Chapter 2 #2
The Gray pack was from two towns over. Their town was bustling, their population growing, and no need to let humans in. With two malls, a hospital, and schools that didn’t use hand-me-downs from other places, they were the envy of most packs.
“Okay, and?” My stomach twisted.
“He suggested we merge the packs. The Gray pack likes that idea, but they’re afraid they’d lose their young and strong wolves who don’t want to give up their identities. So it was decided we would become the Gray Sun pack.”
That didn’t sound too awful.
“But….”
My skin prickled. Here it comes. “But?”
“In order for the merger to go through, we need to join two of our families.”
Oh. Shit.
“And what does that mean, exactly?”
“Being the Omega of the pack, it falls upon you to be… um…”
“An offering. A sacrifice,” I growled.
“No, no, it isn’t like that.”
I stood up, anger surging. “Then what is it like, Dad?”
He glared at me, and my wolf cowered. “Sit down.”
It was only a whisper, but it shook me to my core.
I sat, needing to show my contrition. As the aforementioned Omega, I was the one who was basically the pack bitch.
I had to do all the things others didn’t want to.
Need a babysitter? Sure, Mason will do it.
Need your gutters cleaned? Mason will be there this afternoon.
It wasn’t awful, but it sure as hell wasn’t fun.
And I could imagine what Kip would say if he knew this.
“I’m sorry.” I kept my tone low and respectful.
“It’s okay, we understand. Still, this is a joyous occasion, and you need to look at it like that. Remember, you’re doing this for the pack.”
“I still don’t know what this is,” I grumbled.
“Alpha Donnelly has a son, Jerome. He’s seventeen and a budding alpha. We want to marry the two of you to cement the packs.”
I blinked hard several times. “‘Marry’? I don’t even know him.”
“Yes, but you’re gay and he’s bisexual, so—”
I pushed away from the table. “So because we’re both liking a bit of dick we’ll just get along fabulously?” I snarled. “Not all gay or bi men like each other, you know.”
“It’s for the pack,” Mom said. “We need to help them.”
For the last seventeen years everything I’d done was for the pack.
I’d given up my weekends, my personal time, my studies because, as an Omega, it was always expected I’d meet someone who’d take care of me as if I was incapable of doing it myself.
Yes, I was a fucking Omega, but I could kick ass when I needed to.
Desmond Tyne, a guy three years my junior, had been sniffing around me one day, and he’d cupped my ass, giving it a squeeze. “Looking good, girl,” he’d said.
I’d turned and found him leering at me, which pissed me off.
I cocked my fist and drove it into his face, breaking his nose.
It didn’t matter that he’d put his hands on me because he was the son of a Beta, so I was supposed to be demure and smile at him, thanking him for noticing.
Fuck that. I pushed him down to the floor and told him if he ever touched me again, I’d break more than his face.
I got the talking-to when I got home, reminding me of my station. My protests didn’t matter, the fact he’d touched me didn’t matter. It was one of the few times I hated being a wolf and the hierarchal bullshit we had to deal with.
“You will be marrying Jerome, and that’s the end of the discussion.”
I was trapped, and I knew it. The bloodline of a wolf was all that mattered.
I’d be Jerome’s good little wolf, taking care of his home, being available for sex when he wanted it.
If he opted to have children, I’d be the one caring for them, while still meeting his needs. This whole thing was such crap.
“So I have no choice?”
Mom put a hand on my cheek. “Honey, be proud of who you are. This will help pack cohesion as we merge with them. The wedding will take place when you both reach the age of majority, twenty-one. There will be a pack gathering away from the town where we can all run and celebrate.”
Except I wouldn’t be celebrating. I’d be stuck taking care of my future husband.
Any actual life I thought I would have? It was over now. My parents had informed me all my decisions would be made for me. My life would belong to others.
I wanted to cry.
If only there was a way I could get out of this.
“The courtship will begin this weekend. Jerome will be taking you out for dinner. He wants you to wear the clothes he’s sending over.”
“So I can’t even dress myself?” I sniped.
Dad rolled his eyes. “You know that’s not how it works.
We’ve been telling you since you were little, because we didn’t want you to get your hopes up.
It doesn’t matter who you marry. You’re an Omega, and that supersedes all of our choices.
We wanted you to marry for love. To have a family of your own.
We have no more say in this than you do.
I wish there was another option, but there isn’t.
John is our leader, and he’s made his decision. ”
“So let him find some other Omega!” I cried.
Dad put his hand on mine, while Mom snaked her arms around my chest and wrapped me in a hug. “You’re the only Omega in our pack. You know this. If it would help, either of us would gladly step up just so you could have a normal life.”
And that was what hurt the most. I was being petulant, even though I knew they’d do anything within their power to help me.
I let out a heavy sigh. “No, I understand. I love you both.”
“We love you too,” Mom said into my hair. “Hopefully you’ll fall in love with Jerome, and he’ll make you as happy as your father makes me.”
I guess weirder things had happened.
Oh, and pigs might fly.
