Honestly, I don’t know how I even survived growing up in the household I did. I have five siblings who are all total agents of chaos. Them, coupled with my two dads and Mom, meant my house was always loud.
For much of my childhood, I found refuge in my bedroom, rejoicing in the quiet stillness. Mom tried to give me the space I needed while coaxing me out for meals, but everyone else didn’t understand. They couldn’t get why I didn’t want to come out on family vacations or join them on day trips. My brothers, not so fondly, referred to me as “the brain,” “the human calculator,” or, when they were in a really bad mood, “the freak.” They’d spend hours—until they got bored—firing out math equations at me that I’d be able to answer in seconds.
Mom wanted to take me to a specialist to get me help or treatment. I think she thought that having a label for whatever was “wrong” with me would help to excuse some of my anti-socialness—or what my dads perceived as rudeness—but I always refused. What would having a diagnosis change anyway? I know who I am. My brain is wired a little differently. That’s all.
When she learned I joined a pack, Mom cried. I’d like to think it was because she was pleased for me, but I also think it was from the relief of knowing that I wouldn’t be alone forever.I’m lucky to have found the Valen Pack. They accept me for who I am and let me justbe. Hale has never forced me to do anything I’m uncomfortable with. The guys may tease me for being a human calculator sometimes, but it’s never cruel or taunting like my brothers. They accept me, which is more than I ever thought I’d have.
“Damn.” The wind blows a branch into my line of vision. I reposition myself, getting the telescope back into the right spot, then freeze.
Suddenly, a scent carries on the breeze. Someone is running. I pull in a deep inhale through my nose. Her scent reminds me of frost-tipped branches, crisp and fresh, but there’s also a warmth to it. What the…?
Across the lawn, a woman with silky blonde hair that flows behind her races toward me. My alpha instincts instantly kick in. Is she okay? What is she running from? Then I frown, watching her heels sink into the mud. Why didn’t she take the path instead of cutting through the park? It would be a more practical choice.
Still, she trudges on with a relentlessness I have to admire, pushing her willowy limbs as she continues. Judging by her skeleton-themed dress, I’m guessing that she came from the Monster Masquerade. However, why would an omega leave alone? Even though SVU is a safe place, it’s still unwise for an omega to be walking around at night. All it takes is an alpha to have a few too many drinks and lose control. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
She pauses close by, next to the pumpkin patch beneath me, pulling off her tiara, hurling it into a nearby bush. Her shoulders rise and fall with her heavy breaths as she shakes her long hair free.
Wow.
My heart jumps in my chest as the moonlight hits her face, her skin practically glowing. She’s perfect. Almost like a doll.She’s tall for an omega, yet her movements are slow and elegant, regal. Her scent seems to suit her.
I lean forward to get a better look. Her scent becomes even more potent, clouding all my senses and making the rest of the world fade away.
I’m not around omegas often. There are few in my classes, but honestly, I don’t pay them much attention. I’m too busy lost in strings of code to be distracted by them. Yet her scent draws me in, like a magnet, to the point that I no longer care about the meteor shower that I’ve been waiting months to see.
Learning more about her seems vastly more interesting.
Suddenly, a sharpsnapsounds from beneath me.
Oh no…
I wobble, trying to redistribute my weight, but it’s too late.
I know what will happen before it does.
I manage to grab my telescope and hug it to my chest as the branch I’m perched on breaks, causing me to tumble to the ground and almost crush the fascinating omega below me.
SEVEN
Kady
I stop to catch my breath, relief spreading through me after being trapped on the packed dance floor. There were too many people walking up Main Street and chatting outside Club Knotty to linger there. I exhale deeply, letting the air fill my lungs, when...
Crash!
Out of nowhere, a crack comes from above, then a gigantic object falls from the sky. I’m too stunned to make a sound, simply standing and gaping as a large heap lands with a splat on top of a jack-o-lantern. Chunks of orange pumpkin flesh spray all over my clothes in an explosive mess.
“Shit!” I wipe a glob of goo from my cheek while the mass at my feet makes a deep groaning noise.
Thankfully, the pumpkin cushioned their fall, but what the hell were they doing hiding up in a tree in the dark on Halloween in the first place?
Throat constricting, I reach into my purse to grab my pepper spray, holding it out in front of me. All sorts of situations run through my mind, especially the worst-case scenarios, and memories of my father telling me that I’m an easy target.
I leap back when the big lump stirs. Seconds later, a hooded figure rises to his feet, swaying slightly. Are they clutching a telescope in their arms?
“Freeze!” I wield the spray. “If you try anything, I’ll blind you!”
The person raises his arms in defeat, his hood falling to reveal a Thor-like, gorgeous man. His long blonde hair is tied into a scruffy bun, and he has the most piercing blue eyes I’ve ever seen. And then I’m hit with his scent…
