Chapter Two
Remington
“T hat was great, Remy,” Reginald declares as he stands, reaching over to grab my hand and pull me to my feet. “It’s so much easier once you start talking—you’ll completely forget about the cameras. It’s the downside to doing interviews, as it’s the one time the cameras are shoved in your face. I promise it’ll get easier and easier. Plus, you’ll be able to forget all about the cameras after the suitors arrive.”
I wrinkle my nose, unsure if I’ll ever be able to forget the cameras are there, but what do I know? This is the first time I’ve been forced in front of a camera outside of family events. “If you say so.”
“Reginald is correct, Remy. You did a great job. You were charming and expressive as you were talking. It’s clear just how passionate you are about your work—something I’m grateful for.” Tessa smiles from where she stands at the bottom of the stairs.
“I know the topic can be hard for you,” I tell her with a soft smile. She’s also agreed to be part of my study cases because of her infertility issues. I’d advised her that there’s a good chance we won’t be able to do anything to fix her infertility but that her participation could help others down the line. Now that her pack has three babies, I don’t think she would even consider getting pregnant if she could.
She nods as Bree joins us. “It is, but it’s an important topic that needs to be discussed more frequently than it is. Knowing that there are people actively working on a solution is enough for me. If you can save anyone from going through what I had to, it’s worth it.”
“Come on, Remy, let’s get you ready to meet your first suitor, yeah?” Bree grins, nodding toward the circular driveway down the pathway.
My stomach turns at the idea, but I know this is what I need to do. I can’t keep letting fear rule my life.
I’m ready for this. I want to find my pack. I just wish I could skip all the time between now and having them.
Wouldn’t that just be the dream?
I’d go to bed single and wake up with the perfect pack. I’d sign up for that in a second.
I’m practically folding in on myself as my shoulders hunch forward—as if I can just make myself disappear.
“Remy?” Tessa’s voice is soft as she steps into my line of sight. “Do you need a minute? Finn’s here if you need to speak with him. We’re trying really hard not to overwhelm you, but even with the scent blockers you used, your scent is burnt. I’m not a big fan of burnt caramel lattes.”
Why am I like this? Why can’t I just be a normal fucking person? A normal omega?
“Remington, I need you to take a deep breath in,” Finnegan Abernathy, the psychologist on staff and a season one suitor who had to leave suddenly, commands. There’s a hint of alpha bark in those words but nothing I can’t shake off if I wanted to.
But this time, I don’t want to. I want to listen to his words. I need to breathe. I need air in my lungs to survive, but it’s like my entire body has frozen.
It takes a few tries before I can suck in a full lungful of air, and it’s only then I realize how much the world is spinning around me.
I’m hyperventilating because I’m having a panic attack.
Even though I know what’s happening to my body, it doesn’t help me make it stop—something I hate about myself.
I release the air in my lungs before sucking in another breath until, finally, the world stops spinning.
I’m kneeling on the ground with Finn in front of me as he holds my hand to his chest.
“That’s it, Remington. That’s a good job. Just keep breathing for me.”
I don’t know how long we sit there as I focus on copying his breathing, but when I let my hand fall away, I feel better—my head clearer.
I wish I could say this is the first time this has happened, but it isn’t—nor will it be the last. This is just the way my body reacts when I feel overwhelmed. It’s something I’ve discussed in detail with Finn, and we’ve been working on ways for me to cope with it.
Since I can’t seem to remember them in the moment, it’s clearly something we still need to work on.
“I think we should delay.” Finn stands up, offering me his hand as he focuses on Bree and Tessa. “Remington isn’t ready—“
“Yes, I am,” I say, cutting him off. “Am I overwhelmed? Yes. Of course I am. If I stopped doing something because I was overwhelmed, I’d still be living at home with my parental pack. I’d never leave the house, and I certainly wouldn’t be doing the work I do. Panic attacks don’t mean I have to stop—they mean I need to push forward. Nothing worth fighting for is easy. I’m determined to see this through. I’m here to find my pack, and that’s what I plan to do.”
