Chapter 6
SIX
“I can’t get over how comfy all of your stuff is,” Stacia says as she brings one of my blankets to her cheek and rubs the soft material. “Like, I need this in my life. Can I pay you to crochet me a blanket?”
That makes me smile. “You don’t have to pay me.
Just tell me what color or pattern you want, and I can get to it next week.
Especially since I’ll finally have my own space to do it.
” I organize the crafts box, making sure there’s nothing delicate sitting with my crochet hooks.
I notice there’s a whole ball of yarn missing, and let out a quiet but frustrated screech.
“Is everything okay, Opal?” Stacia asks.
I sigh. “I just feel like everything is so… disorganized. I never really unpacked these because there was no place to put them, and now they’re just, scrambled about. Like I was living with no structure.”
“But, you did keep everything in the same vicinity,” Rory says, looking around. She intuitively picks up the exact skein of yarn I was looking for behind the couch and hands it to me. “And, at least you know what you’re looking for because each box is labeled.”
“Seriously though, you’re a much better packer than me,” Stacia adds.
Rory snorts. “Everyone on the planet is a better packer than you. Your wax melts got mixed in with your edible rock candy, and now you can’t figure out which is which.”
Stacia covers her mouth as she giggles. “Ciro always forgets, so every once in a while, he picks one and takes a bite. The guys have a bet going on for how long it takes him to forget again.”
The mental image of Ciro accidentally eating wax almost takes me out. “All those poor discarded and half-eaten wax melts.”
“It’s official,” Rory announces. “I’m getting him some of those hyper-realistic wax melts for Christmas. The food ones.”
We all laugh, but still work as fast as we can to get my stuff packed. Unfortunately, all the guys have plans today, so it’s just us omegas putting in the work to get me out of this hellhole.
And that is what it is. I was trying to be positive before, but now that there’s a light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel, I can finally be honest. Living here was hell.
The front door opens, and Rory tenses beside me as she reorganizes my mug collection to fit in the box better.
She doesn’t like being around Cindy, says her omega gets testy whenever she’s nearby, so I don’t miss the way she stays quiet when my childhood friend walks into the room, obviously surprised to see my new friends here.
“Hey, Cindy,” Stacia says diplomatically.
She’s sweet, always looking for ways to make others feel included, but the way Cindy looks at her and says nothing sets even my teeth on edge.
Rory gives an almost inaudible omega growl deep in her chest at the blatant disrespect, so I place my hand on her shoulder to silently tell her that I’ll handle it.
“Cindy, you know my friends Stacia and Rory,” I say, formally introducing them.
Again, Cindy doesn’t say ‘hello,’ but she does take in the space around us. Specifically, how much cleaner it is due to my stuff being packed up in boxes. “What are you guys doing?”
I take a deep breath because I really don’t want to bite her head off, not when I’m moving out today. So I give her a big smile and announce, “I’m moving out! You’ll have your living room back later today.”
Despite how happy I thought that would make her, she just gives me a blank stare. “Where are you moving to?”
“With some friends,” I say vaguely.
At the same time, Stacia answers, “With our friend Sam and his pack.”
Cindy’s brow arches. “Sam is an alpha?”
I just stare for a moment, my brain rebooting as I try to come up with a lie, but when it gets too quiet, my head nods on autopilot. “Thatcher, too.”
Annoyance flares over her face. “Isn’t that some kind of omega sin? Moving in with a bunch of alphas you’re not bonded to?”
“That’s an outdated concept,” Rory clips, her grip just a tad bit too tight around my Casper mug.
I reach out to softly take the mug from her when Stacia injects, “Yeah, that’s not really a thing anymore. But this is different; this pack already has an omega. His name is Kit.”
I wince just as my hand closes around the mug.
Rory sees the anguish that the statement causes and lets me have it, immediately abandoning the violent thoughts she’s having about Cindy’s ignorance and focusing on me instead.
I avoid her eyes because I can’t stand to see the sympathy in them right now. I just can’t.
Stacia doesn’t know about Sam being my scent match, so I don’t blame her for pointing out the obvious.
Mainly, I didn’t want Cindy to know that information because now she’s looking at me with a mocking smile and glinting eyes.
“Now, that has to be a cardinal sin for omegas. Aren’t you guys really territorial over your stuff? ”
My eyebrows raise, but Rory focuses her energy back at Cindy and says, “Are you referring to like… clothes, or are you calling alphas objects?”
She shrugs. “Aren’t they? They become yours, don’t they? Things that no one else can touch or even look at?”
Stacia’s jaw drops, and my skin suddenly feels hot from the anxiety. I need this conversation to end right now before I have a flare-up.
Rory stands and takes a step forward, her jaw clenching at the comment. “Listen here, I think you need to take a course next semester to refresh your brain on designation bias.”
“Maybe we should—” I start, but then Cindy talks over both of us.
“Look, all I’m saying is…” She huffs, trying to find her words. “Doesn’t it look bad? Moving in with another omega’s pack?”
I shake my head but the words penetrate.
That’s exactly the issue, isn’t it? It’s that exact fear that I’ve been pondering for months every time I considered telling Sam that I’m his scent match.
It’s not fair of me to blow up their lives, even if it’s the biggest lifeline that’s ever been handed to me.
Maybe I shouldn’t accept it… Maybe it isn’t right.
Having two omegas in one pack isn’t very common.
It happens and it’s spoken about, but it’s still seen as taboo and bizarre due to the stereotype of our designation.
Many people believe two omegas can’t coexist in the same pack due to our biology, how we’re territorial and love to be the center piece of the group.
I wouldn’t say I necessarily disagree, but I think it depends on the group.
Not every two omegas are the same, but I don’t know if Pack Langley agrees with that.
Then I remember Kit’s scent, bright and bursting with excitement.
His watermelon aroma is ingrained in my psyche, so full of life and color that I can almost taste it on my tongue.
Sam is my scent match, but so is Kit. He asked me to stay with them, and that’s the only reason why I feel comfortable enough to do so.
“Kit is the one who invited me,” I say, which promptly shuts Cindy up. Rory turns to me, the vein in her forehead still on the verge of popping out. “Maybe you and Stacia should start loading boxes up. We have a lot of stairs here.”
Although I know she’s hesitant to leave me alone with Cindy, Rory nods and heads over to some of the finished boxes. After they walk out, boxes in hand, I turn back to Cindy and cross my arms.
She sees it immediately, the frustration I feel at her aggressive temperament, and sighs. “Opal, I’m sorry. I guess I’m just worried about you going somewhere with people who don’t know about your condition.”
That seems to hit me exactly where it was intended. The breath I let out is long. “I know,” I agree, despite the nonsense she just spat at us a few minutes ago. “But I need my own space.”
She nods, both acceptance and defeat in her expression. “I know.”
I give her a weak smile. “Thank you, though. For being there for me when I needed a place to stay. Even though my omega needs her own space, and this wasn’t exactly ideal, I know it was a kindness that you didn’t have to give me, so thank you.
I really appreciate you helping me get back on my feet. ”
That seems to wash away any disappointment, because she smiles back. “Of course. You’re welcome anytime, you know that. I genuinely hope it works out at this new place.”
I nod and put my arms out, inviting her in. When she falls into the hug, all I can think about is the room waiting for me and how much I hope it works out, too.