Silly omega, I never should have caused him to lash out.
What a fucking joke.
It didn’t help that the only thing in my system was alcohol when they ran the blood tests. Whatever he’d used had faded and they wouldn’t run more tests thanks to my insurance saying it ‘wasn’t necessary.’
All in all, the systems failed me and he got off easy. He was still there for another year and I was left with enough trauma to break an omega.
That wasn’t even considering all the shit he’d done up to that fire. Isolating me from everyone I loved. Making sure he knew where I was at all times. Keeping money from me and sabotaging my life in subtle, then obvious, ways as he grew more bold.
He wanted my life to revolve around him. Tried to make me submit in ways he didn’t earn.
I’d barely had heats with him. I swear my omega knew we weren’t safe there.
Thank fuck there wasn’t a kid involved. Hell, if I could even have them. Thanks to the long-term birth control shots and the messed-up heats, I’d dodged that bullet.
“No, stop,” I growled to myself, downing the last dregs of my coffee and forcing myself back inside.
The shower, thankfully, chased away the last of my mood and by the time I was dressed in a cute outfit, had makeup on my face, I felt like me again.
Just like that I was confident and ready to face the day. Maybe it was a mask to protect myself, but I wore it well.
It was a Friday, so it was just me in the shop until lunchtime. Between all the babies and both my besties being packed up, we’d hired some help. Andrea and Steph were amazing. They traded off weekdays and rotated weekends covering the front.
The extra hands on deck gave us all time to ourselves, though I was probably the only one who hated it.
What I needed was to go out and get a drink tonight. Maybe find a beta to lose myself in.
Nothing with strings. I wasn’t ready for that… if I ever was.
Honestly, as much as my besties wanted me to find a pack, I was terrified. There was no way I could ever trust an alpha again.
Cameron and I weren’t scent-matches, but we were scent-compatible, and it backfired in the end.
Clearly, my taste in men was dismal. Look where it landed me last time.
I’d just finished stocking when Dani and Taryn both came in. The way they glowed now was amazing. I was so happy for them.
They deserved the packs they found, ones who treated them like royalty.
Taryn held up a container with treats. “Holt made cinnamon rolls. He put one with extra icing in there for you, Bea.”
“Aw, he knows me well,” I sang out as I snagged it and pulled off the lid, groaning as the amazing scents hit me. He was a wizard in the kitchen.
“You need a pack who owns a bakery,” Dani snorted. “Constant supplies of sweets and treats.”
“I’m good,” I deflected, before pointing to the boxes behind the counter. “But I do need help carting all those to the back. The delivery guy barely put them inside the door and books are heavy as hell.”
Taryn gave me a look that said she knew exactly what I was doing but they both grabbed a box.
“So, are we going out for drinks tonight?” I asked as I followed them to the huge workspace in the back, stacking it near the table so Taryn could sort them.
She sighed. “Not for me. The babies are getting their molars in and we’re all suffering. I don’t have it in me. Maybe in a week or two?”
“Sure,” I said, hiding my disappointment as I turned to Dani. “I know you could probably use a night out?”
She had their son, Wrigley, six months ago. We’d barely been out since, which I understood. But, sometimes it felt like my friends were moving on in life and I was left alone.
“Sorry,” Dani sighed. “The guys have a huge night in planned. They’ve been working on it for days, apparently. Tomorrow?”
