14. Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fourteen
I t feels strange walking into Ridgeview with my Alphas by my side. In high school, I was a loner. Something I carried on with me into university. Where I would have normally been walking through these halls completely invisible, I feel like every single eye is on us now. It feels unsettling having this kind of attention on me. Even more than that, the death stares aimed my way from unmated jealous Omegas feel even worse. There is no form of girl-code to some of them. They only care about themselves and if they need to fuck over a fellow Omega, they will in order to get what they want.
And what they want right now is my Alphas.
I try to reassure myself over and over again that they are mine and they aren’t interested in them but, after years of being told how worthless I am, becoming to believe what I was being told then my life doing a complete one-eighty, I feel more unsure and anxious than I have ever felt.
I bring my hand up to my neck, running my fingers over the raised mate mark on my neck. The touch eases something inside of me. That along with Jax’s hand in mine, I try to level out my breathing that had begun to spike.
We come to a fork in the hallway and stop. I turn, raising a questioning eyebrow to Jax. “We’ve got to head this way to our Home Room,” he sighs, nodding to the crowded hallway. He chews his lip as he looks down at me. I see the indecisiveness in his face, like he doesn’t want to be apart from me. I step up into him, wrapping my arms around his middle. Instantly, he returns the favour, holding me as tight as he can.
“We will only be apart for a little bit right? After Home Room, it's only one class and then we all have Gym together?”
I end it as though it's a question but I already know the answer. It seems Theo was incredibly productive during his phone call to the school yesterday, enough that we are all in the same classes, apart from Home Room and Omega Studies. Something that they each grumbled about. Although the thought of big three Alphas sitting in on a class where we learn how to be the ‘perfect Omega’ is comical to me. I kind of want to see it, just for entertainment purposes, obviously.
Jax bends down, kissing the top of my head before pulling back. It's clear he is reluctant to do so by the disgruntled look on his face.
“If you have any problems at all, you message us, okay? Promise me. Even if it might be nothing.”
The Alpha in front of me is far from the snuggly one from bed this morning. In front of
me is the Alpha that means business. The one that wants nothing but his Omega to be protected. I preen under his care. It shouldn’t make me feel like I am floating on cloud nine, but it does. I know that this kind of treatment is normal, but I’ve never had it before. My father only saw me as a cash grab. Or a nuisance. I guess it just depended on his mood that day.
I nod, unable to react any other way.
His eyes lighten at my submission to him.
“Good girl,” he praises, the words instantly weakening my knees.
Ledger replaces Jax, leaning down and capturing my lips in his. The kiss begins slowly but quickly turns heated.
It seems to be the way with him. After our moment in the store yesterday and judging by the feeling of his body against mine, I’d say that Ledger has a bit of a thing for exhibitionism. My cheeks redden as his hands start slowly making their way down my body before he grips my ass in his hands.
A groan escapes him and I break away before he can continue to get any more ideas. A hand grips mine and I am ripped away by Theo, “Come on, love, before those two get anymore ideas.”
I chuckle before eventually catching up to Theo’s pace. His hand remains firm in mine as we make our way down the hall before he opens the class door to let me walk in first. I smile up at him as I walk past him but instantly come to a stop as I find every single eye on us.
Instantly, I begin shrinking in on myself. It was alright when I had my three Alphas surrounding me, but now, I feel raw. Like I am cut open for everyone to see. Theo slides his hands around my waist, gently pushing my back to get me to walk. He pulls out a chair at the back of the classroom. Instead of guiding me into it, he takes a seat and pulls me into his lap.
I can’t help but curl myself up into his chest, seeking out his warmth and comfort I know that I will find.
I didn’t expect everyone to be like this .
What have they been saying since we left abruptly yesterday?
Anxiety fills me as my thoughts run a hundred miles an hour.
Theo begins rubbing my back and whispering in my ear in an attempt to calm me. “It's okay, love. They are just nosy. They just want to know why we have claimed you. You have nothing to be worried about.”
I nod into Theo’s chest as I try to embrace his words. Eventually, his soothing calms me down enough that I am able to extract myself from him slightly.
“There you are,” he smiles. The look so comfortable on his face, it's hard to imagine him ever feeling any other way.
I can’t stop myself from reaching up and running a hand over his jaw. The edges are sharp, each line outlining the utter perfection that he is.
A low rumble starts in his chest that slowly turns into a purr. I melt back into him, keeping my hand on his face.
