I didn’t bother phrasing it as a question and let him try to deny it. In fact, this was awesome. Other packs shared Omegas. I felt no jealousy with Ozzi because he’d take damn good care of any Omega same as me.
I laughed and sprang up, grabbing him by the shoulders. “She’s your scent match. She’s mine too. We can share her, man! We won’t just be a couple of dudes who call ourselves a pack. We’d be a real pack with an Omega. This is the best Christmas gift ever!”
Ozzi’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He took my hands off his shoulders and directed me to sit. “It doesn’t matter if she’s my scent match. My family would never approve, especially if we were sharing her.”
I didn’t sit. Couldn’t sit. His family, no, his family’s stupid expectations which were drilled into his head were pissing me off. “It’s none of their fucking business what you decide to do, isn’t it? Are you really willing to give up a scent match for the sake of pleasing Mother and Father?”
He gave me a little push and scowled. “Family is important to me, you know that. While their expectations are Old World, I have responsibilities as the eldest son of an eldest son. My father and grandfather are very strict about it. If I don’t marry a proper Greek Omega, I’ll be disowned. Not everyone can have a chill family like yours.”
True. My family was fantastic. My mom and dad married young and were even more in love now than they were then, and all they wanted for their children was for us to be happy. Ozzi’s family was always polite to me, but they had a stick up their ass called ‘tradition.’
“The only person you have a responsibility to is yourself. You’ve never had a scent match before.” I threw up my arms. Surely he had to see that this was fate. “And the chances of both of us being compatible with the same Omega? I bet it’s almost nil. Lyla could be the perfect mate for you, and you don’t want to explore that because your family wouldn’t approve?” I raised my brows. “You might never find another compatible Omega again.”
I don’t know why I was pushing it so hard. If he didn’t want Lyla, that meant I could have her all to myself. The thought pleased me in a way, but to share an Omega with my best friend and packmate? That satisfied me on so many more levels.
Ozzi let out a long hissing exhale. “Look, man, I’ll be your wingman. I’ll support you in your pursuit of Lyla and keep you from pushing too hard too fast. But you’ve got to respect my decision.”
He had my back, and I never doubted he would. He saw what happened with my ex and tried to warn me, but I wouldn’t listen then. I could go over the top and not realize it, but Ozzi would help keep me in line. Yet as he helped me, I looked out for him. He needed a woman who had brains and bounce, not some submissive mouse of an Omega. Lyla was exactly what heneeded. I wasn’t going to drop this sharing thing. “You’ll change your mind.”
The radio crackled and the dispatcher’s voice echoed in the small room. “Ambulance three. Respond to two-zero-nine Main Street. Sixty-eight year old man with chest pains. Be advised he is in the second floor apartment. Over.”
Ozzi reached over and picked up the radio, pressing the button. “Ambulance three team here. Call received. Time eleven thirty-seven a.m. On our way to the scene. Over.”
We grabbed our jackets and ran out of the office to the waiting ambulance. I hopped in the driver’s side and switched on the engine. Ozzi slid into the passenger’s side, did up his belt, and switched on the sirens.
He’d change his mind. I was determined that Lyla was the Omega who would break him free of the chains of his family’s expectations. She’d be ours by Christmas.
CHAPTER SEVEN - Lyla
I couldn’t sit still. Everything in me felt like it was running at full speed ahead. Once Miss Eloise was settled in her new room, I organized the space and cut out snowflakes to hang from the ceiling with paper and suture thread I’d gotten from the nurses.
Perspiration had me constantly dabbing my face and neck. It was so damn hot in the hospital. Even after slipping outside twice, I didn’t feel any relief.
Thanks to Jason and Ozzi I had nourishment to keep myself going. There was enough food to last me a few days. And enough fantasy fuel to supply me with naughty thoughts for several lifetimes. It didn’t matter how much I tried to distract myself with the magazines, only images of the two sexy Alphas dominated my brain.
“Lyla, dear, why don’t you take a walk? You don’t have to sit with me all day.” Miss Eloise’s voice wasn’t as raspy anymore, but it was still soft and sometimes crackly. We’d joked that she sounded like someone who had eaten too many Christmas cookies and forgot a glass of milk.
“I don’t mind. I’m just a little wired from drinking peppermint coffee and all those carbs I ate this morning.” I laughed and waved it off as if I didn’t feel like I could run around the hospital ten times and still have the energy to do it again.
“It was kind of Jason and Ozzi to bring you food and to help me… help… to this room.” Miss Eloise was forgetting words here and there, but the doctor said it was a minor consequence of the stroke and time would help it. “Jason has always been a sweet boy.”
I perked up, leaning in. “You know Jason?”
“Of course. The Wards have lived in town for several generations. Jocelyn, Jason’s mom, is a teacher, and we workedtogether years ago organizing programs for the schoolkids. Jason was always so full of life, and often getting into trouble.” She chuckled and started to cough. I hurriedly got her the cup on her nightstand and gave her a drink of water. “Thank you, dear.”
I wanted to dig for more information about Jason, but I didn’t want to push Miss Eloise too hard. Besides, Jason might be sweet and hot as sin, but I didn’t want any Alphas in my life. I had too much going on with my career, my friends, and now with my housemother, that I didn’t want to lose myself by submitting to an Alpha. I wanted to burn bright and make clothes that would bring people joy. I wouldn’t let an Alpha diminish my light.
Time to cleverly change the topic.
“Speaking of schoolkids, lots of people have been asking me to make sweaters for children, and I saw a few great ideas that inspired me in this magazine.” I picked up one of the magazines I had been looking through and flipped to the right page so I could show her the kids’ fashion section.
There was a soft knock at the door, and I turned to see who it was. A sudden burst of relieved energy surged through me. “Mari!”
Mariska rushed toward me, and I jumped up to hug her. It was a little awkward with her full hands, but dammit, I needed my bestie right now. “I’m so sorry. I slept in and not even Artemis woke me. I feel like such an ass not showing up with coffee and breakfast for you.”
“I’m too happy to see you right now to give you trouble.” Way too happy. I took my sparkly pink duffle from Mariska and smiled. Were those hickeys on her neck? She had quite the night! “Thanks for getting my stuff for me. I was going to spend another night here, but Miss Eloise has already told me to go home tonight.” I lowered my voice to a whisper to add, “She’s doing so good, but sometimes she forgets a word or two.”
My bestie kept her smile, but a ton of emotions welled up in her eyes. I wanted to hug her again, but she motioned to one of her Alphas. “Lyla, this is Lucian. I think you only met him once, but he’s the delivery man for the pastry gods today. I made sure to get all your favorites, plus a peppermint coffee with extra cream.”
