I stepped close to the painting until my nose practically touched the surface as if I could draw closer to this feeling of being seen and understood. Why would he give this to me? It must be worth a fortune.
I caught Donovan’s faint scent and could imagine his younger self painting this, pouring all his anger, confusion, and acceptance into it. I crouched down to softly trace my hands over the bright red streaks. Donovan’s scent was stronger here... almost suspiciously strong. Feeling a bit ridiculous, I leaned in to sniff the canvas, gripping the edge to keep my balance. My finger caught on something protruding from the canvas’s edge and I tugged on it, pulling out a small envelope. I knew I had found the source of his scent.
My heart beat faster as I flipped it over and saw my name. I scooted closer to the lamp and pulled a small card from the envelope.
Josie,
They will underestimate us until we prove them otherwise.
Donovan
Iread the note again, my mind whirling. Who did he mean when he said “they?” It could just be our alphas… but it felt like something more.
I gazed at the painting until the red and orange strokes on the canvas transformed into a raging fire.
This past week I had disappeared into myself, just like I had when I got the first device. But nothing was the same as it was back then. I wasn’t alone anymore. I had my alphas. I had my friends.
Glen and Dr. Bishop had done their best to destroy me. They’d convinced me that being an omega was the same as being weak and useless. A tool for alphas to abuse. But that wasn’t true.
I was still here.
Hope bloomed in my chest, and it was a miraculous feeling.
I thought of Poppy, Westin, and Ellie, forced into lives they didn’t choose. I thought of Jewel, so cruelly harmed by the government, and Sam and Gerald having to move away just to be themselves.
We deserved better. And for the first time in my life, I believed we could get something better if we fought back together. They were underestimating us, and maybe we could use that to our advantage.
A wide smile spread across my face, stretching my muscles as if they didn’t quite know how to make the expression anymore.
“Josie!” Cam’s roar came from upstairs, and I froze.
Fuck.
“I’m down here,” I called out quickly, cringing with guilt as Cam, Ben, and Theo thundered down the stairs.
“Fuck, fuck!” Cam exclaimed as he scooped me up off the floor.
All my guys pressed around me. Their scents were stressed, but I still felt giddy after my epiphany.
“Precious, you can’t do that to us,” Ben said, still out of breath.
“I’m sorry,” I said, biting my lip. “I just… wanted to open the present.”
A tense silence followed.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” I added lamely.
Theo pressed his face into my neck and took a shuddering breath. “You smell happy, love.”
“I am,” I said, turning my head so I could give Theo a kiss. I wanted to tell them about my realization, but maybe the middle of the night wasn’t the right time.
“You like Donovan’s gift?” Theo asked. There was something off about his tone, but I couldn’t pinpoint what.
“Yeah,” I responded. “It’s the painting he showed me at the cocktail party.”
Cam inhaled another deep breath as if to convince himself I was really okay before striding back upstairs with me in his arms.
“I guess we’re going back to bed,” I said, snuggling into Cam.
