5. Marcus
MARCUS
" L ady Inkwell is at it again, spoiling all our fun," I snarl to Felix as I slap the article down on the granite countertop hard enough to make his coffee mug rattle.
The gossip column that this mysterious Lady Inkwell of Willowbrook likes to circulate around town like she's some kind of gospel prophet.
"People talk. If she doesn't say who is invited to the ball, then no doubt someone in this town will," Felix replies. He doesn't even flinch at my aggressive gesture, because he's used to my moods by now.
I grunt, a sound that's more animal than human. "Yeah. Just a shame that they don't feel the need to talk to us directly. Cowards, the lot of them."
Theo, Felix, and I moved here five years ago after finding that life in the city had become too hectic and people were downright rude.
We'd met at Northwestern University, we were three alphas from completely different backgrounds who somehow clicked during a particularly brutal economics seminar.
Marcus Sterling, who studied business but fell in love with construction and now has more money than sense and a temper that could clear a lecture hall.
Felix Romano, the quiet architecture student who could design buildings that made people weep with their beauty and had a spine of steel when pushed.
And Theo Blackwood, the ROTC guy studying criminal justice who scared half the campus just by existing in the same space.
Three alphas who should have torn each other apart competing for dominance. Instead, we formed a pack that made other alphas nervous and omegas either run away or stare with fascination.
We tried. God, did we try. There was Jessica, the pre-med omega who was brilliant and beautiful but wanted a traditional alpha who would support her career, not three men who all had their own demanding jobs.
She lasted two months before deciding we were "too much work.
" Then came Riley, who loved the idea of three alphas until she realized we actually expected her to bond with all of us, not just pick her favorite. She ghosted us after six weeks.
The worst was probably Hannah, the sweet English major who seemed perfect until she started trying to change us, wanting Marcus to be less aggressive, Felix to be more social, me to be less intense. When we wouldn't mold ourselves into her ideal men, she found an easier alpha to shape instead.
And then there was Emma Song, who fit us like she was made for our pack.
Three months of the best relationship any of us had ever had, planning our future together, talking about where to live after graduation.
She was heading to our apartment to tell us she was ready to complete the bond when a drunk driver ran a red light.
That's when we realized we couldn't stay in the city anymore. Too many memories, too many reminders of what we'd lost. So we packed up and moved to the middle of nowhere, to a small town where we could rebuild and maybe, someday, find what we'd lost.
"Speaking of talking," Theo says, his deep voice carrying the kind of authority that made him an effective interrogator in the military, "we need to discuss this year's final preparations. The caterers want confirmation on the menu by Thursday, and security needs the updated guest list."
Felix looks up from his architectural sketches and asks, "How many confirmations came in yesterday?"
I pull out my tablet and scroll through the responses, my jaw clenching as I process the numbers.
"Forty-three RSVPs since Monday. We're at two hundred and twelve confirmed attendees.
" I pause, noting familiar names that make my alpha instincts prick with interest. "Including Adam Chen and Belle Hartwell. "
"The librarians," Theo notes with interest.
"Belle's... she's intriguing," Felix says quietly, tapping his pencil against his sketch pad.
"Sweet, intelligent, but that woman can talk your ear off when she gets going about books or library programs." He pauses, his voice softening.
"But those curves, that smile when she gets excited about something, those expressive eyes.
.. She's beautiful in a way that makes you forget she's supposed to be off limits. "
"That's why I invited her," I say, setting down my tablet with deliberate precision. Both my packmates look at me sharply, and I can see the questions forming before they voice them. "Belle Hartwell never applied for an invitation. I sent her one specifically."
"You did what?" Theo nearly jumps out of his seat.
"We've talked about getting to know her better," Felix says slowly. "Maybe checking out a book, starting conversations..."
I laugh. "We always end up walking by the library, but we never actually go inside to borrow anything." All three of us look away when I say it.
"Yeah, that's because if we step in there when it's busy, half the town bolts like the place is on fire," Felix points out. "We clear the room faster than a fire alarm."
"Exactly. But here's what you don't know…I’ve been tracking Belle Hartwell for three months.
Not as some random omega, but as a potential mate for our pack," I say, pulling out a leather portfolio from the drawer beside me.
"You want to know how our screening process actually works?
We don't just assess compatibility through questionnaires. We investigate."
Both my packmates lean forward, their full attention focused on me now.
"Belle's file is the most comprehensive one we have," I continue, opening the portfolio to reveal detailed reports, photographs, and behavioral analyses. "Because something about her has been triggering my alpha instincts since the first time I caught her scent."
"When was that?" Felix asks.
"Four months ago. I was picking up permits at city hall when she walked past me in the hallway.
" I pull out the first page of documentation.
"Even through her suppressants, even with her clearly trying to mask her scent, something about her made every alpha instinct I have stand at attention. Not just attraction, but recognition."
"Recognition?" Theo's voice sharpens with interest.
"The kind that says 'this omega belongs to us,'" I explain. "So I started investigating whether that instinct was right."
I flip through several pages of detailed observations. "First, I had to understand why an intelligent, beautiful omega like Belle is still unmated at twenty-six. That's unusual enough to warrant investigation."
