Chapter 2 #2
It was kind of like being in a cathedral dedicated to my favorite video game, drawing to mind the church motifs in another title I used to play before I'd really gotten addicted to more fast-paced survival RPGs.
So fucking cool.
“Thank you!” I said brightly as she stopped at the far end of the room, another door, this one affixed with a card reader awaiting us. “You ever done fashion colors before?”
“Nah, the maintenance is killer. Have fun, hey?” She scanned me into the room, and I stepped inside, finding the rest of the invitees turned towards each other, chatting while the loading screen for Kill Floor made their monitors glow behind them, casting the room into an eerie red light.
“Promise you aren’t gonna scream in front of all these people?” a deep, familiar voice asked that made my toes curl in my platform heels.
I scanned the small group, unsurprised to recognize a couple of faces.
“I make no promises,” Jesse said with a laugh, running a hand through their blond curls.
“Why did you even come, bro?” asked another familiar voice, though I'd never met this particular alpha IRL.
Jason played games with the group of us, though his content was more targeted towards rage-baiting teenage boys than anything else.
He was the first to notice that I'd arrived, turning towards me with a little jump in his icy, mint scent.
The alpha was… as nicely as I could put it, generic-looking.
Cropped brown hair and a standard build that didn't make any real impression beyond classifying him as ‘guy’ in my mind.
But, even though his looks were extremely average, he was very charismatic, something that he'd leveraged well even now, flashing me a smile.
“Because Indi was coming and I got fomo,” Jesse complained with a groan, turning to follow where his friend's attention had gone. “Evie! You made it!”
I barely heard them, offering a vague wave. My belly fluttered as I met a pair of deep, dark eyes. Their irises nearly black in the low light of the room.
Indigo.
The alpha whose pack I'd fucked during Omega Lust’s Halloween Trick or Treat Packtacular event… and hadn't spoken to since.
It hadn’t even crossed my mind that they’d be here, but it made total sense.
Indi was one of the most popular gaming streamers, period, and was easily considered a household name in the horror streaming space.
They had incredibly genuine reactions to the games they played, along with great audience interaction that kept people coming back again and again.
Plus, it didn't hurt that Indi was hot as hell—the ultimate triple threat.
I'd never forget meeting them at my first creator con. Shoved in the corner with a lot of other small creators who barely had the audience to be in attendance, yet they were so nice to all of us. At the time, the big game on the scene was called Flirting with Death, and when they came up and told me they’d seen a clip of me kicking ass in gameplay, I just about melted to the floor.
That was the convention we met Jesse at, too, and we’d formed a nice little group over the years.
And though it'd always just been that, playing games or catching the odd movie all together, I couldn’t lie and say I hadn’t always had a bit of a crush on Indigo.
It was a secret that I’d kept buried, since I was sure they didn't feel the same way.
He was Indigo Garotti, and I was barely scraping together the viewership to become a partner.
I didn't want to come off like I was just chasing them for their viewership…
Besides, in the time I'd known them, Indigo didn't often spend time single. They weren’t just talented and hot; they were kind.
The sort of person who would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it.
So far out of my league it wasn’t even funny.
It was easier to spare myself the humiliation and keep my feelings close to my chest. At least then I could hold onto the hope that there was a possibility.
That it was just timing that was getting in the way of turning their flirty smiles into something more…
a stupid idea that I let go of after the Packtacular.
Their entire pack had fucked me during my heat, and Indigo didn't so much as graze me once. I didn't need it written in black and white to understand where we stood.
They. Weren’t. Fucking. Interested.
It was disappointing, even a little awkward. But at least I hadn't asked them out and fucked up our friendship entirely.
But… God, did they have to look like that?
Indigo's long legs were stretched out in front of them, their lace-up boots peeking from the baggy hem of their pants.
At the top, near their waist, the band of a pair of fishnets rested above their belt, the material peeking out of a rip at their knee.
An artfully distressed crop top hung loosely around their torso, the fabric just grazing their pants while they sat crouched, shielding their abs from view.
Until they lifted their hand in a little wave, revealing the lean muscle beneath with a rustle of chains decorating the jagged hem.
Perfect.
Unbearably so.
I waved back, half holding my breath as I passed them, our awkward, prolonged eye contact dissipating as I found the only unoccupied seat beside a girl I’d never seen before. It was kind of a relief that there was another one; I’d half expected to be stuck in a room full of guys all day.
“Evaaaa!” Jason called excitedly. “I was hoping they'd reached out to you.”
I leaned over to offer the alpha a high five, grinning in a way that I hoped hid the nerves that Indigo’s lingering gaze stoked to life.
“Good to see you, J,” I said to Jesse, earning a nod from the beta.
“Everyone, this is Eva—” Jason started.
“One of the best mechanics out there,” Indigo interrupted, white teeth flashing as they praised my gameplay. “She's a Brit main.”
I felt my face heat. “I get by…” eager to get the attention off me as I felt eyes burning into my skin like a physical brand.
I turned to one of the other girls, giving her a cursory look while I tried to find something to say to move the conversation away from me.
After a few moments, I settled on, “I like your top.”
And it wasn’t a lie, even though we couldn’t be dressed any differently.
She had on a baggy t-shirt with a band logo I didn’t recognize on it, and equally baggy jeans.
