26. Bubbles
Bubbles
Evangeline
My nerves are fraying, and I have to keep reminding myself to smile.
The house somehow looks bigger during the day. Even more foreboding. Or maybe it’s my internal screaming that’s the problem. Despite the outside feeling like a warning, a danger sign to step away, the inside is the complete opposite.
Colour, warmth, home—that’s what it feels like.
Everyone is gathered, talking and laughing. They belong here.
I don’t.
Alpha Cassius pulls me to his side. His hand rests on my neck, and the gentle yet possessive caresses of my scent gland forces my body to slump into his.
We bypass the older couple cooing over the twins and head towards the two Omegas in the corner.
They huddle together, whispering and giggling as if no one else in the world exists.
“Ladies,” Alpha Cassius nods.
The ginger one springs away, a guilty look on her now bright red face. She points her finger at the other.
“She did it!”
“Daisy! You traitor!” The other shouts, placing a hand on her chest, a wounded look on her face, yet her scent is a gleeful cherry.
“I don’t know what you two have been up to, and I don’t want to know. I came over to introduce you to my mate. This is Omega Evangeline. Angel, this is Omega Daisy and Omega Anna, my sister-in-law.”
Both Omegas sigh with relief.
Omega Anna springs forward. Pushing Alpha Cassius with all her strength. He smirks and doesn’t move a muscle.
“Shoo,” she waves her hands at him. “Leave so we can gossip about you.”
I smile, for real this time, and Omega Daisy catches me. We both laugh, and Alpha Cassius grabs my hand, spinning me into his chest.
“I love that sound,” he whispers against the top of my head. “Do you want me to leave you with the girls?”
Do I?
I want friends. So far, they haven’t looked at me strangely or commented on my scent. They both watch me, eager smiles, the happy scent of fresh grass and hopefully lilies in the surrounding air.
“Yes. I would like to stay.”
Omega Anna grabs me before he can reply and drags me away.
Omega Daisy follows behind, and I’m assuming this is completely normal behaviour for her.
We move into an office. The room smells cold, and the decor is the complete opposite compared to the rest of the house.
Gone are the happy, bright colours. Instead, the room is leather and dark wood, traditional and masculine.
Alpha Henri’s. Definitely.
“We covered Alpha Dain’s bed in horse manure.”
…What?
“We? You mean you!” Omega Daisy accuses.
“And now you know. That means you’re both accomplices, and I couldn’t let him get away with how he’s been treating Evangeline.”
“True.”
They both stare at me, waiting.
My mind is blank.
“Evangeline?”
“You can’t drop her honorific without asking.” Omega Daisy smacks her arm.
“I can too. We’re family.” She sticks out her tongue in response.
She looks towards me for some kind of confirmation, but if I’m being honest, I am completely mesmerised by her amber eyes.
She’s gorgeous. They both are. Omega Daisy is soft, shy, and gentle.
Ginger hair, pale skin, freckles dancing over the bridge of her nose.
Where Omega Anna is bright. White blonde hair, dark flawless skin, and dressed in bright yellow. She glows.
“You’re beautiful.”
Fucking idiot! Why did you have to say that?
Her smile widens, and she throws an arm over my shoulder.
“Oh, we are going to get along very well.”
* * *
Everything is great.
This time I’m not trying to convince myself. I am actually having a great time.
Anna (honorific removal permission insisted) kept us in Alpha Henri’s office until we promised that the prank was a group effort. Apparently, she is one prank away from being grounded.
They took me around the party and introduced me to everyone.
Daisy’s mate is a beast of a man, but though I could see the darkness inside him, my instincts didn’t scream at me to run.
Plus the way he looked at Daisy, like she’s his sole reason for existing, warmed my heart.
He watched her every movement, tracking her around the room.
It’s also impossible to be scared of an Alpha while he cradles a newborn baby.
A smartly dressed Beta grabs Anna from behind, whispering in her ear. She blushes brightly.
“You must be the Omega who broke into my home.”
My eyes widen and my heart races. But he smiles and laughs. I’m not in trouble?
“You saw that?” I murmur, embarrassment taking over any fear that I might have felt.
“He sees everything.” Anna replies.
She wraps her arms around his neck and presses her face into his shoulder. It’s Anna’s turn to make him blush.
“Don’t ask. You don’t want to know,” Daisy says.
