The Pack’s Chosen Omega (Chosen Omegas #1)

Prologue I.

I might be the luckiest girl in the world.

Everyone says so. Every time I call home, my mom’s ecstatic to hear I’ve found a pack. It’s the main topic of conversation whenever I talk to my friends from high school.

I feel like a princess in a fairy tale. Not everyone is fortunate enough to find their scent matches, especially not ones as amazing as mine. It’s an otherworldly feeling, like being completed by puzzle pieces you never knew were missing. Everything just clicks.

It’s true love comes when you’re not looking for it. When I left my small town for the city, meeting alphas wasn’t on my mind at all. The plan was to work, save money for school, and be the first in my family to get a degree. Fate works in mysterious ways, though. We were just meant to be.

I’d been freshly graduated, living in a shoebox apartment and working two jobs to make rent. Graphic design was where my passion was, but the barista gig had more consistent work. And most importantly, it was where I met my matches.

I can remember it like it was yesterday.

I was apologizing profusely to some customer, not that it was doing much to appease his anger.

I’m still not sure how I was supposed to read his mind and know he wanted his coffee iced instead of hot without him saying it.

Of course, I couldn’t say that to him. The customer is always right, after all.

Someone else put a hand on his shoulder and came to my defense though. Ian was everything you’d expect from an alpha. Tall, dark, and handsome. He had a dominating presence that shut the man’s berating down without question.

He’d been dressed in a suit and tie that day, looking like he’d stepped out of a magazine cover. His whiskey scent had cut through the smell of espresso in the shop, making each of my senses scream. It was the way he’d demanded an apology out of the man that made my heart swell most.

His voice was a low rumble that was like music to my ears. That’s how things go when you’re matches, I know now. Every little thing they do is enticing.

“Some people,” he had shook his head after the man scattered away. His gaze had turned to me, blue eyes softening in a way that made me melt. “Are you alright?”

I had nodded, too overwhelmed by the match to trust myself to not say something stupid. Ian was calm and collected, as I know now he always is. I’d barely noticed what he ordered that day. In hindsight, I probably messed his coffee up. It was the second part of his order I was focused on.

“Give me your name and number too.” He’d told me instead of asking.

I’d stammered the words out and made a fool of myself. Thought I’d ruined my chance, honestly. I spent that entire day checking my phone like a woman possessed, losing my mind a little more every hour he hadn’t texted or called.

He didn’t contact me, but he came back the next day. And this time, he wasn’t alone. The three of them had walked into the coffee shop like they owned the place.

That’s when I got my real introductions to them. Ian was the oldest, the pack lead. Liam had sauntered up to the counter and leaned against it, smile dazzling and full of charm. Something about the way his eyes traveled up and down my body had made me flush. Cole was as sweet as his apple scent.

They’d come to take me to dinner. Another command, not a question. They didn’t ask if I already had plans, but it didn’t matter. I would have canceled them even if I did. It had only been our first meeting and I was already drunk on their scents.

When they picked me up that night, it was with Cole holding the biggest bouquet of flowers I’d ever seen.

I didn’t even own a vase to put it in, since I was still slowly furnishing my apartment.

Liam had carried a box, the first of many gifts.

I thought I’d be polite and decline the present, but they insisted.

They were right to do so. The fitted black dress and heels they’d given me were much better suited to the dress code of the restaurant we visited than the clothes I’d brought from home were. They’d laughed when I shared that, said it was the type of thing you figure out with age.

I was a bit wobbly in the heels, but they were nice about it.

Ian told me I would get used to it, and that made the silly omega part of me flush again.

It made me feel like they were planning a second date already.

After how smoothly dinner went, I wouldn’t have objected to another even if we weren’t scent matched.

Cole had asked me about my interests, my friends and family. Liam punctuated his sentences by brushing my hair behind my ear or letting his thumb run over my hand. Each touch made me feel like my skin was on fire. Ian listened more than he spoke, but that had left me hanging off his every word.

In full transparency, I didn’t understand half the words on the menu. Where I’m from a fancy dinner would’ve been Olive Garden. Not somewhere with bottles of wine that cost more than I make in a day. It didn’t matter, Ian had ordered for me with a patient smile.

