30. Chase
30
Chase
I'm at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Nora when I hear her door close.
She comes down the stairs slowly, and I find myself absolutely enthralled by her outfit.
She's wearing tight black jeans and motorcycle boots laced with pink ribbon. Her bodice appears to have been cut from one of her dresses. It has a sweetheart neckline and pastel pink straps tied around her neck. A sliver of skin shows between the bottom of the bodice and the top of her jeans. Her hair is down, with gentle waves that hit her elbows, and her makeup is a bit more bold than she typically wears it.
She is a blend of the Perfect Omega and an edgy, alternative woman.
And it's perfectly her.
"Nora," I say, taking her hand. "You look great."
"Nothing felt fully me, so I had to improvise. Good thing I had my sewing kit so I could remove the skirt from this top." She says this as if what she did is no big deal. Just a normal day for Nora, altering clothing on a whim.
She created an outfit to wear for me, because I asked her to show me who she was. My chest swells with pride at how much my Omega wanted to please me.
"I absolutely love it," I say, leaning down to press a kiss on her forehead. "Let's get going. It'll get busy there soon. We don't have a reservation, but luckily, I know the owner." I tease.
She giggles at my joke, and I fire off a message to the group chat before we head out the door.
Hey guys, you're on your own for dinner. Taking Nora to Bea's.
Joey
No invite for us? Rude.
Everyone else got their one-on-one time. This is mine.
Nolan
Glad you came to your senses
Blaine
If she comes back in tears, I'm going to cut off your balls while you sleep
Stay away from my balls
We pull up at the original Bea's at six, right when the dinner rush starts. I take her through the front for the whole experience rather than sneaking her in through the back. I dressed up in my own way, with clean dark jeans and a white button-up, with the sleeves rolled up.
"Welcome, do you have a reserva- Oh! Mr. Sloane!" the Beta hostess says when she finally gets a look at who's standing in front of her. "What are you doing here? I thought you were off tonight"
"I am off, Mari. I wanted to come sit and have dinner with my Omega. Do you have a table you can sit us at?"
"Your Omega? You have an Omega?" she says excitedly, and I wince. I never told any of my employees about Nora, and I hope she doesn't feel offended. "Oh my gosh, you're the Perfect Omega!"
Nora winces, grabbing my hand and pulling me close. I can see her shoulders tighten, and her chin starts to drop, so I squeeze her hip and place a kiss on her temple. "Her name is Nora, Mari. Is there a place she and I can have a meal?"
Mari nods, grabs menus, and seats us at a round table in front of the restaurant's central windows. This table is jokingly called the engagement table because a lot of major life changes have been started here. It's cheesy, but it feels like this is the start of the rest of my life, so I can't help but be glad Mari sat us here.
Nora starts to flip through the menu, but I take it from her hands. "Can I order for you?"
"I'd like that, Alpha."
I hand Mari all but the dessert menu and thank her. Our server, an Alpha named Rhett, comes over quickly. When the owner is eating a meal, all of the staff are on their best behavior. Rhett stops short. "The Perfect Omega," he whispers, eyes wide. I'm surprised he's not salivating over her with the way his body freezes and his eyes heat.
"My Omega, Nora, would like a gin martini, dry, citrus twist," I say, trying to break his concentration on her.
But it doesn't work. Rhett is now directly in front of Nora, dipping his head to attempt to scent her. Her face is fearful and stricken, and while I can tell she's trying to be polite, she still subtly scoots her chair closer to me. Before I can even think about holding myself back to not cause a scene, a growl rips out of my throat, and I leap from my seat to grab Rhett and shove him backward. "Did you miss the part where I said she was my Omega?"
"She's not bonded, I can still scent her," Rhett says, fighting against my hold.
"She is mine," I growl again. "You're fired. If you can't control yourself around an Omega, you cannot do this type of job. Get out of my restaurant." My manager on duty comes and grabs Rhett and escorts him out. A lot of diners are staring at us, so I compose myself and turn to face them.
"Apologize, patrons of Bea's Kitchen. My name is Chase Sloane, and I am the owner of this restaurant. I am here on a date night with my newly scent-matched Omega, Nora. Rhett, a former employee of Bea's Kitchen, attempted to scent her despite the fact she is already matched to my pack and me. Unfortunately, with things being so new, my Alpha may have been a little loud and disruptive. I apologize for that. Everyone will receive a complimentary dessert for the inconvenience."