The rest of the world seems to slip away as Theo and I are all but suspended in time. My Alpha holds me, comforting me when I need him the most. It feels like any hesitations I had for him previously completely dissipate in that moment.
I know without a shadow of a doubt that this man would do anything to protect me. He has already shown me that he is more than willing to.
What I find in his eyes confirms everything I feel in the depths of my soul too. This isn't a game to him. This isn’t some kind of find the weird girl and make them popular kind of bullshit.
This is real .
Just through his expression alone, I know that he is mine and I am his. No words need to be said to confirm it. I can sense that he feels it too as he tightens his hold on me. He leans his head down so our foreheads are touching, “You are the most beautiful creature, Kennedy Hayes.”
I’m unable to stop the lone tear that drips down my face. His words aren’t any kind of grand gesture but to me, they are worth more.
Eventually, we break apart right as the teacher comes into the room. He looks at where I am sitting on Theo’s knee for a moment. It seems to be for a second too long as I feel Theo tense up behind me. The teacher must sense it too as he quickly looks away and begins marking the roll.
I tune out for the majority of the class instead focusing on the way Theo’s hands rub over my back. The light massage helps to relieve the tension from the already stressful morning. The bell shocks me out of the trance I didn’t realize I had fallen into. Theo chuckles as I shoot out of his lap, “Don’t be so eager to get away from me now, love.” I turn around with him, my heart clenching at the thought of upsetting him.
“Theo, that’s not what I…”
He doesn’t let me continue before he leans down, capturing a quick kiss. “I was only joking, sweetheart.”
I stare up at him in shock, “Oh, you!”
I slap his stomach which he clutches, pretending that my hit actually hurt him. He laughs, standing back up to his full height.
“Come on, I’ll walk you to your class.”
I didn’t realize how much I had become to rely on the comfort Jax, Theo and Ledger had given me the past day as we reached the door to Omega Studies. It baffles me why we even have to do this class considering we have Designation Studies as well, but here we are. It makes me wonder if it is Ridgeview or the Council that dictates the classes here. Anxiety overcomes me and my breathing becomes rough at the thought of separating from my Alphas completely.
Theo instantly notices the change in me, immediately stopping and bringing his hands up to my face.
“It's okay, love. Remember what we said?”
I nod, albeit slightly but it doesn’t seem to satisfy him enough.
“No, Omega. I need your words. If you feel unsafe, I want you to send us a message in the group chat. One word and the three of us will be right here.”
“I understand.” My voice is a whisper but it does the job, satisfying the protective need inside of Theo.
“I will see you in an hour, okay?”
I nod, as he brings me into his arms. I dig my head into his chest and inhale as much of his scent as I can. Instantly, his vanilla mocha smell calms me down enough that I am able to take a step back from him.
He smiles down at me as I turn away from him. I feel his eyes on me as I walk into the room. Yet again, every single eye finds me. I rush to the back of the room, collapsing into the furthest chair from the front.
I can’t help but fall back into my earlier behaviours even with Theo’s assurance that I would be okay. It feels easier to hide away from the world. Normally, I just did it because it felt easier. Now, I feel like I need to hide because I would prefer to not have a group of Omegas with pitchforks coming after me .
Judging by the looks I can see from under the curtain of hair I am trying to hide under, maybe hiding still won’t be enough.
The teacher walks into the class and begins talking, introducing herself to the room. “Good Morning, Omegas. My name is Mrs. Hart. Welcome to Omega Studies. I know all of you most likely know a lot about your designation already, but in this class we are going to help fine tune you so you become ready for your future packs if you are not yet mated. For those that have already found your packs, this class will help give you pointers on things you can do to help satisfy your Alphas.”
Some of the Omegas around us squeal in excitement as their chatter begins to fill the room.
Mrs. Hart quickly begins to quieten the room as she continues droning on about our designation. Like she said, we already know the majority of everything she says. Nothing is new to me.
Even though my attention is far from this classroom I do notice the moment that chatter around the room begins to ramp up.
As I look up, I find a lot of eyes on me.
“What kind of spell did you put on those Alphas, Kennedy?”
I turn to look at Daisy who is all but glaring daggers at me.
I frown as I look at her. “Wha…What are you talking about?”
She laughs and a few of her friends join her.
“You obviously put some kind of spell on the Duran Pack. There’s no other way that they would be giving you their attention otherwise.”