Will this happen again? Probably, but that doesn’t mean I just quit. I’m not a quitter.
I frown at the dirt on my pants, wincing as I meet Bree’s gaze. “Uhhh, sorry about the pants. They seem to have gotten a little dirty.”
“As if that’s what I’m worried about.” Bree shakes her head. “We’re worried about you, Remy. You keep saying you want to do this, but your body seems to be telling us a different story.”
I shrug because she’s not wrong. “I’m not a quitter.”
No one speaks before Finn sighs. “Fine, I won’t force them to delay, but I swear to you, if I notice anything while you’re meeting your suitors, I’m pulling the plug.”
“I find that amendable,” I tell him, even if I want to shout at him to let me live my life. He’s only looking out for me and my well-being. Can’t hate a man for that, now can I?
Bree reaches up, pressing on her earpiece. “Carlos, what’s your location?” She hums at his reply. “Can you please go to the omega suite—don’t worry, I’ll override the lock from here—and grab another pair of black tuxedo pants? There should be three or four of them hanging with the bags holding the actual tuxes. I promise you won’t be able to miss them.”
“That’s one problem solved.” Tessa runs her hand through her red hair. “Are you sure you want to go through with this? We can always delay by a day, and just pretend like tomorrow is Monday. The viewers will never know.”
“I’m sure. This is what I signed up for, and I’m going to complete the obligations I’ve agreed to.” I hold up a hand when she tries to speak. “More importantly, I want to do this.”
“I don’t know why the three of you are trying to argue with an omega.” Reginald snorts. “We all know he’s going to get his way.”
Grinning, I shoot him a wink just as Carlos arrives.
“I have the pants.”
I turn my smile on Carlos, already kicking off my shoes and dropping my pants. “Thank you, Carlos. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Are you—“ Carlos gasps, turning around as soon as I have the pants in my hands.
“Undressing? Only slightly. Can’t wear dirty pants when you’re meeting suitors. It’s not like I’m naked underneath them.”
“I have work to do,” is all he says before hurrying away.
I try to bite back my laughter, but it just spills out of me as I watch Carlos run away while pulling on the new pants.
“Ugh, that’s just what I needed,” I say with a smirk. “Though I do feel bad about upsetting Carlos.”
“He’ll be fine,” Finn assures me. “He just made the mistake once of thinking someone had on underwear when they dropped their pants to change, and they didn’t.”
Tessa snorts. “I think you meant to say he caught you dropping trow in the middle of a public space to change and you had nothing underneath. You’re the one who traumatized the man.”
Finn shrugs. “Yeah, okay. It was me. I’m the problem.”
“Makes sense to me,” I tell them airily, now fully dressed. “Okay, am I acceptable?”
Bree comes over to fuss with my tie and jacket before giving a nod of approval. “More than, I’d say.”
“Then let’s do this.”
Not bothering to wait for the others, I head down the pathway. Reginald catches up with me easily and leads me to where I need to stand.
“We’ve signaled for the driver to head this way, so they should be here any minute now—less time for you to freak out,” he says with a grin as he squeezes my shoulder before moving to take his own spot.
One thing I’ve learned since arriving on the Heated set is I’m touch-starved. I can’t help myself from practically melting into everyone’s touch. I think they’ve picked up on that fact, considering everyone seems to touch me more frequently than others.
I don’t live very close to my parents, and Emilia is so busy all the time. Since she lost her pack, she’s the one running their company—all on her own, might I add—plus raising my two nephews. She’s kind of my hero. I don’t think I could’ve survived what she’s been through.
But with that being said, I’m just not around people I trust frequently enough to satisfy my omega’s need for touch. And since I tend to get lost in my work, I was able to bury it so deeply that I didn’t realize I’d been missing it until coming here.
Being an omega is fucking insane.
My head snaps up when the sounds of tires rolling over gravel reach my ears.
Holy shit.
This is it. I’m meeting my first suitor.
While my skin feels damp with nervousness, I’m not freaking out inside like I thought I would be.
