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“Not really, I never had time to learn any of that before. Well, I rarely had time for anything. So I don’t know what I’m into. I’m still learning, I guess.” She glanced at me and then typed more.
“I’ll just put ‘She is interested in exploring various hobbies, especially around the home.’ How does that sound?” I swallowed the rest of the pastry with a gulp and reached for the cup of coffee I made earlier.
“It’s just… I’ve never been a homebody. I always wanted to get out and explore, I just never had the time or funds to do so. And now, in this new place, I want to see all that I can.” Her frown deepened and she took a breath before answering.
“Usually, an alpha wants an omega who would be a good fit for the domestic side of things. If you aren’t a homebody, that’s fine, although rare. We can always update your profile later.” I shrugged and took another sip from my mug. I wasn’t interested in selling myself to some patriarchal asshole who would keep me homebound. I wasn’t interested in selling myself to anyone. Unless they maybe smelled like sweet bourbon vanilla, with amber eyes I could get lost in…
My train of thought was interrupted when the stylist turned my chair. “All done! Take a look.” I stared at the woman in the mirror.No way.I had never been too into makeup or hair styling in my old life, but I didn’t really know how. Now, I was staring back at deep blue eyes that popped out from a gorgeous face, my cheekbones highlighted, my mouth pink and glossy, and gorgeous brown waves of hair cascading around my shoulders in large loose curls. I looked amazing.
“I’ll take your silence as a good thing?” The stylist joked as I gaped in the mirror.
“I look… incredible! I don’t think I’ve ever looked this good!” I started running my hands through my hair, feeling the soft curls as I turned side to side.
“I can teach you how to replicate it, if you like.” The stylist smiled at me in the mirror.
“Thank you, I’d love that.” At least I could show some appreciation. I didn’t think I could ever make it look this good, but now maybe I’d fit in more with the other omegas.
“Alright then, let’s get some photos!” They moved me in front of the camera and snapped away, and as the day progressed I started to feel a little less awkward and a little more, well, omega.
Chapter 11
Piper
Once the best photos from my shoot were uploaded tomy profile, it went live. Callie said they had officially added me to the Omega Registry and I would soon be able to look through individual alpha and pack profiles. I wasn’t keen on it, but I wanted to see what the process entailed. Callie explained to me how it all worked.
“Your profile is active now, so any registered alpha or pack can look you up. You will be added to the scent books once your perfume fully develops. Want to see how it works?” I nodded, and she pulled out a book. “We can narrow down the choices by filtering for your preferences, but usually I encourage a blind scenting first. After all, your biology has a huge hand in how you will get along with someone. Here, take a whiff.” She handed me a thick book. There was plastic wrap on each page that had to be lifted, and numbers above each swatch. “The single swatches indicate single alphas. The pages with multiple swatches indicate packs.” I wrinkled my nose. Dealing with multiple men? It was enough work to deal with one!
“I’m not interested in packs.” Callie looked at me skeptically.
“I know that’s not how it’s done where you are from, but I encourage you to leave all options open. Especially for your first heat coming in so late, it might take several alphas to satisfy you.” I shuddered at that. Would I really be that insatiable? I flipped through the pages, lifting the plastic coating that kept the scents separate. A nice ocean smell with a hint of moss. Toffee with cinnamon. A deep pine scent. They all smelled decent enough - how was I supposed to choose? I looked up at Callie helplessly.
“Don’t worry, you will know when you find a match.” I sighed and went back to flipping. I smelled through the packs, wondering how these men got along with each other and formed groups to live with. Some even smelled bad, which probably meant we would hate each other. I was starting to give up when I reached a page and flipped the plastic coating up. The first swatch hit me - with my increased sense of smell, I was now able to fully appreciate the heady scent of bourbon, vanilla, and cinnamon undertones that sent my head spinning and my body quivering.It was him.Aiden. I was sure of it.
“Smell something you like?” Callie had a sly look on her face as she watched my reaction.
“This one - this one. I really, really like it.” I looked down, noticing the two other swatches. “What is this - does this mean he has a pack?” I couldn’t imagine Aiden with a pack, I had never conceived of it.
“Yes, why don’t you give the other two a smell?” I looked at the swatches hesitantly. I only wanted Aiden - how would a pack even work? I slowly lifted the plastic and sniffed the other swatches. The first was surprisingly comforting - it was a warm cotton scent, like fresh laundry and clean skin. The other was a cocoa, spice, and leather scent, which made me think of a dark and cozy evening. Each one of them set my body alight. I squeezed my thighs together, suddenly aware I was emitting my own sweet scent into the air. I needed to remember to take my suppressants.
“So, I take that as interest? Would you like to read more on that pack?” I nodded as my face heated. She typed something into her laptop and turned it to face me. “This is Pack Archer. Aiden, Dominic, and Declan. Aiden is the owner of a local firm, Dominic works on old cars, and Declan’s a coach at the nearby University. They are more than financially secure, live in the city, and only very recently registered. In fact, according to our records, they already sent you a gift?” I paused as I read.
“Yes, a phone.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the profile. I scrolled down, desperate to see him again. Once I got to their pictures, my eyes widened. There was Aiden, his hair styled and his eyes crinkling with his smile. Next to his photo was one of a man with a square jaw, short, sandy brown hair, and trustworthy chocolate eyes. He looked like he could model at any preppy clothing store. In fact, he looked really familiar. Before I could think too hard about where I had seen him, my eyes caught on the final picture. It was the last member of the pack, Dominic. He had strong, masculine features, defined cheekbones, dark hair with a touch of curl that came past his ears, and startling green eyes. His stubble made him look like he belonged in a biker bar. I could see the end of a tattoo curling around his neck just under his shirt. How did the three of these men get along? I read through each of their bios, but I already knew they were the only ones I would entertain, and that was just to see Aiden again.
“Can I arrange to meet them? How does that work?” What if Aiden didn’t want me? After all, I was an anomaly and was considered a national security threat at one point. Maybe he sent the phone because he felt bad. Callie smiled broadly.
“Yes, I can get your profile to them. If they agree to meet you, they can officially court you and from there it's up to you if it's a match. I’m sure they will say yes - they did send you a gift already. And Piper - if you want them to help you through your heat but still want to date other packs, that’s totally fine. None of this is permanent until you agree to be bitten into a pack.” I looked at her warily. That was another concept I hadn't wrapped my head around, and I wasn't ready to think about it.
“Alright. When will I know if they want to meet?”
“I’m sending them an email now. I’ll let you know as soon as they respond.” She clicked away on the keyboard while I took several more whiffs of their scents. I truly only wanted to meet Aidan, but I had to admit that the other men smelled incredible. I wanted to keep the page and sniff it obsessively. Plus, they were all so attractive. I hadn’t seen as many attractive people in my entire life as I had since I arrived in this strange world. I stared at the photos, wondering how sex worked with a pack. My thoughts were interrupted by a pinging noise.
“Well! That was fast. Pack Archer has already agreed to meet you, even without getting a scent sample.” Hearing that they wanted to meet suddenly had me feeling anxious. I already knew Aiden, but his pack? How would that work?
“So, can I contact them?” Callie nodded.
“Usually we set up a formal meeting, but something tells me you already have access to them from their gift.” Callie looked at me as I blushed.
“Well, I’ve only spoken with Aiden so far. I don’t really understand the whole pack thing. Actually, I didn’t know he had one.”
