Chapter Four
T hat weekend, I went over to Hannah’s place to celebrate my new job.
Her alphas, Jackson, Sebastian, Han, and Zeke were around as well, some in the kitchen preparing dinner, others in the living space watching whatever sports game was muted so Hannah and I could talk.
We were sitting in her living room, on the floor, resting against the couch.
I had brought over a simple crotchet package that was meant to teach people how to crotchet stuffed animals.
Hannah had quickly lost her enthusiasm for the activity.
I had made the first knot for her after she started to struggle, and then she couldn’t hook the yarn properly no matter how many times I slowed down my own actions.
All the pieces simply sat in her lap as she played with the yarn, twining it around her fingers and making bows and such.
My own horse was nearly done. It looked more like a giraffe with the long neck, if I was honest. Still, it was cute. And I’d planned to bring it to work with me.
“I would hate to drive that far every day for work,” Hannah said, wrinkling her nose.
“A job’s a job. Plus, the pack seems nice.”
“I thought you hadn’t met them all yet.”
“I haven’t. But I doubt their third member would be rude when both Atlas and Oaks were exceptionally nice.”
“Which one is the omega?” she asked. “I wonder if it’s his family’s farm and that’s how he gets away with working there.”
I couldn’t help frowning at her words. “There’s no law that says omegas can’t work.”
“That doesn’t mean anyone actually hires us.”
“This pack is different.” Even if the ranch wasn’t Atlas’s, I think Oaks would have hired him. It was the way Atlas held himself. Oaks had pointed it out too. Atlas didn’t act like an omega. “I think you would like them.”
“Maybe we’ll go out and meet them. I could do a trip to the ranch—what was it called?”
“Pink Lady.”
“Horseback riding ... apple picking. We could go as a pack. Check out who Eve is spending all this time with.”
I smiled, even forced myself to chuckle, although I hated the idea.
I didn’t want anyone around the pack, which was absolutely illogical and exactly why I didn’t say anything.
Betas didn’t get territorial, yet I would’ve sworn that was the exact emotion rushing through me.
Which made it even more ridiculous since Hannah was completely happy with her alphas.
She was just trying to be a good friend, so I forced myself to say, “I think you would have a good time there.”
“What is it you’ll be doing, Eve?” Zeke asked. Of all of Hannah’s alphas, he was the most laid back. He had a lazy air to him, which was helped by the fact that he was always in sweats, like he’d just got up from a midday nap.
“Home management. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, decorating for the holidays. I won’t have to chauffeur them or watch over any pets since they don’t have them. But if they sign up to host anything, I’ll handle that.”
“Host, like parties or work functions?” Hannah asked.
“Either. Both.”
My phone buzzed, nearly making me jump with my eagerness to answer it. Oaks had been texting me since the day of my interview. Small, little updates as well as pictures of Atlas, although never ones where he’s looking at the camera.
This time, it was a photo of dinner. It looked like salmon, rice, veggies, and a large chocolate muffin. Another text came in saying, What are you eating for dinner?
The smile that came to my lips was automatic. Sure, I texted Hannah every so often, but Oaks had been texting me every day. I was pretty sure my phone had never gotten so much use before.
“Oh, who’s texting you?” Hannah crawled closer, her face already lifted as she tried to sneak a glance at my phone.
“Just Oaks.”
“Your new boss?” That question came from Han.
He was sitting behind Zeke, his fingers mindlessly rubbing over Zeke’s chest since the two were also together.
I hadn’t realized Han had been listening to our conversation since his attention had been on the TV screen.
You wouldn’t guess by looking at him that he was into sports considering he looked like he came from money.
It probably didn’t help that he wore fancy slacks, a slim belt, and a thin black shirt that almost showed his skin through the fabric that had an actual logo on it.
“What’s he texting you about this late on a Saturday? ”
“Dinner,” I admitted.
Hannah frowned, her brows pulling together as she looked up from my phone to me. “Are you flirting with him?”
“What? Of course not. He has a pack. He has an omega.” I went through the older photos and found one of Atlas, showing her. “See.”
