THEO EVERGREEN
Theo Evergreen
I snatched my hand back from the small of Mackenzie’s back. She didn’t need me to shepherd her down the hall. She didn’t need me. Period.
I was too touchy-feely. No. Clingy . Even for an omega. I had a whole folder on my computer detailing the symptoms of touch starvation. “ Clingy” was heavily featured. It lived right next to all my pack rejection letters in a digital archive of failure. Could an omega even be too touchy-feely? I didn’t really have any other omegas in my life to ask anymore, a fact that felt particularly pathetic right now.
The elevator dinged, and I shoved my hands deep in my pockets to keep them off her, my fingers curling into tight fists.
“But how do they store them?” she said, looking over her shoulder, her orange blossom wrapping around me. It was fresh and light, but somehow warm. Distracted, I had lost the thread of the conversation.
“Store what?”
“The carpets. You said they change the carpets every day, and each carpet has a different day of the week on it. There are dozens of elevators. Where do they store them?”
I frowned. In my obsessive preparation before getting on board, I thought I had looked up everything there was to know about cruise ships. I knew about the elevator carpets, but not a single blog post ever mentioned how they were stored.
“We’ll have to find someone to ask.” I almost regretted the words the second they came out of my mouth. The thought of approaching a staff member made my stomach twist. It always did when I had to do something that felt big and scary. I’d suck it up, because I had no choice.
“I’m totally going to get lost on this boat,” she said, threading her arm through mine like she had been doing it her whole life. The casual intimacy made my heart stutter.
“I’ll put the app on your phone for you.”
Mackenzie turned her phone over instantly. I swiped away her lock screen. She didn’t have a passcode on it, which seemed dangerously trusting. I watched her window shop in the Atrium as I considered what to do. She played with the ends of her hair, twirling a lock around her finger in a gesture I was beginning to recognize as self-soothing. I didn’t let her get too far away from me. Every time I did, it was like a chill took me. I chewed on my lip and logged her into the cruise ship app with my information. I had already bought the Wi-Fi package and could have up to three devices.
A message popped up on her phone. I couldn’t not read it.
Jillian:
“What do you mean you have a roommate? I’m calling customer service. And don’t hate me for the matchmaking thing. You need an alpha in your life, babe. Get your rebound fling under your belt.”
I frowned at the phone, my chest tightening. I needed an alpha in my life. That was the whole point of this cruise. It might be my last shot at finding a pack.
I jumped when Mackenzie slid her arm around my waist and leaned over to peer at her phone, her warmth seeping through me.
“Ugh. Jillian. We don’t need alphas, do we? We’re strong, independent omegas.” She threaded her arm through mine again and pulled me forward. She felt like sunshine.
I kept my mouth closed and didn’t answer her question. Not that she really expected an answer, let alone be dragged under by my internal thoughts. No one wanted to hear about the hardships of male omegas, especially female omegas. I was tired of being strong. I was tired of being independent.
“Did you really not know this was a matchmaking cruise?” I pulled her aside to let a pack pass by. They all had a similar look. It was more their clothes than physical appearance, like they shared a closet. Their scents were a mix of wood smoke and something fruity. I stifled a shiver as it washed over me. Mackenzie did the same. We caught each other’s eye and laughed.
“Here.” Mackenzie dug through her purse and pulled out what looked like a fancy lip balm tube. “Try this.”
I took it cautiously, turning it over in my hands. The label was handwritten. “Scent Override #7.”
“I know. It’s a terrible name. I’m just not that creative. I’ve been playing with the formula,” she said, suddenly shy. “It’s made with neroli oil and coffee bean extract. Kind of neutralizes overwhelming scents, especially in public.”
“Like a pheromone blocker?” I’d tried those before. They left me with horrible headaches.
“No, those are different. This just…” She gestured vaguely. “It’s more like giving your nose something else to focus on. The neroli especially helps with alpha scents.”
I uncapped it, and swiped some on my wrist, dubious but willing to try. The wood smoke from the passing pack seemed to fade into the background, replaced by something slightly floral and comforting that reminded me of Mackenzie.
“This is amazing,” I said, meaning it. “How did you figure this out?”
“Too much time spent on the internet,” she said around a laugh. She took the tube from me and swiped it once under my chin. She dotted it behind her ears and dropped it back into her bag.
“Maybe call it Rest #7. Because it’s like taking a rest?” I suggested.
“Jillian thought along the same lines too, but she suggested ‘De-Moan’ because it de-pheromones you.”
“That’s terrible. No omega wants to de-moan.” I said around a laugh.
“Well, she was right about one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Being stuck on a cruise ship with packs galore will make it really easy to have that rebound fling.”
I laughed a little harder than I intended, the sound carrying a hint of hysteria. “Bad breakup, huh?”
“Don’t even get me started.” She waved a hand like it was inconsequential before she changed the topic. “What now? We did the muster or safety drill, or whatever. Dinner isn’t for hours. Do you think they delivered our bags?”
I swiped to the events tab on her phone and handed it back.
“There’s a Sail Away party on the Sunshine Deck. The official welcome dinner and orientation is tomorrow. The first night is supposed to be just casual, I suppose.”
She twirled her hair as she flipped through all the different events that were scheduled.
“I didn’t know there would be so much to do. How do you choose?”
“Well,” I jammed my hands into my pockets, heat creeping up my neck. I didn’t want to admit that I had been poring over the itinerary for weeks. I had a color-coded spreadsheet with the events and excursions, ranking which would be the likely choice of different kinds of packs I might be interested in. “You could just play it by ear and see what vibe you want to go with.”
“Oh, there’s a cocktail mixing contest? That could be fun. There’s a lot of cooking classes. If I never have to cook another meal for an alpha, it will be too soon.”
A spike of anxiety tightened up my throat. The cooking classes were all high on my list. “I was, er, I was kind of looking forward to the sushi class.”
“Okay, we’ll do that one, but can we skip any dance classes?”
We.
She was making plans like we were together, a little pack of our own. The thought warmed me even as it terrified me. I didn’t want to get used to her company and then have her snatched away by some alpha.
“Why don’t we grab a snack? Or maybe an early dinner at one of the specialty restaurants? We probably wouldn’t need a reservation today.”
“Reservation?” Mackenzie slowed to a stop. Her eyebrows crinkled in confusion. It was adorable. “I thought cruises were all-inclusive.”
“Most of the options are included, but the fancy restaurants like the steakhouse and Tiger’s Table are an extra charge. The welcome dinner is tomorrow in the main dining room.”
Something cold shivered between us, like her aura shut off. “We could just stick to the buffet today,” I offered quickly, cursing myself for making her uncomfortable.
Mackenzie’s scent turned sharp with anxiety, probably matching my own. Before I could overthink it, the lie slipped out.
“Actually…” I cleared my throat, trying to sound casual. “I, uh, already booked Tiger’s Table. For two.” More lies tumbled out. “They had this special pre-cruise discount thing. So it’s already paid for. If you wanted to join me later in the week?”
My face burned. I had a reservation - made three months ago when I thought I might meet someone worth taking. Just another part of my desperate planning, along with the color-coded spreadsheets and event rankings.
“Really?” Her entire face lit up. “You’d want me to come?”
“Of course.” That part wasn’t a lie at all. “I heard they do this thing with liquid nitrogen…”
Her laugh echoed down the hallway, drawing looks from passing passengers. But for once, I didn’t care about the attention. Her orange blossom scent had turned warm and happy again, mixing with my coconut in a way that felt like… home.