2. Ulysses #2
I knew exactly what day he was talking about, and I’d never expected her to keep it a secret. That made me curious as to why Rosie chose not to tell him when they talked about everything.
“Nope, not a word. Said it was between you and her, and nobody else needed to know,” Crew explained. “Don’t even think about telling me now, either. If she’s kept it to herself this long, it meant a lot to her.”
“All right, I’ll keep it to myself,” I assured him. “See you in thirty.”
Setting my phone down, I yanked off my shirt and headed for the bathroom.
I needed to shower before going to my parents’ place, so better to be ready for dinner if I ended up needing to stay longer than expected to help Rosie.
That woman had been through enough in this life to last three others.
There’s no way I would let some shithead mess with her self-confidence and self-worth.
Pulling up the driveway, I entered the gate code Crew sent me since they updated it after I last used it.
That didn’t surprise me one bit. Eli was the type of man to stay on top of keeping his family safe, and changing the gate code from time to time was one way to do that.
I’d forgotten how far back the house sat on the property they’d owned and lived on for generations.
The house itself was fairly conservative for someone of their net worth.
It was a sprawling two-story home with a cobblestone circle driveway.
I’d always liked the feel of this house because even though it was large for five people, it didn’t feel that way.
The biggest change since I’d been gone was Crew had a recording studio built on the side so he could work from home.
I parked off to the side in the area meant for Crew’s clients, not wanting to be in the way.
I tossed the car into park and sat there for a moment.
Crew and I met up all the time when I came back into town.
On the other hand, Bailey-Rose and I hadn’t seen each other since I graduated college.
Even then, I didn’t get a chance to do more than wave at her before her mother whisked her off for a girls’ weekend.
I’d felt special, though. Rose made sure to come and support me, but the fact she didn’t even try to talk to me hurt more than I’d like to admit.
Taking a deep breath, I shoved open the door and got out.
This was Bailey-Rose, the girl who cried when she found out caterpillars turned into butterflies.
She couldn’t understand why the caterpillar wasn’t good enough as it was created, hating that it needed to change.
Rose asked me once why caterpillars had to evolve for people to like them.
I didn’t have an answer for her, and honestly, I’d never thought about it that way before.
Never in my life have I met another human with such a pure heart who saw the world in technicolor instead of black and white.
When I reached the front door, it flew open, and there was Crew with a big grin on his face. “Look what the cat dragged back home.”
We both laughed as we gave each other a bro hug with some sound thumps on the back. Crew was a solid dude who took care of himself, so I grunted a little at the force of his love.
He pulled back, shaking his head. “Damn, you’ve gotten soft. Good thing you’re back so I can toughen you back up again. I’m seriously in need of a gym buddy who can keep up.”
I followed him into the house, through the grand foyer, and into the sunken living room with plush suede couches.
This home was meant to be lived in, so while all the furniture was high-end, it was still practical.
Crew flopped onto the loveseat and propped his feet on the coffee table.
After slipping off my shoes, I followed suit and sat across from him on the chaise end of the sectional couch.
“So how does it feel to know you won’t be packing up and leaving in a few months?” Crew asked.
“Fucking amazing,” I answered. “If I’m being honest, I don’t think I realized just how much I was beginning to resent having to do that.
At first, it was great. I got to see all kinds of places and visit almost every state in Preidon.
Then the shininess of it all wore off once I met the guys, and our pack formed. ”
My best friend dropped his feet and locked eyes with me. “Was it worth it? Going through all the hoops to find a pack?”
“Yeah, one hundred percent,” I answered without hesitation.
“I get your reluctance, though, allowing someone to decide your fate. All they have is your information along with a scent card for the Scent Matchers to work with. For me, it only took a month before they called the five of us together for a meeting. Some people can wait years, but I was lucky. The strangest part of the meeting was walking into that restaurant and knowing four other people were there to see if they wanted to create a pack with you.”
Pausing, I thought back to that day when the hostess walked me back to the private room they’d reserved for us. Warrick and Yun-Sun were already there chatting when I strolled in. Gareth arrived shortly after, and then Vili burst in ten minutes later, looking like he’d rolled out of bed.
“It took us about a half hour to realize how comfortable and easy the whole thing was. It was almost as if I’d known them for years, even though we didn’t know each other’s last names.
” I shrugged and grinned at Crew. “Don’t worry, though.
No one is going to take your best friend status.
These guys are friends for sure, but you and I…
well, we’ve got history they’ll never be able to beat. ”
The set of Crew’s shoulders relaxed slightly at this, but I don’t think even he realized how worried he was until I said something.
Growing up and caring for Bailey-Rose didn’t leave Crew many opportunities to make friends.
I know he’d never change a thing, but even if he never said it, I knew how important our friendship was to him.
“LouLou got all pissed off about the whole Scent Matcher subject, and I didn’t even know how to respond.
I get that Betas don’t react to scent the same way you Alphas do.
However, it doesn’t mean we don’t notice them or aren’t influenced by it when we build connections.
We just have more choices and freedom in the matter,” he commented, dropping his head to stare at his tattooed hands.
“I really don’t understand why Betas are only allowed to participate if an Omega selects them or have an Alpha who brings them along. ”
Society as a whole has always taken Betas for granted.
Yes, we Alphas are seen as superior because our genetics make us a prime specimen of our species.
Alphas are highly intelligent, driven, instinctual protectors, and are able to bond with Omegas creating a soul-level connection for life.
I have no idea where these enhanced qualities appeared in our history or if they were introduced medically.
What I do know is Betas got the short end of the stick.
“I’m sorry, man. If I had an answer for you that made sense, I would give it,” I offered.
“What I can say is that, for the most part, we normal people don’t view Betas as lower-class citizens.
If those idiots in our government stepped out of their bubble, they’d know nothing in this world would be done without all of you. ”