I can practically feel the omega that lives inside of me thrumming in my chest. It’s a part of me, but at times, it feels like it’s a separate entity. Now being one of those times.
I watch as the limo pulls into the circular driveway until it stops near me.
Anticipation dances in my chest, wondering who will be inside. What will they look like? Will they be an alpha or a beta?
The back door swings open and a man in a tuxedo steps out. The first thing I notice is he’s a couple inches shorter than me, but his presence is so large it’s hardly noticeable. Slowly, a waft of his cedarwood, fir, and juniper berry scent reaches my nose as he steps toward me, and my eyes fall shut for just a moment.
That is a very nice smell for the alpha who has just arrived.
“Hello, Remington.” His voice is deep as I blink my eyes open once more, taking him in. His dirty blond hair is pulled back into a low bun, and he sports a full beard that’s neatly trimmed and only a few shades darker than his hair. But it’s his eyes that really draw me in—they’re a deep dark blue. “My name is Daniel Kennedy.”
I take his offered hand, shaking it lightly. “It’s nice to meet you, alpha.”
Daniel’s smile only grows. “It’s nice to meet you, too, omega.”
It’s then I realize that not only am I still holding his hand, but I’ve stepped closer as I attempt to find his scent once more.
While I understand why we have to use scent blockers for the initial meetings, right now, it’s just causing me to seek out his scent more.
“Oh…uhhh…sorry about that.” I drop his hand and take a step back. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself, Daniel?”
Kindly, Daniel doesn’t comment on my faux pas as he nods. “I’m thirty-five, and I work as a headhunter for corporations. Trying to find companies the perfect match for their open positions. I’ll also admit to being a bit of an adrenaline junkie.”
“Yeah, I’m definitely not.” I snort, and for the next few minutes, we get to know one another better.
Daniel is charming, but part of me feels like he’s only letting me see the surface of who he is. It makes sense since this is the first time we’re meeting, but I hope he doesn’t continue to hold back like he is currently. When Reginald signals me, I don’t feel bad about ending our conversation—which isn’t a great start.
“It was nice to meet you, Daniel. It looks like the next suitor is about to pull up. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better tonight and tomorrow.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” he says with a slight bow of his head before going to join Bree behind me.
I shouldn’t feel a sense of relief that he’s gone, should I?
Shaking off the guilt, I focus on the arriving limo. Like the first one, it stops near me and the door flies open. A man steps out with a grin on his face as he hurries toward me, only stopped by a hand reaching out of the limo.
Ohhhh, a pack.
The man rolls his eyes but ducks down to speak to whoever grabbed his arm, and I take the moment to check him out. He’s probably around my height, maybe a little taller, with tan skin. His hair is medium brown with honey highlights, cut close on the sides but longer on top so that it hangs in his face, and there’s a slight wave that makes me want to sink my hands into it. The tuxedo he wears is perfectly cut for him, showing off his lean, well-muscled frame. He looks absolutely edible.
When he stands back up, he waves as he continues to grin at me but doesn’t move toward me. Instead, he reaches inside the limo to help the next person out. My mouth falls open as I stare at the woman before me. I’ve seen more than my fair share of beautiful people, but this woman? She puts them all to shame.
Her long chestnut brown hair falls around her bare shoulders to at least her waist. She’s tall, nearly my height, and slender in a way that tells me she works out. The dress she’s wearing is a bright turquoise blue that pops against her bronzed skin. Even from this distance, her eyes are drawing me in—even if I can’t quite tell what color they are.
I’m surprised when a second man steps out of the limo. His skin is darker than the other two, mahogany in tone. His black hair is short and cut close to his head, a goatee drawing attention to his lips. He’s taller than the other two by more than a few inches and bulkier. I can’t be sure about the other two’s designation, but this man screams alpha, and he’s just as gorgeous as the rest of his pack.
Each man slips an arm through the woman’s before leading her over. I lick my lips as they near, unable to pick up their individual scents. Instead, I catch hints of their combined scent, and it’s delicious. Peach, green tea, orange, and something woodsy.
