Chapter 32
Ophelia
I'm nervous about going to the gala. It's a full circle moment for me, not just with the Constantines but with my family. It feels like closing a
Chapter. It's not that I'm accepting the OFA, but I'm trying to work with the system instead of against it. And tonight is part of that.
Still, getting to dress up, to see the guys in their tuxes, to be on their arms—I'm excited about it.
I take one last look in the mirror. The dress really is beautiful. Imogen thinks I'm making a fashion statement but I don't care about that. The dress is ethereal, and I feel like a princess in it. It took some effort getting ready, more than I'd normally put in, but thankfully Greta helped, so it wasn't too difficult.
My long, wild, wavy brown hair is pinned up and back, a few stray pieces framing my face. My makeup is simple, but with a dark smokey eye that makes my dark blue eyes pop, a simple gloss on my lips. Confident I can't do much else, I make my way downstairs, their scents hitting me first.
They each come into view as I descend the stairs and the sight nearly makes me cry—handsome, sexy, and confident, and all four, waiting just for me. Asher's warm brown eyes heat like molten lava as he takes me in. Theo's carefree grin falters, turning predatory. Enzo, who was looking at his phone, glances up and then freezes, mouth dropping open in awe.
They all make me feel so loved and so precious. Tears water my eyes. I take a deep breath because I don't want to get all emotional and ruin my makeup.
Sully helps with that.
"Come here, omega," he gruffly demands. I rush down the stairs until I'm standing right in front of him. He's practically scowling. Seemingly feral, his dark eyes and closely cropped hair highlight the pulsing tensity of his square jaw. Sully is bigger than the other guys. Bigger than Asher, more intimidating, and I feel like I want to please him, like I'd do anything for his approval.
"Wait a second, did you just bark at me?"
He chuckles darkly. "No. Your omega is just desperate to obey."
I resist the urge to growl because he's right and, much like my complicated start with the guys, I hate that I love it.
"Soon," he promises when he leans in close and takes a deep inhale.
"You said that last time," I remind him.
He grins back. "Feeling a little impatient? Are you saying you're ready for my cock? For my bite? For me to mark you and make you mine forever?"
“I… Uhh… yea—yes,” I stammer.
"Once I take you, omega, your entire world changes. I'm not like your other alphas. I've been giving you time to adapt to your new surroundings. But once I bond you to me, bite you, shove my massive cock in that tiny little omega pussy, and change you, I invade your soul. You're going to beg me, little omega, and I don't think you've been ready yet. Are you? Ready to present for all of your alphas? Trust us to use you and take care of you?"
My other three alphas are nearly blown, pupils dilated, I'm sure I'm the same. I'm panting, but Sully seems unaffected. The asshole leans down and kisses my cheek, then turns and walks out the door.
I let out a shaky breath. Enzo takes my hand; his is cold in mine, grip tight, like that was the single most intense and erotic thing anyone's ever said in our presence, and we're all just doing our best to hold our shit together. It's a heavy, loaded silence as we make our way to the OFA facility up in the mountains.
When we arrive and the valet takes the car away, tucked between Enzo and Asher, Sully turns and says, "Oh, and Omega? You look stunning."
I huff in frustration, but Theo just chuckles and slaps his packmate on the shoulder as we enter the gala. It's bright, in stark contrast to the warm evening. Scents are strong, and pheromones—our own and everyone else's—float around the room, permeating the air.
People stop and stare at us, but the guys close ranks around me, and I'm grateful. Even Sully is more friendly and relaxed after his display of alpha male dominance back at the house. It makes me wonder if this is a mask, this serious yet friendly guy act.
The guys hold onto me throughout the night. I dance with Theo, who laughs every time I step on his toes. We slow down the steps, and I have his undivided attention as he guides me through the dance: left foot back, then right, left foot glide forward, then right. Asher cuts in and lets us sway in place. He likely watched my pathetic attempts and decided I was best left to what I was better at than dancing—standing in place.
We get bored of the dance floor, tracking down Sully, who's talking with Dr. Rubens. I'm happy to see the old man; he's been growing on me. Last week, we met and compiled a list of the heat clinics that couldn't be vouched for—basically, any clinic that didn't have security or had outstanding reports of assaults against them. Rubens came to realize all the clinics at risk were further downtown and south, though I wasn't surprised. We were progressing, but it was like chipping away at an iceberg with a pick ax.
I saw Imogen from across the room. We made eye contact, and I inelegantly smiled and waved, but her response was tight. She was surrounded by her parents and, every time I looked over, a different pack, including the mayor's. From the impressions I gathered, the packs were courting her parents and vice versa, not Imogen, for all the interest she was giving them.
