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Kathryn always felt it wasn’t fair she had to have a baby brother, but then it just got worse.
She didn’t thought it was fair she lost her mom as a child, and she begged to every star, every saint every birthday cake and even to Santa to bring her mom back, with her baby brother and her grandma, she never knew how the fire started, she only curled on the floor after the boom, and waited there until someone’s arms wrapped around her. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
It wasn’t Jensen.
Time passed and nobody ever knew what actually happened.
What everybody knows is that there’s a condition called skidding, the last of the bond before it breaks, is not accepted that a bond actually breaks, but there is actual medical proof that it happens; in some cases when a mate is shunned the last defense of their bodies try to bring the mate back by any means, even if by killing the partner the mate chose instead.
The skidding is the last of the bond desperate to get the couple together, sometimes t affects the alpha and it’s a known thing that some alphas kill their mates, nobody thinks twice of it, nobody, not even authorities. Its part of the instinct of every alpha; possessiveness, nobody thinks twice of it.
But when the omega is the one skidding? There are jokes, millions of them; they’re mocked, ridiculed, poor needy sluts that can’t get over a knot.
It took Kathryn twelve years to find out what Skidding was and why Jensen took her out of a house in flames, and six more to know that Richard had hid that from Alaina, so she won’t blame herself.
She had been motherless since young because her grandparents married their son to the first omega from a good family they could find. The worst part is that is not even Rekha’s fault. Before all this, she was just as nice as Jared or Rachel.
Richard always felt it was unfair that just because Hannah was a late bloomer and she presented as omega in her first year of college he had to be burdened with the responsibility of the family’s name.
It was unfair that they decided to mate him at 20, and it was unfair for Rekha because she had a friend, a special friend; Jess, they wanted to mate but her heritage didn’t allow her to fight her parent’s decision. Her culture being far more closed than the liberal one the Ackles’ belong to.
Richard always thought it was unfair he won the election, even if he had a chance to make a difference, it was unfair that Hannah was the omega, and Jensen was the baby, the pretty, and he was just Richard, the funny one.
It was unfair he was mated when he felt the scent of jazmin and ambar, so rich, so powerful he was knocked off of his feet.
It was unfair for Rekha, it was unfair for Alaina, and it was unfair that Jensen went around doing whatever he felt like while he had so many things to worry about.
The chat he had with his mate was bitter. “You ruined my life…” she accused.
“Mine is ruined too...” he said.
“You found your mate; Jess withered…” she said in tears. “This stupid bond is the only thing that keeps me alive… is not fair.”
Yeah, Richard knows is never fair.
Both faced the fact that their unhappiness had a reason, both faced the fact that there was NOW a reason of never having kids, and Rekha left; but the bond was really strong after so many years and the skidding made her go insane after few weeks.
Richard understood how unfair it was for her, because if it’d been him nobody had said anything but Rekha was going to dead row if he didn’t help her run away. He helped the murderer of his mother escape justice… because it was his fault.
He lost his mom, his sister, his nephew, Misha lost his mate, his son; Kathryn lost her mom, her brother, her grandmother. Dad and Jensen lost Mom because he was selfish, because of Alaina…Yet he couldn’t blame her, Alaina was the only one innocent in all this.
It’s said that an omega is whatever their alpha makes them, but he does not believe that; because it’ll mean he made Alaina the evil Step mother his family mock, because it’ll mean the sweet innocent, yet driven and determined omega he met at the office when she was starting as a low secretary had changed because of him.
And she did, she became something powerful and majestic, not the mousey little thing that went to business school and yet accepted a small job as some paper pusher secretary. Alaina Huffman, had been born and treated like one of the boys, nothing were given to her because she was a girl or because she presented as Omega; her mom a single mom/public omega made her understand early that she and her two brothers had to fight for what they wanted, especially her, she had to lower her head and work hard to get wherever she wanted to go because life for omegas was harsher. Never mind being a pretty one, people would only want one thing from a pretty omega girl.
