souls.”
“It took a while for me to understand this,” I say in a quiet voice. “I used to think nothing mattered more than submitting to my alpha. In the end, I was the one who got hurt for believing in the stupid ideals they touted in the academy.”
“What changed you?” Kaida asks, looking directly into my eyes. “Something drastic must’ve happened for you to change your beliefs.”
“I met my true mates,” I say, smiling. “Seth, Oliver, and Simon made me see my worth. I was a broken mess when I met them but they built me back piece by piece.”
“Wow, you have three mates?” she squeals. Her voice is so loud, it echoes around the vast, empty hallways of the gallery.
“Hush!” I hiss, putting a finger to my lips. “I know the exhibition is about to close but there could still be some patrons around.”