I couldn't understand why they wouldn't just let her be, to find her own pack in time. She's awesome. Sweet and kind, gentle and delicate. But a victim of her designation, all the same. I could see Imogen wanted more for herself than to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Some of us just want love. And family.
I turn and smile at Asher and Theo, who have me tucked between them.
"Where's Enzo?" I ask when I realize I haven't seen him in a few minutes.
"I think he went to the bathroom."
"Oh, that sounds like a good idea." I lean up and kiss Theo's cheek. "I'll be right back."
"We'll come with you." They've only taken a few steps when they catch the stern look on my face.
"We're at an omega gala. I am perfectly safe walking to the bathroom on my own, gentlemen."
"Of course you are, but—"
"No. I'll be back in thirty seconds unless there's a line. This is going to set a precedent for how our relationship goes. Maybe this is what Sully was talking about when he said I wasn't ready, but I don't think I'll ever be okay with you all escorting me 24/7. I'll be right back."
"Cupcake, I told you you weren't going anywhere without us in that dress," Theo reminds me.
"And I let you be all dominant because I wanted to buy the dress. Stay. Here."
I can see their resolve weakening. Neither wants a miserable omega. And I'm not right now, not at all. But who knows how I'd feel after years of them escorting me to the bathroom or to visit with a friend or to go anywhere by myself.
I turn to walk away when Asher says, "That's not what he meant, by the way."
At my questioning look, he adds, "When he said you weren't ready before. It wasn't about accepting an escort; it was about truly accepting pack life and letting your alphas take care of you."
The sentiment lingers in the air, but I turn and keep walking. It kind of sounds like, to me, that's precisely what he meant. But we can talk about it later when we get home.
I stroll through the crowd, making my way over to the bathroom, but as I turn the corner into the hall and tug, the door won't open. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I continue down the hall searching for another.
The further I get from the party, the quieter the halls and the fewer people mingling. I should have just used the employee bathroom.
"Finally," I gripe when I step toward the next bathroom, but the scent of peaches precedes a smiling Bridgette, exiting the room, standing in my way.
I cross my arms and tilt my head. "Can I help you?" I ask in a bored tone.
Her smile widens, but new scents float around me.
"Alma?" A scratchy voice whispers in awe.
"What?" I rear back. My heart drops into my stomach, and it feels like I've been sucker punched. Jackson Olcene. I recognize him from pictures. I stalked him and his brothers when I was younger, convinced I would take revenge for my sister.
One brother is missing, but the other two, Lenny and Dave, are beside Bridgette, having snuck up from around the corner of the hall. Damn this monstrous building and all its nooks and crannies.
I've never seen the Olcenes in person. Ever since Fletcher told me they came to these events despite not being allowed to court an omega, Sully and I insisted she ban them from attending and stop accepting their fees.
I fidget uncomfortably in my revealing dress, so distracted by Jackson, who's staring at me wide-eyed, eyes raking over every inch of my skin, I'd forgotten I'd asked a question.
"You want to know how you can help me? You can disappear, fuck off back to South Loop where you came from. Where you belong," she spits.
My nervous gaze, darting between the pack, drag back to Bridgette. "Yeah, that's not going to happen. I'm here with my pack, my family. In fact, I'm just going to go find them—"
"I've spent years studying to be the perfect omega. I was finally old enough to get their attention, finally graduated. And then Theo Sullivan, who I've been dreaming about my whole life, asked me to dance. Me! And you ruined everything. You got that creepy fucking alpha to bite you, trapping the rest of them."
"Bridgette, I didn't trap—"
She continues her deranged rant, "Well, I found out about you and your trashy sister and I made a call. And now? Now I don't have to worry about you at all."
She takes a step back. I look over at Dave, who's still staring at me like he's seen a ghost. I guess he has. The rage shaking beneath my skin turns to ice as Bridgette takes a few more steps backward, and I realize she's leaving me alone with them.
Asher and Enzo, I know they can feel my fear through the bond, I just need to stall. Unfortunately, Jackson's nostrils flare and his eyes flit to the scarring bite mark on my neck. At the same moment, they jump into action.
They must sense it because the moment I leap away, Dave or maybe Lenny wrap their hands around my waist, swinging me back toward them. I try to scream, but a hand comes around my mouth.
There's a sharp sting in my neck, and just as the world fades away, Bridgette leans in and whispers, "You're nothing but a dirty, slutty, penniless omega with no family and no prospects. You can offer them nothing. Dressing up in last season's dress, trying to shove your way into High Hills society is a transparent, pathetic, desperate attempt to feel special. But don't worry, sweetie. Olcenes will make sure you feel real special."
The voice drifts away, and I feel a faint sensation of weightlessness as my body bounces over a shoulder before it all goes black.