Her voice is laced with a venom that matches the expression on her face. It's always been obvious to me that Daisy is the type of Omega that wants a pack purely for the money in their accounts and their standing in society.
I’ve heard enough having been a shadow for years. The same goes for the rest of the Omegas that she calls friends. Hearing what they each have to say behind the others’ back, it makes me glad I have never had a friend. The thought of the friendship being nothing but fake smiles and bitchiness is enough to turn me off for life.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if she is offering up something else to them as well. It's impossible not to miss the mark on her neck,” Brittany, one of Daisy’s minions sneers in my direction.
Instantly, my hand goes up to my neck, touching my mate mark from Jax. The touch of my fingers sends a shiver through my body but it's not enough to calm down the rising panic in my chest.
The reminder of my Alpha’s demand that I message them if anything goes amiss immediately pops into my head but I quickly dismiss it. Why would they want to come and rescue me from something like this?
They wouldn’t even care.
“Have you seen the kinds of clothes she wears? Why would an Alpha want an Omega that dresses the way she does?” Another Omega mutters but I can’t place who it came from. “She looks like gutter trash!”
“I’ve seen the bruises on her skin. She’s tainted goods.”
“They are just going to use her and get rid of her when they are done.”
“That’s all she is good for anyway.”
Their words begin to layer over the other. The comments begin to drown me in the exact thoughts that have been invading my mind .
Why would three of the most breathtaking Alphas I have ever seen want me? Why would it matter that I am their scent match?
They could do so much better than me.
They are right. I am damaged goods.
I am broken.
Why would they want an Omega that's broken?
An Omega that flinches every time she is touched.
One that dresses like I do when they could have one that dresses the way Daisy does. They are too good for me and always will be.
Tears begin to flood down my cheeks as the insults become too much. Their words break me in a way that my father’s beatings never have before. While a lot of his abuse was external, this breaks a vital part inside of me that I had been protecting.
A part that I refused to let my father destroy no matter how much he broke every other part of me.
Yet, these Omegas are succeeding at doing something he couldn’t.
They are ripping away that last bit of me.
My hope.
Hope that I would one day feel happiness. The hope that one day I would have Alphas that save me from my life.
Now, it feels like there is nothing left for me. That Jax, Theo and Ledger will see me for who I truly am. That the excitement of meeting their scent match will fade. That I will become a chore to them.
Dealing with someone with my baggage will be too much for them.
It's clear I already am.
Fuck, from the first moment I met them my issues have been on full display. I feel a piece of scrunched up paper hit the side of my head. I jolt, finding the offending scrap on my desk. I reach out, going to pick it up when another ball hits my shoulder. I snap my hand back before bringing my knees up to my chest. I bury my face as far as I can in an attempt to protect myself from the world around me.
I can’t control my sobs as they rack their way from my body.
I couldn’t stop them even if I tried.
It's all too much.
I can’t continue to drown like this.
I am worthless. I am a waste of space.
Jax, Ledger and Theo would be better off without me. They will move on. They will find happiness without me burdening their life.
The Omegas around me continue to throw bits of paper at me. Their taunts become even more viscous the more I hide.
A roar immediately ceases the abuse. The paper hitting my body stops and the insults are halted.
For a moment, the entire room is silent.
“Baby. Baby, can you hear me?” I hear a voice whisper but I can’t exactly place it. “Come on, love. I need you to look at us, please.” Another voice mutters. This time it's a bit more familiar.
I know that I should know who it is but everything feels fuzzy. Like there's a distortion to my reality.
“Please, my sweet Little Omega. I need to see those beautiful eyes. Look up at me.” There’s a bit of a harder edge to this voice. I fight the fog as much as I can. Through the haze I latch onto the one feeling that comes through the most.
Trust.
I know I can trust the owners of the three voices.
Words of comfort continue to whisper to me, coaxing me further and further from the place I retreated to .
A hand touches my shoulder and I flinch, my arms almost losing hold of my knees. “It's me, Omega. It’s your Alpha. I need you to lift that beautiful head of yours so I can see your face.”
I know that voice. Jax. Instantly, my body starts to relax.
Ever so slowly, my head starts to lift as I come face to face with my three Alphas. Jax is right in front of me, his face only inches from my own. Theo is right beside him, as close as he can be without sitting on top of me.
Ledger is crouched on the other side of Jax. His face is murderous as he looks down at the pieces of his broken Omega.
He growls, eliciting a whimper from my throat, “They hurt you.”
