We settled into one of the alcoves that were built into the lobby. Cecilia perched on the circular sofa that had been placed into the alcove and gestured to the two employees who were quietly waiting for us to settle, they unhooked the thick velvet cushions which were pinned on either side of the alcove and released them. We were completely enclosed in the alcove with only a dimmed light overhead. If I wasn’t sitting in front of both the prettiest and also simultaneously the scariest omega I’d ever been around I’d think it was cozy.
“So Eloise, tell me a little bit about yourself.” Cecelia began pouring glasses of champagne from the flute that was sitting on the little table in front of us.
“Um, well, there isn’t really much to tell. I lived at the academy here in the city for thirteen years until I came to live with Pack Russo.” I gave what I thought was a nonchalant shrug but by the look in Cecelia’s blue eyes I knew that it didn’t work.
“I see. And how are you liking your stay with Pack Russo?”
It was a simple enough question, I knew it, she knew it. But something told me to think very carefully about my answer. My mind went back to our first meeting and how Cecelia had taken over the situation with an ease that I felt like I never could. Not only that she was so confident for an omega—most didn’t bother stepping into their alpha’s dealings. Most, also, didn’t step far away from their alphas in places like these. But Cecelia had the confidence not only to walk away from her group but to also bring another omega with her and everyone seemed to scurry to get out of her way like the parting of the red sea.
“Do you want a stock answer or the truth?” I finally asked, hoping I wasn’t completely screwing myself and Pack Russo over.
But, luckily, Cecelia gave me a slow smile like the cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. It looked like I had answered correctly. Phew.
“Shakespeare once said ‘no legacy is so rich as honesty’.”
Okay, well, here goes nothing I guess.
“I didn’t want a pack—any pack. I’ve been waiting for someone to come back for me, someone important. But the academy had other ideas and I think they were trying to kill two birds with one stone by putting us together.”
“And how have they been treating you?” Cecelia pressed and I knew that she was expecting my honesty.
“At first you can probably guess that it was a bit messy. Leon seems to have a lot of hangups about omegas and he snooped into my past to try and scare me off. But despite his clear opinion of omegas it has surprisingly been really comfortable. They’ve been taking me to places that I’d never seen before since we don’t get out of the academy much.”
Cecelia snorted, “Yes the academy excels at locking omegas away. But tell me why you aren’t jumping at the chance to be a part of a pack—especially a pack full of men who look like that.”
“You would think, right?” I didn’t mention that that exact same thought had slowly been burrowing it’s way into my head over the past week while I was walking at the zoo with Ric and Owen or sitting at the kitchen island watching Gage cook. “But I made a promise and it’s really important that I remember that promise.”
“Hmm,” Cecelia sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked me up and down, “Fine, but do promise you will be flexible. Let these alphas pamper you—even the grumpy sexy one who definitely needs therapy. Now, come, let's finish our champagne quickly so that we can head back into the gala.”
We picked up our champagne and cheers’d, downing what was left in our glasses. As we got up I was so busy wondering if I had passed the older omega’s test that I didn’t notice her handing my champagne glass to one of the waiting employees with a meaningful look.
15
Irritation filled my gut as we stood in a circle with the Worthington alphas. We’d spent the past fifteen minutes since Cecelia had led Eloise away trading barbs and dancing around the fact that these men had reneged on one of our contracts. I had been irritated about it for nearly a week and this waltz of words was beginning to really weigh on my temper. The only thing keeping me from snapping at Atticus Worthington was the presence of my pack behind me. They knew better than to try and calm me, when I was angry the best thing was to just let me be mad.
My teeth began to hurt again and I realized I was clenching my jaw again. I had relaxed it so much when Eloise had squeezed my arm that I could now feel it every time my teeth clenched together. I was unused to omega pheromones and their ability to calm an angry alpha. It came naturally to the omega who had been living in our house for the past week. I could see it working on the other alphas in the house and even Owen. All she needed to do was touch a shoulder or an arm and we melted under her hands like putty.
It reminded me of my mother. Which was both nostalgic and painful. Her touch had been the thing that had always been able to comfort me quickly when I’d fallen as a child or thrown a tantrum. It’d been 30 years since I let myself melt to an omega’s touch and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
“Enough with this idle chatter Atticus.” I’d finally had enough, “Why did you go back on a deal that was basically set in stone?”
“I like to think the plaster on that ‘stone’ was still drying, young man.” Atticus’s icy-blue eyes seemed to freeze over as he took me in, “And I would keep it that way with the way you talk about omegas so openly. But unfortunately I don’t get to make decisions like that.”
What the hell did he mean by that? He was the head of the whole damn company. I opened my mouth to say so but Cecelia and Eloise arrived back in our circle and I watched the older omega place a kiss on Atticus’s cheek, whispering something in the gray haired alpha’s ear.
“I suppose that you are in luck Russo. I’ll have my lawyers re-draw up the contract and send it to you on Monday. Enjoy the party everyone.” Atticus didn’t seem happy about it but Cecelia linked her arm through his and led him away, the other two alphas in their pack following behind.
“What the actual fuck just happened?” Ric asked, sounding as confused as I felt. By all accounts we had lost the Worthington contract. I didn’t understand how or what we had done to change that. We’d literally spent fifteen minutes circling the topic like, excuse my crass metaphor, water going down a toilet bowl.
We all turned to look at Eloise who seemed to be deep in thought, a line forming between her eyebrows as she turned that thought over and over in her head. I had the strange urge to reach out and brush my thumb over that line and smooth it away. Instead I clenched my fists at my side.
“I think…” Eloise began as we circled around her, “I think that Cecelia is the true head of the Worthington company.”
She quickly explained everyone’s behavior around the omega, “It wasn’t like reverence like most give to omegas, it was like everyone respected her or were afraid that if they stepped out of line it was their job on the line.”
Interesting. I knew that omegas in the business world were becoming increasingly more common over the past twenty years—since the laws that previously kept omegas from working were done away with and equal rights acts were enacted for citizens of various identities: designation, race, religion, gender and sexuality. But most omegas didn’t run companies as vast as Worthington Enterprises. I made a mental note to have the P.I I kept on staff dig deeper into the inner workings of Worthington Enterprises when I got back to the office on Monday.
“Well whatever you did looks like it worked. We owe you Eloise.” Owen reached across the circle we had formed and squeezed the omega’s hand and grinned down at her like she had solved world hunger. I watched as her cheeks pinkened a bit under her makeup. I felt a little bit… jealous? But I couldn’t figure out who I was jealous of exactly.
