Chapter 14
Zachary
I’m sitting at the dining room table, trying very hard to focus on the email that I need to write, but my attention keeps slipping to my omega.
Physically, she’s so close—her mouth-watering scent lingering in the air —but her refusal to join this pack makes her seem cosmos away. Tempting me with everything I can’t have once this week is over.
Hunter rushes into the space in nothing but a small towel wrapped around his waist. He’s followed by Alric, who only shrugs when I give him a questioning look and sets down a plate of food for us.
He sits next to me, popping a loukoumades—crispy fried dough balls covered in honey, topped with cinnamon and toasted walnuts—into his mouth.
His mom used to make them for him, and now it’s something he only makes when he’s home.
Hunter, however, paces back and forth, dripping water onto the carpet. “I know why she doesn’t want a pack.”
He shares the story about her photography and his theory that something fucked up was going on with her dads in regards to a scent match. I’m absolutely disgusted by their behavior and I don’t even know all the details.
“We know her mom died around the time she turned eighteen.” Hunter continues his pacing, wearing a path in the carpet. “She’d have lost access to child support. Damn it, I want to ruin their lives!”
Why even have a child if you’re only going to support them with shitty conditions? What kind of parent cuts their kids off the second they reach adulthood?
Alric looks downright murderous. He’s on his phone immediately, no doubt telling his assistant to start a manhunt. “I’m going to have Margaret check all public records, we need to find out if this pack is in our city.”
“What could we do even if they are?” Hunter asks him. “She doesn’t have contact with them.”
“I want to know if they visit any of my restaurants or lounges so I can kick them out publicly and hope that one of them throws the first punch. Plus, if we have their identities, we can put more pieces together. Timelines, registrations, anything that will help us understand if she’s not ready to tell us everything yet. ”
“That’s a good point.” A seed of hope begins to sprout in me.
Obviously, we would prefer Emilie give us the details, but we want to understand where she’s coming from so we can help her.
“We can work with this. If she had unsupportive alpha dads, or downright abusive ones, then we need to show her we won’t be the same.
I think she knows that, at least on some level, but trauma runs deep. ”
They all nod, and I continue, “We only have a short amount of time to prove to her we can support her. I need to see her again after this week.” Just saying that possibility out loud twists painfully inside of me.
“We have to show her that there are good alphas out there, that there are packs who would want to see her chase her dreams and thrive.”
“Kind of seems like all she wanted is to not be an omega.” Hunter speaks a lot of truth in that.
“Most sugar babies are younger than her and use this job to find their forever pack.” I add, “She’s in her mid-twenties. If she wanted a pack, she would have had one by now.”
Hunter agrees, “Yeah, she said as much.”
Alphas are taught that omegas want to be in packs, that they crave our knots and dream of our bonding bites. Was it all bullshit alpha logic because once a year they needed our dicks and we set up our whole society to cater around heats and ruts and scent matches?
Are omegas raised to believe that, too, so alphas always have access to them?
Getting to love and take care of someone meant just for me had been a goal even before I presented as an alpha. I had grown up seeing all the love and support my parents’ pack has, and it always sounded like a dream come true.
My mom was in the middle of medical school when she found her scent matches, and my dads never would have even thought of getting in the way of her becoming an omega specialist.
“I know she’s her own person,” Hunter says carefully, “and what she wants matters most, even if it’s not us.
I agree with Alric that we need a better understanding of her.
Maybe she’ll be open to sharing why she doesn’t want a pack, but we don’t have time to wait.
We’re on a time limit and she has to know that we can be what she needs if she lets us. ” Hunter sounds as hopeful as I am.
“Keep being the sweet ones, but I’m going to fight dirtier.”
Hunter and I glare at Alric.
“We have to be gentle with her,” I remind him with a growl. “If you ruin this for us all on some possessive alpha crap, we’re going to have a problem.”
Alric and I have been friends for a long time, and have the same driven personality and business mindset. Both of us are uncompromising when we want something in this life, but this is where he needs to remember we have an unpredictable omega on our hands who’s ready to bolt.
“If she were just your scent match, then you could handle the situation all you want, but we’re about to be a pack, threaten this and it affects all of us,” I remind him.
