“Billie?” came a deep voice from behind me.
I jumped slightly and spun around on the bar stool. A very tall man, maybe 6’4, stood in front of me. He had smooth deep brown skin and large brown eyes. He grinned, showcasing a mouth full of perfect teeth. His dark brown hair was styled to perfection. He was dressed in a pair of well-tailored plaid slacks and matching vest and brown dress shoes. He looked incredibly dapper and handsome. I tried to place his scent. Peaches and nutmeg? Like a cobbler. It was nice, but it did nothing to me like the scent of Kai’s pack. That didn’t mean it never would. I’d read that some omega’s get more into an alpha’s scent when being around them often. It wasn’t always love at first scent. However, that was the case the majority of the time. I refused to acknowledge what that meant about Kai’s pack. Did it mean they were absolutely right for me just because I was into their scents?
I’d have to unpack that more later. Right now, I needed to concentrate on the man in front of me. “Yes, I’m Billie,” I replied.
He stuck his hand out. “I apologize for being late. I’m Anil.”
I shook his hand. It was smooth and warm, but didn’t send a tingle through me like I felt with the others. “It’s okay.”
He sat down beside me, still smiling. “You’re as beautiful as Chilli said you would be.”
“Wow, thank you.” Chilli hadn’t told me anything about what Anil looked like. She didn’t even give me a picture. I was actually suspecting him to be not that attractive due to the secrecy.
We ordered drinks before beginning our chat. We started with discussions of mundane things before getting into the deeper conversation.
I was nursing a white wine in an attempt to seem sophisticated before speaking.
Anil took a sip of his whiskey. “So, Chilli mentioned you just became an omega. How’s that experience been so far?”
I sighed. That was not a fun question.
He must have seen my disdain for his inquiry because he quickly leaned forward, putting his drink down. “Sorry, that wasn’t the right thing to ask about, was it? I remember when I was in school, people would ask me about being an alpha all the time. I used to hate it. It made me seem like I was some sort of freak. And we aren’t freaks. We’re different. Special. People want to be like us.”
I humphed. Maybe he felt special as an alpha. They were looked up to as rockstars. Strong and powerful. You either wanted to screw them or be them. Omegas were the opposite. Seen as feeble and useless outside of being a mate to an alpha or a sexual object. The only people dying to be omegas were those who wanted to be taken care of or have their own harem and didn’t mind if they had to be submissive without pursuit of their own separate lives and goals in return.
I thrummed my hands on the bar. “I don’t feel so special.”
Anil reached out, lightly placing his hand on top of mine. “You will. You just need to have an alpha show you all the pleasures that being an omega can bring.” He gave me a slight smirk, lids lowered slightly.
I was irritated. Was he talking about sex, because he was giving that look? I didn’t want to be special just because I was supposed to be fun in bed. I twisted my lips, spine stiffening. “What else is there to being an omega?”
He furrowed his brows in confusion. “What do you mean?”
I slowly removed my hand from under his, picking up my wine glass. “You talk about pleasure making me change my mind about what I am, but there’s got to be more than sex to an omega.”
He sat back as if he were thoroughly confused by my statement. It was exactly the reaction that made me put off my omega status for so long.
“You’re the perfect mate to an alpha. Together, the alpha and the omega make a formidable union, especially magic-based ones like us,” he stated.
Hmm, now that was an answer I could actually appreciate. A pairing that could do great things in the world because of the special magical bond we had was an intriguing thought. And there were such pairs out there that I didn’t mind emulating. “That’s what I want, an equal partnership. A unit that can change the world.”
He gave me a tight smile but didn’t speak. Instead, he picked up his whiskey to sip. Odd. I thought we were agreeing on something. Why did he go quiet? I glanced over to Ty as if he would have some answer from so far away. I was sure he was listening in with his vampiric hearing. To my surprise, he was not looking at me but setting intense eyes on Anil, his lips a thin line. He definitely seemed unhappy. Did he not like the conversation either? Was he jealous?
“So,” Anil began, breaking my thoughts. “Chilli didn’t tell me you were so feisty. I like it.”
I cocked a brow. That was being feisty to him? He was going to be in for a rude awakening if he thought that was me at my most worked up. “That was nothing. I hope Chilli told you that I’m not a pushover, and I’m certainly not submissive.”
He chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with being submissive. It’s in your nature.”
In my nature? What in the male-chauvinist-pig? I crossed my arms, the heat of anger rising up the back of my neck. “Not in mine.”
He lifted a shoulder. “I wouldn’t do it now, but if I were to make a command, in a certain tone, you would have no choice but to obey. It’s what they call an ‘alpha voice,’ and omegas are programmed by nature to obey. If I add in my purr, it’s like a bonus comfort to you. To calm you down.”
I knew about all that garbage. The only way to avoid an alpha command was to already be claimed, but then again, the alpha who claimed you could still wield that power, but at least it wasn’t a stranger. I was very much in a precarious state now.
An alpha could literally command me to spread my legs for him, and my body would do it. It made me sick to my stomach. I read horrible tales that had given me nightmares. The fact that he was talking about it like it was a positive thing made me want to punch him.
He tilted his head back, eyeing me. “I see I’ve offended you. I wasn’t trying to. I just don’t think you need to fight what you are. There’s no shame in it. You could have a wonderful life as an omega.”
