Chapter 29
Ilifted the mug off the table and sipped the hot tea. The restaurant bustled with movement and energy. It was packed in here, and it didn’t help that they’d set up the tables so closely together. For a hotel restaurant, it was posh.
Fern was taking a sip of her coffee, and the scent kept wafting over to me, making my stomach spin. It reminded me of Ironwyld’s scent even if it was a poor substitute.
As my assigned mentor, Fern was amazing. She’d been kind and quick to answer all of my questions.
“You’ll get on your feet, and I can also help you find a job if you’re interested.”
“Yes,” I blurted. A job with pay that no one could control. It sounded heavenly.
So why was I still aching?
I rubbed my sternum.
The program wasn’t forever. It would help me get on my feet. They would review my case yearly, but my goal was to be able to afford my own place sooner than later.
“I have a few places in mind, but I’ll get you the list in time for your move-in date.”
An Alpha sitting behind her snagged my gaze, and I quickly turned away. So quickly Fern noticed. She looked over her shoulder and turned back.
“The perks of The Bungalows. You won’t have to go far to have your heat sated.
Once you’re set up in your permanent apartment, you can come here whenever you’re hunting for a Pack for your heat.
When you’re out of the program, you can use HeatLink to match up with Alphas if you need.
” The app’s name made my stomach drop. “It should be easy to find a pheromone-complement.”
Since all Alphas smelled the same, I just had to make sure that being near the Pack I selected wouldn’t make me sick.
I scooted the porcelain cup around the plate, fiddling with the little handle. Alphas were everywhere here, and their attention was making me anxious.
“I want to go through my heat without Alphas.”
Fern winced.
“Why would you want to suffer?” She shivered.
I pressed my lips together, and her eyebrows twitched.
She must know I was hiding something, but she hadn’t pried.
“As long as it’s not your first heat after meeting your Scent Matches, which as you should know, could be fatal without an Alpha’s help, you should be okay with toys, but not having Alphas sate you will elongate your heat. ”
“Can you really die from the first heat brought on by meeting your Scent Matches?” I’d never heard of that. Of course, it didn’t surprise me considering I hadn’t received the appropriate education since everything I knew was funneled through Father.
“I have so many horror stories. I saw it happen to an Omega at a Matching event. The Alphas provided their Pack scent for the Omegas to sniff . . . She caught their scent, and it sent her into a severe heat. The problem was they didn’t show up to the Matching.
It was a mistake on our part too. We can only offer the scent of Alphas that are present.
She had no choice but to accept another pack to soothe her heat, but there have been others that didn’t. The heat almost killed them.”
She shivered dramatically. “It’s more common than you think. It’s the last thing you want happening to you. You should be fine, but we’ll definitely have to visit the sex-toy store.”
I sat up straighter. Even with all the lewd ways I’d been fucked, I couldn’t stop the blush.
A shrill ringing burst from her purse. She grabbed it, and her eyes widened on the screen.
“My other mentee is having a problem. I have to go meet with her.” She rifled through her purse again and slid a little business card toward me.
“Call me whenever you need something. That’s your credit card for necessities.
Don’t go crazy. The ORD only covers food, and your expenditures will determine if you will have another year of assistance. ”
“Can I purchase clothes with this?”
“Yes, you can buy anything, but just know, if you go over your two hundred a week budget, you’ll need to pay it all back when you’re out of the system.”
I nodded, and she hovered for a second, but when I didn’t say anything, she scampered off. After one more sip of the tea, I stood, keeping my head lowered on my way through the restaurant. The cool air brushed across my cheek, and I tightened my high ponytail.
I followed the brown carpet, and the door at the end of the path spat me out in the tiled lobby.
The little store across the way had clothes, so I headed toward it, clasping my card and her number.
I hunted for necessities throughout the store and ended up grabbing a hoodie, some leggings, a tote, and a bathrobe.
The soft texture felt lovely against my skin.
