Superintendent Bells spoke up and answered my question, “you would be surprised, my dear, at the power you hold. They have never accepted an omega because they refuse to be around one for very long. Give it some time.”
“I can’t…” I say in almost a whisper, “I've been waiting for all of this time. It feels wrong to do this.”
“Sweetheart…” Carolyn finally spoke up after remaining silent for most of the meeting, her gaze sympathetic, “He isn’t going to come back for you. It’s been almost fourteen years. I think it might be time to move on or else I’m worried that you will just fade away waiting for a man who is more like a ghost than a person at this point.”
“How did you…?” How does she know about him? I had never told anyone about him. Green eyes and the smell of the ocean and orange fill my nose and I have to fight back tears.
“We know everything about you Eloise, we just wanted you to bring him up first.” Carolyn stood up and came around the table to press a hand to my cheek. “Just try, ok? That’s all we ask. If you can make it eight months we will figure something out after that.”
I left the conference room a few moments later after they told me all of the information I would need to know before instructing me to pack my things. The walk back to my dorm apartment felt endless and when I stepped into the apartment I felt numb.
“Hey Els, welcome home! I have ratatouille on the stove and it's almost ready… what’s wrong?” Tibby stood barefoot in the doorway holding a spatula, she was wearing her star wars pajamas and a white tank top that hugged her curves.
I took one look at her and promptly burst into tears, telling her the story between sobs. After I finished I expected her to rail at the school administrators, calling them unfair, controlling fascists (a favorite phrase of hers). Instead she just remained quiet and in deep thought.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” My voice came out croaky and wet from my tears.
“Because I don’t think that this is the worst thing that could happen…” Tibby began and I moved away from her as if she had burned me with her ratatouille pan.
“Ellie, hear me out. You have lost a ton of weight since your last heat and the fact that you had to spend a week in the infirmary scared the shit out of me. Maybe trying this isn’t such a bad idea and this way they can’t just throw you out on the street.”
“I thought you hated alphas?” I asked, rubbing my nose on the sleeve of my sweatshirt.
“What gave you that idea? I don’t hate alphas per say, I just hate the ones I grew up with. But over the past few years and a lot of therapy I’ve been making strides to try and move on from my past and I think you should too. I also use the services that the academy provides to help with my heats which you refuse to do. Look, I know you don’t like to talk about the time before you came here but I really think you should give this a shot.” Tibby rubbed circles into my back and I leaned into the touch and laid my head on her shoulder.
We sat like that for a while and finally I sat up and looked into her hazel eyes.
“Pack Russo is notoriously anti-omega. What makes you think they would even want me?”
Tibby rolls her eyes and looks me up and down, “Please. Eloise you arehot,these assholes would have to be blind not to realize that. So tell me… when do you leave?”
“...Tomorrow.”
“You gotta be fucking kidding me.”
5
I was nervous. Nervous as hell. I tapped my fingers absentmindedly on the steering wheel, staring up at the twenty story SFOFA building that loomed over my car. I needed to go in. I was supposed to meet Carolyn in less than fifteen minutes. Carolyn andEloise, I reminded myself, ignoring the little thrill that traveled through my body. My alpha-instincts were definitely happy that we were picking up this omega.
Leon was still pissed at me and had barely acknowledged me in the past forty-eight hours. Instead, he slammed around the house and generally threw a fit about the incoming omega. Owen was the only one who he was really speaking to. Especially since Gage and Dominic didn’t seem too against the idea of an omega. Dom told me that he didn’t really care either way and had gone to dinner with friends and Gage, even though he was the quietest member of Pack Russo, had helped me set up Eloise’s room.
“Are you ready to go up?” Gage asked from the passenger seat. I had forgotten that he had come with me to pick Eloise up.
“Yeah, yep. Totally.” I pat the bigger man on the arm and he looks sideways at me with a blank expression. I loved the big guy but man was he hard to read. I’d known him since I was eighteen and sometimes I still felt like I had barely scratched the surface that was Gage Larson. Today he was wearing a deep green henley and a pair of scuffed jeans. He’d tied his mane of golden brown hair back out of his face in what I can only describe as a ‘man-bun’ and had even trimmed his beard. If I didn’t know any better I’d think he’d cleaned up to meet Eloise. Interesting.
As we got out of the car and stood in front of the building I sucked in a long, deep breath. It was my choice to do this—even if SFOFA hadn’t really given me a choice. I would make the choice to make the best of this. The memory of Eloise’s chocolate and champagne smell was almost gone and I wanted to get it back. The thought of being able to smell her again made me put one foot in front of the other as we opened the doors to the building and stepped inside.
Everyone in the lobby seemed to pause for a moment. Omegas who were going from class to class or hanging out in the cafe seemed to freeze as they looked Gage and I up and down like predators rather than omegas. Finally, after a moment of silence, the lobby came back to life and everyone continued on with their days—only sparing us a curious glance here and there.
“Mr. Zhao! You’re early!” Carolyn greeted us as she stepped off of an elevator dressed in a professional looking dress in a deep plum color, her hair twisted in an elegant updo. She smiled at the both of us and nodded at Gage who inclined his head in response. It was strange to hear Carolyn call me ‘Mr. Zhao’ but I figured that she was trying her best to remain professional.
“Eloise, come on out and meet Eric and Gage.” Carolyn turned to the open door of the elevator and gestured with a ‘come here’ motion to the person inside who reluctantly stepped out carrying a giant duffel bag.
I was shocked, she seemed even more delicate than she had when she was dancing the part of a tragic swan. Swathed in a too-big black hoodie and a pair of green leggings Eloise stood a foot and a half shorter than me. She couldn’t be more than 5’2. Rather than a tight bun, like the night of the ballet, her hair was now french braided into two plaits on either side of her head and tied off with black hair ties. Gone was the powdered makeup and I could now see the plethora of freckles that were smattered across the bridge of her nose along with the purple bags under her eyes that told me she wasn’t getting enough sleep.
She was tiny and tired looking. I was absolutely enchanted.
“Eloise, this is Eric Zhao and Gage Larson, two members of Pack Russo. They are going to take care of you until your birthday.” Carolyn introduced us with a false brightness and I couldn’t believe she was introducing us in the middle of the lobby and in front of what seemed to be the entire academy. Omegas that were lining the walls and sitting in the cafe were whispering amongst themselves as they stared at a clearly uncomfortable looking Eloise.
