Epilogue
Three Months Later
“Is that who I think that is?” Gwen teases, bumping her hip against mine as we walk out of one of our classes at the Omega Center together.
The Omega Center has made sure to make free classes available to all the rescued omegas. There are tons of them.
There are the more traditional homemaking ones, where a lot of us get to meet and mingle with other Northside Omegas.
Some of them are a little mean, but most of them are really nice!
Plus, there are enough of us that’ve been rescued that it doesn’t matter if the Northside Omegas don’t want to talk to us.
Then there are the life skills classes for those who’ve been kept captive for a long time. Those are my favorite. I’m not very good at it, but I’m learning how to drive!
Reyna and her pack have done an excellent job at doing their best to rescue all the omegas kept captive. They’ve also started offering free classes to Southside Omegas to help them find better sources of income.
“Hellooo, Earth to Mira?” Gwen says, waving a hand in front of my face.
“Hmm? Oh, sorry, I was lost in thought,” I say, shaking my head.
“Dang, really? Lost in thought when you have that tall drink of water waiting for you?”
I look down the hall to see Rage waiting in the main lobby of the Omega Center.
It’s one of the few places alphas are allowed. Some of the Omegas are terrified of Alphas. Apparently, at some of the different facilities, the omegas there were forced to have sex with alphas while they were going through their induced heats.
The omegas flitting about the lobby, shooting fervent glances at Rage while whispering behind their hands to their friends don’t seem to be the omegas who are afraid of alphas, though.
But still, Rage stands with his back against the wall, scrolling on his phone with one hand, his other tucked into his pocket. Oblivious to all the attention he’s getting.
He seems to sense when I step into the room, his gaze immediately honing in on me.
I can’t help the smile that crosses my face.
Because even when he’s surrounded by other omegas, his eyes are only for me.
“Have fuuun,” Gwen singsongs, pushing me forward. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”
“See you tomorrow Gwen!” I say, offering her a quick glance and a wave before all my attention is directed back at my mate.
I practically skip over to him.
His excitement at seeing me hums through our bond, warming my chest.
“Hi,” I breathe out, craning my neck back to look up at him.
“You look…” His brow furrows as he takes a second to think. “I don’t know the right word to describe how beautiful you are.”
My cheeks flush as my grin grows even wider.
“Thank you, Rage,” I say, reaching out and lacing our hands together.
His speech has gotten so much better, over the past three months. Reyna’s pack has built a new center, one for feral alphas, and they got a speech pathologist to help the alphas who have speech difficulties.
“Did you guys pull straws to see who would pick me up again?” I ask, giggling as we head to the car.
“Yes,” Rage nods, his lips quirking up in a small smile as he stares down at me. “I won.”
“I can see that.”
The pack and I decided that it would probably be best if only one of them came into the Omega Center to pick me up so the other girls aren’t overwhelmed.
“How was your day?” I ask, swinging our hands between us as we head to the parking lot.
“Good. Learned about taxes.”
“Taxes? Cool!”
I get the impression most people hate stuff like taxes. But I think for us, especially Rage and I who didn’t have a chance to learn very much of anything during our formative years, learning anything is a blessing.
“Hi everyone!” I say as Rage opens the door for me.
“Hey, Sugar,” Griffin says, turning around in the driver’s seat to offer me a toothy grin.
“Come ‘ere,” Ash grumbles, tugging me immediately into his arms. His nose runs up along the column of my neck, scent marking me.
“Hi, Ash.” I run my hands through his close-cropped hair.
“You ready for dinner, Sugar?” Rowan asks from the front passenger’s seat.
I scoot into the car, sandwiched between Ash and Rage.
“Totally!” I lean forward and press a soft kiss to Rowan’s lips.
His lips split into a grin the moment I pull away.
“Your dad is coming, my mom too,” he says, settling back into his seat.
Family dinners have become a bit of a weekly tradition. It’s been wonderful.
Everything has been wonderful, really.
As we make the short drive to the assigned condo that’s quickly become our home, we blast the normal pop hits I’ve become fond of. We settle into a now familiar rhythm of all my guys practically fighting each other to take care of me.
Ash and Griffin man the grill outside while Rowan and I use the skills we learned in the cooking class we’ve been taking together to make all the sides. A whole thing of Mac and cheese, tons of mashed potatoes, and a huge salad.
The doorbell rings right as Rage is pouring out the pasta into the big colander in our sink.
“I will watch the food,” he says, nodding to Rowan and I. “Go say hi to your parents.”
That’s all the prompting I need before I’m flying towards the front door.
“Dad!” I say, throwing my arms around his shoulder.
“Mira!” He says, wrapping his arms around me and lifting me so my feet don’t touch the ground.
“How are you doing?” I ask, when he finally sets me down on my feet. “Oh wow, you look tired.”
He runs a hand through his hair, the same shade as my own.
“Do I?”
“He always looks tired,” Ruby, Rowan’s mom says softly, offering me a warm smile.
She squeezes Rowan’s shoulder before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace.
“It’s good to see you, dear,” she says.
Her hair and eyes are darker than Rowan’s, but the two of them have the same smile.
“Looks like you’ve got some more people crashing the party, Mira,” My dad chuckles, gesturing over his shoulder.
“Reyna!” I say, running down the steps of my porch.
“Hey, Mira,” Reyna says with a grin. “Hope you don’t mind if we join!”
“Mind? The more the merrier in my book!”
“I made sure to bring some food with us,” Reyna says, dropping her voice to a playful, conspiratorial whisper. “You know how those alphas can be.”
“You talking about us, Spitfire?” One of her mates, Theo says, brushing a quick kiss to her temple as he walks in with an aluminum tray of what smells like barbecue ribs.
“Uh huh,” Reyna says. “Talking about how you alphas eat everyone out of house and home!”
“Don’t worry, I made extra,” I say, with a grin. “Let me go let the other guys know to make more!”
I hurry back inside, stopping by the kitchen.
“Hey Rage! Reyna is here, are you cool with her mates joining us tonight?”
He turns, his lips quirking up into a small grin as he sees how excited I am.
“Of course. We want you happy,” he nods. “I will set up the second table.”
“You’re the best! Okay, I’m going to go ask Griffin and Ash now!”
I’m breathless as I flit to the backyard, pushing open the glass sliding door.
“Hey, Sweetheart? What’s up!” Griffin asks, wielding a pair of tongs as he flips the steaks he’s cooking on the grill.
“Reyna and her mates are here! Can they join us for dinner?”
“It’s your home, Shortcake,” Ash says, his hands resting at my hips as he tugs me up against the hard planes of his body. “You don’t need to ask us for permission.”
“Well, I still think asking is polite. It’s your home too.”
“Yeah, but you’re the omega,” Griffin says, pressing himself up against my backside, his chin dropping to rest on my shoulder. “Your wish is our command.”
I let out a little giggle that shifts into a sigh as he turns and brushes his lips against my neck.
This is what life’s about. This is what freedom looks like.
Having a warm home with all my mates. Having friends and family come by whenever. Learning, loving, laughing. All whenever I want, however I want.
The End