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“No, Aiden, it’s not a deal breaker.”
“Lies!” Dominic’s voice raged while Declan rushed over to soothe him.
“Calm down! You’re scaring her!” Declan grabbed Dominic’s arm, and he moved to shrug him off before reaching over to point his finger at me.
“She’ll do irreparable damage to us if you keep this up!” Dominic yelled as Aiden’s nostrils flared while he faced up against his packmate.
“Enough!”I knew enough by now to know that Aiden had used an Alpha command on Dominic. He stared back, a low growl in his throat before giving me one final glance, shaking his head and turning to storm off. Aiden’s muscles were tight with tension, and Declan rushed back over to me, enveloping me in a hug.
“It’s alright omega. It’s alright.” I hadn't realized I was shaking, and emitting a low whine at Dominic’s rejection. “I’m so sorry.” Aiden was there suddenly, his long arms curled around us as well while he purred to calm me down.
“We have a complicated past with omegas. I think part of that is starting to bubble back up now that we have you in the mix. Don’t worry, we can get this sorted out.” I nodded, letting them hold me until I calmed down.
Aiden drove me back home, leaving Declan at home with Dominic. The car slowed and he pulled over right before we reached the guarded gates. He turned to me once the car was stopped. “Piper, can you tell me if what Dominic said was true? Are you more interested in a temporary relationship with me versus a pack?” His voice was steady, but I detected a hint of worry from him.
My mouth was dry. I hadn't initially wanted a pack. But now after meeting all of them, my body was craving all three. I couldn't imagine not having all of them. “Aiden, what I said… initially it was true. I couldn’t even conceive of having anyone else but you.” His face remained stoic, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. “But then, after meeting you all, I started to see how nice it could be. Especially after tonight. I see how it could be even better than what I imagined. I really do want to know you all.” He nodded, listening to me as I spoke.
“Piper, you have to understand that we come as a group. Even if we have our own dynamics within it, we are all connected to each other. That’s what you would be signing up for if you stayed with us. You need to let me know if it’s not something you can handle. I don’t want any of us to form strong attachments if it’s not something you can deal with.” My heart lurched at his words. I couldn’t imagine leaving them now. I reached for his hand instinctually.
“I promise, at this point I’m all in. I just need to spend some time with Dominic, if he’s still open to it. We got off on the wrong foot, but if he’s in your pack then I’m certain I’ll love him as much as you two do.” His eyes brightened at my words.
“You’re right. I’ll talk with him. You two need to get to know each other better. I can help make that happen. I’m not giving up that easily, Piper.” He started the car again, the guards waving us through. As he dropped me off, he kissed me on the top of my hand. “Goodnight, Piper. Sweet dreams.”
I watched him drive off as I ground my teeth. How had it gotten so complicated so quickly?
Chapter 22
Piper
My day was going all wrong. I paced through my room as I ranted to Bella, who was watching me with a concerned look. “They told me I needed to take leave from work since I was so close to my heat!”. I had just been told by Dr. Calloway that I had to take a break from work. Apparently, my body had changed enough that my omega characteristics were almost mature. They wanted me to stay exclusively at the Omega House or with the pack I was courting. And that was a whole other issue. “And now I’m stuck either here or with the pack, one of whom hates my guts!” I worried as I paced. I still hadn’t heard back from Aiden or Declan on when I could meet with Dominic. We were supposed to have a date, where I could hopefully smooth things over.
“I mean, your doctor does have a point. Omegas aren’t supposed to be out around strange alphas so close to heat. She’s just looking out for your safety.” I turned to face her, flustered that she wasn’t supporting me. She just shrugged. “It’s part of being an omega. It will happen every time you are close to heat. You’ll want to stay in, relax and let an alpha take care of you.” I refused to accept it. Now I couldn’t even work or go outside? It wasn’t up to anyone else to tell me what to do. I grumbled under my breath at her. Even she wasn’t on my side.
“Look at the bright side, you have a pack that’s spoiling you. Pick them and you’ll never have to work again!” She was right - the gifts had been piling up from Pack Archer. I was sure it was all Aiden and Declan, though. But I still felt like I was being told what to do. “Well, I’ve got to go. I need to get ready for my own date coming up.” I felt a pang of guilt. Bella, who had been nothing but kind to me and had been my own personal cheerleader during my courtship, had matched with several packs since she arrived. She hadn’t found one she liked yet, but I hadn’t even asked her about it.
