13. LOREN
Chapter thirteen
LOREN
T he Omegas all talk at once. Norah lists off fairy stories faster than I can possibly take notes. Layla and Molly Beth excitedly squeal about fairies and magic and men. Maddison and Katherine both grumble about the impossibility of it all. It’s a cacophony of women's voices that grates like off key music.
Sweet Mother of Wolves, help me if I end up with a houseful of Omega children! I resist the urge to rub my forehead. I know it will likely shut them down to see me frustrated. Their Omega instincts to soothe and comfort may override their inquisitiveness, forcing them to quiet so as not to distress an Alpha. And I need their openness; that’s the only way to learn more about the world they came from.
Her perfume hangs thick around me. I know she doesn't understand how to perfume on purpose, but damn it smells like Katie’s trying to fill the room with her scent to drown out all others, sweet with that hint of spicy cinnamon. My chest squeezes with a throb of longing so intense I nearly buckle under it. I want to bury my nose in the crook of her neck and drown in her perfume. I want to lay her out so I can kiss a trail to her cunt and taste her richest flavor.
Focus, Bellrose!
“Do you have more than just place names?” Katie asks. Her voice cuts through the hum, sharp and bright.
“Of course, Captain. We have collections of stories and customs from those places as well. I have some of the original documentation here.” I wave my hand over the papers. “But we have had everything scanned into our digital network, of course. You… are you familiar with digital technology?”
I didn’t consider that they may come from a world with less technology. That could be quite a barrier for them to overcome.
“Not exactly the same, but the concept is similar. We’re not primitive.” She spits it like an anathema.
“Never implied you were,” I answer. She narrows those polished mahogany eyes at me, unafraid. No cowering submissive Omega here. No wonder Callum pounced on her. An Omega with a backbone is a rare jewel indeed.
“Does your database have information on how these Travelers returned to their homelands?” Her words are clipped.
I shake my head. “No one ever returns home. Every single Traveler that has ever been registered has stayed. I- I’m sorry.”
She stands, running a hand through her hair. The Beta guard stationed behind me tenses, and his perfume, usually a mild citrus, spikes like vinegar. He’s unaccustomed to an unpredictable Omega.
And Gods above and below curse me, because it makes me want her more.
“Don’t lie to me,” she growls, jabbing her finger in my direction.
I’m on my feet, my own growl rising to meet her. You don’t poke an Alpha without getting a response. I may have tamed my inner beast, but he’s still there. That animal part of my nature, the one that a thousand generations ago could easily slip into my skin; he’s still there. Still a hunter. Still dominant.
And he is aroused by this woman. This sweet-perfuming Omega who dares to stand up to him.
Oh he likes it very much.
Too much.
“I won’t lie to you,” I say.
“Why should I trust you?” Katie snaps back.
I could tell her all about Alpha biology, about my need to care for her, soothe her, keep her safe. About how our society is structured, and that a person's word is law. About shame and honor and the threat of retribution when honor is betrayed. Hell, I could just show her the database and let her read for herself.
But this prickly Omega wants to know she can trust me. Wants me to prove that. It’s a challenge, and my inner beast rattles within me to answer it.
I dip my head, not in surrender. Oh no. In acceptance.
“Let me earn it.”
She blinks, a little of the white-hot fire cooling. She licks those plump lips again, then takes a half step backward. A whine escapes her lips and her features contort in pain.
The room narrows to a single point.
Katie.
I move before my brain decides to take action. I scoop her into my arms, propping her to lean against my chest.
“Where does it hurt?”
“It’s fine,” she hisses between clenched teeth. “Just put me down.”
Like hell I will put her down. She doesn't understand just how strong a pull my Alpha biology is. I settle us on her vacated seat, and she winces again when I adjust her legs.
The knee injury.
“You are a terrible liar,” I say, my fingers working up her trouser leg until I touch the tight calf muscle. She flinches. The muscle spasms under light pressure and Katie presses her forehead into my shoulder. Her sisters squeal and chatter around me, but I ignore them, wholly focused on the woman in my arms.
I want to take this pain for her, to siphon it off and into my own body.
I slowly massage the knotted muscle.
“Stop, please. Professor Bellrose– Loren ,” My name is light on her lips. She doesn't pull away from my touch, but whimpers into me.
