“What? It’s a nice space,” I responded, unsure why he was defending this nameless omega who likely wouldn’t even fit in with our pack. A pair of big, green eyes came to mind, and I shoved the image aside.
“But omegas need touch and connection,” Ben said, biting his lip.
“Ben, she might not want those things. She certainly might not want those things from us,” I said.
My mind returned yet again to the breathtaking omega from the grocery store. I dreamed of her last night. I desperately wanted to know if she was okay and wished more than anything that I had been able to scent her. Something told me that she would have been all sugary sweetness.
Cam leaned back in his leather chair. “I think we’re obligated to do this for the Alliance, to give her a safe place and help through her heat, if that’s what she wants.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. “You two are fine having sex with a stranger? During heat?”
“I don’t know,” Ben said. He stopped pacing and sank down in a chair.
“It’s not fair for her to suffer,” Cam said.
My chest clenched. I didn’t want an omega to suffer just because of her biology, but it was rare for me to experience sexual attraction. The idea of having sex for the first time with a heat-crazed omega I’d met the day before set my teeth on edge. Fuck, this was the least romantic scenario I could imagine—sex as a medical procedure instead of something borne out of love. Omegas could sustain significant physical damage during heat without sex and knotting from an alpha.
“I won’t be participating,” I said finally. “But you two can make your own decision, of course.” As I said the words, fear wormed its way into my chest. What if Cam and Ben became close to this omega and I was left out? What if they ultimately chose her over me? I ran my hand through my hair and tried to shield my anxiety from the bond.
“So, we’re doing this?” Ben asked, a broad smile on his face.
“Yes,” Cam said. His expression was reserved, but I could feel his excitement pulsing through the bond.
“We can meet her. But we all have to agree to accept her into the pack, if she’s even interested in us,” I said firmly.
“Of course!” Ben said, bouncing up and down. “What should we do to prepare? Do we bring anything?”
“Amirah just said for us to meet her at the DC. She’ll give us a file on the omega to review ahead of time, and then we’ll meet her.” I sighed, having totally lost my appetite. “I’m going for a run. I can’t work anymore.”
I abandoned my lunch and quickly changed my clothes, heading out for the trails that ran behind our home—one of the reasons I had wanted to buy this house in the first place. As I ran, I repeated to myself, “Don’t get your hopes up. This won’t work out.” The words drummed in my brain to the time of my furious steps as I sprinted through the woods. After a while, the words somehow changed. “Maybe she could be the one,” pounded through my head as I pushed myself to run faster. So much for not getting my hopes up.
I am so fucked.
ChapterSeven
Josie
Iwas curled up on the small window seat in my living room, my head leaning against the windowpane, my hands gripping my e-reader. I was trying to escape my reality by diving into a new romance book, but I kept getting distracted by every movement outside. I hadn’t slept at all last night, and now I was nauseous, my entire body on edge. The moment I had run from for years was here.
I dug my fingernails into my palms. My thoughts had turned especially dark in the early hours of the morning, returning once again to the temptation of just… not being here anymore.
My phone vibrated, startling me. I dug it out from where it had slid between the cushion and wall.
Sam
Have they picked you up yet?
Josie
Not yet
Sam
Tell me how it went the second you get home
Josie
I already said I would
