CHAPTER 6
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“Pumpkin?” The omega’s disbelieving voice filled the conference room and her strawberries and cream scent filled my nostrils. It had only been ten hours since I had left my mystery omega, but I would know her scent anywhere. After all, it had completely enchanted me over the past year ever since the first time that I ever serviced her heat. Tibby Sinclair and my mystery omega were one and the same. She had danced through my thoughts when I was at work or spending time with my pack, the memory of her soft hips and mouth-watering smell had even made it hard to work at times. So three days ago, when I’d gotten the phone call about servicing the same omega again, I had leapt at the chance to be surrounded by her heady scent again.
After leaving her, I had convinced myself that I needed to meet her in person. That she was the omega for me and my pack. I was fully prepared to battle it out with the academy, but I could see that I wouldn’t need to do that anymore. I’m not a firm believer in fate and I think that everyone should pursue their own destinies... but I think that fate was giving me a run for my money today by putting Tibby Sinclair directly in my path.
I’d often imagined what she would look like, conjuring images of a sweet, curvy omega. She was as gorgeous as I thought she would be, even more so now as I stared down at the real thing. I could now see her round curves underneath the black dress she was wearing and my fingers itched to run my hands over them again. A pair of dainty, rose-petal pink lips were opened with surprise as we stared at one another and a long slender nose highlighted a pair of gem-stone colored eyes.
I reached out for her and tugged her into a tight hug despite the audible protests from everyone in the room. Tibby’s body melded into mine like it was meant to fit there and I could feel her inhale my scent deeply into her lungs. Her hands came around my back and she hugged me back, almost instinctively as she buried her face in my shirt.
“Uhh, can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?” Eloise Taylor asked from her seat. She was looking at Tibby and me like we’d grown extra heads. We reluctantly broke away from each other and put some space between us.
“This is pumpkin,” Tibby turned to her friend and jacked a thumb over her shoulder at me. “Y’knowpumpkin?”
She wiggled her shoulders suggestively and the other omega gasped and looked between the two of us with a recognition that actually made me kind of proud. Obviously, she had bragged to her friends about our time together. I couldn’t help but puff my chest out with pride despite Aria and Theo’s glares burning into the back of my head. They had probably already put two-and-two together faster than you could say ‘omega-say-what?’ I was definitely going to be scolded later even though it wasn’t reallymyfault that the omega that needed our help also happened to be the omega that had rocked my world for the past three days. I called it a happy complication but Theo would call it an unnecessary complication. But hey, what can I say? I’m a glass-half full kind of a guy and this was great news to me.
“Thatpumpkin? Holy shit.” Apparently, I had a nickname. I loved it. Eloise looked me up and down before muttering, “Small world.”
“I’m beginning to see that.” Tibby replied and turned and there was a softness in her multicolored eyes as she looked at me, “I was wondering if I’d ever get to meet you face-to-face. I just wish it was under better circumstances.”
Her words reminded all of us that there was a reason that we were all in this conference room on a Saturday afternoon. She was in danger. My inner alpha growled at the idea but I tamped down on it, forcing it down, and remained silent.
“Right,” Cobb took over again, pulling out one of the roller chairs for Tibby to sit in. I could see that Tibby was a bit dazzled by the beta because who wasn’t. He was taller than I, with a slender but muscular build. I knew that he used to run track in high school and still maintained his wiry runner’s body even now. His skin was the color of dark chocolate and was completely smooth and unlined. His coffee bean colored eyes were warm and open as he gestured for everyone to take a seat as well. I knew that his charm and no-nonsense attitude had made him a favorite with the FBI—Theo had told me as much when he’d begun to train him seven years ago. Overall, Cobb was a really good guy. He’d been a part of our little family until the incident and even though I knew that he was uncomfortable being around us again, he would do everything in his power to make sure Tibby wouldn’t come to any harm.
“So Ms. Sinclair—”
“Tibby.”
“Tibby,” Cobb started again, correcting himself firmly. “I believe that honesty is the best policy in situations like this. Something that you did not get from the academy, correct?”
Tibby nodded her expression shifting from neutral to anger. I couldn’t help but mirror her emotions. The San Francisco Omega Academy was one of the biggest institutions in the country that housed omegas. They weresupposedto take care of, protect, and eventually match them into packs. But over the past year, it had become obvious that they weren’t doing everything in their power to protect the charges that they had been given.
“Well, I just want to let you know that your concerns are valid, and we want to make you feel as safe as possible—”
“Agent Collins?” Tibby interrupted him again and Cobb scrunched his nose, clearly annoyed at being interrupted for the second time in 60 seconds.
“Yes, Tibby?” Cobb sounded exasperated as he waited for the omega to speak.
“Can you stop beating around the bush and tell me what the actual fuck is happening? I’m sorry that I’m being rude, but everyone has spent the past few hours dancing around the subject and I’m really tired of it.” She added her apology as an afterthought.
Tibby looked at Cobb stubbornly, her eyes flashing with a temper that made my heart give a little pitter-patter. Was it too soon to say that I was in love with this omega? She would give Theo a run for his money with her bluntness. I could even hear Aria covering a laugh with a cough behind me.
