Chapter Nineteen
Holt
.
“You’ve gotten yourself into something heavy,” Elder Britton said, taking a seat in my office.
He was one of the contacts I knew from the Bureau.
Had once served on the council. He knew things.
There were so many antiquated rules about omegas and alphas.
It was easy for anyone to get lost in their encyclopedias.
“I know. Tell me what you think.”
The older man sighed and popped a mint into his mouth. I never expected him to make a visit to my office, and I wasn’t sure if that made me relieved or even more anxious about what he had to say.
“Your omega is on the unmateable registry, but I believe that the list is complete and utter bullshit. Outdated rules that many of the elders refuse to let go of. An omega who is on that list has simply made one fatal mistake.”
“What’s that?”
“They mated with an alpha or a pack who wasn’t their scent match.
Fate has a way of making her will known, and an alpha who can’t make their marks stick, is with the wrong omega.
Period. It’s no one’s fault. In this age of arranged matings and contracted omegas, it’s no wonder we have these issues pop up. ”
“How do you explain the marks that do stick?”
“I don’t. Not for sure. But we know not everyone has a scent match, so perhaps those who do not, can be marked by someone else. All I know is that the list is getting longer every day.”
“Karissa thinks she’s the only one.”
“Pack alphas are not exactly advertising the fact that their matches are failing. They blame the omegas and often try to make them feel like the only one.”
“That’s horrible. How do you allow it to go on?”
“Again…I am one elder surrounded by hidebound colleagues. The alphas are following the ancient rules closely enough, nobody calls them on it. Yet.”
“Obviously we can’t fix the system, but what can we do? She’s our scent match. My animal knows it too. There has to be a way around it.”
His eyebrow raised. “There is something that might work.”
“Name it.”
“Mate and mark the omega. As soon as possible. Register your pack and your mating with the Omega Bureau as soon as that happens. If you can do that fast enough, before they catch her, then her status is no longer in question. It’s a done deal, and they leave you all alone.
But time is of the essence here, Holt. No time for waiting for a heat or anything of the sort.
You need to have that omega marked and mated within the next twenty-four hours.
Because from what I can see, they are close.
Very close. At the diner. Talking to people in town.
They are under the impression that one of their sacred-and-at-the-same-time-stupid rules have been broken.
Snooping around this town and on your ass like white on rice. ”
“How romantic.” I laughed and shook my head, and he did the same.
“Sometimes romance takes a back seat when you’re trying to save your omega’s life, and make no mistake, Holt. That’s what you are doing.”
He was right. We were saving our omega.
I got home and there was nothing happy about what I was about to tell them.
Yes, it meant we would mate our omega, but it shouldn’t be like this.
We’d never gone on a date. Not every shifter dated before mating, but in the case of omegas, there was usually a courtship, something her pack alpha had not taken into account that might have made the difference.
That and waiting for a heat.
She was not in it, but at times when she looked at us, my alpha nose picked up her lust. Her desire. Her slick.
We all wanted her, but the timing was absolute shit.
“What is it?” Karissa asked, sitting down on the arm of the couch, bracing herself for my news.
“I spoke to some people who didn’t know much, but an elder came to my office today. He’s the one I actually didn’t expect to hear from. He had heard of an omega’s bites not scarring before.”
“Is there something wrong with me?” Her chin quivered. Those alphas of hers had really done a number on her self-worth. Something else to work on.
“No, baby. Not at all. The truth is that some omegas reject the bite if it’s not a scent match. It was no one’s fault, but it is their fault how they treated you afterward. Bite or no bite, they were shitty alphas to you.”
Her whole body relaxed. Vaughn caught her in his hold and Poe came to sit on the other side of her. Now to reveal the other part.
“And the Bureau?” Poe asked.
“The only way to get them off her tail is…” I could barely say the words. It felt like we were treating her like the other alphas did.
“Say it,” she coaxed. As my omega wished.
“They are not only in the diner but asking around town and at different businesses. The elder suggested that you be mated, marked, and registered with the Bureau as fast as possible. Once you can show marks and are registered, it disproves everything your old pack reported.”
“What if the marks don’t take and I have to run again?”
“They will take,” Vaughn said, nuzzling her neck a bit. “You’re our fated mate. Our scent match. Did you feel this way with the other pack?”
She shook her head. “Not at all.”
I scrubbed my hands over my face. This was not the way I wanted to woo her, but we really had no choice.
Of course, if she denied us tonight, we would deal with that as well.
We would find a way to keep her safe. “He thinks we need to get that done as soon as possible. He suggested within twenty-four hours, and that was pushing the limits.”
“Tonight,” she whispered.
I nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I want all three of you. It was going to happen eventually. I’m not in heat, but maybe it’s better that way. I’m lucid and I can make the choice. And I choose this pack. Fate chose you for me but she was absolutely right. I’m yours.”
Her scent burst into my senses, nearly blinding me. Floral, musky, and life-altering. The smell of her slick followed quickly.
“Are you sure?” Poe asked her. “If not, we will figure out something.”
“I’m sure. This is rushed and under pressure, but as long as it doesn’t endanger you, I’m in. I want to be yours.”