5. Levi
5
Levi
Nolan was supposed to be home ages ago, but this is not unlike him. He went to Roberto's, and Joey was working there tonight, so I'm sure he decided to stay until close.
The door slams shut, and I look up from my chair. I've been curled up reading a dystopian fantasy novel to pass the time, and it seems he's finally made it home. His eyes are wide, and his skin is flushed as he flies into the house.
"Everybody get the fuck down here now!" he shouts up the stairs.
"Yeah, pack meeting!" Joey adds.
I hear them struggling out of their shoes, their keys jingling as they get tossed in the dish on the foyer table.
Nolan comes around the corner, and his dark eyes are brighter than I've ever seen them. There is a noticeable tremor in his hands, and as Joey comes into view, I see his face matches Nolan's. I look between the two of them, one muscular with a shaved head and dark skin and the other with a large frame, a huge beard, and tattoos, and I struggle to think of something that could get these two men, who are so opposite, to react in the exact same way.
"Pack meeting, now!" Nolan barks.
He rarely ever barks.
Blaine and Chase come rumbling down the stairs, swearing at Nolan for the compulsion.
"What the actual fuck, Nolan? I'm working!" Blaine gripes. He's wearing just a pair of dark linen pants with no shirt, looking more like he's ready for bed than for work. Chase leans against the wall with his heavily tattooed arms crossed, raising his eyebrow at Joey.
Joey and Nolan both gesture towards the couch, and the three of us slowly sink down onto it. "It feels like my parents are about to scold me," Blaine jokes. "What's going on?"
Nolan and Joey exchange looks, and Nolan nods.
"I met an Omega tonight," he begins, and we all groan. Joey is constantly trying to introduce us to Omegas.
"You're the worst matchmaker, Joey," I say, pulling my glasses off and rubbing between my eyes.
"Well, good thing I didn't even introduce her to Nolan," he grumbles, crossing his arms over his wide chest.
"Joey talked to her while she drank a beer, and then she left. Before she could even make it to her car, some dirtbag attempted to attack her," Nolan is saying. "Well, I went to stop it just as she fell into Omega drop."
All of us make pained sounds. Even if an Omega isn't our own, dropping is difficult for us as Alphas- even for Alphas like me, who are barely considered one. The immediate assumption everyone makes when they meet me is that I am an Omega. I am not what is expected of an Alpha.
"She okay?" Chase asks, resting his elbows on his knees.
"More than, buddy." Nolan's face is lit up like a child, and he rubs the side of his face with one hand. "I went into guard, guys. I picked her up, and she smelled like home."
We all freeze. I swear I've never seen a straighter line than the spines on this couch. Those words make all of our ears perk up. "What do you mean?" Blaine's always been the one of us who wants an Omega the most, and his voice is soft and full of hope that I pray Nolan isn't about to crash.
"She didn't just smell good," Nolan says, eyes welling up. "She smelled like lilacs and fresh wood." He looks at me, face full of joy, and says again, "She smelled like home."
All of us let out a collective breath. If Nolan, the head of the pack, scent matched with someone, it's coming for all of us. A giddy feeling bubbles up in me, and I see it reflected on Blaine's face. Chase's smile is a little tighter, but that's to be expected. He's never been super keen on having an Omega.
"Who is she? What's she like?" I ask, matching Nolan's enthusiasm.
"That's the best part," Joey says, beaming. "Everyone knows her already."
Nolan is biting his lip to shrink his smile as he looks at the confusion that crosses all of our faces. We do not have Omegas in our social circle. Chase looks directly at Joey, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, she's the Perfect Omega," he says.
"Well, I'm glad you think she's good for us, but who is she?" Chase asks again.
"No, Chase," Nolan interrupts. "He means she is the Perfect Omega. It's Nora Summers."
"Abso-fucking-lutely not," Chase growls, stalking up to Nolan. "There's gotta be a mistake because that vapid, empty shell of an Omega is not for our pack."
