“Alright, I just sent those answers off to the match board to give to the packs before the interview. I think we should ask Dave to drive us home.”
Omegas were banned from driving four years ago. I remembered watching Glen Jacoby’s press conference when he announced the new law, and could still hear him saying omega hormones were too erratic for us to drive safely, as if alphas weren’t the real erratic ones. Sam taught me how to drive in secret when we were teens. I loved borrowing his car to cruise around the countryside. It was one of the rare occasions I felt free.
Now I mostly walked or rode the bus since I couldn’t drive and didn’t have money to hire a car. Omegas were strongly discouraged from riding public transit since our scents could cause the entire bus to erupt into chaos (Glen’s words, not mine), but it was technically still legal. But right now, I had no desire to ride the bus in my vulnerable, tipsy state.
“Who’s Dave?”
“Dave is an alpha who works here in the center. But he’s part of the Alliance,” Clementine said without meeting my gaze, a blush forming on her cheeks.
A smile tugged at my lips, and I wondered if there was anything between them. I was tempted to ask but wasn’t sure if it was too personal. It had been so long since I really opened up to anyone besides Sam. My self-protective defenses prevented me from getting too close to anyone.
There was a sharp knock on the door before it opened, revealing Dave. He was huge—I was guessing at least 6’ 5” with broad shoulders and massive arms. His brown hair was cropped in a military-style cut, and he was wearing an all-black DC security uniform with a gun holstered at his side. My heart rate picked up at his intimidating presence.
Clementine, however, didn’t seem remotely concerned. Her face lit up when he walked in, and she started giggling. Dave quirked his eyebrow at her, taking in our mess of wine bottles and opened treats.
“You tipsy, Clem?” There was a warmth in his eyes, fueling my suspicion that there was something between them.
“No, why would you say that?” she responded, laughing so hard she slid out of the chair she was sitting in.
Dave shook his head with a smile before looking at me and introducing himself. The room spun a bit as we picked up Amirah’s office, Dave doing most of the work. I kept a wide berth, not wanting to get too close to him. But as Dave moved around the space, I caught his pleasant lemon scent.
Clementine and I gathered our things and made sure we both looked serious and presentable before leaving. Being locked away in Amirah’s secure office had almost made me forget we were in the middle of the horrible, oppressive place that was the DC. It would look suspicious if we appeared drunk or too lighthearted, so we quietly followed Dave out of the office. I breathed a sigh of relief once we got to the parking lot. Just being on DC property made my skin crawl.
As we neared the town car, I couldn’t help it. I leaned close to Clementine and asked, “Do you like him?”
I meant for it to be a whisper, but it must have come out louder than expected because Dave choked out a cough, and Clementine’s freckle-laden face flushed red as we got into the back of the car. I shot her an apologetic look.Damn alcohol.
When Dave closed the door behind us, she turned to me and gave a little nod. Before the DC laws, alphas could bring betas into their packs and even bond them. But since the new laws, betas could no longer be with alphas. Tears pricked at my eyes, the alcohol making me more emotional than usual at the reminder that betas didn’t have it easy, either.
As the car pulled out of the parking lot, I curled up in the back seat, having far surpassed my limit for the day. I couldn’t believe I had gotten my blood work results just this morning. I felt I had lived several eternities since then. The car was warm and dark, a relief after being under bright lights all day, and Dave and Clementine’s fresh citrus scents swirled around me as I dozed off.
“We’re here,” Dave said quietly, startling me out of my sleep. I sat up and saw we were parked in front of my apartment building.
“We’ll be here to pick you up in the morning,” Clementine said. “It was really nice to meet you. I hope you can get some rest tonight.”
“Thanks, Clementine.”
Dave opened the door for me, but I hesitated before getting out.
“Some nights, I go to a self-defense class down the street. An alpha there holds a class for omegas, but it’s really empowering and you’d be welcome to come with me sometime if you wanted to.” Maybe it was the alcohol that made me trust Clementine enough to invite her, or maybe I was just so fucking exhausted doing everything on my own.
Clementine beamed. “Oh my gosh, I would love to. Let me know the time and date and I’ll be there.”
“I’m going to escort you to the door,” Dave said solemnly. “Clementine, don’t get out of the car for any reason.” He growled that last part protectively. I looked over at Clementine and gave her a wink as she rolled her eyes.
Dave waited until I fished out my keys and unlocked my door before saying goodbye. I headed into my apartment, locked the deadbolts behind me, and stripped off my clothes. After wrapping myself in my fluffiest blanket, I walked to the kitchen to make hot chocolate, needing something warm and sweet. My hand hesitated over the tin. Even though I didn’t want to join a pack, the idea of being around alphas tomorrow and having them judge me and my body made me want to vomit. I blinked back tears as I tightened the blanket around my soft curves and rolls.
See, this is why no one could ever love you or find you desirable. A nasty voice that sounded suspiciously like my mother rang out in my head. I took a deep breath and repeated my mantras to myself.My body is a good body. My body doesn’t exist for the sole purpose of being thin.The tightness in my chest eased a little, and I forced myself to make the hot chocolate. I shuffled to my bedroom, the blanket still wrapped around me, and set up a fort of blankets and pillows, nestled my way into the middle, and then grabbed my latest romance book. I needed some fictional men to carry away the fears of meeting with the alphas tomorrow. Fictional men would never hurt me or think I’m too fat.Who needs real men?
ChapterSix
Theo
Ihung up the phone and put my head in my hands with a groan just as Cam walked into the office with a couple bowls of pasta.
“What’s wrong?” he asked gruffly as he sat down in the leather office chair across the desk from me.
“You make that?” I asked, eyeing the bowl he’d sat in front of me. It smelled like vodka sauce—my favorite.