The dinner had gone by in a flash, quickly followed by a dessert that I once again hadn’t ordered but was unlike anything I had ever tasted. I wasn’t a drinker, but Ian had even gotten me a glass of wine too.

Only one since I was so young, he’d said.

They’d chuckled when I reminded him eighteen was an adult, then again when I made a face at the alcohol’s taste.

Their scents had swelled with affection, and I’m still not sure if it was the wine or their simple presence that had gotten me so drunk that night.

They asked for formal permission to court me as their omega then. The idea of saying no never crossed my mind.

The gifts started appearing at my apartment after that. Designer dresses and jewelry that looked out of place next to my cheap furniture, flower bouquets bigger than my head, crystal bottles of perfumes with names I couldn’t pronounce.

They became regulars at the coffee shop, tipping generously for plain black coffee or a certain omega barista smiling at them. As soon as my shift would end, they’d usher me out the door for our next date.

Like they’ve done today, carrying another bouquet. “Did you miss us?” Liam asks suggestively. He’s the biggest flirt out of the three of them, and definitely the most touchy.

“Of course.” I tell him honestly. “I was wondering why you guys were late.”

I think about them often. Almost every moment I’m awake, and in my dreams too sometimes. It’s hard not to when they constantly shower me with affection. I’m not used to so much attention from men, and the scent match makes them even more compelling.

Cole patiently explains a problem with their company, Viewer. I don’t follow all of it, but I enjoy their presence enough to nod along regardless. They’re always working, it seems like. It’s nice of them to make time for these dates with me.

During said date, once the conversation has lulled, Liam turns to me. “Can I ask you something personal, babe?”

My cheeks burn every time he calls me that. “Of course.”

“Have you experienced your first heat yet?”

Suddenly, I find my hands in my lap fascinating. Cole reaches for one of them, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“No,” I admit shyly. Then quickly, wanting to seem more mature and not inexperienced for them, I continue. “My doctor said it should be coming soon, though.” Since I’m no longer on the heat blockers they put students on anymore.

The three of them exchange a look. “Are you a virgin, then?” Cole asks gently. Feeling my face heating further, I nod.

“Good.” Ian approves, and the satisfaction in his scent makes me want to purr.

“You should come over to ours when it does. Especially since it’s your first. That one’s always the hardest.” Liam puts a hand on my thigh, making the skin tingle.

Ian nods in agreement. “You’ll need alphas you trust to help you through it. You trust us, don’t you?” His eyes are the palest blue I’ve ever seen, like ice. The way he looks at me makes me feel like there’s no option but to agree.

“I do,” I admit, my voice small. “But I’m scared. What if it hurts?”

Liam laughs at that. “It won’t. Just trust us, babe. We’re your scent matches, remember?”

It’s impossible to forget when their pheromones are so intoxicating. Reassured, I promise to call them when it comes. Like clockwork, my heat arrives a week later.

It’s my first time in their apartment building. Dimly, I register the marble of their hotel lobby and the floor to ceiling windows of their home. Mostly, I’m distracted by the aching need in my body, throbs of desire coursing through me.

Everything after is a blur. In the haze of my heat, I can feel their bodies pressed against me, their hands exploring, lips capturing mine. Our scents mix mesmerisingly, until I can’t tell which belongs to who anymore.

It’s not completely painless like Liam promised. With every sharp pang of pain though, the alphas murmur praisingly. I’m so lost in pleasure I’m almost in a trance, each ache forgotten shortly after as someone slides into me again.

There’s no telling how many days pass but finally, the heat releases its hold on me. My body feels heavy, exhausted in a way I’ve never experienced before. There’s a dull soreness between my legs and a sharper pain at my throat.

“You’re awake.” The sudden noise makes me jump, opening my eyes. Ian’s next to me in the oversized bed, sipping a cup of coffee. He’s watching me with a slight air of satisfaction.

His gaze makes warmth seep into my chest, next to my heart. A faint tingle lingers after the warmth dissipates. Disoriented from my unfamiliar surroundings and distracted by the pain, I hadn’t registered the feeling initially. When I look down towards it, all I see is bare skin.

My hands travel to its location, fingers resting over the space between my breasts. There’s a foreign buzz under the flesh. It may not be painful, but it’s unsettling.

“What’s wrong with me?” I pull the blanket up to examine my body, eyes widening.