“I don’t know, Eve. It kind of seems like he’s flirting with you.”
I pressed the phone to my chest, hiding it from her gaze, like that would hide me from her scrutiny.
My stomach was turning, the guilt at Hannah’s insinuation making me regret every text I’d sent.
I didn’t want to steal Atlas’s alpha—not that I thought I could.
Alphas needed omegas, not betas. I hadn’t meant to be inappropriate. I was just having fun.
“You think it’s weird?” I ask.
Hannah shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never had a boss. But I can say that if any of my alphas were texting an employee this late, about something not work related, they wouldn’t be spending the night in my nest.”
“That’s assuming they have a closed pack,” Han said. “Our pack is done growing.”
“Still, he’s her boss. Do you feel uncomfortable? Like you have to respond.”
“No,” I almost shouted the word. Forcing myself to repeat it at a normal volume, I said, “No. I—I liked his messages. Maybe I should tell him it’s not appropriate, though.”
Just the thought made my heart feel like it was breaking, which felt like even more reason that I needed to do it. Oaks’s intentions were just friendly and here I was becoming enamored with him. I was the one making our conversations inappropriate with my responses.
I dropped my phone in my lap, picking up my horse that was basically done and flipping through the little booklet of instructions to see how I should finish it.
“Eve, we didn’t mean to upset you,” Hannah said.
“You didn’t.” My response was immediate. I didn’t look up, my attention fully on the horse. “I just won’t respond. When I see him in person, I can inform him that our conversations should remain professional.”
“If you like him—”
“I don’t. He’s an alpha.”
“What’s wrong with alphas?”
“Yeah,” Zeke said. “What’s wrong with alphas? We’re the best.”
My head snapped up, eyes widening as the shock of what I’d said hit me. I was just messing up over and over again. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” What had gotten into me? I was usually much more careful of my words. “There’s nothing wrong with alphas, of course not, but I’m a beta.”
A hand touched my wrist, and I flinched away.
“Wow, okay, sorry, Eve. I shouldn’t have touched you.
” Hannah sounded apologetic which only made me feel worse.
Omegas were tactile, I knew that. But they were usually only so with their mates, not with strangers.
Definitely not with betas. Still, if she wanted to touch me, I shouldn’t have pulled away.
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me.”
“We hadn’t meant to offend you,” Hannah said. “If you want to be friends with your bosses, that’s fine.”
“No, I shouldn’t. You were right.”
“Eve, honestly, I have no idea what I’m talking about. I’ve literally never had a boss before.”
“Let me see the messages.” Zeke leaned forward, his hand already out with the expectation that I’d simply hand over my phone.
I did.
Hannah scrambled up to the couch in order to look over Zeke’s shoulder while Han peered over his other, the three of them reading my messages. I hated it. Which was exactly why I’d allowed it. Those messages were not intimate. They weren’t special or private.
If I kept telling myself that, I was going to believe it. At some point.
It felt like I was betraying Oaks by letting other people see what he’d been saying, which was absolutely ridiculous. That didn’t stop my stomach from churning or the guilt from settling heavy in my chest.
I wanted to reach for my phone back, but I forced myself to ignore the trio while I finished my horse.
“What are you three reading?” Sebastian came in from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a decorative towel before tossing it over his shoulder like an actual chef.
He only spared me a quick glance before leaning over the back of the couch to see what the commotion was.
Immediately, his gaze snapped back to me. “Are you comfortable with this?”
“They’re just texts from my boss.” I couldn’t get myself to say yes, because I wasn’t.
“Your boss texts you like this?”
“He’s just being nice. He’s an alpha. With an omega.” I felt like I had to keep reminding people of that. I guessed, technically, it was possible for an alpha to cheat on their bondmate, but it was rare. When it did happen, it most certainly didn’t with a beta.
“You keep saying that,” Hannah pointed out. “About his designation.”
“Well, he is an alpha. And I’m a beta.”
“So? Only designation elitists think alphas and omegas shouldn’t pack with betas.”
