Prologue II. #2
Liam and Cole slide in through the door behind me, Liam crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.
The three of them don’t talk while I give my proposal, but they regularly exchange glances.
A silence sits between the four of us after I share my ideas, the air growing thick with our four scents.
“Ariana,” Ian finally says, his voice serious. “Take a seat. It’s time we had a serious conversation about this idea of you working.”
I perch on the edge of the chair across his desk, eager to discuss. Cole stands behind me, one hand on the back of my seat. “I just want to help. You guys all work so hard and I’m just sitting around all day.”
I want to be a good omega for them. There’s a part of me that misses my design work too. Freelancing is inconsistent.
“I know.” Ian takes my hands in his, his light eyes holding mine. “And I appreciate that you want to contribute. But you need to understand something.” He pauses, his jaw tightening slightly. “If my omega is working, what do you think that says about me as an alpha?”
I blink at him. “What do you mean?”
“It says I can’t provide for you. That I’m not strong enough to take care of my mate.” His scent shifts, whiskey twisting into something more bitter and uncomfortable. “What would people think? What would our investors say? I’d look weak, like my pack can’t support our omega.”
“But that’s not true! I’d be doing it because I want to,” I object.
“We understand that, Ariana. But other people wouldn’t. It reflects poorly on us.” Liam pipes up from his spot against the wall.
“Your job now is being our omega. That’s your contribution to this pack. You take care of us, you represent us well, and we provide everything you could ever need.” Ian squeezes my hands in his.
There’s something tight in my chest, but their scents thicken with comfort quickly, as if answering my discomfort.
“I just, I don’t know,” my eyes sink from Ian’s intense gaze to my lap. “I just feel useless sometimes,” I admit quietly.
Cole moves his hand from the chair to my hair, petting it comfortingly. “You could never be useless, Ariana. You’re our everything.” I lean into his touch, let him cradle my face.
Ian strokes his thumbs over my hands, his touch gentle. Liam walks over, purring soothingly.
“We want to cherish and protect you, babe. It’s what the scent match is all about,” Liam’s voice is soft, hushed. “You don’t have to do anything but be our mate.”
When he puts it like that, it’s hard to argue with. They think I’m special enough that I don’t need to work. My only job is to be loved. It makes me feel ashamed of wanting otherwise.
“Okay,” I whisper.
“Good girl,” the words in Ian’s deep commanding voice make me flush. “We actually do have a dinner with investors coming up this week. I’d like you to come with us, sweetheart.”
“We can show you off a little.” Liam adds, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
My heart lifts. It’s been two weeks since I’ve left the house. “Really?”
“Of course. You’re part of this pack. It’s about time we bring you along.” He smiles, and it’s warm, genuine. “We’ll get you something stunning to wear.”
Liam picks another designer dress for me, a pale pink one with a low plunging neck I never would have chosen for myself but he can’t take his eyes off of.
Cole helps me clasp the diamond necklace they’ve bought for the occasion around my neck, brushing his fingers against our mating mark.
Ian coaches me in the car once we depart, dressed in a pink tie to match my dress.
“Just smile and be polite. If anyone talks to you, keep it brief.” His eyes meet mine through the mirror, driving with one hand on the wheel. Even in my nervous state, I can’t help but notice how handsome he looks. “Understood?”
“Of course,” I reassure him. My voice is confident, but I smooth my dress nervously.
When we go out for dinner, Ian always insists on the finest restaurants.
The one tonight is no exception. Crystal chandeliers light the room, and several different pieces of cutlery sit next to the fine china plates.
Thankfully, I know the difference between a salad and table fork now.
I won’t embarrass my pack in front of company.
Said pack of investors has already arrived, flanked by an omega of their own. The Pierce investors themselves are older, but their omega looks to be my age. He doesn’t talk unless spoken to, and they don’t seem to do so often.
I almost forget he’s there, honestly. I’m too focused on sipping my wine slowly, careful not to get drunk, smiling when I feel like the pack’s words call for it.
I’m similarly quiet to the other omega, but Ian had at least introduced me before they began their conversation. It feels like dinner is going well.
Until one of the alphas across the table turns to me. “So, Ariana, we hear you’ve just bonded recently. What do you think of all this?” He waves one hand flippantly. “Exciting stuff, these apps and the whole tech boom, isn’t it?”