“It won’t relax until I work out the knot.”
I almost choke on the last word. The last thing I need to think about is my knot–especially as she’s sitting in my lap. I’m already hard and holding her isn’t making it easier.
Fuck.
Control, Bellrose .
I shift her on my lap so that I can better reach her knee and the spasming muscle in her thigh.
“Katie, what can we do?” Layla kneels before us, taking one of Katherine’s hands. “Should I go get a nurse?”
I push the pad of my thumb directly into the tight coil of muscle. Katie groans, burying her head into my shoulder and sucking in through her teeth. Reflexively, I rub my cheek over the top of her head, marking her with my scent. I know that I shouldn’t, that it’s too forward, too soon. But I need her covered in my scent, to let everyone here know she’s under my care. At least for right now.
She doesn't pull away, doesn't shrug it off. I hear Aurelia tsk , but I shut it out. Just me and the Omega.
The muscle spasms, then gives, loosening the coil. I rub my thumb up and down the tight muscles. There’s thick wedges of scar tissue, all hard yet tender as I stroke. Gradually, her tense body relaxes into my chest.
“A little better?” I ask.
“Ah, yeah.” She’s limp against me, a shudder running through her.
“I swear to God if one more of you Alphas touches my sister, I will rip your sack off.” Maddie looks ready for blood. Only Molly Beth’s pale grip on her arm keeps her in place. The woman really should have been an Alpha.
“I’m fine,” Katie breathes out shakily.
“You’re lying to them,” I whisper into her hair. I can feel the tiny trembles that still quiver up her leg and into her lower back. Whatever happened to cause all this scarring still pains her much more than she shares with her sisters.
“Shut up,” she hisses back.
Katie sits up, refusing the arm I offer, or the hand Layla extends, and stiffly marches to the couch, collapsing next to Norah. Her face is pale, a thin sheen of sweat betraying the lingering pain.
An ache opens in the empty space behind my heart. A yawning hole that wants to tear the world in two if it would ease Katie’s pain. But she swallows down the last of it, masking every feeling with stoic determination.
“I don’t need anything. Unless it’s a plan to get us all back to Earth.”
She raises one eyebrow.
I sigh, returning to my chair. “There’s nothing in the records about returns. Travelers always stay. Please, we have a medical staff that can–”
“No.” Her word is tight. She glares at me.
“I think that the Omegas need some rest, Professor Bellrose.” Aurelia stands, creating a wall of vibrant pink between me and Katie. My shoulders rise. I do not like this separation. My Alpha nature wants to hold and soothe her. Wants to distract her from the pain with kisses and touches and maybe even a little finger fucking.
Stop, Loren!
I nod and follow her out, turning briefly to bow at the women.
“It was a pleasure to meet all of you,” I say. “I hope that I can be of use to you as you settle in Amaata.”
Maddie growls something obscene, and Molly Beth shushes her.
“Thank you, Professor,” Norah says, like any eager student. “I’m sure you will.”
I glance at Katie, but she’s pointedly ignoring me. Her thickly spiced perfume gives away her arousal. I want to lick it from the air.
Aurelia escorts me to the hallway, tsking as soon as we’re out of earshot.
“Scent-marking already?” She shakes her head. “Aren’t we a little old for that?”
I shrug and turn to leave.
“They have started another round of bond screens.”
I pause.
Aurelia smirks at me. “Want me to add your Pack to the list?”
Bloodwork could be a confirmation of what I already know to be true.
“We’re already in the system,” I shrug again, trying to feign nonchalance. But hope and desire uncoil in me like a cobra.
“I’ll make sure you get moved to the top of the pile. But Loren, be careful. You may know a lot about the history of Travelers, but that doesn't mean you fully understand them. She may be a biological Omega, but that doesn't mean she’ll ever be an Omega. Her socialization is radically different.”
Aurelia’s words are gentle, not sharp. It’s genuine concern that laces through them. She’s known me too long not to worry.
But Katie’s “lack of socialization” is exactly what draws me to her. An Omega that won’t submit just because I'm an Alpha. An Omega that wants me to earn her trust. An Omega that can stand on her own.
That would make holding her when she’s weak all the more valuable.
“Send over the paperwork when you get it –one way or the other.”
It doesn't matter what the bloodwork says, though. I’m going to do everything I can to make this Omega mine.