I already want to drop to my knees for them, and I haven’t fully scented them yet. I can’t wait until tomorrow when we won’t need to use scent blockers. I have to know what their scents are—it’s going to drive me crazy until I can.
“Hello, Remington,” the first man says, bowing at his waist. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Milo, a beta, and these are my alphas and pack mates—Victoria and Eric. We’re the Hawthorne pack, and Victoria is our head alpha.”
“It’s nice to meet you all,” I breathe, a wave of shyness overcoming me. They’re all just so beautiful, and I can’t believe they’re here trying to become part of my pack. It’s just a little hard to wrap my mind around the concept because, let’s be real, none of them would look at me twice if I wasn’t an omega.
Victoria hums. “We’re so very happy to meet you, too, Remington.”
My gaze flickers to hers, finding a small smile on her pouty lips. Her cheekbones are sharp and her nose narrow. Now that she’s closer, her forest-green eyes draw my attention once more. I’m not sure I could look away from her if I wanted to.
At least until Milo speaks out. “Don’t worry, we were all the same way when we first met her. It’s hard to accept that much beauty at once, isn’t it?”
“As if you or Eric have any room to talk. You’re all beautiful,” I blurt out, flushing even though it’s the truth, as my eyes roam over the pack as a whole.
Milo’s eyes are amber brown and lined in black, bright and eager as he stares at me. He has a hoop through his nose and another through his lip. There’s a bar piercing in his right eyebrow and several piercings running along both of his ears. I’ve never been one for piercings, but they look damn good on him.
Tearing my eyes away, I focus on Eric, who has yet to speak. His eyes are a deep brown that I can easily see myself getting lost in. In his ears, he has large gauges that somehow improve his hotness.
Hot damn.
I hope the scent blockers I’m using are enough to hide just how much I’m perfuming because otherwise, I’d be very embarrassed right now. As is, I really fucking hope my slick and pre-cum aren’t leaving wet spots on my tux.
“Ummm…” My mind is completely blank, unable to think of anything but the amount of hotness standing before me.
I wonder if I’m allowed to just take them to my suite now and have them fuck my brains out. It’s been so long since I’ve had anyone in my bed that it’s kind of pathetic.
Eric chuckles, one side of his mouth turning up into the hottest fucking smirk ever. “Omega, you smell amazing.”
I’d like to hide now, please and thank you. My whole body heats, and I’m glad they can really only see my face because I’m blushing from head to toe.
“Stop it, Eric,” Milo chides, stepping in front of his alphas. “As adorable as Remington is when he’s blushing, you’re making him uncomfortable.”
Which just makes me feel more uncomfortable.
Yikes.
This is turning into a train wreck.
“I’d love it if you told me more about yourselves.” I stumble over my words a little as they rush from me, but it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve embarrassed myself today. “And please call me Remy.”
I don’t know what makes me say it, but it feels right. Somehow, they feel right.
Milo winks. “Of course, Remy. I’ll tell you more about myself and then we’ll put the alphas on the spot. I’m thirty-two, and I’m an only child. I also co-own a bar with Victoria and Eric.”
“Only because you wouldn’t let me put it in your name,” Victoria points out, and I smile. This sounds like a regular conversation they have.
“Not until I’ve earned it.” Milo shakes his head. “Victoria comes from old money, plus all the money she’s made, so she likes to spend her money on things that will make us happy—even when we tell her not to. But that’s beside the point. I run the day-to-day operations of the bar, and we have open mic nights. I even play from time to time. I play the guitar, and I love singing, but I’m not good enough to make a living off it—so I don’t.”
Victoria wraps her hand around Milo’s arm and tugs him back. “Such a bad little beta—telling the handsome omega all my secrets when you’re supposed to be telling him about yourself. Don’t let him fool you, Remy. His voice is amazing, and if he wanted to make a living from his singing, he could. He just doesn’t want that lifestyle.”
