Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
LUKA
Our omega stormed away before we could stop her, her distress on the subject clear, her despair written all over that pretty little face of hers.
“Had no one told her?” Alfie looked just as distressed, the poor beta hating when there is any sort of disharmony within our group.
It was clear our omega had a lot to learn. The Omega Industries failed her. How many had they failed before her? What was their advantage to not giving out the full extent of information to their females? More government funding? That didn’t seem worth messing with our omegas’ lives.
I stood, placing my palm firmly on the table as I stood, trying to decide if I should give her time or go after her. Having a female in our midst was new, and I wasn’t confident on the right action.
“Should I go after her?” I finally asked my unit, who looked equally confused about what to do.
“She needs to know,” Felix said. “Fuck. I’m furious on her behalf. Why didn’t they tell our omega?”
“I’m reporting them first thing tomorrow, when all government agencies are open. The way they have treated Sydney is shameful,” I stated, tasting how well I liked saying her name on my lips.
Sydney.
Such a pretty name for our omega.
“They need legal action against them.” Alfie leaned back in his chair. “This whole situation is, well… it’s embarrassing for them, to be sure. A government agency dropping the ball like this, despicable. Go to the omega. Don’t let her worry more than she needs to.”
I nodded once before stepping away from the table and following the sweetest scent of cherries down the hallway and through our room. At the closed door to our omega’s nest, I knocked.
“Sydney.” I rapped my knuckles again. “Can we talk?”
She didn’t answer me, but I knew she was there. If her soft sniffles didn’t give it away, her sweet scent would have.
“Omega. I know you’re in there. I’d like to talk.” I pushed the power of my alpha behind my words, causing her to whimper before the door pushed open the tiniest of cracks.
I used the open door as an invitation and pulled it the rest of the way, opening her space to me. I found her standing in a corner, a soft blanket she had taken from our linen closet clung tightly in her fist.
“I am sorry, Alpha.” She sniffed. “I should have told you before we left the industries, but I was afraid and I, well, I am selfish, Alpha. I didn’t want to stay.”
“Sydney.” I sighed as I stepped forward, “You don’t need to cry.”
Telling her not to cry was counterproductive because it caused her only to sob harder. “I’m sorry.”
“No, little omega. I’m sorry they failed you.” They failed her too damn much and it was infuriating. They should have told her the truth. It was their responsibility to educate her, and the only thing they educated her on was how to be like every other omega in this world. They wanted to take away what made her unique, and the more I looked at her, the more I was convinced that there would never be a way to make an omega like her invisible. "I'm sorry they failed you and didn't tell you the truth."
"The truth?" she questioned, those bright glassy eyes on me.
"Omegas do go into heat, that part is true." I closed my eyes for a moment, focusing on her, on my wants, on my desires. In seconds she was bending over, her hands on her stomach.
"What's happening to me?" she gasped, fear in her eyes laced with the want that was a reflection of my own. I pulled back on my projections, until she could no longer feel my power pushing at her.
"Omegas go into heat naturally, Sydney. But others, well... an alpha can force heat if they desire. If the omega is capable. And... just that simple display right now tells me that you are more than capable of bearing our children, when your body is ready."
"I don't understand." Her fingers held tight to the cotton, using it as an anchor.
"You can go into heat, Sydney. You will one day. I won't force it unless you ask me to. But I can. When we are ready and if you accept us, we will have a family. If... I mean, if that is what you want too."
As an alpha, I'd never wanted anything more. We crave a family. Spend our whole lives building up to the perfect point where we could have one of our own. Every instinct inside of us, no matter how hard we try to fight it, urges us to procreate. Now, after years of building our company, creating a home we could be proud of and making sure we were stable for our omega, we were ready. It was time. Hell, it was time years ago, if only we didn't have to wait for our number to be called through the Industries.
When the silence grew too heavy between us and she still didn't speak, I asked, "You do want children, don't you?" Her eyes fell to the floor, avoiding my question. I barked out her title, urging her to look at me. "Omega!"
Instantly her head snapped up, unable to resist my demand. "I- I hadn't had much of a family, Alpha. I don't know if I'd be good at it."
"Oh you'll be good." Alfie stepped around me. "You'll be perfect. And want to know the best part?"
She sniffed, and it was physically killing me. "What?"
"We'll learn together."
Her eyes lit up at the words, and for a moment, I hated my beta. Hated that he had such a carefree way with people that he could make even the most despaired omega open up. But I knew it was wrong. We were a unit for that reason. I hand-picked Alfie because of that quality. He wasn't just one of my best friends, but he was the gentlest soul I knew. A quality our omega needed.