I sit down at the table, and my manager is there to personally take our drink orders. I rattle off a laundry list of dishes I want Nora to try.
Since the situation with Rhett, Nora has been eyeing me curiously. "What?" I say, worried I scared her.
"You called me yours," she whispers, and I think my heart may explode at the wonder in her eyes. "You protected me and called me yours," she repeats. "I was told that my Alpha would only protect me and claim me if I followed the list of things perfect Omegas do." She twists her napkin in her hands. "I'm not doing any of those right now, and you still called me yours."
The bartender places our drinks in front of us: a martini for Nora and a negroni for me. Ever since she made me one, I hardly order anything else. After a big mouthful, I say, "Nothing you could ever do would make me not claim you. You are mine, now and forever, princess. I will always protect you."
Time flies as we chat, laugh, and tell each other stories, and before I know it, we're two drinks in and halfway through trying the multitude of dishes I ordered. I love listening to the way Nora reacts to my recipes and discussing things we'd do differently and how we could make them together at home.
The lightness of our evening is interrupted by a shrill voice shouting, "Nora Summers!" behind us.
Nora's body immediately freezes, and she looks terrified. A low growl rolls in my throat, and I turn to see who is calling out to us.
Her mother.
Nora's mother is here, with an older Alpha on her arm, staring us down.
"Dr. Greene," Nora whispers so only I can hear.
This fucking guy. The Alpha who tried to break this beautiful, gentle Omega. Who told her she had to be a certain way to be loved and desired.
It takes every bit of my power to hold myself back from ripping him to pieces.
I pull out my phone and fire off a quick chat to the pack.
At Bea's. Nora's mom and that doctor are here. May be a problem.
Nolan
Keep them there and talking, we're on our way.
The Doctor and Nora's mother approach and stare us down. "Why are you not greeting us?" her mom snaps.
Immediately, Nora is on her feet, head dipped, "Sorry, mother. I am glad to see you." She turns towards the Alpha. He's got to be in his early fifties, with hair that is starting to bald and a rancid smile on his face. "Hello, Dr. Greene." Nora crosses her hands in front of her body and keeps her eyes trained on the floor.
"Good to see you again, Ms. Summers," I say, reaching out to shake her mother's hand. She gives me a limp fish of a handshake. I turn to the doctor. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Chase Sloane of Pack Sloane, owner of Bea's Kitchen. I'm one of Nora's Alphas."
Dr. Green sneers at my hand and doesn't take it. "You're not her Alphas until you're officially bonded, are you?"
"It's semantics at this point. We'll let you two get back to your dinner," I say, effectively dismissing them.
"Well, actually, you're the reason why we're here. Photos and video are getting out in the media about an Alpha claiming to be matched to the Perfect Omega throwing someone out of a restaurant and letting his Omega dress like a whore," her mother says.
I see red at her insult to Nora, but before I can say anything, Dr. Greene adds, "It's not becoming of the Perfect Omega brand for her Alpha to be starting bar fights and to allow his Omega to dress so scandalously."
"It wasn't a bar fight!" I growl. "That Alpha was trying to scent my Omega. Mine. He wouldn't back off, so I made him." I look at Nora, who's frozen like a statue, her jaw clenched and eyes glassy. "And she doesn't look like a whore! She looks gorgeous. She's allowed to be a person. She's not a prop to be dressed up and paraded around."
"You don't get to be the decider of that, boy," the doctor says, getting in my face.
I bare my teeth at him before turning to Nora's mother. "Sign off on our bonding. Let us move on from this. Let Nora be happy. She's got a pack that loves her, she's safe, well cared for, and protected. What more could you possibly want for your daughter?"
Nora's mother, I think her name is Veronica, ducks her head in a way similar to Nora but reeks with shame.
"I'm afraid it's not quite that simple," Dr. Greene says, crossing his arms over his chest. "Because Ms. Summers is not Nora's guardian and has no authority to sign off on her bonding."
Nora's head pops up now, her eyes wild. "What? Mother? What is this?"
Dr. Greene ignores her outburst, focusing solely on me. "Nora is the product of every Alpha sample that was donated to the Design Clinic that year. She has no father because her traits were isolated from too many samples to have one to label as the true father. As such, the Clinic itself is her father and retains the rights to approve or deny her bonding."