So she was like a pitbull, and Richard admired her for that, when he had the best schools and everything he wanted, even if while groomed to be the Ackles’ heir she had to fight for every little bit, when he had a loving father and a warm mother always showing him love, she had two abusive alpha brothers and a mother who was always somewhere else.
Finding Alaina was a blessing for Richard, making him appreciate his life, she complemented his character, with her he could still make jokes, and she forced him to relax. And he wanted to relax; he NOW wanted to go to all those places Rekha and him always said they’d like to meet, but rather not with each other.
Richard wanted to take ghis mate everywhere, in an Aladdin kind of way, the entire world, places she only dreamed about, places where nobody pointed at her for being the second mate, take her away from her memories and the harshness of their world. Wanted to give her a fairy tale.
Alaina didn’t care much for it, She was happy just having aplace that was hers, a family that even if sarcastic and impossible to deal with, closed ranks when needed and showed on united front. Not everyon has that and this idiots should appreciate it more.
She was happy with Juliette taking out of her the bitterness and making her act like a mom, she was happy with her mate, someone that loved her unconditionally, that showered her with care, and kindness, it had nothing to do with money as others said, she would be happy if they were working with Jared and the stupid dogs. She was happy taking care of a family that were hers, and that would be on her side, she did her best to be the omega they needed, without Richard’s mom, she had to take care of Alan, and Misha, and Kathryn at first, even Jensen, the little bastard. She made her mate take weekends off- when possible- feat not even Rekha and his parents had achieved. And she’ll protect the Ackles, because she owed them a lot.
“you’re thinking so hard I can see smoke coming out of your ears…” she said entering his office with a cup of coffee.
It was the last day of his first term. “Jensen is an idiot for not wanting Jared.”
Alaina smiled. “both of them are idiots for not talking to each other.”
Richard held his mate by the waist pulling her to his lap. “I should talk to Jensen, and to Jared, there’s no need for this, no need for that kid to stay tied to us…”
Alaina smiled caressing her husband’s face. “is not our choice, is not our decision; let them be stupid and take the long way… they’ll end up together, I just know it.”
Richard sighed as Alaina kissed him; the papers in front of him were from Misha. He was leaving. But he had to wait, he needed peace and quiet and Alaina was that for him.
The phone call in the middle of the night made him remember the bad things, made him remember her mother’s ozone and lemongrass scent, made him think about the time Hannah and Jensen ran to the pool, Hannah broke her arm and her head needed 10 stitches while Jensen was left with a serious concussion, he remembers how protective everyone was when it was about Jensen. He could be left without siblings…
“MATED!!” and Alaina shushed him. “Are you fucking kidding me? You said it was a fake bond, heat bond and nothing else!!” Misha shouted in their faces.
Richard put himself between Misha and his wife. “Calm down Mish.” He had to, he had to take the blow for his brother, he had to protect Jensen.
“Do you know how long that kid had suffered for Jensen? How hard had tall this been for him?” Alaina sniffled facing the wall, and Richard had had enough, Alaina was at the verge of tears for this.
“It was Jensen’s decision, he wanted to give the kid his life back… you should know you warned him against us.” He said as his hand held Alaina’s
Misha moved closer protective and angry. “And I was right… wasn’t I? He has nobody, NOBODY, and he’s all alone here…” part of your bond ties your emotions to your mate, as is well known, Alaina’s heart plunged at those words and Richard wanted nothing more than kill Misha for making her heart do that. “Once this is over, I’m sending him with Kat.” He faced the door as the little bell sounded and it slid open, Richard touched his mate’s face and smiled trying to reassure her everything would be okay.
They were at the airport to say good bye both, Jared and Misha, and it left them empty, without kids their extended family was their responsibility.
