“But things changed?”
“Ichanged,” he responded, his eyes crinkling. “I became more confident in who I was. I started pursuing my art and giving my alphas shit when they drove me out of my mind. You’ll find your rhythm with your pack. But don’t ever believe that you’re weak.”
“Thank you,” I said softly.
I stared at the art piece before me, taking it in for the first time. Layers of soothing blues and greens surrounded the edge of the canvas. But at the bottom left corner, there was a splash of red and orange, an almost aggressive contrast to the serenity of the rest of the piece. I’d never studied art, couldn’t pretend to understand anything about it, but it touched me and made me feel… something.
“This is incredible,” I said after a long silence, looking back at Donovan.
“This is actually one of my earlier works. I was trying to process what it meant to be an omega.”
My eyes returned to the painting. “I’ve never met a male omega.”
“Few have,” he said. “It can be lonely.” His jaw clenched and his caramel scent took on a slightly bitter edge.
I jumped as one of Donovan’s alphas, a tall Black man who was almost as massive as Cam, seemed to materialize out of thin air. He wrapped his arm around his omega’s shoulder and pressed a kiss to the side of his face.
“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked, his voice low and soothing.
Donovan looked at me, his lips twitching as he rolled his eyes.
“They never grow out of it,” he said, shaking his head as Theo wrapped his arms around me from behind. “Everything’s fine, Ter. Just talking to beautiful Josie here.”
The alpha kept his firm grip on Donovan but smiled as he looked at Theo and me.
“You okay, angel?” Theo murmured.
I shifted to look at him. I knew Pack Turro was part of the Alliance, but I still didn’t want to say anything that could jeopardize our safety.
“Everything went to plan,” Theo whispered in my ear.
“They’re done?” I asked, feeling dizzy with relief.
“Yes, love. They’re getting you something to eat and drink.” Theo kissed my forehead.
“Not hungry,” I responded. My stomach still felt tangled up in anxiety.
Theo frowned. “You haven’t eaten much today.”
“I know, I just… Can we go home?”
“Shh, don’t stress. Okay, we’ll get something at home.”
“It was so lovely to meet you, Josie,” Donovan said, kissing my hand. “I hope we find each other again soon.”
I blushed at his kindness and gave the secret library one final longing glance before pressing myself to Theo as he led me back to the main room.
“I need to use the restroom,” I said, looking around.
“I’ll wait here for you.”
The bathroom was located through a large dressing room with vanities and mirrors. As much as I loved this house, it was definitely too grand for me.
I stared at the toilet and then down at my dress. How was I supposed to pee? I realized I would have to unzip it and sit naked on the toilet before pulling it back up.Talk about losing your dignity when wearing fancy dresses.
As I was finally maneuvering the dress back on, I heard voices outside the bathroom. When I opened the door, I saw three beta women touching up their makeup. I gave them a tight smile and tried to walk past them quickly, intimidated by how stunning they looked. They were all tall and thin with perfectly curled blonde hair.
“You’re with Pack Ashwood, right?” one of the betas asked, looking me up and down. “I saw you walk in with them.” Her lips curled into a sneer, her hand resting on her perfectly tiny waist.