“Bella, I’m sorry, I-” she cut me off as she got up and left the room.
“It's fine Piper. Just remember, you have what I always dreamed of.” Her words sliced through me as I watched her leave. Now I had yet another relationship I needed to fix. I sighed and flopped back on my bed. My phone pinged, and I quickly grabbed it to see if anyone texted me. But it turned out that the notification was for a band playing in one of the local bars. I had been exploring music in this new world and quickly found some favorites - one of them being The Gritty Growls. This group was on a national tour and was playing in Haven this very evening. My nerves went wild with excitement. I loved experiencing live music when I had the rare opportunity back in my old life, and had never been to a concert in this new world. As I scrolled through The Gritty Growl’s social media, I saw clips from other live shows and the nostalgia crept up on me. I wanted to do something for me, remind myself I hadn’t lost my independence yet. I was already being banned from working and going anywhere. I had to go! Just this once. It wouldn’t hurt.
Deep down, I knew it wouldn’t be just once. I had already learned how to sneak out in various ways, either by saying I had work when I really didn’t, or escaping through the back door of the kitchen after hours and taping it so I didn’t get locked out when I went exploring. So far, no one had been the wiser. It helped that I didn't look like the other omegas - at least not yet. All the other omegas I had seen were small, delicate, and beautiful. I had a taller frame and a plain face. But I had noticed that my body had started to become curvier, my hair a bit shinier and my eyes seemingly grew slightly bigger since I had been in this strange world. Either way, I’d just be cautious to avoid alphas while I was out. Besides, none of them had nearly the incredible scents that Aiden, Declan, and Dominic had, so I wasn’t worried about any of them triggering me.
I got up from the bed and started to get ready. I had been able to buy some decent clothes with my meager earnings and the gift cards Aiden and Declan sent me. I pulled on jeans and a black top with a jacket. Pulling my hair into a high pony, I applied some dark liner and waited for the rest of the house to settle down after dinner time. I had to avoid everyone to sneak out - especially Bella after how I had left things with her.
Once I was sure most of the omegas would be in their rooms, I quietly snuck down to the kitchen, double-checking that none of the staff were around. I rounded the corner and went through the supply closet, opening the back door and taping the handle so that it didn’t close all the way when I exited. I crept along the side of the building until l found an area of the gate that was in the back and unguarded. There was a way to get through it, a spot where the old metal was rotted behind some overgrown shrubbery. I had discovered the spot weeks ago and had used it to get out every once in a while when I wanted some freedom. I snuck through and walked several blocks until the Omega House was out of sight before using my phone to hail a regular cab service. It was a bit risky - none of the drivers had been alphas so far, but I wanted to avoid them regardless. Luckily my driver this night was a beta and didn’t seem to think of me as anything different as he drove me to the bar downtown.
As I exited the cab, I could already hear the band from outside when I stepped into the line. My excitement grew as I got closer to the door, and the bouncer took my money and nodded for me to go in. The crowd inside was wild, dancing and moving with the music. The Gritty Growls were dressed in rockabilly-style clothing as they let loose on the stage. I watched for a few minutes in absolute elation that I had managed to be out and enjoying my life again, far from all of my worries earlier.
“Can I buy you a drink?” I turned to see a tall, muscular man in a black shirt hovering near me. He wasn’t my type, but I did feel like having a drink. “Sure!” I followed him as he ordered for me at the bar.
“So what’s your name?” He asked, handing me the ice-cold bottle and leaning back against the wall as I downed the refreshing drink.
“Piper. And you are?”
“Ben. Do you like this band?” I nodded. “Nice. I’m a fan as well. My friends are nearby, let me introduce you.” I didn’t want to meet all these people while the band was playing, but he did buy me a drink so I followed him to a group in the corner. Immediately the hairs on the back of my neck raised. These men were taller, well-built, and threatening-looking. Their eyes snapped on me hungrily. I knew instinctively that they were alphas.
“Um, this is actually my favorite song, so I’m going to go to the dance floor.” I started to step back but felt a warm wall at my back. I glanced over my shoulder to see that another alpha was now crowding me from behind.
“Where’d you find this pretty little thing, Ben?” He grinned down at me, herding me effortlessly to the other alphas in the group.