“I have no plans on ruining anything,” Alric says flatly. “I’m simply not willing to flip off fate so soon.”
“Nor are we, but trying to show her that we can be a supportive pack by ignoring her wishes sets everyone up for failure,” I tell him.
“And considering she dumped you on Friday,” Hunter remarks, “I’d say try a different approach.”
Alric scoffs at the reminder, and I hide my smile.
“Can I have some alone time with her tonight?” I ask. “I have an idea.”
Hunter shrugs. “Yeah, I got some quality time with her this morning.”
“Yes,” Alric says flatly with an unreadable expression. “We all heard.”
Hunter only smirks at that.
Alric continues, “I have dinner planned, but we can eat early and you can do whatever you wish. We should have more time as a pack starting tomorrow. She knows us all as individuals. Let’s see if we can change her mind as a unit.”
Perfect.
I close my laptop, giving up on any semblance of working today. “We also don’t know her real name, so let’s start with that.”
“I think it’s Madeline,” Alric says thoughtfully.
“You both met her on the Knotty app, right? I met her at an art gallery opening. I had run into an old friend earlier in the night and asked her who Madeline was before introducing myself, so she didn’t have the option of giving me a fake name.
I suppose it’s possible that Madeline gave them a false name, too, but that seems unlikely. ”
Madeline. A beautiful name for a beautiful omega and that does make sense. So Emilie shifts to Madi, and it suits her.
“She will tell us when she is ready,” Hunter muses. “Do we think the universe is playing a massive joke on us?”
It sure seems like it.
Iknock on the library door before entering. She’s curled up in a plush loveseat by the window, her head leaning into the velvet, reading. The sky is a gloomy gray behind her but here, it’s warm and inviting. The room is bathed in golden light from the antique lamps that gives her an ethereal glow.
If I were a photographer like her, I would snap a pic of this moment.
This has always been my favorite part of the house. Most of the books are in Greek and quite a few are incredibly rare. The three of us come here every year, so I have my own shelf with novels I’ve brought from home. Books I’ve been meaning to read but only find the time for on vacation.
Only after I step into the library do I regret coming in here.
My omega’s deliciously sweet scent and the smell of books is such an intoxicating combination.
I try to not make it obvious that it is affecting me so deeply.
It’s the blissful aroma of my own personal paradise.
If only I could find a way to bottle this, I might survive a future stained with her absence.
She looks up with a small smile. “Hey.”
Is she thinking about last night, too? I can almost still taste her on my tongue. “Hi. May I join you?”
I had meant in the library, but I’m elated when she nods and uncurls her legs to make room for me. It’s odd that she is somehow both a stranger to me, yet someone I’ve dated and adored for so long.
Her scent grows stronger with each step I take towards her.
When I sit down next to her, my chest puffs with pride as she instantly sinks against me, her nose pressed into my bicep.
Now that she’s with me, everything feels right in the world.
I let her take her deep breaths, not wanting to disturb whatever omega instinct she’s having right now. When she looks up, her eyes are wide.
“I really want to bite you right now.” One of my eyebrows shoots up, but she quickly explains, “Not a bonding bite, but my teeth are hurting and I have this really intense urge to bite you. Like when little puppies play fight for fun. It’s a ridiculous, overwhelming need, but your arm is so strong and chomp-able.
’’ She looks at my bicep as if it’s her favorite delicacy.
I laugh. “You can take a nibble if you want, little omega, just don’t break the skin or I’ll be biting back.’’ To ensure she knows that I’m joking, I wink at her.
She purses her lips together as if trying to deny whatever is calling her to this urge, but she gives in, lifting up the sleeve of my shirt. She slowly, adorably, presses her lips to my bicep before gingerly biting down.
It’s not painful, and she’s nowhere close to breaking the skin, but the way her eyes roll back in her head as if I’ve given her the orgasm of her life will forever be cemented as one of my favorite memories of her.
She closes her eyes, sinking into the sensation that her omega side needs right now.
I hope it leaves a mark or a bruise so I can be insufferable about it to the guys.
