“I’m sorry. I know it doesn’t smell good,” I said. “I just… don’t feel comfortable being out without it.”
“I understand, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have said anything. I want you to be safe and comfortable.”
I let myself relax, listening to Ben animatedly review the menu options and tell me which ones he thought I would like the best.
The waiter came to drop off our drinks—I’d ordered a cotton candy martini that sounded equal parts disgusting and delicious—when I noticed a group of women being led to a table near ours. I froze when I saw it was my mother and a group of her friends. Sam and I had dubbed the group the Omega Bitch Squad as teens—OBS for short. Sam’s mother, Victoria, was part of the group, along with several other omegas whose alphas were all Designation Traditionalists.
My mother and I locked eyes as she found her seat. Her mouth curved into the briefest frown before she turned away from me and sat down. I couldn’t be bothered to be hurt by her rejection—I was just relieved that she had decided to ignore me. I looked away, hoping Cam’s large body blocked me from the view of the rest of the OBS.
“This looks revolting,” Cam said, eyeing my drink. He picked it up and took a sip.
“Hey!” I exclaimed, trying to tug it out of his hands without spilling.
He chuckled and set the drink down. “That’s fucking disgusting.”
I scrunched my nose at him in irritation, but secretly I was thrilled that he had relaxed enough to joke with me.
I looked up and realized Theo had noticed the new arrivals.
“Josie, isn’t that…?” he asked.
“Nope,” I snapped, cutting him off. Theo’s eyes widened in shock and I bit my lip, ashamed of my rudeness. “Sorry,” I said, not meeting his gaze. “I know she’s here and she saw me. But I just want to ignore her.”
Theo reached across the table for my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I closed my eyes, relieved he wouldn’t punish me for my outburst.
“Who are we talking about?” Ben asked, looking up from the menu and turning around in his seat.
“Don’t look,” I whispered urgently. “It’s my mom and her friends.”
But it was too late. Sharon, the OBS ringleader, had spotted us. Her eyes raked over each of my alphas in a way that made me feel profoundly possessive before her gaze landed on me. A wide smile spread across her face, a sinister gleefulness in her eyes. She nudged my mother, who turned to look at me, her eyes tight. I was sure my mother was ashamed to be associated with me, but now she couldn’t reasonably continue ignoring me.
Soon, all five omegas turned to look at us and Sharon got up, gesturing for them to follow her to our table.
“Fuck,” I muttered, every muscle in my body clenching with dread.
“Josephine, darling! I never would have expected to see you here. And who are these alphas?” Sharon asked, tossing her blond hair.
I clenched my fists to keep myself from shrinking down in my seat. I hated myself for feeling intimidated, but being around these women for the first time in years brought up all the terrible memories of my childhood.
I cleared my throat. “This is Cam, Theo, and Ben. My alphas.”
I swear all my guys sat a little taller at my words. Did they like that I had called them mine?
“This is Sharon,” I continued. “Victoria, Linda, Elizabeth, and, of course, my mother, Angeline.”
“Angeline told us you finally came into heat and found a pack,” Elizabeth said. “We were simply blown away. We had quite the betting pool going on if you would ever find alphas.” She laughed, a hollow, fake sound.
Cam tensed next to me.
“Oh?” I asked, feigning indifference. “Who won the bet?”
Sharon giggled, the sound high-pitched and girlish. “It was actually Victoria. Angeline was the most optimistic when she guessed you’d find a pack at twenty.”
My mother shifted her weight ever so slightly, the only tell that this conversation made her uncomfortable. She had never hesitated to remind me that my failure to find a pack reflected poorly on her.
My gaze landed on Victoria, who had the decency to look embarrassed.
Sharon leaned forward so much I thought her breasts would pop out of her tight dress.