It was obvious she went for the ‘no makeup makeup look,’ with just a bit of complexion products and mascara on.
She turned to me, her face slightly souring in a way I didn’t expect. “Thanks, I like looking presentable.”
I blinked. “Okay.” I wasn’t sure what else she expected me to say, a little taken aback at her tone.
“You’re Eva_Aft3r, right?” she asked, not bothering to soften the judgment in her voice.
My cheeks warmed. I wasn't used to being recognized in public, and especially not by girls. Though I guessed this was the place for it to happen. Since we were all kind of in the same field… co-workers, but not really. Guilt pinched at me that I didn't recognize her. “Yeah, I am.”
She scoffed before I could ask her name, pairing the noise with a heavy eye roll that made me feel like I would've preferred to sit with Indigo and deal with whatever weirdness was going on between us, rather than continue talking to whoever this was. “That’s what I thought. You do that other streaming service, right? Slip N’ Slide or whatever? ”
Annoyance crawled its way through me as her problem became clear.
Fucking prude.
“So what if I do?” I asked, my tone clipped.
She shrugged, like she wasn't being a twat acting like sex work was something to be ashamed of. “I’m just surprised to see you at something like this. It’s not like you’re a… serious gamer, you know? It's just a side gig to funnel incels into your pipeline, right?”
“Considering the kind of reach and audience growth she has, about double yours, I'd say she’s a pretty serious streamer. Wouldn’t you?”
Indigo’s deep voice jolted something inside me as it came from behind, way closer than expected. I turned to find them at my shoulder, looking down at the woman with a scowl that warned they weren't impressed.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach again, and I reminded myself not to be too flattered. They were just a good guy looking out for their friend.
So what if looking out just happened to come with the whisper of an alpha bark?
She pursed her lips. “It was an innocent question, you’re so sensitive.”
“Switch with me,” the alpha demanded, motioning to their seat. “I want to sit with my friend.”
She didn't argue, hopping up to move seats, eager to scurry away like a dog with its tail between its legs.
Indigo took her vacated seat, the light of the screen illuminating their features.
I breathed in sharply, regretting it instantly as the achingly sweet scent of maple syrup flooded my nose, undercut by the subtle savory note of melted butter.
It should be illegal to be so tempting.
Their hair looked like it'd been cut recently, the edges of the fade clean, and their curls on top tight to their head. Indi dragged their hand over them now, offering a smile that, if I didn’t know better, I’d think was shy. “Hope you don't mind, didn't seem like she was being very nice.”
“I don't know what her problem is,” I said quietly to them, not wanting to draw more attention to the situation.
They shrugged. “A lot of people in this industry are jealous. And they like to take it out on people they see being successful.”
I felt my cheeks redden slightly—even the smallest bit of praise from them was enough to make me feel embarrassed. “I do okay,” I said lightly.
Awkward silence fell on us again. This was exactly what I was trying to avoid. Part of me wished that girl would come back and start an even bigger scene. And another part of me, a bigger part, wished everyone would leave so we could talk for real.
How did we let things get so messed up between us that I’d rather be slut-shamed than try to avoid their eye? Indigo might've been one of the most lighthearted people I’d ever met, but there was something so deep and thoughtful about their gaze. Like they saw right through me.
Noticed too much.
They cleared their throat, bringing my attention back to them. “So… how're you doing? It’s been a while.”
To anyone listening, it sounded like a harmless question, a check in between friends. But I could sense the underlying meaning.
Are you okay after my pack fucked you into oblivion?
“Fine,” I said, willing my smile to stay relaxed and friendly. “How've you been? You haven't been to game night in forever.”
I tried to keep my voice light and failed, a bratty petulance I hardly recognized coloring my words. Our friend group usually played games offline once a week, but Indigo had missed every session since the Packtacular.
It kinda pissed me off. It wasn't like I was obsessed with the alpha or something—they didn't need to avoid me just because they'd seen me in heat.
“Good," Indi said, fidgeting with the chain attached to their belt absently. “Joon's just got settled from the move.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to keep my face neutral.
When we met up, Joon had said he was with a bunch of alphas, and it was clear that they were his pack, or potential pack after… everything. But I still couldn’t help the jealousy, my smile tightening with irritation.
Stupid, I didn't have any claim to this pack that'd fucked me once… but… much like with Indigo… I couldn't stop thinking about them.
“That’s nice,” I managed, the flatness in my voice betraying that I thought it was anything but.
I was happy for Joon, really. But… still. If he'd moved in, that was kind of it, right? Bonds were on the horizon, and what use did a pack have for two omegas? Never mind what use the omega himself would have for me, but that was another thing altogether.
Crushing on Indigo was one thing.
Lusting over the masked alphas that’d fucked me so good I’d had to order new, bigger toys just to even graze the same level of satisfaction was one, too…
But catching feelings for Joon?
That I hadn’t expected.
The door to the side opened, and someone walked in. “Hey guys, we’re gonna start in a moment. If you want to get logged in…”
Relief flooded me as I turned away from Indigo to focus on my screen, glad to have an excuse to avoid pretending to be happy for him and his pack.
It wasn't long before we were loading into the game.
But my excitement about the new map quickly turned to dread once I realized what we'd been dropped into.
A haunted carnival.
For fucks sake.