Has she bitten anyone else? I don’t think so. If this were a fantasy novel, I would be the chosen one.
I’m daring to hope this is a sign that her omega side will win out in the end. For her to desire all that we have for her as a scent match, as a bondmate. As a pack.
I take her hand in mine, locking our fingers. My thumb brushes against her soft skin. We stay like that until whatever she’s feeling passes, and she slowly releases her jaw. Her cheeks are bright pink. “Thanks, that was weird.”
“It’s not. You’re experiencing some unique intersection of normality and an all-consuming biological cycle out of your control. You’re going to have a lot of intense feelings and urges this week, but I assure you, you can trust us with all of them, no matter how strange.”
She nods and appears thoughtful. “I’ll try and keep that in mind. How do you know so much about heats?”
“My mom is an omega specialist and owns an omega-focused health and wellness medical center. She ensured I took some medical classes on omegas. She said as an alpha, it was my sworn duty to know everything on the subject.”
“I wish omega classes for alphas were mandatory. Some of y’all don’t know anything besides fucking.”
“You’re not wrong there. Unfortunately, some alphas believe they belong on a pedestal because they were born with a knot in their pants and a hell of a lot more testosterone than most of the population. They seem to think they can be mediocre at things while still receiving a standing ovation.”
She laughs at that. “Everyone should have the self-confidence of a mediocre alpha. Hey, I brought my Switch. Do you wanna play? There’s not much to do around here.”
“Later, absolutely, but I have a gift for you.”
She leans back a little apprehensively. “I’d really appreciate no gifts right now. It feels unnecessary.”
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to throw this diamond tennis bracelet into the ocean, then.”
“Okay, well, let’s not go that far.”
We both laugh and it’s easier to forget that we’re on some island in the Mediterranean in the middle of pack chaos, and not back at my place in my gaming room, spending our one day of the week together, ordering pizza and playing video games.
“I actually think you’re going to want this gift.” I slip my hand in my pocket and pull out her working cellphone. I’d managed to turn it on again after a night in a bag of rice.
She gasps and takes it from my hand. “Oh, Zach, thank you!” She runs her fingers through her hair when she sees all the missed calls and texts from someone named Harper.
“Oh, she’s probably freaking out! I didn’t get a chance to message her yesterday.
She hits the call button and a video chat screen pops up, Harper instantly answering.
“What the fuck is going on, babe? Are you okay? You had two more hours before I called the Greek embassy and declared you missing.”
“I’m so sorry, my phone fell in the water yesterday and was broken but”—I’m surprised when she turns the camera towards me—“Zachary fixed it.”
Her friend’s expression shifts from panicked to delighted. “Hi, Zachary, I’ve heard wonderful things about you.” She says that in the tone that women use when they know a secret, telling me that she has all the details on me.
I give her a wave, but let them have their conversation.
She looks between the two of us. “Any changes to your plans this week?”
“Yeah, actually a lot. Alric is also here, with Hunter.”
“Ooohhhhhh.”
“It turns out they’re all best friends and starting a pack.”
Harper bursts out laughing. “Fate sure does have a silly sense of humor.”
“Yeah, there’s a lot going on, but I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Are you sure you’re good? Did you still need to borrow my pink purse?”
She intensely says pink purse, as if it’s some sort of cue.
“No, I’m fine. There’s a massive storm here, so I’m not sure when I’ll be able to head home. I’ll keep you updated.”
“You better! Your baby is doing well.” Harper pans the phone over to Bellini, sleeping on a large white bed. The room she’s in is luxurious and brightly colored with every shade of yellow.
“Thanks for watching her.”
“Of course. I love you. Have fuuuunnnnnn.”
“I love you, too.” She hangs up, holding her phone to her chest. “Thank you so much.”
“It was nothing. Pink purse?”
“It’s our code word if something is wrong.”
“Sounds like a good protective measure in your line of work.”
“Yeah, not all alphas are as nice as you.”
She snuggles closer and her sigh of contentment is music to me. We sit in comfortable silence while she checks her social media accounts.
“I have a surprise for you.”
“Really?” She perks up. “What is it?”
“You’ll see. It’s later tonight, after dinner.”