His voice sounds other worldly. Each syllable as rough as the next.
He stands to his full height. His six-foot-six completely dwarfs everyone else in the room.
“Who fucking dared to hurt my Omega?”
The entire room cowers as his bark echoes throughout the space. The offending Omegas cower their necks in submission. Their faces have gone completely pale under the murderous gaze of the Alpha.
Fury radiates from his pores as he levels them with a glare that has brought every single one of the Omegas to tears.
“If any of you sorry excuses speak to Kennedy the way you have today, I will see each and every single one of you six feet under!”
His bark leaves no question as to how serious he is. He would murder every single person in this room for hurting me.
The realization does nothing to bring back the hope that they took from me though. It's a nice thought to think he would protect me in that way but hope is a fickle thing. Theo’s arms come around me as he picks me up into his hold. I’m glad he does because there is no way that I would be able to walk on my own.
I can feel the remnants of how badly I must have been shaking still coursing through my body. The tremors feel like electric shocks as my body twitches completely on its own. Theo holds onto me impossibly tight. I know that any fight I was to pull would be fruitless. He isn’t letting me go.
I turn my face toward his. I didn’t think that Theo could ever look the way he does right now. Anger pours off him in waves. He looks utterly irate. His entire face is tense as his gaze remains locked onto where he is walking.
He doesn’t bother paying any attention to Jax and Ledger who are still glaring at the now cowering Omegas.
He storms through the school hallways, barging out through the doors and heads back to the car.
“Th…Theo. Wh…where are we going?” My voice shakes as I grip one of the hands wrapped around me.
“Home.”
His voice is rough. There’s none of his playful bravado. His smile, completely gone. Opening up the door to the car, he lifts me in, placing me on the seat before he follows behind me.
Turning me around to face him, he grabs my head in his hands. His grip on me is gentle but I can feel the way his hands threaten to clench. There is a slight shake to him, letting me know he is only just holding onto his control.
I’ve never seen anger like this on someone before.
Not even my father .
But where I would normally be terrified, I just feel safe. Even with an Alpha that looks ready to blow their top.
“Tell me what happened.”
Each word is punched, like a fist into a bag.
“I… um… I don’t…” I stutter, unable to think of the right words to even describe what happened.
“Please, Omega. I need you to tell me what happened.”
His voice is gentler this time but laced with desperation. It's like he thought that is he put a softer edge to his wrath, it would help me calm down enough.
His trick seems to work though as I take in a breath before letting it go. “Daisy and the other Omegas aren’t happy that you guys are hanging around me. They said that I have cast a spell on you guys. That there’s no way that you would want me any other way.” “What else?”
I look up at him, his words said through gritted teeth. His eyes are like steel as he looks down at me.
I sigh, knowing nothing I say is going to make him feel any better. Especially not this. “They said that I am tainted goods. That all you are going to do is use me then throw me away.”
Theo roars as he punches the headrest in front of him instantly breaking it. It clatters to the floor as he grips the back of the front seat, like he is going to tear it apart. I know that if he was to produce claws, he would have torn shreds in the fabric. He opens up the car door and throws himself out. He grips his hair in his hands as he looks back up at the school.
He goes to take another step from the car but stops himself when I whimper. I feel the panic growing inside of me at the thought of him leaving me here. Now that I have felt his comfort and warmth, I don’t want him to leave.
He turns before leaning against the open door, pulling me to the edge of the seat. My legs go around his waist.
If I wasn’t still on the edge of a complete and utter emotional break, I’m sure that this position would be giving me ideas.
“I need you to listen to me, Kennedy.”
I nod, unable to do anything else. My Alpha has my complete and utter attention. “I would never ever get rid of you. Walking into that classroom on that first day and catching your scent gave me a feeling I have never experienced before. Then when I finally got to see your beautiful face…” He trails off and shakes his head, scoffing as a smile slowly appears on his lips. He looks back up at me and the sight takes my breath away, “Baby, you saved me. One look from you and I knew that nothing would ever make me happier than I felt in that exact moment.”
Words completely fail me. His face gives away nothing but the truth.
“Kennedy, I would rather cut off my hands before I let you walk out of my life.” A laugh escapes me, one I’m not expecting.
“Don’t cut off your hands for me, Theo.”
“I would do anything to keep you in my life sweetheart. You are already the centre of my world. Everything I do now completely revolves around you. You are the embodiment of everything I have ever needed.