Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
FELIX
"You were rude," I stated causally, while we waited outside, leaning against the SUV.
"The organization was out of line by pulling this shit," Luka, our alpha, and my best friend, replied.
"I didn't mean to them. Fuck Mrs. Harriet and her organization. I meant to the omega. Did you not see the tears your words caused?"
He’d have to be blind to not see it. But something told me if he missed those tears falling down her pretty little round cheeks, it was an intentional miss.
"I didn't." He sighed before continuing. "But if she wants to be our omega, she needs to be tougher. A few words making her cry is as soft as they get."
"They weren't just a few words. You spoke all about your dislike for her body and said nothing positive." I saw absolutely nothing wrong with our omega’s body. The curves, the hair, those gorgeous big eyes. Fuck, they made my cock hard, and my inner delta screamed to want to wrap her up and protect her from harm, even if that harm was part of my own unit, and my alpha.
"Would you rather I lie?" Luka shook his head in disbelief. "It's clear she isn't what we ordered. She won't fit in with the other mated omegas; she's different."
"Is different so bad? I kind of like that she's unique. She's just like the betas you always go for. Just like the ones we all always go for," Alfie pointed out, and he wasn’t wrong in his assessment. Our unit always preferred our partners on the thicker side. We liked the soft curves under our hands and hips we could hold onto.
"She is not a beta. I'm not merely fucking her," Luka growled, a sound that reminded us who was really in charge. "I'm looking for a mate, not a fuck."
"Are you planning to not take care of your omega’s needs then?" Alfie questioned.
"I didn't say that," Luka huffed.
"Then she's both, if you ask me." Alfie shrugged.
"Good thing no one asked you." Luka fumed as he looked at his watch. "What is taking her so long? We've got a long drive ahead of us."
"We can stop at a hotel," I offered.
"I doubt that's wise." Alfie kept his eyes on the building in front of us as he spoke, anxious for her to appear. "She's too skittish."
"Probably right." She would never sleep in the same room as us tonight, not after the transaction and exchange for her went down. But we couldn’t trust her to have her own room. It's not safe for omegas. Nothing in this world is safe for omegas. "We should go help her."
"We were told to wait outside," Alfie reminded me.
"We were also told we'd have a tall, slender, black-haired beauty today, and that didn't happen." Was Luka sulking? "I'll find her."
"I'll go too." I turned to Alfie. "Make sure everything is ready for the drive home."
It wasn't going be hard to find her. My nose instantly latched onto the sweet scent of cherries, and it nearly dragged me through the building. We ignored the looks that were cast our way, pretending we didn't hear the whispers of our omega’s departure to a ruthless alpha who clearly did anything to get his way. Luka wasn't that bad. Just a little moody. But I wasn't about to defend him, at least not today. Not after he made our omega cry with his harsh words and judgment.
The intoxicating scent grew stronger the further we walked down the halls. The scent of the other omegas in this dorm was nothing compared to our new omega... Sydney. That was her name, I thought. It fit her, at least from what I saw. A perfect name for a perfect omega.
"You can't be here," Mrs. Harriet's voice boomed from behind us.
"Here we fucking go again," Luka muttered under his breath before he turned around.
"Mrs. Harriet. I apologize for not following directions well. But as you know?—"
"Men, especially alphas, are forbidden from an omega dormitory," she cut him off, an action that was bold for a mere beta woman.
His chest heaved as he tried to reign in the anger it caused. "I promise you, we have no ill intent. We'd only like to carry our omega's bags and offer her help. If you haven't forgotten, we've quite a drive ahead of us and your organization’s error has put us behind on our schedule."
"I will get her help," Mrs. Harriet offered.
"We will help. It's settled." Luka used his power of dominance behind his words, yet the beta did not crumble.
"That's not an alpha's job," Mrs. Harriet argued.
"Anything regarding my omega is my job. If it wasn't, I wouldn't deserve to have one, is that not correct?" he pushed back as he glared down at the beta.