It was Alaina who saw Juliette crying and asked Kathryn to take her to the bakery, it was Alaina who held the girls when they came back crying. It was her who hugged them when Jared was in the hospital and Juliette slept with her when her daddy was at the hospital.
Kathryn didn’t had the head for anything else, when she heard of Jensen and Jared splitting up, she cried, she didn’t even asked why, she just knew that sometimes mates are not really mates. She just knew that sometimes people does not stay forever in your life.
Being young you might have the age to know things, but not the maturity to understand them.
Jared and Jensen split was hard on her, she wanted a mating like her parents’; like Jensen and Jared’s but in both cases the couples didn’t’ last. So what was she supposed to think? Love stories with happily ever afters, those stories from movies and TV and books? Those were lies. Just look at her dad, alone and sad, at least he smiled when he thought he was being sneaky and visited Rachel; now here, in Chicago he had nobody, He’d wither away one of this days and she was scared.
Not to mention how harsh she had been with Jensen, how she told him he was a fool a liar and how she refused to even say good bye to him when leaving with her dad.
There was still a present on Jensen’s house, he offered his niece something when she left Kathryn didn’t take it, the second her phne buzzed to let her know about her uncle Kathryn felt like dying, Jensen was there with her since she remembers, he taught her to ride a bike and hid her when Misha wanted to punish her for splashing her piano teacher’s hair with ink.
He had been there for her, always…. How was she supposed to live when Jensen was at risk of death and the last thing he heard from her were hateful words?
Jensen was a limp form in a bed, the smell of chemicals and sickness too strong for anyone, there was a reason why Ju wasn’t allowed here, Kathryn cried over her uncle like an orphan, the pain of losing her mom all over again, they had the same smile, and it was the last one of the family that sang like her grandma, he couldn’t die.
Sometimes it’s that pain what makes you strong, she didn’t questioned her dad taking Jared with them, she didn’t explained anything to Jared, she never said anything else.
Neither her dad nor Jared commented when she presented as Alpha, by choice he kept it secret, and kept going unidentified, because Osric was alpha too and two alphas couldn’t be together, choosing being a beta was better.
The night Jared and Jensen finally made up she cried, hugged her dad and smiled like a fool, because maybe deep down fairy tales does come true.
The mating ceremony was the first time Osric meet her family, and poor thing was lost, Misha had been supportive all the time, he said he knew how it feels to be left out of your depth, cameras, paps, lights, the stupid planner that had him fitted into a new suit made him feel inadequate, not like she let him; she held his hand and asked him to be proud. “don’t let them look you down no matter what.” And remembering Jared she added. “they can be very intimidating, but it’s because they’re protective of me, don’t take it personal…”
Richard looked at the poor boy as if he were a fly in his way to expensive cocktail, Alaina only greeted him with a perfectly made eye brow up and a *Nice to meet you* so cold Osric needed a scarf.
When she announced her dad she was living with him now he said: “Good because Rachel is moving with me tomorrow.” Kathryn cried of happiness and hugged Rachel calling her mom right away.
She never guessed they’d live to see her in office.
Richard saw his family united and finally happy, his father dancing with Juliette as Jared and Jensen were lost in their own world with their song, the perfect end for their story, and the perfect beginning to the new one.
Being the Mayor was a good thing; he made a difference and helped his city, with time he changed laws allowing omegas to get equal rights in the measure of his possibilities. He then lobbied bigger changes in the nation. By the time he retired he was known as one of the best public servers ever, respected and loved by his city.
Who knew that it’ll be Kathryn the one carrying the beacon, Kathryn Ackles-Collins was the next Mayor Ackles, by the time Ju was married and JD was in college, who knew.
It started sad, yes, but there was nothing unfair in how things ended, with Kathryn being the first Beta in the office, her life partner Osric by her side.
Alaina and Richard lived in the ranch by the end of their lives, where nobody judged them.
It was a good story to tell, a different kind of story, they were writing history with their lives.
The end.