"Mother, is this true?" Nora says quietly. "What about my pack fathers? Was all of it a lie?"
"I got to raise you, and they paid for all of our living expenses. All they required was the Omega training and the interviews. It was an easy decision to make, Nora," her mom responds cooly.
"You sold me!" Nora screams, drawing the attention of the patrons. "You sold the rights of my life, of my body, of my future, to Dr. Greene? And then you let him be responsible for all of my training? How could you?" With every sentence, her voice creeps higher in its pitch. The Perfect Omega is cracking, pieces of her falling off and shattering with every realization of her betrayal. "What was your plan for me? To sell me off to the highest bidder? Come get the Perfect Omega, all personality trained out of her by the skilled hands at the Design Clinic!"
"Omega, enough!" Dr. Greene Barks at her. "Heel."
Immediately, Nora's fury shuts down. Her head drops so her gaze is on her toes, her hands clasping each other in front of her. She doesn't speak.
"Look what they've done to you," Dr. Greene says, circling Nora. "What have these men done to you? Are you ruined now?" He leans close to her ear and snarls, "Did you take their knots?" She doesn't even flinch, and I am growing increasingly worried and desperate, my gaze darting around the restaurant, trying to see if the guys are here yet. "Was everything I taught you for nothing? I gave you everything, Omega." He growls, tugging her hair. "I made you perfect!" he barks.
"Omega, exit," he commands, and Nora's feet immediately start moving. She's not even fighting him. I run, cutting her off.
"Nora, princess, please look at me." Her head doesn't move, but her eyes do, and they're pleading, scared. "Talk to me, Nora. What's going on?" No words escape her mouth, her jaw tightly clenched, but she widens her eyes and continuously darts them to Dr. Greene. I drop my voice. "Is he doing this to you?" She blinks once.
"Fuck," I gasp, stepping back.
"Now, Nora is under my protection as a representative of the Design Clinic. It does not appear Pack Sloane is an appropriate match for her, and as she is such an asset to our organization, we'll be finding her more appropriate bonding opportunities." Dr. Greene says, fingers around her upper arm.
"You can't do that!" I yell, yanking Nora from him and pulling her to my chest. "She's our scent match. She's meant to be with us."
"I can do that, and I am. Your request for bonding has been denied." He looks at Nora and barks, "Omega. Heel to your Alpha."
She slips away from me and trots right to him, standing beside him in pure submission.
She doesn't want to go with him, does she? Her eyes were terrified. I don't think she wants this. She can't want this. We were just getting to know one another.
Her piece of shit mother taps my arm as she passes me, "It's better this way. Go ahead and forget her."
I still tried to fight to get her away, but the cops were already waiting outside as if Greene expected this to happen. Since we are unbonded, I had no grounds to demand her return, and they let that asshole take my Omega from me while physically restraining me.
I'm still on the curb, crying, head between my hands, when the guys pull up.
"Where is she?" Blaine shouts, looking around frantically.
"Gone," I croak, looking up at Joey from where he lords over me. "They took her from me."
"And you let them?" Nolan roars, charging me. Levi steps between the two of us.
"Tell us what happened, Chase," Levi says in his soothing voice.
"Nora doesn't have a father. The Design Clinic is her guardian. Her mother lied about the pack fathers who died. She sold Nora to the clinic. They have full say over who she bonds with, the interviews she does, everything." I scrub my hands on my face. "But that's not the worst fucking part."
"What's the worst part, Chase?" Joey says, lowering himself next to me. He puts his hand between my shoulder blades and rubs slow circles, trying to stop my frantic rambling.
"The doctor, Greene, he… he would bark words at her, and it was like her whole brain shut off. He told her to heel, and she went running to him, immediately submissive. She couldn't move. I looked in her eyes, and she looked so afraid, but she couldn't move." Tears are running down my face fast now, leaving tracks of shame and despair on my flesh. "She couldn't have stayed even if she wanted to. We were finally getting somewhere, and she's gone." My voice cracks on a hiccup. "She's fucking gone."
"We'll get her back," Nolan says reassuringly. "We know where her mother lives. That's probably where they're taking her. They can't fight off all five of us."