The air around the pair thickens with marshmallow, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pleasure and lust choke me. I catch Daisy’s eye, and wordlessly we back away until we can breathe.
“You must be Omega Evangeline.” A sweet older woman catches us on our retreat.
I open my mouth to reply, but she beat me to it.
“Daisy dear, your Alpha is looking a little on edge. You might want to go to him. I can take care of my new daughter.”
She doesn’t take no for an answer, whisking me away before either of us has a chance to speak. Arm in arm, we break off from the party and wander into a smaller living room. It’s cosier in here. I’ve always been a fan of smaller rooms, and I instantly relax.
“You are a doll. Beautiful. Let me get a look at you.”
She grabs my face, looking into my eyes, poking at my cheeks, running her fingers through my hair. I should feel discomfort at the way she is inspecting me like cattle. But it feels more like a loving mother checking for injuries after her child falls off a bike.
“You are perfect for him.” Her voice cracks.
“Thank you.” I sound small. I feel small.
She pulls me over to the sofa and pats the seat next to her.
“I’m Omega Eliza, but you call me Mama, okay?”
She pats my hand. Emotion clogs the air around us. A calm chamomile, the sweet citrus of kindness, and a comforting linen.
“Now let me tell you about a goat called Bubbles. When Cassius was around five, we used to visit some family friends on their farm. They had this goat, Bubbles. He was a right bastard, attacked anyone that got near, broke out of his pen and wreaked havoc on the crops. Cassius got it into his head that he needed to show this goat who was boss. No one was going to tell him that a goat was tougher than an Alpha—”
I laugh. I can imagine it so clearly.
“—so early in the morning, he sneaks out of bed and climbs into Bubble’s pen. He growls and snarls, and surprisingly, Bubbles backs down. Cassius, deciding that this meant he’s won, turns his back to fill the trough. Bubbles charges him, slammed right into his back and knocked him over.”
I gasp, but she shakes her head, laughing.
“We found him three hours later, petting the damn thing. Apparently, he got back up and tried again and again until Bubbles backed down.”
She shuffles closer, tightening her grip on my hand.
“I’m telling you this not only because it’s hilarious, but because Cassius knows who he is and what he wants. Nothing will ever change his mind. He will be steadfast at your side. People may have opinions about your relationship, but none of them matter now that he has found you.”
Everything in my life has got better since I met him.
A tear trickles down my cheek, and I turn my face away.
“I’m going to the bathroom.”
I practically run from the room. I have no idea where the bathroom is, but my tears won’t stop falling and I need to find it soon. I stumble and bump into walls before finally opening the bathroom door.
I throw myself at the sink, splashing myself with ice cold water. My eyes sting and I gasp for breath.
“He loves me.”
I shake my head and lock eyes with my reflection.
“Who am I kidding? I love him.”
Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Hold.
“I love him.”
I can’t believe I didn’t realise sooner. My heart thumps behind my chest, threatening to escape. It’s so obvious now. So clear in my mind.
“I love him.”
I need to tell him.
As I shut the door behind me, I bump right into Alpha Dain.
I stumble back, catching myself from falling and trying to put as much room between us as possible.
He’s so like his brothers, yet so different.
Hair darker, tattoos crawling up his arms and neck, but it’s his eyes.
They look dead. Not in the way a corpse does, or even a feral Alpha, but he’s lost, broken. I get that.
I realise that I’m staring and rush to apologise.
“Sorry,” I say as cheerfully as I can manage as I try to move around him.
“That’s it? Are you even an Omega?” he sneers.
I freeze. His voice is tight with anger. I don’t like being compared to other Omegas. We are all different. I am allowed to be myself.
“No head bow? Nothing? Are you above common decency?”
I know logically that once an Omega finds their scent match, mated or not, they no longer have to bow their heads at other Alphas. But with him glaring at me, all rational thought leaves my brain.
“I only bumped into you.” I whisper.
I try to move past him, but the hall is narrow, and his frame is large. He grabs my arm.
“Are you going to kill my brother?”
“No!” I gasp. I would never.
“What’s stopping you?”
I can’t focus. My head is swimming. I stumble, dizziness blurring my vision, and I yank myself from his grasp.
The world moves around me, spinning and zooming past.
I run.
My body feels raw, on fire and freezing cold. My head aches and my heart pounds.
Don’t stop. Not until you’re safe. Keep running.