"Well yes, technically. But that doesn't extend to taking her items from her dorm. Alphas are not movers. And?—"
"An alpha is whatever the fuck an alpha wants to be, and today I want to be a gentleman to my new omega." He turned, walking further down the hall, following the sweet intoxication that was calling to all my senses.
When Mrs. Harriet was out of earshot, trying to catch up to our larger strides as we marched down the hall, I mumbled under my breath, "Oh, now you decide to be a gentleman."
"Felix." The warning rumbled from him, but I wasn't afraid of Luka. Nothing scared me about him, though to others outside our unit, he was a force to fear.
"Stating facts, Alpha ." I stressed his title, smirking as he pushed open the door. Then I stumbled into him when he suddenly stopped, staring into a room that was filled with our omega's scent.
"Omega," he barked as I peered around him. The girl jumped; her shoulders rose and fell quickly as she struggled to stand and not fall. "You don't need to stand in my presence, omega. Not when we aren't in a formal setting."
"I just thought—" she whispered.
"A bedroom is the least formal place we could be," Luka stated.
"Yes. Alpha." Her eyes were fixed on the floor, not looking toward us.
"Why are you just sitting there? It appears your bags are packed." Her two measly duffle bags. It was clear that omegas in this place weren't granted the luxury they deserved.
"I-I wasn't given further instructions. Only told to come to my room and pack." Her hands trembled as she clutched them together.
"You did not think to seek us out?" I could tell he was already exasperated with her, but this wasn't her fault.
"We- we are not to leave our rooms without permission, Alpha." She swallowed hard at the admission, and I wondered if she had been punished before for such things.
"That seems ridiculous," Luka growled at her.
"It's for the well-being of the omegas," Mrs. Harriet explained from behind me. "I promise you, they are safer in their own quarters, but we do let them out for classes and activities."
Luka blinked a few times as he looked around. "And how many hours a day do these activities allow omegas out of their rooms?"
"I- well- It depends, Alpha."
"Omega." Our omega jumped again as he addressed her. "What would your schedule look like if you were not traveling with us today?"
She bit her lip and hesitated, as if she was afraid to admit just what the schedule might look like. "Well. We would be brought breakfast."
"Brought, as in you eat in your room?" he clarified.
"Yes, Alpha. And after breakfast, we would have a digital course."
"A digital course, from your room, I assume?"
"Yes, Alpha. But... after our lunch, we walk the track at our indoor gymnasium. Sometimes we are allowed to swim."
"And you like to swim?"
"Very much." Her head bobbed in agreement, and all I could think about was her curvy body in a swim suit. I bet her thighs would be deliciously soft. I wondered what they would feel like wrapped around my skull.
"Delta," Luka growled in warning.
"Sorry," I mumbled. I couldn't help the reaction I was having.
"Little omega, do you go outside?" Luka's voice softened the slightest and finally, our omega looked up.
"We- I... I have not been outside since I was delivered to the agency," she admitted.
"And how long ago was that?" I asked.
"I, it – well…"
"Spit it out, omega," Luka pushed.
"Thirteen. I was dropped off when I was thirteen." Luka cursed under his breath.
Thirteen.
She was just a child when she was abandoned at his place. Why? Omegas aren't usually brought in until they are fully matured. At thirteen, there was no way she had entered her heat cycle yet. Most omegas aren't required to go to a facility until they are eighteen.
"Why so young?" I pushed.
"I - my family didn't want the responsibility of having an omega." She looked down. "At least, one like me. That's, well, lacking the typical desired attributes."
"Darling." I stepped around Luka and stood in front of our omega. I reached up, toying with a strand of that springy hair because I couldn't physically stop myself. "There ain't nothing wrong with your attributes." I reached down, picking up both her measly duffle bags in one hand as I looked toward our alpha. "Let's get her out of here. An omega deserves sunlight."
Luka nodded and moved for me to pass him before he cupped the omega's elbow, urging her forward. Just before they were fully out of the room, he leaned forward, into Mrs. Harriet's space. "I will be reporting your agency. Not just for misconduct of business, but mistreatment of precious commodities. Even criminals get sunlight, ma'am. The treatment at the facility is barbaric."
Then he followed me down the hall, out of the building, and into sunlight.