Milo shrugs as she shoots him a smile before turning it on me. “As for me, Milo is correct. I come from a long line of people who don’t have to work for their money. They usually just make investments to make the family more money, which I never agreed with. Not that my family agreed with any of my choices, but what can you do? Luckily, I have an older alpha brother and a younger omega sister who are everything my parents could hope for. They won’t cut me off because it will look bad to their friends, but it’s not like I need their money.
“I started modeling when I was sixteen, much to my dad’s chagrin, but since it was my mom’s idea, there wasn’t much he could say—or would say since he’s wrapped around her finger. He wasn’t so forgiving when I chose not to go to college in favor of continuing to model. That’s not to say I didn’t get my degree because I did, but it wasn’t the way he wanted things. They definitely don’t approve of the fact that I run a yoga studio now and still model on the side. But I’m a forty-year-old alpha. I really don’t care what my father thinks of me or what I do.”
“W-wow,” I mutter, surprised not just by her story but that she’s forty. I never would’ve guessed that. She looks so much younger.
Eric clears his throat, drawing my attention to him as I listen to his deep, gravelly voice. “I’m the youngest at thirty-one, and I’m a veterinarian. I’m an only child like Milo, and both of my parents have passed, so the two of them are my family. I also hate talking about myself.”
That pulls a laugh from me. “I understand. I’m not a big fan of talking about myself, either. It’s one upside of being the omega—my suitors get my basic information before they meet me. Makes this process better for me, that’s for sure.”
Eric laughs with me, the sound just as deep as his voice, and a shiver runs down my spine.
I clench as slick and pre-cum spill from me. There’s going to be no way to hide this—how fucking embarrassing.
“And on that note, why don’t we head inside? Apparently, dinner is waiting for us.” Reginald hasn’t signaled to me to wrap it up, so I hope this is okay, but if I don’t get somewhere to clean up soon, I’m going to die from embarrassment.
Leading them over to Daniel and Bree, I introduce the Hawthorne pack to my other suitor before giving Bree a tight smile. “I think we’re ready for dinner.”
Bree’s eyes narrow as she watches me before nodding. “Tessa, why don’t you lead the others in? I need to chat with Remy for just a minute. We’ll join you shortly.”
“Of course. If the four of you will follow me, we’re going to head into the dining room. After dinner, we’ll give you a tour and show each of you to your rooms…”
I watch them walk away, only turning back to Bree when I can no longer hear Tessa.
“Are you okay?” she asks, getting right to the point.
“Yeah, of course.”
“Then why do you look so damn uncomfortable?”
Wrinkling my nose, I glance down at my tux. “Because I’m producing enough slick and pre-cum to drown a small child in. The last thing I need is for one of my suitors to notice or for the cameras to catch it.”
“First of all, there will be no mention of children and cum in the same sentence, okay? That’s just weird as fuck.” She wrinkles her nose, and I realize I could’ve chosen different words. Then her face softens. “I also understand why you’re freaking out, but you don’t need to. This is one of Evangeline’s designs from her omega line. They have a special lining to soak up all the fluids and a waterproof liner between it and the outside material to make sure there will be no embarrassing leaks.”
I gape at her, eyes wide. “Are you serious? I didn’t even know that was a thing.”
“It wasn’t until Evangeline designed it. She’s an omega, just like we are, so she understands. She has an entire line of omega clothing for both male and female omegas that allows us to live as normal of a life as we can without having to worry about embarrassing ourselves with bodily functions we can’t control.”
“That’s really fucking cool. After the show’s over, I’ll check it out. It’s not something I’ve had to deal with much until now, but did you see Pack Hawthorne? They’re so hot, I’m afraid I’m going to get a burn just by standing next to them.”
Bree’s head falls back as she lets out a howl of a laugh. She pats my arm and shakes her head. “The good news is that all the clothes we’ve provided for you are from her omega line.”
“That’s good to know. At least that’s one last thing I have to worry about.” Feeling a lot better, I grin. “Now, let’s get inside so I can eat. I’m starving.”
“For food or for your hot suitors?”
I snort. “Both. Definitely both.”