I should have smiled and nodded. I could have diverted the conversation to Cole, the pack’s tech expert, or just ignored the question entirely and only addressed our recent bond.
Instead, nervous and wanting to seem intelligent, wanting to prove I’m more than just a pretty omega on the pack’s arm, I do none of those things.
“Oh, I don’t know much about the whole tech side.”
The smart thing would’ve been to stop there. I’m not smart, so I keep going. “I’ve always been interested in graphic design, though! I’ve actually been looking at our company’s website, and I think there’s some things that could use some updating. I was thinking about helping with that.”
The table falls silent immediately. I can feel all their eyes on me, making a lump grow in my throat.
“Oh?” The alpha next to the omega raises his eyebrows. “They have you working for the company?”
“No, I meant,” I begin to stammer, feeling my face begin to heat under all their gazes.
“Ariana was just brainstorming,” Liam cuts in smoothly, but I can smell the clear shift in his scent. Displeasure, sharp and cold as ice. “She’s very creative. But no, she’s not working. She has her hands full taking care of the pack.”
The investors chuckle, letting the conversation move on.
Their omega’s eyes linger on me, but he still doesn’t say a word.
I reach for my wine glass, hoping to put something besides my foot in my mouth.
My hands are trembling, and their shaking makes me end up knocking it over instead of lifting the glass.
The liquid spreads across the white tablecloth, dripping onto my pale pink dress and Ian’s pants. I grab my napkin, blotting his leg frantically, but it only seems to make it worse.
“I’m so sorry,” I begin to ramble again.
“It’s fine,” Ian says, his voice tight and controlled. A waiter rushes over with a towel. Ian’s face is perfectly composed, professional, but his posture and scent are frigidly stiff. “Accidents happen.”
The alphas across the table chuckle again. “Omegas,” one says. He doesn’t elaborate. He doesn’t need to, the tight smiles from my pack in response are enough of an answer.
The rest of dinner is torture. I don’t say another word. I sit there in my wine stained dress, feeling the weight of my pack’s disappointment and my own shame like a physical force. Ian’s hand rests on my thigh under the table, but there’s no warmth in the touch.
In the car ride home, no one speaks. Only Cole looks at me, quick glances out of the corner of his eye before he turns back to the window.
Liam arrived in the back seat with me originally, but he sits in the front now with Ian, who grips the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turn pale.
The silence is suffocating. I almost wish they would just yell at me instead.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “I didn’t mean to-”
“Not now.” Ian’s response is sharp. I shrink back into my seat and don’t say another word for the rest of the ride.
Back at the apartment, Ian finally turns to me. His expression is as composed as ever, but I can feel the smoldering in his whiskey scent, charring the smell.
“Do you understand what you did tonight?” He asks.
“I’m so sorry,” I repeat. “I’m such an idiot, I spilled the wine and-”
“You embarrassed us.” Ian cuts me off. His voice betrays the anger seething under his calm face, each word precise. “In front of investors who are considering putting hundreds of thousands into our company.”
“You said our branding was outdated. You brought up working after I explicitly told you why that’s not appropriate. You made me look like I can’t control my own omega.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I begin, voice faltering when Ian takes a step closer to me.
“Every member of this pack has a role, Ariana.” He towers over me, making me have to tilt my head back to meet his eyes.
“Mine is to lead. Liam does our marketing, not you. Cole handles development. Yours is to be the perfect omega. Look beautiful, be gracious, and represent this pack well.” His jaw tightens.
“When you fail at that, it reflects badly on all of us. Do you understand?”
Tears are streaming down my face. “I understand. I’m sorry.”
“You should be.” He turns and walks away, shutting his office door behind him.
Liam and Cole look at each other, before Liam gives a shrug and heads into his room. Cole throws me an apologetic look, following suit.
I stand there in the foyer, shaking, still wearing the wine-stained dress that cost more than I used to make in a month. Eventually, Liam comes out of his room to find me. He slides the dress off my shoulders, leading me towards his bed as he makes quick work of his belt buckle.
The physical touch doesn’t comfort me as much as it usually does. I lay awake in the expensive sheets once he’s rolled over and started snoring, my thighs and the mating mark on my neck aching.