I waited outside the restaurant, my stomach churning.
All I knew about Jerome Donnelly was that his family was wealthy. Enough that if our packs merged, they’d be bailing us out of the hole we were sliding into. That explained a lot. I knew nothing about the guy himself. Still, my parents wouldn’t let me marry an asshole, right?
Right?
When a sleek black car pulled up, I held my breath as the passenger door opened. I knew better than to judge a book by its cover—Kip, remember?—but I prayed they’d chosen someone even reasonably good-looking.
When I saw Jerome, my heart stuttered. When I heard the way he talked to his driver, then the doorman, my heart died.
Fuck.
He looked me up and down. “So you’re Mason.” He inclined his head toward the restaurant’s interior.
Not one for small talk, obviously.
We were seated, and before I could even glance at the menu, he’d ordered for both of us.
Peking Duck cooked medium with roasted carrots and veggies over white rice.
Fish meunière, scalloped potatoes, and a leafy green salad.
I’d wanted the rib eye. But being an Omega meant accepting what I was given, so I tamped down on my annoyance.
Then he started talking, and one thing became crystal clear to me.
I hated Jerome with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. Maybe even more.
He was whiny, obnoxious, and so fucking rude. I tried to be a good date, honestly. I sat quietly while he told me all about himself, in nauseating detail. He was rude to the server, berating her for stupid things like a water spot on his knife.
I wanted to take it, plunge it into his heart, and clean it off in front of him.
When our food arrived, Jerome took one look at it and signaled for the server.
“I asked for my meat to be prepared pink.”
She flushed. “I’m sorry, sir. Health code won’t allow us to serve undercooked poultry.”
He set his jaw. “I asked for it the way I wanted it, and you will give it to me that way.”
“Sir, I—”
Jerome’s eyes glinted. “I want to speak to your manager.” Once she’d scurried off, he glanced at me. “The server smiled too much. She should be quiet and unobtrusive.”
And you shouldn’t be such an arrogant asshole.
I had to wonder if my parents knew anything about the guy they’d chosen for me. Then it hit me. I wasn’t marrying Jerome—this was a business alliance.
“And I wanted to be sure you were aware,” he continued, his tone still clipped. “When married to an Omega, the dominant partner can have up to three others on the side. This means I’ll get my needs met, and I’m the one who decides who will take care of them.”
Oh, fuck.
I’d hope to hell he’d choose someone else every time.
The thought of him touching me made my skin crawl.
He wasn’t even nice-looking. He had acne, which wolves generally didn’t get.
Now, I wasn’t so shallow to think of that as a dealbreaker, but he also acted as if he was a gift to everyone, women and men.
It was as if he expected them to drop to their knees in supplication just because he deigned to speak to them—even if what he said was rude or condescending.
The night wore on, and he continued to drone on about himself. How great he was. How rich he was going to be, especially after the merger. Then he dropped the bombshell. My parents had told him about my dream of going to college. He would graciously allow me to go to school.
Allow me? Like I was some kind of slave for him? Yeah, yeah. I knew he had the final say in it, but I hated him. His smarmy face. His very existence. Still, I sat there and listened.
Which I’m going to be doing every day for the next forty or fifty years.
“I want you to remember one thing. You are not allowed to engage in sexual relations with anyone while you’re away at school. On our wedding night, you will be untouched and unsullied. Is that understood?”
I. Hated. Him.
“Yes, I understand. Thank you for allowing me to attend college.”
Jerome leaned back in his chair, his gaze focused on me, and for some reason my skin prickled.
Uh-oh.
“There are things you must remember. Every Sunday at six p.m. our time, you must call to check in with me. I will question you about your week, and you will answer me truthfully. No deception, no hesitation.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake, could he be any worse?
I cleared my throat. “When I return, where will I be allowed to work?”
He scowled at me. “Work? In the house, of course, taking care of the children.”
“But I was going to school to learn to be a nurse.” Because an Omega was all about taking care of others.
He scowled. “And you can still go to school, but when you’re done with that you’ll come back and assume your position as an Omega.”
My blood began to boil. “Then why am I even going?” I said through gritted teeth.
“Because I’m not ready to be married yet, so this will keep you occupied until then.”
Now it all made sense. School wasn’t me building a future, it was keeping me out of the way so he could do whatever until he figured he was ready to settle down.
You bastard.
That night, I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling. My stomach was still clenched. My parents hadn’t asked how the dinner had gone—perhaps my expression said it all—but they’d talked about how good this merger would be for the whole werewolf community. About what a great thing I’d be doing.
I didn’t feel great. I felt sick.
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand, then paused.
And what exactly could you tell Kip?
Nothing. I couldn’t share one goddamn bit of it.
The only light on the horizon was that Jerome had agreed nothing would happen until I’d finished school. So that meant three or four years more of freedom.
Years of waiting for the axe to fall.
I prayed for time to slow down, for the next years to crawl by, but deep down I knew the truth.
Time was going to slip through my fingers.