On my way to pay, the drawing pads caught my eye.
I shouldn’t spend so much . . . but it wasn’t like I was buying an Epad.
I’d been itching to draw. Fuck it. I grabbed it and the set of pencils next to it.
Returning to the cashier, the young Beta bagged my stuff, and I tapped my card to the scanner to pay. Nerves crept through my stomach until the machine beeped to confirm the payment had gone through. I took the bag from the Beta and left the lobby.
I trudged down the stone path leading to Section F of the buildings that shielded me from the drooping sun. My door was midway, so it didn’t take me long to reach it. I slid my hand into my bra to pull out my key card and tapped it. The lights turned green, and I entered.
The cleaning solution used in the room wafted to my nose. I walked over to the white bedsheets, laid my purchases on the mattress, and organized all my cards in the zip-up bag inside the tote. My I.D., key, credit card, and the number.
Whatever I didn’t spend would accrue, but on the other hand, if I went over the budget, it would accumulate.
If there was an amount over, it would be owed back once I was out of the program.
But all that would be a moot point if I had access to my money, and the only person who could get it back to me was Roberto.
I hung my tote on the back of the chair in front of the desk in the corner.
The phone sitting on the surface called to me.
I waffled for a moment, then grabbed the phone and dialed him. The line rang, the deep intonation making me nervous.
“Bueno?”
“Roberto,” I said, clasping the receiver with both hands.
“Eva.” His gasp relieved me. “Where are you? How are you calling me?” The question made me hesitate. It never occurred to me that he knew that Father planned to sell me, but . . . could he have known?
“Did you know?” He was silent. “Did you know what Alfonso was planning?”
“What? Of course not—”
“No me mientas,” I spat.
“I’m not, Eva,” he retorted with more force. “I found out you were gone when I went to see you.”
A deep voice rumbled in the background. The hair lifted on the back of my neck. There was a familiarity to it that made my stomach sink.
“Was that Father?” I bit out.
“What? No,” he said, too quickly. It was suspicious. I couldn’t risk Father knowing I was free of the Alphas he’s sold me to.
Knowing him, he’d drag me back home.
I slammed the phone down. It was a bad idea to call him, but I need my money. I forced myself to take a breath and calm down. I had made it this far without any money. I could make it a little longer.
My pulse was going crazy. I scrubbed my face and grabbed my robe, leaving for the bathroom to take a quick shower.
I set a towel on the floor to step onto and propped my sneakers in front of it to slide them on when I was done.
Then hung the robe on the towel rack, placing another towel over it to dry myself.
Turning the shower on, I undressed as I waited for it to turn warm, then finger-combed my hair upward and tied it into a bun.
Another thing I forgot to buy was a hairbrush.
Steam plumed out of the shower, and I stepped under the warmth. I shivered under the heat, loving the feeling. I stood there, eyes closed and just breathing. My life looked unfamiliar to me now. A hug from my Alphas would have soothed the agony in my chest.
I bit my trembling lip, squirted the hotel-provided soap into my palm, and scrubbed my body. I scraped my skin as best as I could without one of my wash rags, then left the shower, dried off, and slid on the robe.
My heels pressed against the back of the shoes as I shuffled out of the bathroom.
I grabbed the drawing pad and pencils from inside the plastic bag, then returned to the mattress, reclining against the headboard. It’d been years since I’d drawn with a paper and pencil since I preferred digital art, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
I poised the graphite against the textured paper and let my hand move, planning to sketch the room. Each stroke of the pencil formed familiar deep-set eyes until Rafe stared at me.
Exasperated, I grunted and flipped the page to start again, drawing the broad strokes of the door frame. Applying light pressure, I had the outline of the setup and would go back to perfect the lines after the sketch.
A thud echoed, ripping me out of my focus. I stayed still for a second, and the thud returned.
The front office said the connecting doors couldn’t be opened but that was where the sound was coming from. I set aside the drawing pad, fear swirling in my stomach.