Scout
Scout knewhe would never be chosen by the prince.
It wasn’t self-pity, just a fact. His parents had been low-class laborers while they were alive, and when they died, they barely left behind enough inheritance to get by. It certainly wasn’t enough to propel Scout up the social ladder. With no money, no rank, and no good family name, he just wasn’t good breeding stock. For the prince, choosing Scout would be like scraping at the bottom of the barrel.
But Scout couldn’t help himself. When the announcement rang out across the market square that the king was holding omega lineups for the prince, Scout wanted to go. Heneededto go. Something in his blood pulled him towards the arena, which was an old-style theatre in the heart of city. It was walled off with seating that rose high above in a semi-circle. There was a big crowd, so getting in wouldn’t be a problem. It was a public event in the first place, a sort of entertainment for everyone not involved.
For those whowereinvolved — the omegas, their families and the crown prince — it was the most important day of their lives.
Scout had taken the day off work for this. He worked a shitty minimum-wage job down at the market, and his boss had given him a lot of grief for using up a vacation day just to watch the prince pick a mate.
Scout had gritted his teeth and ignored him. His boss wasn’t an omega. He didn’t understand.
It wasn’tjustabout picking a mate. Whichever omega the prince chose would live a high life of luxury. Although, Scout thought with a grimace, all of the omegas chosen to be on display for him must have been higher-ranking omegas in the first place — offspring of society’s finest alphas and omegas in the higher rings of the city. Not a lowly worker like him.
But it went deeper than that. Scout, like all shifters in the pack, had been educated about fated mates since birth - the concept of an alpha and omega finding their true love, their one destined mate. It was described as an unexplainable feeling - an electric, heavy sensation that hit you in your core and never let go.
Scout didn’t know about that. But he did know that being chosen by a rich alpha would end his financial problems for good.
The truth was, money was tight. He was struggling. His job wasn’t enough to keep him afloat. To share rent, he currently lived with another omega, his friend Chase. But Chase was a good-looking omega in his prime — Scout knew it wouldn’t be long before an alpha swept him off his feet and took care of him for the rest of his life.
Which would leave Scout completely alone.
His attention piqued as the entry assistants began letting the line through to the arena. He slunk in behind someone and kept his head down low. It wasn’t a crime for him to be there or to watch the event, but a horrible sense of anxiety and guilt gnawed at him for what he was planning to do.
He was going to sneak into the omega lineup.
It was a bad idea. Aterribleidea. He knew that in his head. But his heart was pulling him forward. His blood thrummed hot in his veins. It was a crazy, shitty idea — and yet, for some reason, he had to do it.
His heart raced as he picked a seat amongst the crowd. Low, close to the arena, and near the side of the wall. That was the best vantage point. He could slip into the lineup by hiding himself in the shadow of the wall. Simple.
At least in theory.
He swallowed hard as he took his seat. All around him, the other seats quickly filled up as excited shifters from the pack gathered to watch the event. Not only was it free to attend, but it was also important enough that the nobility was willing to stoop to the use of technology and broadcast it across the city. Scout grimaced as he remembered that particular fact.
If this all went wrong, not only would he be making an ass out of himself in public —it would be televised to the entire pack.
He sank lower in his seat. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
A heavenly scent wafted from somewhere nearby. Scout sniffed the air and followed it with his gaze. The source was a figure sitting on the opposite end of the arena, on an elevated stone stage. Even from this distance, Scout could tell that the chair beneath him was extravagant, glinting in the sunlight with inlaid precious metals. The wall’s shadow obscured his face, but Scout knew instantly who it was.
The prince himself.
Scout felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck.
He smelled amazing.Amazingwasn’t a strong enough word, but Scout’s head was suddenly spinning, and he couldn’t think straight enough to describe it any other way. Even from this distance, the thick scent of musk, ice, evergreen forests, and — was that vanilla? — was clear as day.
Scout realized saliva was pooling in his mouth and he swallowed it back with an embarrassed grunt. Yes, the prince smelled good, but he had to stay in control. He was already planning an unspeakable social crime by crashing the prince’s omega lineup — he didn’t need to look like a creepy stalker, too.
The king’s voice rang out and the excited murmuring amongst the crowd fell silent. It was starting.
“Thank you all for joining us today on this momentous occasion,” the king began. “As you all know, Prince Killian has long gone without an omega mate to call his own. It is on this day that he will join the ranks of mated alphas — by taking an omega’s hand in marriage!”
The crowd exploded. The sudden wall of noise nearly made Scout jump out of his skin. There was far more enthusiasm from the pack than he was expecting. He could’ve sworn he could even hear cheering from outside the arena walls. Were people already watching the televised broadcast?
Scout glanced at the shadowed Prince Killian. He couldn’t see his face, but noticed that his legs were crossed and his hands were gripping the armrest tightly. Was he nervous? Scout almost snorted. What was there for the crown prince to be nervous about? All he had to do was pick out an omega. Meanwhile, the poor omegas had to be sick from anxiety, wondering if the prince would choose them.
Scout’s heart raced again when he realized that, soon, he would be in that lineup too. Butterflies wouldn’t stop rocketing around his gut.