"It's settled then," I cut in, interrupting the stare they were locked into. "The omega stays." I paused, reminding myself that I was an alpha and I gave orders, but maybe I should be gentler on my orders with my omega. "That is, if she'll have us."
"How could she not?" Felix joined us. "Have you seen this dimple?"
He smiled, pointing a finger at the indent in his cheek, causing her to laugh as she brushed the tears away. With a final sniffle, she spoke. "That dimple is hard to resist. I guess I have no choice."
Jealousy rolled through my gut at the thought that she was staying only for the delta, even as my alpha assured me her omega purred happily in his presence. But it was hard to believe my instincts, hard to trust what my inner alpha was saying when my omega didn't look at me quite the same as she did them.
"We weren't done with our discussions." My words came out harshly, and everyone in my unit flinched. My men from how I sounded, my omega out of... fear?
"Yes, Alpha." Her eyes instantly dropped to the floor.
"We need to mark you."
"I'm aware." She blinked a few times after speaking. "I mean, that's what I've been taught, Alpha."
Hmm... Did our omega have some hidden sass in her? My dick pushed against the zipper of my pants, my alpha begging me to mark her now. Urging me to see how far I could push our girl until she gave us every single thought in her sweet little mind.
"Look at me when I speak, omega." I hated that they taught omegas to be so submissive. In our home, she was the leader and we were her mere peasants, falling at her feet to serve her.
"Yes, Alpha." Her big, pretty eyes raised to mine and fuck, she was gorgeous. But I wished she left those cute little glasses on. Her head tilted to the side, exposing her neck, and blood rushed to my ears at the temptation. "Do it."
I made no move. In fact, every one of us stiffened at our omega's offer. After the silence hung heavy for far longer than necessary, I stated, "I will not."
"Is it not how it's done? In the manual?—"
"Forget the fucking manual!" I roared, then stepped back, holding my palms up when I saw her cower. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout." Fuck, I wasn't helping my case any. Yelling would not earn her favor. "It's just... offensive that you would offer your neck in such an impersonal way. Though it is true that, to mark you as ours, we will bite your neck. A simple bite, especially one that would be as painful as that, would be impersonal. I - we had already discussed how we wished to mark our mate permanently, and we prefer a more intimate route."
"Intimate?" Her eyes squinted a little, as if she couldn't figure out what exactly I meant. Had they really only taught our omega the bare minimum of subjects that fit the agenda they were trying to push?
"Omega. Had they taught you anything about coupling?"
Her face reddened, turning the prettiest shade of scarlet, and I wanted to reach forward and run my thumb along her cheek. But I doubted she'd appreciate it, not when we were having such a conversation.
She looked down, and my eyes followed her gaze, locking in on pieces of our clothing she had added to her nest this morning. My alpha growled with satisfaction, not realizing that he wasn't reading the room well. Yes, I wanted to take our mate, but I wanted her to be educated on what was to come first.
When she didn't answer me, I pressed forward while Felix and Alfie shifted uncomfortably beside me. "While it's true that an omega goes into heat and begs their alpha for his knot..." Her chest heaved and her eyes widened at the topic. "A unit doesn't need heat in order to..."
Fuck, I couldn't find the words. This was harder than I thought it would be. Luckily, Alfie chimed in, "In order to enjoy each other’s company."
Her brows pinched together as she whispered, "Enjoy each other’s company."
"What I think they are saying, love, is that the activities of heat are not only for when you are in heat. In fact, we quite enjoy it any time. And if we were to mark you, claim your skin, your body, your soul, as ours... we'd rather do it when you're in the throes of pleasure where you can enjoy the marking, and not when your body is stiff and ill-prepared."
"Oh."
"Yeah. Oh." Alfie stepped forward, taking her hand and twining their fingers. "Now let's go finish that breakfast that's grown cold and we can discuss other factors more, now that we've got your worries settled."
He pulled her away from the room. Her comfort in him made my inner alpha roar with jealousy. In time I knew she would be comfortable with me too, but I wanted it all now. I was impatient, a common trait of an alpha. I didn't want to wait for her to warm up to me; I wanted instant gratification.
When I finally brought myself to follow them, they were sitting at the table again, discussing the details of what Alfie and Felix would do with her once she could leave the house. Movies. Shopping. Dining out. And the jealousy in me wanted to be the first to do all these things with her, to show her all that I could offer as her leader, to beat on my chest and claim myself as her caretaker. But I did none of those things as I reclaimed my seat, hoping that soon she would see that I could offer greatness, just like my beta and delta. That I too was worth the attention my alpha was clawing inside to take.