It felt real.
"I want to open a game studio," I finally said, interrupting Marcus halfway through an explanation about the differences between a DVD and a Blu-Ray that I absolutely wasn't listening to.
"Huh?"
"I'm answering your question about why I took the deal," I said, twirling a lock of candyfloss hair around my finger. "I want to make horror games, and Cameo was really generous in his offer. I'd have enough to hire a couple of people, a budget for premises, hardware, servers... you know, everything I need to really dig in on this thing."
"That’s cool, like the stuff Indi plays?" Marcus asked, and a knot that I hadn't noticed in my stomach loosened.
I didn't realize it until now, but I guess a part of me had expected him to laugh. Or, I don't know... make it seem like the whole thing was stupid. Marcus had such a normal job, it just made sense somewhere in my subconscious that he'd think game design was a joke.
"Kind of. I'd like to make a cooperative story-based game that plays a bit like a movie. But the ending, and how much you learn about the lore and what's going on is based on the decisions and discoveries you make in game. Oh, and like, the coolest fucking cosmetics. Cozy horror is like, a totally underserved niche, so… "
He nodded thoughtfully. "I've always liked the formula behind horror, it’s like a recipe. All of these little pieces added together becomes something new. Add a little more or less of something, and it totally changes the outcome."
I smiled.
Somehow, I'd expected a date with Marcus to be as quiet as he was with the rest of the pack, and it was a pleasant surprise to find that wasn't the case. The conversation flowing easily between delicious plates that had me wanting to crawl into the alpha's lap to purr thank you into his ear. I didn't though, letting the easy conversation pass as he told me about the first restaurants he'd worked at, and all the ways he'd fucked up searing a steak, while I shared about the giant pink stain on the tile in my shower from the last time I dyed my hair.
It was… normal. Surprisingly so.
All the way up until I was pushing my dessert plate away with a satisfied groan. "I couldn't eat another bite," I said, patting my stomach appreciatively. "God, this baby is going to eat so good."
The alpha chuckled, offering his hand across the table and I took it, letting him play with my fingers.
"Why did you agree to the deal?" I asked, suddenly curious.
Marcus was handsome, talented, and not a bad date. Honestly... The entire pack was lovely, Cameo included, most of the time. I couldn't see why they needed to pay a small fortune to have a baby. Surely their pack had a line down the block trying to get a shot.
"This is largely Cameo's doing, but I've always wanted children." He shrugged a shoulder, not quite meeting my eyes. "I thought, a while ago, that our pack had met its omega. Got myself really excited about the prospect of starting a family. It, uh... didn't work out, I guess."
It felt like he wasn't telling me the whole truth, but I'd picked up enough about Marcus to know better than to push.
Whatever happened with this omega before me, and whatever Joon's deal was with this pack and his inability, or maybe it was refusal, to commit, wasn't my business. This was a job, a job that had incredibly weird specifications, but still. I was here to give this pack a baby, not get into the middle of their business.
At least that's what I kept telling myself.
So why was it whenever I thought about any of them, I got butterflies?
And why did I want to climb into Marcus' lap to replace his frown with my lips?
I held off on the impulse, squeezing his fingers to draw his attention back to me. "Their loss," I said softly. "Now I get you all to myself."
Marcus' eyes met mine, and for a moment, I thought that it wasn't going to work. But then his lips ticked up at the corners, flooding me with a rush of pride.
This pack wanted a baby, and I was going to give it to them. I just hoped that by the time I did, they'd want the omega giving it to them as much as I wanted them.
I’d been holedup drawing in my nest for so long that the sun had set, and the moon peeking through the stained glass windows was nowhere near enough for me to see without turning on the twinkling fairylights strung along the A-frame ceiling, even with the backlight of my tablet.
Deciding that it was time for a break in the form of whatever I could scrounge out of the fridge—a decision absolutely not brought on because Marcus’ car had just pulled into the drive—I clicked the screen of my tablet off and left it behind to head downstairs.
Something about watchingmy alpha—er,Marcus—get ready on a date with another omega hadn’t sat right with me. I wasn’t bothered about him going out with Eva specifically… I just… wanted some of that effort from him for myself. I’d been Indigo’s boyfriend for long enough, I wanted the rest of the pack to try and accept me too.
Even if I wasn’t exactly what they pictured.
I knew I wasn’t the typical omega. I wasn’t soft or easy to be around. I didn’t live to make the alphas in my life’s fragile egos feel better.
Not saying that Eva did, but how I reacted to the guys probably wasn’t helping my already rocky circumstances.