Nolan growls loudly, his chest seemingly expanding. He shoves up against Chase. "Do not talk about my Omega that way," he snarls.
I jump to my feet, wedging my body between the two much larger men. "Hey, wait. Let's just cool off for a second and talk through this, okay?"
Taking a step back, Nolan shakes out his head like he's clearing his mind. "Sorry, I went into guard tonight, man. I'm still a little amped."
Chase begins to wear a hole in the rug, pacing, hands running through his hair and pulling the bleached ends. "There's just no way that princess is supposed to match this pack!" he shouts.
"Listen, man, you have to talk to her," Joey says softly, trying to calm Chase down. "She's a bit odd, sure, but I think it's just because she's been raised to be that way. She really is a sweet little bird." He beams and then rubs his hand on the back of his neck, his face flushing red. "She called me sir."
Blaine throws his head back and cackles. "No wonder you like her! A perfectly obedient little Omega." He pulls his bare feet up to the couch, wrapping his arms around his shins. "You're sure, Nolan? Like really sure?"
"I met her mother," he says simply.
All of us freeze what we're doing and stare at him. Nolan doesn't meet parents. He doesn't speak to his own, he barely will speak to ours. "Why?" I ask softly.
He sits on our hearth and rests his elbows on his knees. "She was in trouble. Her mother is… a piece of work. I told her I'd take her home and explain that we matched at the social and went out to celebrate after so she didn't get busted up for being out at a bar." He sighs, eyes downcast. "Her mother proceeded to tell her that good Omegas do not go out to bars, even if it's with their pack, and that the pink dress she was wearing was probably going to get her in trouble with the Design Clinic for being seen in it in public." He inhales deeply to calm himself before locking eyes with Chase. "Her mother told her that she clearly wasn't good enough to match with Pack Walsh, but at least she wasn't truly a dud and had finally matched. She said it was embarrassing to her that her daughter was the 'Perfect Omega' and didn't have a pack."
We all sit in silence, looking at our feet. The Perfect Omega, it would seem, has a not-so-perfect home life.
"Look, I know what she's like on TV. And I have no doubt all of that is her. I don't think it's an act. But I don't think that she's ever had a chance to be anything but that," Nolan says quietly. "She's ours, guys. You gotta give her a chance."
"What's the next steps here?" Surprisingly, it's Chase who breaks the silence.
"Tomorrow, we're all going over there to meet her parents and pack her things. She's moving in with us immediately."
"Immediately?" I shout, jumping to my feet. "She can't move in immediately!" There is so much we need to do to get ready. Are the bathrooms cleaned? Do we have food Omegas like? When was the last time I cleaned the baseboards?
Nolan grimaces. "Her mother's decree. Apparently, now that she has scent matched, it is improper for her to continue living anywhere but her pack's home."
"We don't have the nest furnished! It's just an empty room! We don't have anything set up for her!" I feel my stress levels rising and my chest tightening. This is all happening so quickly. I've had no time to prepare. How am I going to make sure she wants to stay if I don't have time to get the home ready?
"We'll take her shopping," Nolan says quietly, moving to my side and pulling me against his chest in an affectionate hug. "And I'll order the mattress tonight. I know you've wanted this for a long time, but you don't need to stress out about it. She's ours. We'll figure it out from there."
"I've got to be at the restaurant tomorrow," Chase says, crossing his arms. "I'll have to miss it."
Joey smacks him on the back of the head. "You're going to go. I'll handle it for the day. The mother won't care to meet a Beta anyways, and I already know Nora."
Blaine grins wickedly. "We're going to go get the Perfect Omega. I wonder just how well-trained she is when it comes to handling Alphas."
"Don't be a pervert," I say, frowning at him. He just shrugs and leans back on the couch, throwing his arms over the back of it.
"It's settled then," Nolan says, looking between us. "Tomorrow, we go get our Omega."