I hated to point it out but, “Most betas never join a pack.”
“But they could. There’s no law against it.”
True. It was a social conundrum for why betas weren’t included in alpha and omega pairings.
The designation elitists claimed that we weren’t enough.
We didn’t match the rate of conception, or the increased sexual drive.
According to the elitists, we also didn’t have the basic understanding to tolerate the territorialism or jealousy or whatever other enlarged emotion the other designations felt.
“It definitely seems like he’s protective over you,” Han said.
“Protective? He’s texting me.”
“Yeah, but he’s being, I don’t want to say manipulative, he’s being an alpha. Showing you his food so you’ll share yours. It’s his way to ensure you’re eating. Of watching over you. Caring for you. It’s what alphas do for their pack.”
Hannah nodded her agreement. “It does seem like he’s trying to include you.
He’s sending you pictures of his omega. I don’t know any alpha that would do that.
It would be different if he was posing, and the pictures were showing off, but they’re not.
They’re just candid. I think Han’s right.
He’s trying to include you in the pack.”
“What happened at the interview?” Sebastian asked.
“I actually interviewed with Atlas.”
“The omega?”
I nodded. “I didn’t meet Oaks until I was leaving, and my car got stuck.”
“And you gave him your number?” Hannah asked. She finally handed me my phone back and I hid it in my lap, ignoring the need to respond to Oaks.
“No, he got it from Everett who had my application. Oaks was supposed to do my interview, but something came up, so Atlas handled it and then when I was leaving, I ran into Oaks.”
“So you’ve met all the members in this pack?”
“I mean, I haven’t met Everett in person. But I’ve spoken to all three. Why?”
Hannah and her alphas all shared a look, a private conversation seeming to happen between them that I wasn’t a part of. She shook her head, the others raised an eyebrow, a head was tilted toward me, she bit her bottom lip.
It wasn’t until Jackson came over, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at Sebastian, that the silence broke. “You were supposed to tell them dinner was ready.”
“I became enamored with Eve and her pack.”
Jackson raised a single eyebrow, his gaze turning to me as I blushed. “They’re not my pack. I’m a beta.”
“Koda’s pack thought she was a beta when they met her,” Hannah pointed out. “They still pursued her.”
My lips parted. Nothing came out. I didn’t really have an argument for that.
I didn’t know a lot about Koda or her story.
I did know that she didn’t present like a typical omega, despite having all the attributes.
She was small, liked to nest, could take a knot, was jealous and protective of her mates, and when she did perfume, it was strong like an omega’s.
Still, she managed to maintain a beta front to the rest of the world so she could continue taking her college classes without issue.
Or without that issue since bonding with three alphas as a perceived beta did have some problems of their own.
Both Koda and Hannah were fairly popular in the media. Magazine articles tracked their status—social media accounts were made in their honor. For all intents and purposes, they were famous. A beta with a pack of alphas. And an omega fighting for designation rights. They caused quite a social stir.
“They already have an omega.” It was all I could think to say.
Hannah shrugged. “I don’t have the answers.”
“Eve.” Jackson glared at me, although I was mostly sure that was just his normal facial expression. “If you want to be part of a pack, you can be. None of us think betas should be ostracized or keep to their own designation. Now, it’s time to eat. My mate is hungry.”
“Starving, more like,” Hannah agreed before climbing over the couch and throwing herself at Jackson. The large male easily caught her and took her away toward the dining room.
The others got up quickly, but I took my time.
I packed away the left-over yarn and the little tool kit and instructions, then I chuckled to myself and did the same with Hannah’s kit.
I should’ve known better than to think the beginner crotchet kit was a good idea.
Hannah was artistic in personality, in clothes. Not in activities.
Just as I was about to follow after them, the nagging sensation in my gut had me unlocking my phone, my fingers desperate to type out a response to Oaks. I shouldn’t. I just wanted to. So I did. Dinner at a friend’s place tonight. A night off from cooking for me.
Then I silenced my phone and set it on the short living room table, finally making my way to the dining room where Hannah was yelling at me to hurry up.