Me and the guys were silent. Fuck, I didn’t think any of us were even breathing. Catalina rarely cursed. I dropped my hand from Ryder’s stupid forehead, and he straightened up and stared at our normally even-tempered publicist-turned-band mom.
“Great, I’m glad that’s settled,” she finally concluded when no one spoke. She glanced at each of us in turn, her eyes narrowed and her face stern. Her attention returned to the tablet afterwards, and after a few taps of her finger and a quick scroll, her eyebrows raised. “Oh, I missed a postscript.” A smilesoftened her face. “It seems the product testing department overnighted an item saturated in Tessa’s scent. But…” now she frowned. “I mean, according to this timeline, it should have already arrived. Let me make a call.” She stepped away from us, heading towards the entrance foyer.
Product.
I really didn’t fucking like that they’d called Tessa a product.Tessa.I rolled her name over in my mind.Omega Tessa. Our Omega Tessa. Tessa, the Oblivion Haze Omega.
Catalina’s voice began floating into the living room. A professional, perfunctory ‘hello’ followed by a call transfer to get her to the correct department, another greeting—more annoyance in Cat’s voice this time as she clarified that, yes, she was calling on behalf of Oblivion Haze, a V.I.P. client—then, finally, she was able to ask the question. A package was meant to arrive, and it hadn’t. Where the hell was it?
Me and the guys stood around stupidly, all unsure of what to do with our bodies. Tray was doing his signature, and fucking stupid, bouncing from foot to foot like a boxer. He’d probably start drumming on the furniture next. Ryder had moved to a wall, shoving his body against it as if he needed the support or else he’d collapse. Mac was a statue. Wasn’t even sure the guy was blinking.
I moved towards the glass patio doors, staring out at the pool. Rain was starting to fall, creating tiny ripples in the water’s aqua surface. A bird was chirping somewhere, maybe calling its companion home now that the storm was hitting. Even through the glass, I could smell the weather.Petrichor.I’d learned that stupid word from a game show rerun. Petrichor. Earthy. Pleasant. Sweet. This was my favorite kind of weather. Sometimes, I’d just go stand in a bad storm and let it soak me through. Cleanse all the shit away. I loved swimming in the rain too. I liked to sink to the bottom of the pool, shove my back against the smooth concrete, and stare up at the way the rainfall disturbed the world above. I’d stay that way until my eyes stung from the chlorine and my lungs ached, desperate for oxygen. Doing that these days wasn’t smart. Sometimes, I wanted to stay under the water until it was too late to breathe again.
Behind me, I heard the telltale sound of Tray thrumming his hands against the top of the sofa. Dull, muffled sounds of hands slamming dense cushion. At least he hadn’t chosen the coffee table or some hard shit. I didn’t think my nerves could handle him rhythmically pounding loudly.
The phone call was still ongoing. I’d tuned it out, but now with each word, Catalina’s voice was increasing in volume.
“If it was supposed to be a delivery with signature required, then it certainly has not arrived.”
Cat waited for a response, before speaking again.
“Look, I don’t know what half-ass delivery service The Eros Institute is using, but?—”
The speaker on the other end must have interrupted.
“The Cupid Company is responsible for managing their own shipments. Is that how you’re planning to pass the buck? As far as I am aware, the so-called Cupid Company is just a branch of Eros. It’s branding.” Ice in Catalina’s voice now. I almost felt bad for whatever asshole was about to get on her bad side.
A pause.
“I am one of the top PR agents in California, Beta Hopkins. I assure you; I know about branding tactics. I’m sure bringing in products is a lot easier with a cutesy name like Cupid. Now, what I want you to do is go into your little system, find out the name of the delivery service and find out where the fuck Oblivion Haze’s package is right now.”
Another pause.
“Yes, I’ll hold.”
Catalina walked into view, phone lowered from her face with the speaker engaged. Saccharine elevator music—periodically interrupted with a brief blurb about The Eros Institute and how it was revolutionizing everyday life in so many ways—flowed from the cell. “I swear if they hadn’t already found Tessa, I’d demand your money back. Absolutely incompetent.”
She disappeared out of view again.
Aside from taking too damn long, The Institute had done what they’dpromised—a conclusive scent match for our pack as a whole, something that was statistically improbable. I mean, our Omega wasn’t here yet, but the promise of her was already rooting inside my brain and heart and soul. I’d hazard a damn guess that my pack brothers felt the same way. I closed my eyes. Even without the photo in front of me, Tessa’s face bloomed in the darkness. Bright. Mercurial. Perfect. Funny how my own mind erased the imperfections of the picture. In my mind, she was plump and healthy and smiling.
Who fucking cared if she’d unknowingly caused our close-knit band of brothers to unravel? She could sew us back together, stitch-by-stitch, simply by existing in reality, instead of just in Ryder’s fucking memory.
“Okay, here’s the deal.” Catalina returned, shoving her phone into her pocket. “They got ahold of the shipping company. The package is marked as delivered to the front door. Apparently, the signature requirement was just ignored. The Institute made all the excuses in the world, then assured us this kind of mistake would never be made again. Yada yada. They are sending you a complimentary fruit basket.”
“A fucking fruit basket?” I seethed.
“Maybe it’ll be a gold-plated banana,” Tray quipped from where he’d taken up residence on the sectional.
Mac, who’d been carved of stone during Cat’s phone call, broke out of his stillness and began walking towards the foyer. “If it’s here, then let’s find it.” He threw over his shoulder, obviously on a mission and not caring if we followed.
Ryder raced forward first, pushing from the wall like someone had just shot a gun and he was on an Olympic starter line. Tray skipped after them, boyish enthusiasm radiating from his body.
I hesitated, though every fiber of my being wanted to follow the others and desperately search for the scent proof that Tessa was real and our scent match. I just needed a moment to get in the right headspace. Taking a beat, pausing before I lost control, wasn’t something I did these days. Going feral sounds like something from a porno, but in real life, it felt like a case of the Jekyll and Hyde madness. Like the goodness in me couldn’t be found when the monstrous evil took over. Somehow, in thismoment, I was able to recognize that I was riding the edge. I breathed deeply, pushing down my out-of-control Alpha nature.
Tessa. Tessa. Tessa.
Her name was suddenly on repeat in my head. A record with a singular word. The best damn music I’d ever heard.