"What did you find?" Felix asks.
"Belle Hartwell has turned down fourteen different alphas over the past three years," I say, producing a list of names. "Not just casual dates, but serious courtship attempts. Alphas with good jobs, stable finances, excellent reputations. She's rejected every single one."
"Why?" Theo asks.
"Because she's not compatible with single-alpha relationships," I reply.
"Watch this." I pull out a series of behavioral analysis reports.
"I hired discrete surveillance to track her interactions at community events where multiple alphas were present.
Every time she's around a single alpha showing interest, she becomes tense, withdrawn, clearly uncomfortable.
But when she's in environments with multiple alphas who aren't competing for her attention? "
I show them photographs taken at various town events. "She relaxes completely. Her scent shifts to something warmer, more inviting. Her body language opens up. She gravitates toward spaces where she can observe pack dynamics rather than individual courtship."
"Pack-oriented omega," Felix breathes, understanding immediately.
"Exactly. Belle's biological wiring is designed for multiple alpha bonds, not traditional pairing. That's why she's been unconsciously rejecting every single alpha who has ever approached her, they can't satisfy what she actually needs."
I flip to another section. "But here's the interesting part. I tested her response to our specific alpha signatures."
"How?" Theo asks, his professional curiosity engaged.
"Over the past two months, I've arranged for each of us to be in her vicinity at different times, projecting our natural scents," I explain. “I had Felix browse the architecture section while she was re-shelfing books."
"Her pupils dilated, her scent sweetened despite the suppressants, and she spent an extra twenty minutes organizing that section after you left," I continue, reading from my notes. "Classic omega response to compatible alpha pheromones."
"Then Theo. I had him ask for directions to the police station while she was having lunch outside."
"She answered your question, but her voice got softer, more submissive. Her scent spiked with interest even though she was clearly trying to suppress it. And she watched you walk away for a full thirty seconds before remembering her sandwich."
"And you?" Felix asks.
"Last week. I deliberately walked past the library during her afternoon break, projecting as much alpha energy as I could without being obvious about it.
" I smile grimly. "She dropped the book she was holding, had to sit down on the bench for five minutes, and her scent was so strong I could smell her arousal from half a block away. "
"Jesus," Theo mutters.
"It gets better. I had our scent compatibility analyzed by a specialist in Chicago," I continue, producing a scientific report.
"Belle's biological markers indicate she's not just compatible with pack bonding, but she's specifically compatible with our pack.
Our combined pheromone signatures create a harmonic resonance with her omega chemistry that's statistically rare. "
"How rare?" Felix asks.
"Less than two percent of the population shows this level of biological compatibility," I reply. "Belle Hartwell isn't just a random omega who might work with us. She's literally our destined mate."
"So you decided to invite her to our ball," Theo says slowly.
"I decided to give her an opportunity to meet us properly, in an environment where she can explore pack dynamics without social pressure," I correct.
"The masquerade format provides anonymity and plausible deniability.
She can interact with us as potential partners without having to publicly admit she needs a pack bond. "
"And if she doesn't connect with us?" Felix asks.
"She will," I say with alpha certainty. "The biological compatibility is too strong to ignore.
But if somehow she doesn't, then she'll find other pack alphas who can properly care for a multi-bonded omega.
Either way, she stops trying to force herself into single-alpha relationships that will never satisfy her. "
I close the file and look at both my packmates. "Our screening process works because we don't just screen applicants, but we identify people who need what we can provide. Belle needs a pack bond, whether she fully understands that yet or not. And we need an omega who can complete us."
"The other attendees?" Theo asks.
"All specifically chosen based on compatibility analysis and biological markers," I confirm.
"Adam Chen will find the visiting beta from the county library system, because they're both looking for intellectual partnership and domestic stability.
The three omegas from Riverside will connect with the alpha engineers from the construction project, and they all prefer traditional dynamics.
By the time everyone leaves Sunday morning, I expect at least fifteen successful bonds. "
"Including ours with Belle," Felix says.
"Especially ours with Belle," I agree. "Three years of hosting these events has taught me to recognize when biology and psychology align perfectly. Belle Hartwell is our omega. She just doesn't know it yet."
The system works perfectly for our purposes.
The ornate drop box we installed at the post office three years ago, labeled simply "Masquerade Ball Responses," gives people a way to confirm their attendance without ever connecting it back to us.
Mrs. Patterson at the post office thinks it's charming and has never questioned who empties it twice a week.
"Any word from Seraphina about this year's invitation?" I ask, though I already know the answer.
"Nothing," Theo confirms, his expression darkening. "Mail returned unopened, same as always."
The three of us fall silent. Seraphina Thornfield, the omega who owns the palace and rents it to us for our annual event, hasn't responded to our invitation in three years.
"We should try again," Felix says quietly. "Maybe this year will be different."
"We'll visit her tomorrow afternoon. Together," I decide. "And we're not leaving until she agrees to attend."
My pack nods in agreement, and I feel that familiar satisfaction of having my team aligned and ready.
And if Belle really is our omega which every piece of evidence confirms then she's about to find out exactly what that means.